Back To the Small Fishing Village In 1982

Ye Yaodong helplessly looked at the old lady and said, "Grandma, I've grown up. I'm not a child anymore. Next time, please don't steal eggs. If my mother finds out, she will scold me so much that she will strip off my skin!"

"It's okay, if you don't tell her, she won't know. Go out and play for a while, eat them and then come back."

Alas, in the eyes of the old lady, he is still a child!

"Go on, go, go play, don't stand in the doorway."

Under her urging, he could only walk out. Originally, he had planned to go and see Ah Guang. Now, he felt a sense of urgency in his heart.

He felt an urgent desire to make money, wanting to buy dentures for the old lady. He wanted to fulfill his spoken words as soon as possible. Considering her age, even if she didn't fall, she didn't have many good years left.

He woke up a bit early today, and when he arrived at Ah Guang's house, he hadn't even gotten out of bed yet.

"What time is it?" Ah Guang, still holding onto his blanket, hadn't fully awakened yet, speaking in a drowsy manner.

"I left home at 6:30, so it should be around 6:40 now!"

"Huh?" Ah Guang raised his head in disbelief, opening one eye. "Are you crazy? What time is it? There's no work to be done, why did you come so early in the morning?"

"I'm telling you to wake up and pee!"

"Damn it, do you want a warm drink? Get lost!" He pulled the blanket over his head to cover himself.

Ye Yaodong grabbed a corner of the blanket and tugged on it. "Get up! The sun is already high up. With your current state, do you think you'll be able to wake up and go work at the Yujing Pier tomorrow?"

"Don't bother me, it's tomorrow's problem! Did you take some kind of aphrodisiac today? Why are you up so early?"

"Early to bed, early to rise, it's good for your health. Get up quickly and let's go borrow a boat!"

"What's the rush? It's only a few hours, and the tide won't recede until noon. Stop bothering me. If you keep bothering me, I won't go borrow the boat." Ah Guang snatched the blanket from his hands and pressed it against his body, tightly clasping his legs around it, and closed his eyes again.

"Why are you squeezing the blanket? You’re not a woman, after all."

"What does squeezing the blanket have to do with being a woman? Can't men squeeze blankets too?"

"Don't you understand this? You brat. Get up quickly, and I'll tell you once you're up."

Ah Guang, annoyed by the incessant nagging, scratched his messy hair and sat up abruptly. "Damn it, I don't want to know! Are you kidding me? Even if we borrow it now, we can't go. The tide hasn't receded yet."

"At least we would know earlier if we can borrow it or not!"

"I can't believe you. Did you take the wrong medication these past couple of days? You're so eager to go out to sea!"

"Yeah, I've gone crazy thinking about money. Since you're already awake, don't go back to sleep. Get up and let's go ask around."

Ah Guang, frustrated by his persistence, had no choice but to get up and get dressed while muttering to himself, "That’s enough. Why did I become brothers with you? Not letting me sleep, can't you just sleep peacefully with your wife at home?"

"My wife is already awake, my whole family is awake!"

"And I have to get up too?"

Ye Yaodong looked at him with a teasing smile, and put his arm around his shoulder. "We're good brothers, aren't we? Don't you have to share my worries?"

Ah Guang glanced at him sideways and took advantage of the moment when he wasn't paying attention. He suddenly opened his mouth and blew a breath directly towards him...

Ye Yaodong's pupils contracted, and his facial features instantly twisted into a tight grimace. He quickly covered his mouth and nose with his hand, taking a swift step to the side. "Holy... you're too damn much... damn it..."

"This breath of immortality can extend your life by ten years. No need to thank me!"

"You damn bastard. I'm sure I've lost twenty years of my life because of you!"

Ah Guang felt a bit smug, having "casually" avenged the early morning disturbance. He considered it a win on his part.

"Who asked you to come and disturb my sleep so early in the morning? I also have a temper when waking up, you know!"

"Damn it, this is not just a temper, it's toxic fumes, poisonous gas! It's suffocating me! F*ck! *%@&$!" Ye Yaodong cursed a few more times and then went to wait at the door.

Standing beside him, who knows if there might be any other unidentified gas released!

After waiting at the doorstep for a long time without seeing Ah Guang come out, he reluctantly went back inside. To his surprise, he found Ah Guang standing at the back door, holding up his pants and fastening his belt.

"You just finished taking a dump, huh? It took you so long. Well, perfect timing, just in time to eat."

"Could you please add the word 'meal' to that? Just in time to eat a meal!"

He had a smile in his eyes. "It's the same thing, come and eat. It's still warm and just right for your mouth!"

"You @$&%*! I'll eat when I come back!" Ah Guang grumbled and walked out directly. How could he not know this guy? He was just annoyed by his dilly-dallying, indirectly urging him to quickly borrow the boat, and he even said such disgusting words.

Ye Yaodong sat with his legs crossed at the table, waiting. Ah Guang's aunt's house wasn't far from his own. Both families were from the same village, and it was common for people to marry within the village.

He thought to himself that since he was already up and had nothing else to do, he might as well ask early and put his mind at ease. He truly believed that there would be more opportunities on the deserted island than at the pier. The recent stroke of good luck had also gotten to his head a little bit.

He patiently waited for less than half an hour when Ah Guang returned.

"My aunt and uncle agreed to lend us the boat, but the old man at home objected. So, I suggested that we rent it from them. We'll pay them two yuan for half a day at noon, and we'll cover the fuel costs ourselves. Only then did the old man agree to lend us the boat."

For most laborers, their daily wages are not even two yuan, so renting a boat for half a day and covering the fuel costs themselves is already quite a significant expense. Giving them two yuan is actually quite generous.

"Yeah, no problem. We're brothers, so it's only fair to settle the accounts. It's reasonable for the elders to ask for payment. This one's on me; I happen to have two yuan on me." He remembered feeling the two yuan in his pocket yesterday and had thought about buying cigarettes but decided against it.

Ah Guang pushed it back directly, "Hey, why bother? It's just two yuan. I'll cover it myself, no big deal. Besides, I won a few yuan playing cards yesterday, so it works out."

"That's a different matter, it was me who asked you to borrow the boat and go out to sea, so it's only fair that I cover the expenses. Take it, it's just two yuan."

"I already gave it to them, so let it be. Take the two yuan and use it to buy diesel fuel."

"That's fine."

Indeed, it's not much money, so there's no need to keep pushing it back and forth. Take it and use it to buy diesel fuel, it's a good idea.

With one foot propped up on the stool, Ah Guang picked up his bowl and chopsticks. "Now, can I enjoy my breakfast in peace?"

"You go ahead and eat. I never said you couldn't eat. It's your own impatience," said Ye Yaodong, sitting in a nearby armchair, shaking his leg and smiling.

Ah Guang gave him a big eye roll.

"The tide should recede completely by 12 o'clock, so you go a bit earlier, around 10:30, to the dock to buy diesel. I will join you at that time and we will go together to sail the boat."

"Okay, no problem. There's nothing urgent now, so I'll go back first. If Ah Zheng and the others come later, please let them know."

"It's something that could have been done in a few minutes, and yet you had to come so early and wake me up.” Ah Guang deeply resents it, as he rarely wakes up this early unless it's something important.

"I'm just helping you practice, otherwise, how would you manage to get up when you have to work at the dock? If you find it really boring, you can go back to sleep if you want."

“Roll!"

“Okay!"

(end of this chapter)

***

Ah Guang: Who's stinky friend is this? (*` Д´)

Yaodong: *side eye*

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