sbdcsierra Chapter 1866 Writing a Letter
Chapter 1866 Writing a Letter
Chapter 1866 Writing a Letter
Ye's father read it haltingly.
The messages were all about taking care of her health, not sitting in the doorway in the cold weather, and only sitting in the doorway to bask in the sun when it was sunny, otherwise staying home and watching TV.
Don't sit at the door waiting for him all day long. If he's coming back, he'll call ahead to let you know.
I'm currently at sea and can't come back or make phone calls, so I'm writing back...
The old lady listened and tears streamed down her face again. She took out a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her eyes.
"Dongzi is such a filial son. He always thinks of me no matter where he goes. It breaks my heart so much that I don't dare to breathe my last. What if I pass away one day and he doesn't even get to see me one last time..."
"What are you saying? I rarely write to you and ask you to read it to me, and you say such discouraging things. I'll tell him not to write to me anymore."
"Sigh, never mind, never mind. I was just saying. I have to write a letter, I have to write a letter, otherwise I won't be able to answer his calls. He's too busy. Oh, right, if he's too busy, I should tell him not to write anymore. It's too much trouble. It's so inconvenient at sea, why bother writing a letter back?"
The old lady wanted to receive his letter, but she also felt sorry for him because he was too busy and had to make time for it. She didn't want to trouble him.
"He actually wrote to you, which means he's got nothing better to do. Couldn't he write back from Shanghai so I could read it to you?"
"It's good to have some free time, don't overwork yourself, and it would be even better if you came back sooner. I haven't seen him for a few days, but it feels like it's been two months, right?"
I'm finally a bit more sober and less confused, but I'm still confused. It's been half a year since Dongzi last went back, okay?
"Anyway, he said he'll be back soon, so just stay home and wait. Wear more clothes because it's cold, and don't go out in the wind. At your age, you'll catch a cold."
“I know, I’m dressed very warmly, with a scarf and cotton shoes, I won’t get cold. He’s the one who’s cold at sea. Please tell him to wear more clothes, make sure he wears a hat and scarf. Don’t think you’re young and can take it easy. If you’re exposed to the sea breeze too much, what will you do when you’re old and have headaches? You need to eat well and stay warm…”
The old lady went on and on, giving a long list of instructions, the same ones she said over and over again, which Mr. Ye knew by heart.
But he still spoke to her slowly, saying that he couldn't convey the message because he didn't know how to write letters. Anyway, it was just the usual stuff, and he would mention it when he returned from the sea.
"Okay, I'll hang up now if there's nothing else."
"Wait a minute, read it to me again, what did Dongzi say in his letter just now?"
"He told you not to go outside in the wind, to go out in the sun when it's sunny, to eat and drink well, and not to keep thinking about him..."
“Oh dear, don’t just say what you think he said. Is that what he said? Just tell me what he wrote in his letter, and read the letter to me again.”
Father Ye: "..."
Isn't that the gist of the letter? Do I have to read it again?
"Hurry up and read it to me again."
"alright."
Mr. Ye read a little faster this time.
"Slow down, read it slowly."
He read it a little slower this time.
"Sigh, of all the children I've raised, Dongzi is the most filial. Even after he leaves home, he still writes to me and thinks of me. You all used to think I was biased, but look at me, am I biased? Do any of the other children care about me as much as he does? Even after he leaves home, he still thinks of me and buys me this and that. Having a son is useless; I need a grandson..."
"If you don't have a son, where will you get a grandson?" Ye's father couldn't help but retort.
The old lady immediately reversed her opinion, saying, "Having sons is still somewhat useful. We still need to have sons, more sons, because sons can always produce a filial grandson."
"It's as if I'm unfilial, and you have to rely on your grandson."
"Do you have the potential to be as successful as Dongzi?"
"Hang up."
"Wait, read Dongzi's letter to me again..."
Father Ye: "..."
From then on, almost every time Dongzi's Pioneer ship returned, it would send him one of these letters so that he could call the old lady and read it to her.
It's fine to read it to the old lady, but the problem is that she has to read the same letter three times, which is really annoying.
Moreover, he received letters every week. He wondered what Dongzi was doing at sea, so idle that he would send letters whenever the fishing boats returned.
After receiving letters for three consecutive weeks, he couldn't take it anymore. He asked the gatekeeper when the letters would be delivered, and then went directly to the captain of the seafood collection boat.
After the captain of the cargo ship returned to sea, he immediately relayed Ye's father's words.
“Your father told you not to write letters every day, saying that the old lady has to hear him read them several times each time.”
The original words weren't actually that polite; the captain embellished them.
"Don't worry about him. I'll write mine. You can deliver it to the gatekeeper as usual and have him give it to him."
"Hehe, okay."
After Ye Yaodong finished speaking, he handed him the reply he had written.
Since he was idle at sea anyway, he decided to write, which was a comfort to the old man.
He was overjoyed to receive the letter at sea, not to mention the old lady who stayed at home every day, hoping her children and grandchildren would come back.
His father's protest was ineffective.
"Dongzi, is your old lady in her nineties?"
"94."
"She's very old. If she keeps living, she'll be 100."
"Okay, remember to give me a big red envelope then."
"This red envelope has to be big."
Ye Yaodong is already counting down the days until he goes back home. It's almost New Year's Day, and it will be soon after then.
All in all, it would only take about a month, which means I could write four more letters before returning home.
Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck him.
"Hey, I'm thinking of going back two weeks early? What do you think?"
Ah Zheng's eyes lit up. "Going back half a month early? So we'll be going back in another half month? Great, that's wonderful, that's fantastic!"
"I mean I'm going back two weeks early."
"What do you mean? You're going back half a month early, but what about me? What about all these ships?"
"They're still fishing here."
Ah Zheng looked at him incredulously, "Are you kidding me? You're just leaving me and all these ships behind? No way, I'm going back too."
“What are you going back for? You'll have nothing to do back there, so you'll just stay at sea and help me with the work. I have things to do back there…”
"I also have things to do, important things."
"Bullshit, that's none of your business. I need to go back and collect payment. It's a huge amount of money, and I don't even know how much the factory has collected. I need to go back and check how much of the money has been deposited into my account, otherwise I won't be able to get through the New Year this year, and I won't be able to sleep peacefully."
When Ah Zheng heard him say that, he also felt that it was a serious matter, and a very important one. He had to go back and check how the payment was being collected. It would be too late to go back before the New Year, so what was the point of checking or urging them?
With so much money, he wouldn't be able to sleep at night; he'd probably have to roll up his bedding and lie at the factory gate waiting to collect the money.
"Then I'll go back with you. The fishing boats here can be left to the captains. It doesn't matter whether I'm here or not, right?"
"That's different, you came aboard the ship to learn..."
"I've learned nothing but tricks and guidance from you. I've endured all the hardships, fatigue, and difficulties. If you're going back, I'm going to go back with you no matter what."
"Motorola isn't working anymore? Takizawa Laura isn't working anymore either?"
(I don't know her, I really don't know her! I was reading a book review and thought the name was a bit off, so I searched it up and finally found out. My friends in the group are really knowledgeable!)
"It's no use, even if the Bodhisattvas and Buddhas come, it won't help." Ah Zheng simply ignored the second half of the sentence, which he didn't understand.
"Okay then, let's go back together in half a month."
"That's more like it. At least you have some conscience."
Ye Yaodong said irritably, "You have a conscience. Once you go back, you never come back. You clock in and out of get off work, and sleep at home in between."
"Hehe, well, I have something to do."
“I also have important things to do. Even if I go back early, you’ll still cling to me and insist on coming back with me.”
“Oh, let’s go back together. We’re only going back half a month earlier than everyone else. Those captains have been fishing for half a year and are very experienced. Let them return on their own. We can arrange a return time with the cargo ship and have it take them back. Isn’t that good? It’s good that you’ll be gone for half a month. It will make them more cautious and independent.”
Ye Yaodong thought so too. Anyway, it's only half a month, so it's not a big problem. The captains are all experienced.
Nothing much has happened lately. Every day has been routine, with no unexpected events, except for some strange fish I've encountered.
Most fish species are still alive and well, and deep-sea creatures can look quite strange. It's normal to encounter some uncommon or unfamiliar ones.
Even in the dead of winter, there are no typhoons or tsunamis. At most, the waves might be a little rough due to the cold weather, but their ships are quite resistant to wind and waves, and the captains usually handle the situation.
Ye Yaodong thought his idea was brilliant.
"Let's leave it at that for now. I'll talk to the others later. It was just a last-minute decision, not made in advance. I need to discuss it with everyone and let them know. The ship's schedule also needs to be rearranged."
"Then you should go and tell them quickly. The fish-collecting boat also needs to be arranged in advance. One boat will go back, and the other will go back with the fishing boat."
"Ah."
Ye Yaodong acted immediately, and there was only a little over a month left until the end of the month, and about half a month before he returned.
We need to notify everyone immediately so they can be mentally prepared, to avoid being caught off guard. We should at least have half a month to prepare.
He spoke to the captain first, and then to the other crew members currently on duty in the bridge of the other ships.
No one would say no; he's the boss, and he makes the decisions.
Moreover, going back to collect payments is a big deal. Everyone's year-end bonuses are waiting to be paid. If the boss doesn't go back to collect payments, what will happen if the factory doesn't have money to pay wages and year-end bonuses?
In about half a month, they will be able to stand up again.
There's no need to tell the other crew members on the other ships, since he's not there and no one else will know. Just inform the crew on your own ship.
And so the matter was settled amicably.
He felt refreshed and no longer needed to write letters every day.
(End of this chapter)