Chapter 4: Love from the Old Lady

Hearing his father’s question, Ye Yaodong glanced sideways at him, jiggling his leg with a careless, sloppy air.

“Just because you don’t know doesn’t mean I don’t know. I don’t spend all day fooling around outside for nothing!”

Father Ye had originally wanted to ask him a few serious questions, but the moment he heard that, his temper flared.

“You spend all day wandering around outside and you’re actually proud of it? You’re already married, yet you’re never home, lazy all day, doing nothing at all. Who are you waiting for to support you? I’ll beat you to death, you useless wastrel…”

The more he spoke, the angrier he became. As he cursed, Father Ye took off his shoe, grabbed it in his hand, and stepped forward to beat him.

He was already feeling awful about having sold the large yellow croakers too cheaply, and now he finally had a chance to vent his anger.

“Hey, hey, hey… Why are you changing your face so fast? Weren’t we talking properly just now? What did I even say? Dad… Dad… Let’s talk this out nicely…”

It was the middle of summer, and the smell inside those canvas shoes came rushing straight at him. Ye Yaodong’s expression changed drastically from fright.

Having smelly feet himself didn’t mean he could stand smelling someone else’s!

He hurriedly stood up in panic and dodged.

“Dad, what are you doing? At least use a stick! What’s the meaning of using a shoe?”

“If you’ve got guts, don’t dodge! All you do every day is anger people. Even my grandsons behave better than you. You won’t live a perfectly good life properly and spend all day fooling around with a bunch of people instead. How did I give birth to such a useless thing!”

One chased while the other dodged. The main room was already small, and now there were so many people inside. Ye Yaodong immediately darted behind his mother.

“Mom! Look at him! My dad’s going crazy from drink first thing in the morning. What did I even say? Don’t let him drink today…”

Who would’ve thought Mother Ye would also angrily turn around and smack him several times?

“Your father isn’t wrong. You’re never home all day. You don’t even know what happens in the family. You spend every day acting improper and loafing around doing nothing. Let’s see how you’ll support your wife and children in the future…”

With both parents attacking him, Ye Yaodong could hardly hold them off. He quickly lifted a wooden stool beside him to block them.

“Stop hitting me, stop hitting me! Who beats their son first thing in the morning? Can’t we talk properly? There are so many people in the room…”

Couldn’t they leave him a little dignity?

He had pride too!

Luckily, he’d sent all the younger children outside. Otherwise, how embarrassing would this be?

Actually, everyone in the room was already used to it. Ye Yaodong getting scolded and beaten was an everyday occurrence. It was only because he had suddenly returned from forty years in the future that he wasn’t used to his parents beating and scolding him anymore.

He held the stool up in the main room and blocked them for a while, only to discover that his mother had picked up a broom—the kind made of bamboo strips. He hurriedly put the stool down and ran outside.

If he didn’t leave now, when would he? Better to avoid the storm first and come back after his parents cooled down.

Who knew that the moment he ran out, he would bump into several nephews and nieces? The children weren’t prepared, and after being knocked into, they fell straight onto their bottoms. Even his grandmother was dragged into it and sat down unsteadily.

Now he panicked a little and quickly went to help his grandmother up.

“Grandma, are you all right? Where did you fall? Does it hurt?”

Although he was a bit of a bastard, he still had some conscience. The old lady loved him the most. Seeing her fall, he didn’t care about dodging anymore.

Father Ye and Mother Ye had chased out after him and saw it too. This time, they showed even less mercy. The shoe sole and broomstick immediately smacked his backside and thighs as they cursed.

“You useless brat! Don’t you have eyes when you walk? I’ll break your damn legs and see if you can still run!”

Father Ye smacked him several times with the sole of his shoe and still didn’t feel satisfied. He snatched the stick from Mother Ye’s hand and struck him hard several times.

Father Ye’s strength was not something Mother Ye could compare to. Mother Ye still loved her son after all, so she hadn’t used much force when hitting him.

Father Ye was different. He was truly furious. One strike landed on Ye Yaodong’s leg, making him grunt in pain.

How could the old lady bear to see her precious grandson being beaten? She hurriedly shielded him behind her.

“What are you doing? What are you doing? You want to hit me, do you? You’re rebelling! Aiyo! My son wants to hit his old mother! Did you eat gunpowder first thing in the morning?”

Father Ye looked at the old lady with a headache. He hadn’t even touched her.

“Mom, how would I dare hit you? I’m trying to beat this little bastard. He’s completely useless, only knows how to anger people, and even knocked you down…”

“Dongzi only did it by accident. I’m not even blaming him, so since when is it your place to hit him? Hurry up and put the broom away. Go inside. Aren’t you ashamed?”

Although the old lady was already eighty, her body looked strong and healthy. Her ears weren’t deaf, her eyes weren’t dim, and when she scolded people, her voice was full of vigor.

Father Ye was filial. Seeing that the old lady had returned, he knew he wouldn’t be able to beat his son today. He glared fiercely at Ye Yaodong, tossed the broom into the corner by the door, and went inside.

“Don’t be afraid. Grandma’s here. Did they hurt you anywhere? Let me see.”

As she spoke, the old lady reached to lift his pant leg. Ye Yaodong quickly stopped her hand and supported her arm, grinning.

“I’m fine. Did you hurt yourself when you fell just now? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”

“No, no, I’m perfectly fine…”

“Mother, Dongzi is already twenty-five. He’s not a child anymore. He’s already the father of two children. You can’t keep spoiling him like this. He refuses to learn anything good all day, doesn’t do any work, and is so useless…”

“How has he refused to learn anything good? Isn’t he quite filial? How successful do you want him to be? We’re country folk. As long as the children are safe and healthy, that’s enough. Besides, Dongzi has never stolen chickens or dogs. How has he embarrassed you?”

Ye Yaodong felt deeply ashamed.

In the old lady’s mouth, even not stealing chickens or dogs had already become one of his virtues!

Grandma’s standards for him were really low…

After so many years and saying the same thing dozens of times, Mother Ye was exhausted. In the old lady’s eyes, her third son was good in every way.

He really had been spoiled rotten by the old lady!

The eldest and second sons were so hardworking. It truly made her furious. Mother Ye shot her third son a fierce glare and stopped talking.

In any case, after all these years, nothing they said had ever worked.

The children picked up the scattered corn and green-striped cucumis melons from the ground and put them back into the bamboo basket.

Seeing that the old lady hadn’t hurt herself and was still able to protect others, Mother Ye took the basket, pulled out all the corn to peel, and placed the green-striped melons back inside.

“Carry these inside and ask your mothers to wash them and cut them for you to eat.”

“Leave one for your Third Uncle! Don’t eat them all!”

The old lady shouted, afraid that the great-grandsons and great-granddaughters would eat all the sweet melons and leave none for her precious grandson.

Ye Yaodong’s heart was filled to the brim with his grandmother’s love, and his emotions stirred.

He hadn’t felt this in decades. This feeling was wonderful.

Everyone thought he was bad in every way. Even his parents found him unpleasant on a daily basis. Only his grandmother had always loved him the most. Even if she had only one bite of food, she would remember to save it for him.

For a moment, his heart was filled with mixed emotions.

“I’ll help you inside. You’re already so old, why are you still farming? What if you fall?”

The old lady’s wrinkled face bunched up into a smile.

“How could I fall so easily? I’m very well and can still work. Even if I can’t work, I can still order your father to swing the hoe and water the fields for me.”

Ye Yaodong smiled.

(End of Chapter)