So it was better to keep money out of friendships as much as possible.
Often, people could have stayed friends, but once money came into it, they might not even be able to remain friends.
That was what Ye Yaodong thought. If he had money in the future, he would not object to investing a little in his friends or helping them when they needed help.
But when it came to his own business, he did not want anyone else getting involved, lest disagreements arise.
He certainly would not go around telling other people how to run things.
The same went for the boat.
"Who could have known something unpleasant would happen again? I thought everyone could get along and benefit together. Who can say for sure?"
"When they first approached me, I knew they must want something. I just didn't expect us to be splitting up again so soon."
A-Guang bitterly regretted it. He had hardly made any money and had only landed himself in a mess. He would have been better off hiring someone to go out to sea with him. Then none of this would have happened.
"It doesn't matter. They'll probably come knocking in the next couple of days anyway. Just work out what you owe them and pay them, without leaving any messy loose ends."
"If there's any trouble, have a neighbor pass a message along, or go find your mother-in-law at the Village Committee's Women's Federation office. She's probably sitting there with nothing to do but crack sunflower seeds."
Come to think of it, A-Guang was his family's only son. Having few brothers really was a disadvantage. He did not even have anyone to lend a hand in a fight.
Thinking of it that way, perhaps having two sons at home was not so