Chapter 25: Lending a Hand

“Dad, melon! Melon!”

Ye Chengyang clung to his father’s leg while shouting.

“What are you, a frog? Croaking nonstop. All you know is eating!”

Ye Yaodong looked at the muddy handprints smeared all over his pants with disgust, then picked the bitten cucumber-melon from the child’s hands.

“You have to wash it before eating. There might be bugs inside.”

After counting heads again and making sure no child was missing, he headed back surrounded by the kids.

As soon as they reached the house entrance, Auntie Chen from next door looked at him curiously.

“Dongzi didn’t go out fooling around today? You even helped your grandma pick corn?”

“Mm.”

Obviously asking what she already knew. She’d seen him leave earlier.

Her eyes had followed him all the way from the doorway until he disappeared from sight.

Don’t ask how he knew. He’d personally experienced it before. Rural women were basically all like this.

When strangers entered the village, it was even worse. Their eyes practically glued themselves onto the strangers.

“And why are all of you back too? It’s not even mealtime yet. Followed the smell home, did you?”

Mother Ye smiled at the group of children.

“We went picking corn with Third Uncle!”

At that moment, Lin Xiuqing finally noticed the younger son covered in dirt from head to toe.

She immediately stood up.

“How did you get this filthy? Dirt all over your body, face, and hands. Were you rolling around in the fields?”

“Hahaha, Mom, he secretly tried eating a melon, then got knocked over by it. When he got up, he looked like this!”

“Stop laughing. Turn around and let your mother look at your backside.”

Ye Yaodong put down the sack and basket, then grabbed his older son and turned him around.

Ye Chenghu hurriedly covered his butt.

“No, Dad…”

Lin Xiuqing frowned tightly.

“What did you do this time? Why is there another hole in your pants? What were you playing again? Running around all day long. Look at your knees and legs—there isn’t a single patch of skin left uninjured.”

As she spoke, she smacked his backside several times.

If his father hadn’t been holding him, he definitely wouldn’t have obediently stood there taking the beating.

“It hurts, Mom! I didn’t do it on purpose! Dad, let me go!”

“When have you ever fallen on purpose? You jump around all day long. One hole here, another hole there. Look at the holes at your knees—just patched them and now they’re fraying again. You ruin pants worse than your grandpa does working.”

Seeing the child lower his head after being scolded, Ye Yaodong finally released him in satisfaction.

Children needed discipline when they were naughty.

He didn’t really know how to teach kids anyway, so he could only leave it to their mother.

Fortunately, decades later both sons had grown up filial.

Well… filial only toward their mother…

As for him… better not mention it.

The old lady stepped in to smooth things over.

“Enough scolding. Kids running and falling is normal. Falling helps them grow faster. Hurry inside and change your pants, then come out and eat melon.”

With the old lady’s pardon granted, Ye Chenghu immediately bolted into the house like a gust of wind.

Lin Xiuqing led the dirt-covered younger son inside as well. Both children needed fresh clothes.

As she walked, she muttered,

“Every day it’s who knows how many outfits. Good thing your older cousins outgrow their clothes so you boys can wear them.”

Mother Ye also grumbled a few lines.

“Noisy all day long. Running around without a trace. Never a quiet moment.”

“If they sat quietly all day without running or jumping, then you’d worry they were stupid instead.”

Mother Ye got choked silent by Ye Yaodong’s comeback and could only glare at him.

“Come, come. Eat some melon first, then continue working later.”

The old lady brought out a large basin of sliced melons to share, even handing pieces to the neighboring women.

Ye Yaodong grabbed a slice and said,

“I’m going over to Second Brother’s place to take a look.”

Since the house would also belong to him, he couldn’t just ignore everything like in his previous life.

At the very least, he had to go help a little so people wouldn’t talk behind his back.

Only a few steps away, he could already hear the women gossiping behind him.

“Dongzi really seems to have improved these past couple days, huh? Going tidal foraging, helping Ah Hua too.”

“Please. Yesterday afternoon he disappeared again. Who knows what time he got back last night. Anyway, I locked the door. Ah Qing, what time did Dongzi come home?”

“Pretty early. A little after seven.”

“He’s such a grown man already yet still has no sense of responsibility…”

Ye Yaodong quickened his pace.

His ears were practically developing calluses from hearing these things.

Better to walk farther away and pretend he heard nothing.

As long as he himself knew he wouldn’t live like before anymore, that was enough.

When he arrived at the homestead, Ye Yaohua had already cleared over half the weeds.

The man was drenched in sweat, face flushed red.

Ye Yaodong couldn’t help sighing inwardly.

For rural people, diligence truly could lead to prosperity.

The hardworking families in their village all ended up living pretty well decades later. Every old house had been torn down and replaced with little villas.

Their lives became wonderful.

He didn’t dare dream too big.

As long as life turned out like everyone else’s—family healthy and safe—that would already be enough.

“Ah Hua!”

He and his second brother were only two years apart, so he’d never called him “Second Brother,” only by name. He only used “Big Brother” for the eldest.

Hearing someone call him, Ye Yaohua straightened up and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“Dongzi? What are you doing here?”

“Just came to take a look. Construction starts the day after tomorrow? Materials and workers all arranged?”

“Yeah. Dad and I spent all yesterday arranging everything. The deliveries come tomorrow.”

“Too bad seawater sand can’t be used. Otherwise we could just haul sand directly from the beach and save a lot of money.”

Ye Yaohua chuckled.

“If seawater sand could build houses, it wouldn’t be our turn to use it. People would’ve dug the beaches clean long ago.”

“How much longer will this weeding take?”

“A little while more should finish it. Then I’ll tidy up and haul the weeds to an empty patch to burn. Afterward I’ll spread the ash on the vegetable fields.”

Ye Yaodong: “…”

Using everything to the fullest.

Not even weeds went to waste.

No wonder his brother had piled all the weeds onto the handcart.

“You’re burning them by the beach? I’ll help push the cart over.”

Ye Yaohua looked at him in surprise.

It was already shocking enough for Ye Yaodong to come over and talk to him voluntarily.

Now he was even offering to help?

“What? I’m getting one of these houses too. If I don’t help a little, what if Dad changes his mind? Even if he doesn’t, I can’t handle him and Mom nagging me.”

“Heh, true enough. This cart’s already full anyway. Help me push it over to the open space by the beach. I’ll burn it myself later once I finish clearing the weeds.”

“Alright.”

Ye Yaodong pushed the cart under the blazing sun all the way toward the beach.

Women weaving nets outside their homes kept throwing him surprised looks along the way.

He ignored every single one.

After Ye Yaohua finished clearing weeds and started burning the grass ash, Ye Yaodong clapped the dust off his hands and left first.

Burning everything down would still take quite a while. His second brother could stay there and watch it himself.

No way was he standing under the sun the whole time.

It was already nearly ten o’clock.

The tide had retreated more than halfway, and people could already be seen digging on the nearby beach.

The sandbank near the docks was probably exposed by now too.

He needed to head home and grab his hook and bucket.

(End of Chapter)