Chapter 13: Who Will Support the Parents?

Lunch was still sweet potato porridge!

There were many mouths in the family. How could they afford to eat plain rice every day? Even when cooking porridge, they had to add a big handful of shredded sweet potatoes.

As for why it wasn’t sweet potato rice, it was because sweet potatoes were easier to store when shredded. Once dried into strips, they could last for half a year. When cooked with rice, they allowed them to use less grain, and the taste was pretty good too, with a hint of sweetness.

Of course, that sweetness was only how Ye Yaodong felt. The whole family was already sick to death of eating sweet potato rice and shredded sweet potato rice. How could they still find it sweet? Being able to fill their stomachs was already good enough.

Because the family hadn’t split yet and there were many people, the portions of food were all generous. The vegetables were grown in their own backyard, while the seafood had been kept from yesterday afternoon’s trawling catch.

A pile of small fish wasn’t worth money, so they had all been cleaned yesterday and set out to dry into salted fish. Only a few slightly larger ones had been kept for braising.

The dock didn’t accept three-spotted crabs either. Eating too many of them easily caused allergies, making the whole body itch, so no one would buy them. But they couldn’t just wastefully throw them back into the sea either. There were too many for their family to finish, and if left too long, they would stink. So after returning yesterday, they had shared some with relatives, friends, and neighbors.

Adults could eat two or three without issue as long as they didn’t eat too many. The elderly and children shouldn’t eat them.

They had also kept a dozen or so swimming crabs. These, the children could eat.

There was also a bowl of small sword shrimp and a bowl of sea melon seeds dug that morning. The sea melon seeds were tossed simply—boiled in hot water, scooped out, mixed with seasoning, and given a little chili. Delicious and saved oil too…

And there was also the family’s favorite oyster omelet!

He liked it too. He had spent a long time prying young shellfish from the rock wall to get those oysters. In the old saying, that was called beating oysters.

The moment he sat down, before even taking a bite of rice, he reached his chopsticks toward the oyster omelet first. If he didn’t grab some now, it would be gone. How could he not get to eat something he had worked so hard to dig up? This was good stuff for replenishing ammunition.

“Awoo, awoo~ Third Uncle, take a smaller piece! Leave me one!”

“Haven’t you eaten enough yet? I’ve only seen you stretching your chopsticks toward this bowl of oyster omelet.”

Ye Yaodong picked up a chopstickful for himself, and he didn’t forget to pick up another chopstickful and place it in his wife’s bowl.

She hadn’t even sat down to eat yet. By the time she sat down, what decent dishes would be left?

Looking at his rare action, Lin Xiuqing’s gaze softened. But she still couldn’t bear to eat it and instead gave that piece of oyster omelet to their eldest son, feeding it to him.

Oysters weren’t easy to pry open. It had taken half a day’s effort to get one bowl. They weren’t something available every day. There would be one meal at noon and one meal at night, and there might not be any tomorrow.

“Third Uncle, you haven’t eaten any less either!”

Ye Yaodong rolled his eyes at his eldest nephew, Ye Chenghai.

“I was the one who pried these oysters. Am I not allowed to eat them?”

“Why are you all chattering while eating?” Mother Ye tapped the plate, and only then did they all shut up.

Today’s dishes were rarely this abundant, so no one wanted to talk. Everyone lowered their heads and ate enthusiastically.

Normally there would only be one or two bowls of shellfish, or fish and a few vegetable dishes. But today, they had crab, shrimp, fish, and shellfish, all complete!

After all, their family now had a boat, and they had earned a large sum of money yesterday. It was only right to eat a little more lavishly today.

Only after seeing that everyone had arrived did Father Ye say, “I went to the commune just now to apply for land to build houses. We already discussed it there. They’ve approved the plot at the intersection on the road leading to the beach. There happens to be an empty piece of land there, and since crops can’t be grown on it, it’s just right for building houses.”

Their village was by the sea, so there wasn’t much cultivable land. The fields allocated to them were located at the boundary between their village and neighboring Dongqiao Village.

The two villages were also very close to each other. Dongqiao Village was just smaller, with only a little over a hundred households. Their village wasn’t by the sea either but sat beside the main road, so whenever the tide went out, they came to Baisha Village to gather seafood.

The villagers of Baisha Village were very familiar with those from Dongqiao Village. There were many marriages between the two villages, and Ye Yaodong’s grandmother was from Dongqiao Village.

After hearing Father Ye finish, Ye Yaodong had no reaction and continued eating. That was because in his previous life, they had also bought this plot of land, and the three brothers’ houses had been built right next to one another.

Even when he died, he had still been living there.

His indifference didn’t mean the others felt the same. They were about to have small homes of their own, so everyone was quite excited.

Second Sister-in-law Ye said excitedly, “That plot is pretty good. It’s close to the beach. Just walk straight to the end of the road and you’re there!”

“Are we building three houses, Dad?” Eldest Sister-in-law Ye frowned, instead looking somewhat worried.

Logically speaking, two houses would be enough. One son would live with the parents and be responsible for supporting them in old age.

But who wouldn’t want to live in a new house and have their own little life? Eldest Sister-in-law Ye also had selfish thoughts. If only two houses were built, then the ones left in the old home would definitely be the eldest branch.

Ye Yaopeng, on the other hand, looked at his wife in confusion.

“Why would we need three houses? Two is enough.”

Men were relatively more careless in such matters. Moreover, Ye Yaopeng felt that since he was the eldest, it was normal for his parents to live with him in their old age. They couldn’t possibly live with the unreliable third son, could they?

Looking at his two sisters-in-law’s reactions, Ye Yaodong curled his lips mockingly.

His two brothers were both decent people, but his two sisters-in-law each had their own selfish thoughts. Neither was as generous as his wife.

In his previous life, he had run off after eating and hadn’t come back at noon, so he hadn’t known how the discussion developed. When he returned that night, he only heard that the family was going to build three houses, one for each brother.

This time, he could watch it happen!

After hearing Ye Yaopeng say that, Eldest Sister-in-law Ye didn’t dare mention how two houses would be divided or who would stay behind to support the parents. If she said that, her husband would definitely get angry with her!

Ye Yaohua, however, was an honest fool. He smiled and said, “Dad, Mom, whoever you plan to live with, that family can stay behind and support you… Hiss! Why did you pinch me?”

Second Sister-in-law Ye glared at him.

“If you don’t speak, no one will think you’re mute. The houses haven’t even been built yet, and you’re already rushing to divide the family?”

Her words sounded pretty, but who present didn’t understand things clearly? How could they fail to see that she was unwilling to stay in the old house and live with her parents-in-law?

Father Ye looked at the little schemes of his daughters-in-law and didn’t plan to hide anything. He directly asked, “Which of you plans to stay behind and support us in old age?”

“Dad, it depends on who you want to live with. I’m the eldest, so logically speaking, you and Mother should live with us,” Eldest Ye said.

Second Ye also nodded.

“That’s right, Dad. If you and Mother want to live with us in old age, that’s fine too.”

Second Sister-in-law Ye forced a smile, her expression not looking very good.

“Father and Mother are only in their early fifties. How could you already need support in old age?”

Eldest Sister-in-law Ye also hurriedly said, “That’s right. Father and Mother are still strong and healthy. At the very least, you can still work for another ten or twenty years. It’s not as if you’ve reached the point of needing support yet…”

“So none of you are willing, is that it?” Father Ye’s face darkened.

“How could that be…”

Before the two sisters-in-law could refute, Ye Yaodong propped one foot on his chair and said with a careless, lazy air, “Dad, since my two sisters-in-law aren’t willing, my wife is willing, and I’m willing too. Why don’t we stay behind and live with you, Mom, and Grandma?”

At this moment, Lin Xiuqing also supported her man and nodded sincerely.

“Father, Mother, live with us!”

The old lady happily agreed at once.

“Good! Dongzi will live with us.”

“Forget it. If we live with him, is he supporting me, or am I supporting him?”

(End of Chapter)