Chapter 21: Restless Thoughts About Sleeping With His Wife

Azheng grabbed Ye Yaodong’s cheeks and looked him over from side to side.

“We’re all seaside people, so why are you the only one who never tans? If I had skin as fair as yours, I wouldn’t still be single!”

“You sure being fair-skinned is enough? This is the real fatal flaw.”

Ye Yaodong grinned wickedly and placed his hand on Azheng’s head before slanting it down to his own shoulder level.

Azheng exploded.

“Fuck, I’m 170 centimeters tall!”

“More like 169 rounded up to 170?”

“That still counts as 170!”

“Hahahaha~~”

Everyone laughed and joked around, tossing teasing remarks back and forth. The atmosphere was incredibly lively.

It had been a very long time since Ye Yaodong had laughed this freely with his friends.

The latter half of his life had been spent struggling just to survive.

“If you don’t work hard when young, you’ll only regret it when old.”

That saying described him perfectly.

After eating and drinking their fill, the sky had already darkened, and the table was left in complete chaos.

Ye Yaodong burped.

“You guys clean up. Fatty and I already worked all afternoon!”

“It’s fine, just leave it to me.”

“My ass. You’ll definitely dump it all on your sisters. Nobody drank today anyway, and it’s not fully dark yet. Let’s just clean up together.”

Ye Yaodong’s mentality was much more mature now than when he was young.

This wasn’t a restaurant.

Civilized people cleaned up after themselves.

“Alright, alright. Everyone do a little. It’ll be done fast.”

The others, reminded by him, also started moving. It was only a few bowls and chopsticks anyway. Easy work.

“There’s still dragon-phoenix soup left in the pot. Want some? It’s gone cold though.”

Ye Yaodong leaned over for a look.

There wasn’t much meat left, but there was still plenty of soup.

“Pack me a bowl. Let my wife and kids have a few sips too.”

“Rare to have leftovers. Pack me a bowl too,” Little Little said.

The others didn’t ask for any.

Either they had no wife and kids, or like Fatty, their families were well-off and never lacked food.

Everyone had grown up together.

Who ate one more bite or one less bite didn’t really matter.

Ye Yaodong filled a large bowl with soup and a few scattered chunks of meat, then headed home first.

Guang’s house sat at the foot of the back hill, not too far from theirs. About a ten-minute walk.

But since he was carrying soup and didn’t want it spilling out, he couldn’t walk too fast.

By the time he got home, the sky was fully dark.

The neighbors had all gone to bed early to save electricity, and even the lights in his own house were already out.

He pushed at the front gate.

“Damn it, it’s locked? Who locked it?”

After muttering a few curses under his breath, he walked around to the side of the house to the window near his room.

Luckily the window was open, but there was no sound inside.

He lightly knocked twice and whispered,

“Aqing? Aqin? You asleep? Open the door for me. It’s locked.”

“Dad!”

“Dad!”

The two children had their eyes closed but weren’t asleep yet. The moment they heard movement at the window, they immediately scrambled upright.

Lin Xiuqing was so angry she was on the verge of exploding.

She had just barely managed to coax the kids toward sleep, and now they were awake again.

This troublemaker!

“You’re not asleep yet? Perfect. I brought something delicious back. Hurry and tell your mom to open the door for me!”

The older son instantly became energetic.

“Mom! Hurry and open the door! Dad can’t get in!”

“Got it. Keep your voices down. Don’t disturb everyone else resting. I’ll go open it. You two stay in the room.”

Lin Xiuqing slipped on her sandals and quietly went out, trying to make as little noise as possible.

Ye Fu and Ye Yaopeng still had to go out to sea tonight. They were definitely asleep already.

Ye Yaodong walked back to the front door and watched his wife open it with a dark expression on her face.

Patiently, he coaxed her.

“Don’t be angry. I’ll come back earlier next time. I brought dragon-phoenix soup for you guys. Heat it up before eating.”

“What dragon-phoenix soup?”

“Cobra stewed with chicken. Added pork ribs too. Good for clearing heat and nourishing the body. I deliberately brought extra soup. It’s cold now, so warm it up first. Who locked the door anyway? Deliberate, wasn’t it?”

Lin Xiuqing took the soup bowl from him and gave him a look that clearly said, You already know the answer.

“My mom locked it?”

“Mm. She told me not to open it. Said you should sleep outside tonight to clear your head.”

Ye Yaodong: …My own mother!

“Heat the soup up first. I’m going to rinse off in the backyard.”

In this summer heat, he didn’t need hot water. Drawing up a bucket of well water in the backyard and pouring it over himself felt much better.

By the time he came back inside, only faint embers remained glowing in the stove, dimly lighting the main room.

A line of light still leaked through the crack in his bedroom door, especially noticeable in the darkness.

Pushing open the door, he saw Lin Xiuqing sitting at the bedside feeding the two boys.

The children sat there with mouths wide open, taking turns bite after bite.

“That was fast.”

“It’s hot enough already. In weather like this, there’s no need to eat it piping hot. Just warmed it slightly so the oil wouldn’t congeal.”

“Dad, what kind of meat is this? It’s all bones. Doesn’t taste good!”

The older son complained while continuing to eat.

“If it’s not good, why are you still stuffing your mouth? Go pee before sleeping later. If you wet the bed tonight, I’ll beat you.”

“I won’t wet the bed!”

Ye Yaodong grabbed a pair of shorts and changed beside the bed frame, casually tossing the dirty pair onto the stool in the corner before climbing onto the bed.

“How much did the two mud crabs sell for today?”

“One yuan and five mao. Mom gave the money to me. I put it away.”

He curled his lips.

Way too damn cheap.

“Leave some for your mom. Don’t let the kids eat it all.”

Lin Xiuqing replied gently,

“It’s fine. If they want it, let them eat.”

Not much time had passed since dinner, so the children weren’t that hungry anyway.

After a few sips of soup and a couple pieces of meat, they stopped eating.

“They’re done. You finish the rest. I already ate outside.”

“Mm.”

Once finished eating, the two boys immediately began jumping around on the bed, giggling and playing.

One careless stomp landed directly on Ye Yaodong’s foot, and both kids toppled onto him together.

Ye Yaodong groaned.

Luckily his hand had been protecting the important area the whole time, otherwise he’d have been crushed.

He slapped both of their bare little bottoms once.

“No more messing around. Lie down and sleep.”

“I don’t want to! I’m not sleepy!”

“You’ve been running wild all day and you’re still not sleepy? Even if you aren’t, lie down properly. Everyone back to your positions.”

Under the oppression of his authority, the two obediently lay down side by side near the wall.

Lin Xiuqing finished the remaining soup and meat, blew out the lamp, lowered the mosquito net, and lay down beside Ye Yaodong.

She patted the children’s chests gently to coax them to sleep.

Earlier they’d insisted they weren’t sleepy, but after only a few pats, both fell asleep.

By the moonlight, Ye Yaodong looked at his wife lying beside him with her back toward him, dressed only in a sleeveless undershirt and shorts.

His heart began to stir restlessly…

But he was also a little nervous.

Too nervous to reach out.

Just as he turned over and prepared to make a move, she suddenly sat up.

“Where are you going?” he quickly asked.

Lin Xiuqing looked at him strangely.

“To sleep?”

She turned around and moved to lie at the foot of the bed instead.

Only then did Ye Yaodong remember.

The bed frame was too narrow for four people lying side by side.

Ever since giving birth to the younger son, after putting the children to sleep, Lin Xiuqing would climb to the opposite end of the bed and sleep crosswise.

Damn it.

It had practically been within arm’s reach!

Now he had no choice but to climb up and switch to the other end too.

(End of Chapter)