Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law and Ye Second Sister-in-Law waited until their men had carried all the catch they were selling off the boats and loaded everything they were taking home to dry onto the handcart before asking Ye Yaodong to watch their boats too.
They needed to take the cartload of fish home first, then come back to move the shellfish. They certainly had a busy evening ahead.
They had also been away from home all day, so they needed to go back and see whether the children had behaved themselves or gotten into mischief.
Ye Yaodong nodded. It was no trouble.
Their boats were piled with burlap sacks too, looking packed to the brim with a plentiful haul. It was obvious that his two sisters-in-law had worked hard today.
They had fish to gut and shellfish to open. He wondered whether they could get through it all tonight, how late they would have to work, and whether they could still come out to sea again during the night.
His two sisters-in-law really were going all out to earn money.
His own hands were itching a little too. Digging shellfish off the Reef Wall was actually quite satisfying, especially if he happened to discover something unexpected. That would be pure profit.
He wondered whether they had looked around the shore while digging shellfish on the Small Island today, and whether they had picked up anything good. He had forgotten to ask just now.
Ye Yaodong stood on the shore puffing smoke, greeting people he knew as they passed back and forth. When he did not know them, he simply looked into the distance.
A pile of crushed cigarette butts lay at his feet. He had not counted how many he had smoked. He had been too busy working to smoke during