sbdcsierra Chapter 1697 Departure
Chapter 1697 Departure
Chapter 1697 Departure
Just as the family was having a late-night snack, Linji came upstairs.
Ye Yaodong warmly greeted him, "Come on in, what a coincidence! Freshly cooked fish balls, have a bowl for a midnight snack."
Lin Xiuqing quickly got up to fill a bowl.
"It's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early; I just got back."
"Where did you come from?"
"I went to the provincial capital a couple of days ago and got the license plates back. These two are yours. 12999 is for the Mercedes-Benz, and this one is for the Santana. Don't get them mixed up. Install them yourself tonight. I just got home when I heard you were leaving early tomorrow morning, so I rushed over to deliver them."
"Wow, this number plate is great, awesome!"
"Niu Niu? It's alright. I picked one that's easy to remember and has a lucky number."
"That's perfect, we'll install it tonight and hoist it onto the ship tomorrow. I was wondering what would happen if we ran into the maritime patrol? The two vehicles on board don't have license plates, I don't want them to mistake us for a smuggling vessel and arrest us."
Lin Ji nodded. "That's exactly what I was thinking, so I kept urging them. Plus, it was right after the Spring Festival when people started working, so there weren't many people, which made it easier to process. I picked it up as soon as it was approved."
Thank you.
"No need to be polite. I was thinking of having you help me ship my car as well, because I need to get the license plates installed before I feel at ease. But I'll have to ship the goods a few days later, and there's not much space on the cargo ship. Is that convenient for you?"
"Sure, no problem. My boat is big, and I have a few people who can drive. I'll probably start gathering and counting people around 3 a.m., and we won't be able to leave until around 4 a.m., so you don't need to leave that early..."
"I'll just drive the car over and leave it at your workshop. Here are the keys. You can just drive it away when you leave tomorrow. I can come find you to pick it up when I get to Zhoushan. That way it'll be easier."
"That's okay too."
It wasn't a big deal for him, so he took care of it along the way. Lin Ji also helped him a lot, and the two of them helped each other.
After finishing their business, they ate and chatted for a while before Lin Jishang went back to get his car.
Ye Yaodong also took the license plate to be installed.
Now I can rest assured, since it has a license plate, it's a legitimate car!
There's no need to worry about encountering maritime bureau vessels on the road.
Ye Chenghu, who was assisting him, became increasingly envious and brought it up again, "Dad, how about after we go to Shanghai, I go to learn to drive with Mom?"
"You don't need to study anymore? You should be doing what you're supposed to be doing at your age. Your first priority right now is to study. Stop thinking about other things. Even if you pass the exam, you still won't be able to drive. You wouldn't dare to drive without an experienced driver by your side, would you?"
"I still have to wait until I'm 18."
"That's right, you started school early. By the time you're 18, you'll have graduated from high school. If you can get into university, I'll reward you with a car."
Ye Chenghu's eyes widened and his mouth gaped open; he felt like he was hallucinating.
"Dad, what did you just say? If I get into university, you're going to buy me a car?"
"Yes."
Ye Chenghu jumped up instantly, "Hey, it's a deal! You have to keep your word! As long as I get into university, you have to buy me a car!"
"no problem."
He rubbed his hands together, "Damn it, I'm going to give it my all."
Ye Yaodong slapped him across the face, saying, "Watch your mouth."
"When school starts, I'll change seats and sit in the first or second row. I'll sit with the class monitor and the academic representative. 'You become like the company you keep,' they're the people in our class most likely to get into university. If I sit close to them, I can get into university too..."
Ye Yaodong didn't listen to his rambling.
I'm so excited right now, like I've been injected with adrenaline. But who knows if I'll relax after a while and just let things take their course, continuing to drift along.
It's all nonsense to say anything now. He can be happy when he actually gets accepted into college.
"I need to get up early tomorrow, so I'd better go back to sleep. Stop nagging, I'm going back to dreaming now."
"Dad, you need to take stock of the workers tomorrow and get up early. I don't need to get up that early, right? Can I sleep a little longer?"
"Meet at 3:30, you need to be there by 4 o'clock at the latest, otherwise I won't wait for you."
"Okay, I'll go with Mom and the others then."
They planned to leave around 5 o'clock.
However, he has many workers, and it will take time to gather and count them. Allowing half an hour to an hour should be about right.
Then he still had to use a tractor to transport two loads of people, and then drive three cars to get them to town, allowing an extra half hour for the journey.
The other boats in the village are moored outside the village dock, so they don't have to get up so early, and there aren't that many people on their boats. Once everyone is there, they can board.
They just need to leave before 4:30 and arrive in town around 5 o'clock to meet him, and then they can travel together.
Lin Xiuqing also told Ye Chengyang and Ye Xiaoxi to go to bed early.
There's no need to worry too much about these two. They played at their grandma's house all afternoon, running around everywhere. They'll be able to sleep as soon as they lie down.
Just as she was about to close the door and go to sleep, Pei Yu came running over again.
"Auntie, is my sister asleep? Can I go to see her?"
"Your sister is already in bed. What do you want to say to her?"
"Then tell your sister that I'm going to Zhoushi with her tomorrow too. I've already told my mom that I'm going to study in Shanghai. My mom said that my dad is out at sea every day and won't be home for a month or two. We've built a few houses on land in Shanghai, so we can move there. It will also be more convenient for her to send goods to my aunt."
"Sure, I don't know if your sister is asleep yet. If she isn't, I'll tell her. If she is, you can tell her yourself when we leave tomorrow."
"Yeah."
"Then you should go to sleep early too, we have to leave before dawn tomorrow."
Pei Yu smiled contentedly, then happily turned and went home.
Lin Xiuqing thought this arrangement was quite good. Anyway, Ye Huimei was taking care of the three children by herself no matter where she was. Going to Shanghai with them would provide some support, make it easier for her to ship goods, and give the children company.
Of course, children should stay with their parents. If the parents feel comfortable letting her stay with them, she naturally won't refuse. However, this is not good for the child's development.
An aunt is still an aunt; she can't replace a biological mother, no matter how good she is.
Lin Xiuqing went upstairs to check on Ye Xiaoxi, who was already fast asleep. She had kicked off the blanket and was sticking her legs up on it. She fell asleep really quickly.
Lin Xiuqing tucked the blanket back in and tucked the corners in before returning to her room.
Ye Yaodong couldn't sleep, so he waited for her to come into the room.
"You just closed the door and window, why did it take you so long to come in? I could hear you going up the stairs, and I even warmed the bed for you before you came in."
"Xiaoyu just ran over and said she's going too tomorrow..."
"Of course! Ah-Guang and Hui-Mei both went to Zhou City with their two sons, but they left their daughter at home. What kind of behavior is that? Even though the child asked to stay in her hometown, there's no such thing as being close to her own parents as being with her maternal grandmother. They should have taken her with them a long time ago."
"Yes, that's what I thought too. So last night she came over to see your daughter packing her things. When she found out your daughter was going too, she looked so eager, so I told her to go back and talk to her. If she were with us, we wouldn't mind. We could just raise another daughter; it's not like we can't afford it. But we are her uncle and aunt after all. Living with us is never as good as living with her own parents. Living with us is like being a guest in someone else's home."
"Yes, of course it's better for children to stay with their parents."
"So she just ran over and said that Huimei wanted to take her and the twins to Shanghai and put them in school there. She said the educational resources are better there. Anyway, she's taking care of the three of them by herself wherever she is, and it would be more convenient for her to ship things in Shanghai."
“Alright, then you can keep each other company. If you’re busy at driving school or the office, have Huimei bring a bodyguard to help pick up the child. If you’re busy at school, you can call her too, since she’s an elder to the child anyway. If she’s busy, you can pick her up for her.”
"Yes, so we can look out for each other."
Lin Xiuqing quickly took off her clothes and crawled into bed.
The bed is already warmed up. It's so comfortable to snuggle into a warm bed in the dead of winter, especially with Ye Yaodong being such a big heater.
"Are you comfortable? I always have someone to warm your bed at home."
"How many times have you been warming my heart? For a while now, you've been coming home late every night."
"Then I'll warm your bed when I come back in the middle of the night. Your bed is too cold to keep warm, but as soon as I lie down, it'll be warm right away."
Lin Xiuqing hugged him, and it really felt warm. Her feet were icy cold, and she liked to rub against his legs for warmth.
Ye Yaodong was startled by the cold and gasped, but he still held her tightly between his legs.
"Your feet are so cold."
"My hands are cold too."
Lin Xiuqing slipped her hand inside his shirt and placed it on his waist to cool him down.
"Hiss... You were born in the Year of the Snake, you're so cold," Ye Yaodong said, putting her hands in his pockets to warm them and rubbing them. "Didn't you bring a jar of brown sugar from your parents' house? Make yourself some brown sugar water every day."
Yes, everyone drinks.
"Put two free-range eggs in it and eat them to replenish your energy."
"Yeah. I know."
"Have you put everything in the trunk? Is there anything else you forgot to take and need to put in tomorrow?"
Ye Yaodong rubbed his hands together for a while, then rolled them into a round shape, asking questions as he played.
"I've put all my luggage and clothes in there, and also put the kids' miscellaneous things in the trunk. It's not that I'm not coming back, I'm only taking some of the things I need. The main thing is the money. I took out all the money I had hidden at home, packed it in a sack, and will put it in the car and lock it when I leave tomorrow. I also left 5 yuan for my mother to pay her salary, which is enough for several months. I told her to keep her own accounts."
"Okay, since you're not home, you should bring the cash with you. When you go to Shanghai, open a bank account there and deposit the cash into that account."
Currently, cross-regional cash withdrawals are still not very convenient, and banks are still in the early stages of reform, with a nationwide electronic network settlement system yet to be established.
Most computer systems are city-level or provincial-level local area networks, and nationwide networking has not yet been achieved.
Withdrawing money in a different city is very complicated, so he opened a savings account in Shanghai a long time ago and deposited some money in it for when he needed the money.
Ah Qing is going to Shanghai now, so she'll open an account and deposit the money there. It'll be more convenient to use it later.
Lin Xiuqing was so bothered by him that she couldn't concentrate on thinking and could only nod and agree.
"...It's drafty, so keep it down..."
"I'm starting to sweat..."
"I am cold……"
"Then hold me tighter, you're not holding me tighter."
Lin Xiuqing pulled the blanket up a little, onto his shoulder, and then hugged his neck tightly, rising and falling with him.
He was particularly sleepy during the post-exercise period. He hadn't felt sleepy at all before, but after finishing, he closed his eyes and immediately fell asleep.
I was only able to open my eyes groggily when Lin Xiuqing shook me awake in the middle of the night.
"What's wrong? What time is it?"
“It’s a little past 3 o’clock. You should get up and wash up. The workers should be gathering at the workshop entrance soon.”
"Okay." Ye Yaodong closed his eyes to catch his breath before quickly getting up.
"Ouch, it's so cold."
"I've put your scarf, gloves, and hat all out neatly on the table."
"Okay, why don't you take another half hour of sleep? You can wake the kids later. It's too early now, and waking them up so early will only make them suffer."
"I know."
Ye Yaodong quickly got dressed and went out to wash up.
Ye's father also got up at the same time, and the two appeared together in the main room.
The old lady had gotten up very early and was lighting a fire in front of the stove to warm herself, while something was cooking in the pot.
"Get up, everyone. I'll boil some eggs for you to take on the road."
"You don't need to bother, go back to your room and rest early. Sleep a little longer, we need to go out soon too."
"It's done. I'll take it out and rinse it in cold water for you, then put it in a cloth bag and take it with you."
"Ah."
Mr. Ye asked Ye Yaodong, "Is there anything we need to take over and put in the car later?"
"I've put mine away. Ah Qing put them in the car last night. You can take yours to the car later."
"Okay, I'll go first. You should wash up quickly. I can already hear people talking, so they're probably starting to gather."
"it is good."
If even one or two people in the main group dawdle, they won't be able to get there as quickly, and some of them even have their families with them.
As dawn broke and everyone had arrived, Aqing and the children were all ready and waiting in the car.
Ye Xiaoxi was still dazed when she was woken up. She was led around by someone and walked with her eyes closed.
Once on the bus, he tilted his head to the side and went back to sleep.
The two brothers, Ye Chenghu and Ye Chengyang, were incredibly energetic, their eyes wide open like saucers. Ye Yaodong was counting heads outside, and the two brothers stood close to him, as if everyone was listening to them.
The old lady also stood to the side, leaning on her cane, watching. The prayer beads in her hand kept rolling, and she was muttering incantations. It was obvious that she was either chanting scriptures or praying for the protection of Guanyin or Mazu.
Once everyone had arrived and been seated in the car, the car started moving, and Ye Xiaoxi woke up instantly.
"Ah! Congratulations on your fortune! Big Grey and Little Grey! Mom...my..."
"You brought your dogs. Put them on the tractor; there's not enough space here for them."
Ye Xiaoxi breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. I thought you had forgotten. I only remembered them when the car started moving."
She listened to the sound of a tractor coming from ahead, her eyes fixed on the windshield. The headlights shone on the tractor, which was packed with people.
But she still saw four large, slick-haired wolfhounds that surrounded half of the iron fence behind them, and she was instantly delighted.
"So many people? Are they all coming with us?"
"Yes, those are your father's workers on his ship. There are three tractors in front, and one or two tractors can't carry them all."
Wow, so many workers?
"Ah."
They now have a total of six cars, which is even more impressive than a wedding procession.
Three tractors walked in front, and three cars walked behind.
If they had another car in Linji, they could carry more of their own family members instead of having to squeeze onto the tractor with the workers and endure the cold wind.
Ye Xiaoxi dozed off again, and when she woke up, she was full of energy and peered out the window.
"Mother, Grandfather is still standing outside."
Lin Xiuqing glanced over and saw Ye's mother muttering something beside her. The old lady also turned back, leaning on her cane.
“I’m already walking home. With your grandma looking after me, everything will be fine.”
"Oh, Mom, the car is so comfortable and warm. It's sheltered from the wind and rain, and I don't feel cold in here. It was so cold when I got out of bed and got in the car, but it's not cold anymore after staying here for a while."
Lin Xiuqing even wrapped a blanket around her, afraid that she would get cold. She wrapped it up as a shawl when they went out, and then wrapped it up as a blanket when they got in the car.
"Yes, it'll be cold when we get off at the dock, so wrap yourself up in a blanket."
"Oh."
Ye Xiaoxi kept staring out the window; it was already getting a little bright, and she could see the road clearly.
She saw the glass fogging up, so she used her finger to draw smiley faces and little people on it, and then breathed on it, having a great time by herself.
When she arrived in town and saw the bustling streets filled with vegetable and fish vendors heading to the early morning market, she suddenly realized that she seemed to have forgotten something important.
"Mother, did my sister come with us?"
"Yes, she came to see you last night, but you were asleep. You'll see her when you get off the bus; she's in the bus behind you."
Ye Huimei's family has three children, all of whom are still quite young. Ye Yaodong gave them the car in Linji to ride in, which was an extra one.
Old Pei didn't know what he had promised Aunt Ma, so he didn't take Aunt Ma or his youngest son with him on this trip.
Ye Yaodong and his wife were actually quite curious, but they had already set off and only realized they hadn't brought anyone when they didn't see them, so they were too embarrassed to ask.
Lin Xiuqing planned to wait until they arrived at their destination, where it would just be her and Huimei, and then secretly inquire about the gossip.
Ah Guang's boat is a bit small; he's currently operating the Harvest boat, which only fishes in coastal waters.
Last year after the Lunar New Year, some friends saw that his older brothers had bought new boats and were itching to get one too, so they all went to place orders and each ordered one, but they had to go to the shipyard to sail it after the Lunar New Year.
This trip up there will allow me to pay the final payment, bring the boat back, and then go to the deep sea with him.
At the same time, there will be three more ships, like his older brothers' ships, similar to his ocean-going vessels.
This means he will have to connect with five other ships, plus his own nine ships.
Fortunately, he also received his Vanguard II after the New Year, and can put it into use immediately.
Otherwise, there won't be enough, and everyone is growing at the same time.
“I thought she hadn’t come and was still studying at home.”
Ye Xiaoxi stood up from her seat and looked behind her.
Lin Xiuqing wouldn't allow her to stand up, lest she fall when the brakes came on.
“Now that you’re gone, there are several other kids at the gate who are also going to school in Zhoushan. Won’t she get bored staying here? After you get off the bus, you two can get on the boat together, and then we can talk slowly. Now sit still, or you’ll fall and get all bruised and battered.”
"Okay, Mom, are we going to ride in Dad's big, big boat again, the one that's as big as a house?"
"Yes."
"So, should we still put our cars on the boat?"
"Yes, your dad will be hoisted onto the boat in a bit."
Ye Xiaoxi looked at her expectantly, "Then, Mom, can I just sit in the car and be hoisted onto the boat with Dad?"
"Huh? What's going on in your head? How could you come up with something like this? No way."
"why?"
"Because it's too dangerous. Who knows what might happen? It's okay if no one's inside, but if you're inside, with the car suspended in mid-air and swaying, aren't you scared?"
"I haven't tried it yet. I'll only know if I'm scared after I try it."
"Don't act on a whim. When we get to the dock, we'll wait in the car until your dad gets the ship to the cargo terminal. Then we'll wait for the crane to be hoisted onto the ship before we can board."
"Ok."
When the car stopped at the dock, she couldn't sit still or wait in the car, so she got out to go find Pei Yu.
The two girls stood outside in the cold wind, all lovey-dovey. When the adults saw them, they quickly put them back in the car to wait.
The wind at the dock was much stronger than in the streets; it was howling and much colder, chilling to the bone. They had only been out of the car for a short while when they were already shivering and had to crawl back inside.
Once the large ship arrived, everyone got out of their cars and stood for a while, watching as the cars were hoisted onto the ship.
Early in the morning, just as dawn was breaking, there weren't many ships unloading cargo, but there were still several, which attracted a crowd.
A large ship became the center of attention, along with three eye-catching cars, making them the focus of the dock once again.
Everyone's gotten used to it.
When they were in Zhoushan, they were often the center of attention.
After the three cars were hoisted, the workers boarded the two large boats one after another. One was the Pioneer, which was used to park the cars, and the other was the Dongyu. The two largest fishing boats could accommodate more people, mainly because they had more crew members.
The other half are veterans, who had already arrived at the factory by the time work resumed on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year.
Of their family, some left early and some arrived late.
"Mom, the car is already parked on the boat. Can we get in the car?"
"Isn't there anywhere else for you to stay? You can go to your dad's rest cabin in the cockpit. The ship is already rocking, and you're sitting in the car. Don't you feel stuffy and uncomfortable? If you get seasick, don't come crying to go home."
She awkwardly pulled Pei Yu to find her father.
Ye Yaodong steered the boat to the middle of the sea and anchored, waiting for the fishing boats from the village to arrive.
He contacted them via walkie-talkie; they were already on their way and would arrive in about 10 minutes.
We'll all set off together once we arrive.
Ye Xiaoxi found it extremely novel. "Dad, what is this? How can you make a phone call? This looks just like a telephone!"
"This is a walkie-talkie. It's inconvenient to communicate at sea, so we use this to communicate with other ships."
"Isn't this just a telephone? It doesn't even have a telephone line yet."
Ye Yaodong tugged at the antenna on the walkie-talkie, pulling it back and forth as he demonstrated to her. Since the other ships hadn't arrived yet, he figured he might as well just sit there and do nothing.
"This is the antenna for receiving signals."
"I get it, it's just like the antenna on our old TV."
"Yes."
Ye Xiaoxi picked up the walkie-talkie and said "hello" a few times. She was even happier when she heard a response from the other end.
However, Ye Yaodong wouldn't let her play with it. "This is an important tool of mine. Don't break it. You two go to the rest pod and stay there. Don't come here and climb up and down. It's dangerous."
"Oh, but we're so bored."
"If you're bored, go do your homework. Have you done your winter break homework?"
"Hehe, aren't I changing schools? Then I shouldn't have to do homework! It's not like it's assigned by the same teacher, and we're not even in the same place!"
Ye Xiaoxi was smug, feeling happy that she had found a loophole in the problem. She was so glad that she didn't have to do her winter vacation homework anymore. It was so great.
"You've found a loophole."
"That's what my sister told me."
Pei Yu said shyly and embarrassedly, "Because I transferred schools last year, I brought my completed homework back with me, so I didn't need to bring it back to register later. Also, since I changed schools, everyone's winter and summer vacation homework is different from mine, so I don't need to check it."
"But didn't you say you were going to write a diary entry about my shipping magnate father? I'm waiting to read it. If you don't write it, what am I supposed to read?"
"Oh, then I'll save it for next time. I'll show it to you after I finish writing it. If I write it now, then I won't have anything to write next time, right?"
When is the next time?
"Next time, I'll write in my diary when the teacher assigns it again, or I'll write about my dearest person or my family."
"Alright, Xiaoyu is in for a treat. She didn't have to do homework during summer vacation last year, and she won't have to do homework during winter vacation this year either."
Pei Yu pursed her lips and chuckled to herself.
"Go find your mother, don't stay here. The village boat is coming, we need to get ready to set off."
"Then I'm going to find my 'Wishing you prosperity' and my Big Grey and Little Grey."
She happily went back to the deck to find the dogs.
After Ye Yaodong and the others spotted the fishing boats in the village, they communicated via walkie-talkie and set off in their own two boats to lead the way, with the other boats following behind.
The children saw a string of dozens of fishing boats behind them, sailing by like a thousand sails passing by.
The children on the ship were seeing such a spectacular sight for the first time, and they were excitedly shouting on the deck.
"Wow, so many boats are following us, just like the ones in my dad's photos!"
"I saw it too! It's so cool and spectacular! So many boats, all from our village!"
"Yes, there were a lot of boats at the dock just now, but I think ours were more spectacular."
"Yes."
Lin Xiuqing kept staring at the two of them and said with a smile, "Your father didn't bring all his boats back. If dozens of boats had come back, it would have been even more spectacular and sensational."
"That's right, why don't Dad's ships come back? Only two have come back. Doesn't Dad have a lot of ships? Everyone calls him the shipping magnate."
"There's no need. Bringing the boat back would consume a lot of fuel. We can just bring back two large boats, enough to carry all the workers. Anyway, they'll just sit there and not be used for fishing. Besides, your dad's boat has been running for a whole year and needs maintenance. It would be better and easier to just take it to the shipyard for maintenance and repairs."
Ye Xiaoxi, who knew a lot, nodded and said, "I understand. We need to save money."
"Yes, we should save where we should and spend where we should."
Pei Yu said, "Uncle is amazing! Even more amazing than my father!"
"Of course! My dad is the best! Nobody can compare! He's my hero!"
"If your dad hears this, he'll be overjoyed."
P.S.: 7200 words. I've made up for the short update yesterday. I'll see if I can update more tomorrow. Next month, there's a Yuewen event in Wuhan, and I need to prepare some drafts to go to Wuhan. I'll record more videos of the Wuhan event for you all then.