sbdcsierra Chapter 1810 Decision
Chapter 1810 Decision
Chapter 1810 Decision
Ye Yaodong finished his urgent work that night and went straight to the passenger terminal early the next morning. His uncle was already waiting there, carrying breakfast.
After exchanging greetings, the two boarded the boat together to wait.
He rushed over early in the morning, having not yet had breakfast. He took his uncle's breakfast, and the two chatted while eating while waiting for the boat to depart.
"You're so busy, yet you still brought me all this way for a checkup. Why go through all that trouble? I'm perfectly fine, nothing bothers me. It's easy to just go to the clinic for some medicine..."
"I was going to Shanghai to take care of some business anyway, so it was just a side trip."
"Alright then, let's get it checked out. I have indeed been feeling a bit unwell these past two years. I have high blood pressure, my lower back aches very easily, and my knees hurt on rainy days..."
Ye Yaodong looked at him with a complicated expression. He only spoke when he was right in front of him. Yesterday, he was still stubbornly denying it, saying that he felt unwell anywhere.
These are truly Ninja Turtles; they can really endure anything.
If a person like this isn't forced to get checked by their family, they'll insist they're perfectly fine. No wonder they were taken to the hospital too late in their past life, and they died within a month or two.
If you wait until you can't bear it anymore before going to the hospital, you're practically on the verge of a serious accident.
They made the money, but lost their lives.
"Then go for a check-up tomorrow. Talk to the doctor carefully and focus on checking any other discomforts. Get it all sorted out at once. Shanghai has good medical facilities, so it's better than doing all the tests and getting inaccurate results, which would be a waste."
"Since you're going to get checked, then get it done properly. If there's anything wrong, we can do it this year and not do it next year."
Ye Yaodong was speechless for a moment after hearing this. They've already been diagnosed with an illness, why are they still doing it?
"Listen to the doctor."
"I don't think it's anything serious. It's probably because I'm getting old. If nothing's wrong, I'll work for another two years and then retire."
"Everyone thinks they are not sick; no normal person would think they are sick."
"Hehe, of course."
"I've worked for half my life, that's enough. I should rest now, go back and take care of my grandchildren, and leave the money for the younger generation to earn."
"When I'm really idle, I feel uncomfortable all over."
“Grow some vegetables. My dad still grows vegetables every day. Last year he said he was perfectly fine and had no discomfort, but when he went to the hospital for a checkup, he found out he had a lot of illnesses and was prescribed a bunch of medicines. Now he’s very obedient and doesn’t dare to say he’s healthy.”
My uncle nodded in agreement.
After the ship sailed and they arrived in Shanghai, Ye Yaodong, finding it too troublesome, didn't call Lin Xiuqing to pick them up. The two ate something casually and then took a bus back.
When he arrived at the small villa in Pudong, unsurprisingly, no one was home. He first arranged a room for his uncle so that he could rest and take a nap.
He also planned to go back to his room for a nap, since it was already past 3 a.m. and everyone would be back soon.
The first to arrive home were Ah-Guang and Yeh Hui-Mei, as Yeh Hui-Mei needed to come back early to prepare dinner.
When the two arrived home, they saw the shoes at the door and knew that Ye Yaodong and his uncle had already arrived. Seeing that there was no movement in the house, they did not rush to the room to call them, but sat in the living room to rest first, and then prepared dinner.
When Ye Yaodong woke up, opened the door, and went downstairs, the house was filled with the aroma of food. The children had all come home from school, some watching TV, some making noise, and his uncle was sitting on the sofa talking with A-Guang.
As he shuffled downstairs in his slippers, everyone turned to look at him.
"father……"
"uncle……"
Ah Guang said, "You've woken up just in time; dinner will be served soon."
Ye Yaodong nodded and looked at the children, "Why aren't you doing your homework? You're even watching TV."
Ye Xiaoxi sat on the sofa, kicking it back and forth with her feet, "I don't need to rush to do my homework tomorrow, it's the weekend."
"You have to do your homework after you finish eating, and then you can play."
"understood."
"Ye Chengyang, stop hugging that Ultraman toy all day long, it's interfering with your studies."
"I'll hug him for a while after school."
"Has your mother returned yet?" Ye Yaodong asked Lin Xiuqing after he had finished scolding everyone.
"I'm back. I'm cooking with my aunt in the kitchen."
He nodded and sat down on the sofa to chat with his uncle and A-Guang.
Ah Guang couldn't wait to ask, "My uncle said their boss is going to make a trip to the waters around Japan and South Korea in May, and asked if I want to go?"
"Are you going then?"
"I want to go, and Xiaoxiao and Azheng definitely want to go too. Aren't you going?"
"No, I'm not going. I don't have time. The Canton Fair has started right now, and I'm too busy. There's no need to send two ships to go."
"Ok."
Ah Guang was mentally prepared for his decision not to go and wasn't too surprised; he was just asking one last question.
"If you're planning to go, then start preparing early. If you're going to sea in a couple of days, also let Ah Zheng and Xiao Xiao know, and make sure they're careful."
"We have more than a month to prepare, which is enough. We'll come back to resupply at the end of April. For now, we just need to understand what preparations we need to make."
“Your uncle happens to be here, so you can ask him. He’s an experienced man.”
"I'm asking now, and I've taken some notes. I also need to ask you about buying a house. Could you give me some advice? We're torn between buying a large or a small apartment, and we're thinking of buying two, since we have two sons. We feel like a large one would be better, but we also think a small one would be enough, since we definitely won't be living with our sons in the future."
"If you ask me, I would definitely tell you to buy a large one, over 100 square meters. As for whether it's more than 100 or 120 square meters, that's up to you. But I don't recommend buying anything under 100 square meters."
"Okay, then let's go check tomorrow and settle for around 110."
Ye Yaodong chuckled, "You're quite good at compromise."
"Wouldn't this save us from having to make a decision? Huimei is thinking of buying a smaller one, so that we can save a lot of money and have more money to spare."
"Still have plenty of money? Looks like you've saved up quite a bit over the years."
"There's not much to spend money on. Besides building a row of rental houses like you to collect rent, there's nowhere else to spend big money. I save all my money to earn interest, and the interest I get every year is quite considerable. The sea is too tough, and I don't want to build too many boats, so as not to keep myself constantly exhausted at sea."
"You don't want to spend your life at sea, but aren't you still stuck at sea all the time?"
Ah Guang sighed, "Isn't it because I'm worried? I only have one big ship. If I were to get a few more, I don't know when I'd be able to get ashore."
“You’ve been working hard for years before you finally got on board, and I’m only just starting to get busy now. I don’t think I’ll be able to keep going until I’m 45, and I’ll need manpower too. Unlike you, who have such a wide range of connections.”
"However, I'm thinking of going with my uncle's ship in May to make some money. When I come back, I won't go to sea anymore. I'll go ashore and become a boss, with a wife and kids and a warm bed."
“I’ve made quite a bit of money over the years. Anyway, I still have boats near the coast. I can go to your place every few months to do the accounting and make a good profit. I can also collect rent from here.”
“I’m thinking of buying houses for my two sons so I won’t have to worry about them in the future. It will be more than enough to raise them. My daughter will be even easier to raise. I can just give her a dowry when she gets married.”
"So, I think I've earned enough, enough to live off the rent, and I can go ashore. Before that, it would be even better to go with my uncle's boat and make some money!"
Ye Yaodong listened and nodded, thinking that his plan was quite good. Money can never be earned enough, and one can't work until death.
Everyone has a different definition of the wealth they have earned. Some people are ambitious, while others feel that they have earned enough.
Personally, I think if you've earned enough, then just live comfortably from now on, however you want to be.
“Your plan is good. Buying two more houses will definitely secure your two sons’ future, and you won’t have to worry about anything else.”
"I still have a boat and a house that can generate income, as well as real estate in Pudong. It's not bad to live a simple life ashore now and watch my children grow up."
"Children only grow up for a few years, and they grow up in the blink of an eye. The time we can spend with them is also limited. We can't just think about making money and ignore our wives and children."
He felt this even more deeply, thinking back to how tiny his child was when he held her in his arms, and how it seems like only yesterday, and now she's grown into a beautiful young woman.
He's not even old yet, but his children are already grown up.
"That's exactly what I think. These past few years have been killing me."
"I originally thought the same as you, that we didn't need to earn too much, just enough for the whole family to live on. Who would have thought that we would work bigger and bigger, and get more and more tired? Damn it, it's good that we've made it out of poverty, but we're still busy every day. I just don't know when we can relax and not have to worry about this and that."
"Damn it, you don't know how lucky you are. You've already bought a building and you still think you're tired? I could handle this kind of tiredness myself."
Even if we gave you the money to buy, you wouldn't dare to buy a single building.
Ah Guang touched his nose, agreeing. "But I really don't have that much money to buy a house. That's just how it is. If money fell from the sky and fell into my lap, I would buy it."
"Bullshit. If money fell from the sky and was given to you, you would just pick it up and save it."
"That makes sense. I couldn't possibly live in so many houses."
"Are you buying so many houses to live in? They're for investment, to wait for prices to rise, and to collect rent during that time."
"Are you so sure it will definitely go up?"
Ye Yaodong picked up the newspaper on the table and patted it. "Reading the news will sharpen your brain. Pudong is undergoing massive development, and skyscrapers are springing up everywhere. Don't even think about waiting for your work unit to allocate housing anymore. In a few years, the whole country will abolish housing allocation, and everyone will have to buy their own. Once the work unit allocation is abolished, won't housing prices skyrocket? Who doesn't need a house? Who isn't living in cramped conditions?"
As he listened, A-Guang nodded thoughtfully. "What you said makes sense. The policies have been changing every year for the past two years. Even if your work unit allocates housing, you have to wait in line for more than ten years. How can an ordinary person wait that long?"
"With so many high-rise buildings being built, someone has to buy them, right? If everyone's waiting to be allocated housing, who's going to buy a house? Who knows, the work unit might actually stop allocating housing. Now that you've said that, everyone has to buy a house."
Ye Yaodong said, "What I'm saying, you can listen to it if you want, and if you can't, then just listen to it casually."
“I’ve taken that to heart. Tomorrow we’ll go buy three 110-square-meter apartments. One for each of our two sons, and one for us with our daughter. If we can afford it later, we’ll give one to our daughter too. If not, we’ll keep it for our own retirement.”
"Damn, you're pretty rich? Ah Qing thought you guys didn't have that much money, so you hesitated even to buy two sets. Now that you mention it, you can actually buy three sets?"
"I don't have that much money. I'll just have to empty my pockets to buy three apartments. I'm hesitant because I'm not sure how big I want to buy. I haven't decided yet, so I'm struggling with this. Also, the price per square meter is expensive. It's actually three or four thousand yuan per square meter. This is not something that ordinary people can afford."
"Originally."
Houses have never been affordable for ordinary people, and this remains true even now.
Saying that housing prices were cheap in the 90s is only true for people who came after. In this era, for people with a monthly salary of only a few hundred yuan, it is still unaffordable for ordinary people.
To afford even one item, you have to empty the savings accumulated by several generations of your family.
"We hesitated because we thought maybe we could buy one first, and then buy another one when it's not so expensive, so we wouldn't have to spend so much money all at once."
"Your idea is correct. Most people think this way, which is why most people can't afford it. The longer they wait, the less they can afford it."
"Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration..."
Ye Yaodong shrugged. "You see."
"My husband and I will discuss it again tonight. If it's going to be settled, we'll do it tomorrow. We've been here for too many days. I also need to go to sea soon to talk to Ah Zheng about that matter."
"Hey, maybe I can buy two sets first, and then go and make a killing in May. If I make a lot of money, I can come back and buy more."
The more Ah Guang thought about it, the more feasible his idea seemed. He had originally planned to make some money for retirement, but now, in addition to retirement, he could also buy a house, which was also for a comfortable retirement.
Didn't you see Dongzi? He's already enjoying all this! He has a villa in Puxi, then another villa in Pudong, and now he's bought another building in Puxi. He can't even live in all of them.
"You can think that way too."
"I'll discuss it with Huimei later, and then it'll be settled."
My uncle sat quietly drinking tea, listening to the two of them discuss buying a house. It wasn't that he didn't want to speak, but he was so shocked by what he heard that he couldn't find his own voice.
They bought an entire building!?
What does "an entire building" mean? Before he could figure it out, he heard the two of them talking at length, mentioning two or three sets of buildings.
Two or three units were already surprising enough to him. He couldn't figure out how many units were in a building.
After the two finished talking and started drinking tea, he finally found his voice, looked back and forth between them, and asked curiously and cautiously, "Dongzi bought an entire building. What does 'an entire building' mean?"
They both laughed.
Ah Guang said, "What do you mean by 'a whole building'? It means that Dongzi bought an entire building with dozens of units in a residential area in Xuhui. He bought the whole building!"
My uncle's mouth dropped open in astonishment.
"When I first came to Shanghai and heard this, I had the same reaction as you. I was shocked and it took me a long time to process this bombshell."
"How much does that building cost?"
"It costs three to four thousand per square meter, depending on the floor and the area. You do the math, a 100-square-meter apartment would cost at least 35."
My uncle was so shocked he couldn't speak, swallowing his saliva repeatedly.
Ah Guang saw that he had regained his composure; at least he wasn't the only one who was shocked and didn't know how to react.
"Boom! This...this..."
"What the hell is he doing catching corals and taking risks? He could buy a whole building just by catching birds. He wouldn't even have time to look at those other things. He'd be too busy sleeping in them. Why would he bother catching corals? Wouldn't it be more comfortable to just lie at home?"
My uncle was so shocked that he couldn't help but keep swearing.
Ah Guang agreed wholeheartedly, and upon reflection, he realized it made sense; he had so much money, so he wouldn't go either.
He doesn't have that much money now, so he doesn't want to go out to sea and suffer anymore.
He wasn't exactly the type to work hard; he was forced into it. After all, he was his father's only son, and if he didn't help his father, who would?
Although he now has a younger son, that son is even younger than his own son, so what hope is there for him?
He felt he had done right by working so hard for so many years. He wasn't going to abandon his career after leaving the front lines, but he just didn't have to suffer on the front lines anymore.
Whether he is there or not does not affect the outcome.
After finishing his sentence, the uncle looked at Ye Yaodong and couldn't help but praise him again, "You're really amazing! You're incredible! How did you earn so much? You're so capable! Your father must be laughing in his sleep."
Ye Yaodong nodded in agreement, "If he knew, he'd be grinning from ear to ear."
"What, he still doesn't know?"
"I don't know. I just made a decision a few days ago. I paid the deposit and signed the initial contract. I still have to wait for notification to process the formal purchase contract. It should be soon. It's been a week already. I've been busy with things these past two days, and I should be able to sign the contract around that time."
"If I were still in Shanghai, would you take me to see this place? I've never seen anything like this in my life, a whole building. I bet they'd have to put up a banner to sign the contract."
"I don't know, but you should go get your medical check-up done tomorrow first, and then we can go together to sign the contract if you have time."
"Great!" The uncle rubbed his hands together with joy, feeling that he could finally see the world. His nephew was so capable, and he was proud of him.
"What's going on with my uncle? Does he need a medical check-up too?"
"I wasn't feeling unwell anywhere. I just happened to have some free time yesterday, so I went to Dongzi's place for a chat and some tea. He noticed that I was free these past few days and insisted that I come to Shanghai for a visit and arrange a medical check-up. He said that his parents, in-laws, and brother-in-law all had medical check-ups last year, and he wanted me to come and see them too."
“You didn’t say that on the ship this morning. You said you had back pain, leg pain, high blood pressure and stuff. This is a good opportunity to get checked.”
"Ha ha……"
"Looks like I should ask my dad to get a checkup too, just to put my mind at ease."
“Your dad really needs to get a checkup. He has both wives, and it must be tiring for him. Let the doctor prescribe some aphrodisiacs for him,” Ye Yaodong said with a laugh.
Ah Guang laughed and cursed a couple of times, "Don't talk nonsense, we're all getting old."
"He is getting old, but no one has had as much good fortune in his later years as he has."
My uncle asked curiously, "Your father took a concubine here? That's normal, many people do that."
Ah Guang changed the subject, not wanting people to make fun of his father's matter, "If Dongzi doesn't have anything to do tomorrow, would you like to come to the sales office with me?"
"Didn't I already tell you? Take your uncle for a medical check-up tomorrow. You've been running around for days and you know the place well. Director Zhang will try his best to negotiate the price for you because of my connections."
He slapped his forehead. "Look at my memory. Never mind then."
"dinner time……"
"Wash your hands and come eat."
This conveniently interrupted the conversation, and everyone got up to wash their hands and eat.
The children ran towards the dining table, yelling. The twins, without washing their hands, climbed onto the stools and reached out their hands first. They were slapped twice before they behaved themselves.
Ye Huimei was extremely disgusted with her two sons, "Look at your fingernails, they're so black and shiny, how can you grab things to eat? I can't even eat when I see them."
Lin Xiuqing said with a smile, "Children are all like this when they are young. I don't know what they play with all day long. Their nails are cut clean, but the next day their nails are still full of nail clippers."
“I spend a day digging in the ground and planting vegetables, and my fingernails are cleaner than theirs.”
Ye Xiaoxi also looked disgusted. "I saw them licking their fingers after eating fried dough twists this afternoon. It was disgusting."
"Don't talk about others, you were like this when you were a kid too. Your fingernails were always covered in black dirt, and you even bit your nails."
"No way! You're talking nonsense!" Ye Xiaoxi exclaimed, somewhat agitated. "I'm not as unhygienic as them!"
"Ah……"
"No, I really didn't!" she retorted even louder, sounding angry.
"Okay, okay, hurry up and eat. Stop nagging, you always have the loudest voice."
"No, there isn't one."
"If you don't have it, you don't have it. Why keep talking about it?"
"Who told you to say I'm the same as them?"
Pei Zuo: "So what if you're the same as us?"
Pei You: "That's right, we don't want to be like you."
"You talk too much, even food can't shut you up." After Ye Yaodong finished speaking, everyone quieted down.
Lin Xiuqing said, "Eating is like fighting a battle every day. They bicker even while eating. I don't know how many mouths they have."
Ye Huimei chimed in, "If you have two stomachs, it's normal to have two mouths too—one for eating and one for arguing."
My uncle chuckled, "It's so much more lively this way. Otherwise, it would be so lonely eating with no one to talk to."
"It's just too lively! It's gotten way too lively ever since we started living together." Ye Huimei looked at the three of them and had a headache.
Lin Xiuqing said to Ye Yaodong, "Are you busy tomorrow? If you are, I'll accompany my uncle to his check-up. I've done it several times before, so I know the process very well. Or should I go?"
"are you free?"
"Why wouldn't I have time? There are so many people in the office, it's no big deal if I don't go for half a day."
“That’s fine. You go with your uncle to get checked out. I’ll go to the sales office with A-Guang and the others to take a look and ask when we can sign the purchase contract.”
"Okay, how many sets are you planning to buy?"
"Let's discuss it with Huimei tonight."
He knew the situation regarding the house, and they had already discussed it thoroughly.
Uncle-in-law changed the subject, looking at Ye Chenghu, "I heard you'll be taking the college entrance exam soon, right? It's less than three months away?"
Ye Chenghu's face immediately fell. "Uncle, please stop reminding me. Why do I have to remind everyone who sees me? My uncle asked me about it a couple of days ago, and now you're asking again as soon as you arrive."
It feels like every time a relative comes over, he gets dragged out and whipped. High school seniors are suffering!
"Hehehe, he asked, that's his question, and I asked, that's my question. I didn't know, I was just showing concern, that's why I asked."
"Hey, I'm doing great! I'm definitely in Tsinghua or Peking University! You guys get ready to set off firecrackers!"
"Oh? Such good grades? That's amazing!"
"Listen to his bragging. If he can even get into a vocational college, we'd be secretly laughing." Lin Xiuqing laughed as she exposed his boasting.
Ye Chenghu gave his mother a resentful look before continuing to eat with his head down.
Ye Yaodong also asked with concern, "Now you have to study until 9 pm every night, can you handle it? Should I ask your mother to kill a chicken to nourish you, and order a glass of milk for you every morning?"
"Yes, I drink milk every day now, along with an egg, a milk, and two steamed buns. You can kill a chicken, I want to eat it."
Lin Xiuqing said, "Then we'll kill one tomorrow. It just so happens that my uncle is coming, so we'll kill one and we can all eat it together."
Ye Yaodong then asked, "Which university did Cheng Hu apply to for college? Did he apply?"
"It's not time yet, I haven't filled it out, but I've already decided. My first choice is 'Shanghai Financial College,' and my second choice is 'Urban Management Vocational and Technical School.' I haven't decided on my third choice yet."
"You applied to Fudan University for your boyfriend?"
Ye Chenghu nodded, "Yes, she helped me choose these two universities. I said I wanted to be close to Fudan University, and she thought these two were good. I also thought they were good. Being close by means I can absorb some of Fudan's academic atmosphere."
Ah Guang joked, "What talent? It should be called being close to the water tower and getting the moon first. If you're close enough, you might actually be able to bring home a top student from Fudan University and make your ancestors proud. If this one doesn't work out, you can always find another one. Anyway, you're close by."
"You overestimate me. I'm so busy with just one thing. I'm studying with all my might, and I haven't even caught up yet."
Ye Xiaoxi, her cheeks puffed out, chimed in, "Big brother, two little cars! Once you pass the exam, you won't need to use your heels anymore, you can just step on the wheels, just like Nezha's Wind Fire Wheels, and you'll be flying in the sky right away."
"I'll lend you some good words!"
"If you pass the exam, remember to give me a red envelope! My words are blessed, you're guaranteed to succeed!"
Ye Chenghu rolled his eyes at her.
Pei Zuo looked up from his rice bowl in surprise, "A red envelope? Cousin, you're sure to pass the imperial examination with flying colors!"
"You watch too many TV dramas, don't you?"
Pei You: "Cousin, you'll definitely pass the exam!"
"Two money-grubbing sycophants!"
Everyone at the table was laughing heartily.
Ye Yaodong encouraged him, "Just hold on for less than three more months. You've persevered for so long, don't give up now. You can do whatever you want after the exam."
"After I finish my exam, I'm going to take my driver's license test right away."
"no problem."
Ye Chenghu was satisfied, but he still continued to bargain, "I also want to go to West Lake! Is that okay?"
"No problem! You can go with your classmates, or we can take you!"
Ye Xiaoxi quickly raised her hand, "I want to go too!"
Ye Chengyang also raised his hand, "Then I want one too!"
The twins also raised their hands, "Me, me, me..."
Ye Huimei slapped her two silly sons, "Why are you always here? It's none of your business. If you get into university, I'll take you to Beijing, not just West Lake."
The two quickly lowered their heads and obediently started eating.
Ye Yaodong looked at Ye Chengyang and Ye Xiaoxi, "You two will be judged on your final exam results. If you don't do well, you'll have to stay and watch the house and the dogs."
Ye Xiaoxi: "I don't want to be a watchdog."
"Then you must also study hard."
Ye Chengyang: "Just you wait, Dad. I've never done a bad test. You're destined to take me with you."
Ye Xiaoxi chimed in, "And me too, you can't shake me off!"
P.S.: I updated to 7000 words to make up for it.
(End of this chapter)