Back to the small fishing village in 1982

Chapter 1044: No one comes to the temple for no reason (1 words, monthly ticket +17)

Ye's father was depressed to death.

What does this have to do with him?

Dongzi didn't say anything when he came back, but his wife heard it from him. Is she still going to beat him?

There is no justice.

Father Ye was so angry that he held his cane and said, "Can you be reasonable? What does this have to do with me? Why are you coming at me?"

"You are my child, but the others are not. If I don't beat you, who should I beat? Who should I blame if not you? Tell me what pirates they are. They come back one by one without saying a word. They don't even say anything when they encounter trouble..."

"Call your precious grandson." Father Ye glared at her, sat down and started eating.

Ye's mother came up to him and insisted, "The villagers said it early in the morning that you got a lot of money from the pirates."

"How can it be a lot of money? You just believe everything you hear. That's the pocket money Dongzi found from the pirates. Who would carry a lot of money when they go out to sea to rob? It's just a small amount of change. How can it be a lot of money?"

"How much money was divided? You didn't have to tell me anything when you came back? I have to get it from other people, but when they ask me, I don't know anything. What are you hiding?"

"I can't have money in my pocket? Why should I give it all to you? I have to buy some food for my grandson and two boxes of tobacco for myself. Is it normal for a man to have no money in his pocket?"

"Did I say I wouldn't give it to you? Why are you still hiding it like this, to prevent thieves?"

Father Ye glared at her and thought, isn’t this to protect against thieves?
Although she was the one who took care of everything in the house and was in charge of the family, he was very relieved. But what was wrong with hiding some private money?
If he told me everything, how could he get it? He said it so nicely, how could he not give it to him? It would be good if he could get half of it.

"Are you angry that I hid my private money, or are you angry because you didn't know anything when someone asked you about it?"

Ye's mother pinched him angrily.

Ye Yaodong also told the old lady what happened at sea, avoiding the important points and talking about the process of encountering pirates.

The key point is that he stayed in the cockpit and overturned all the people on both ships without showing up, which scared the old lady.

"Ah? So we're going to beat them all like this?"

"Yes, as long as I don't care about the ship, there is nothing to be afraid of. What we are fighting for is momentum. As soon as we meet, we should first suppress their arrogance and make them afraid."

"Like this? And they just fell into the sea without any fight?"

"That's not the case. We had guns on the ship. We hid in the aisles between the cabin and the side of the ship with guns, squatting there and shooting in a sneaky way. The steering wheel of their ship was outside, and the person driving the boat was a target. How could we not be afraid? If we panicked, wouldn't that give me a chance? So I thought it was too easy, nothing to brag about, so I didn't say anything. Anyway, nothing happened, it was just a little thrilling."

"You have to be more careful next time... I hope nothing happened. If there is anything, you have to tell me when you get home. You can't hide it..."

The old lady grabbed his arm and touched it, and seeing that he was full of energy, she felt that nothing was wrong and felt relieved.

"know."

"Dad, have you told my eldest and second brothers? Their two trawlers will only be delivered within this month. Ask them to prepare the money in advance."

"No, didn't I just get here? I haven't gone to talk to them yet."

Ye's mother was surprised and asked, "Didn't your elder brother and second brother order it a day or two before yours? How come yours was paid first?"

"They said they didn't have enough spare parts, so they used them on my ship first. Theirs will have to wait. Anyway, it's within the delivery period. My eldest brother and second brother didn't come to urge them every few days, so they just focused on my ship first. Anyway, they have several teams building it at the same time."

"This is because Dongzi is more familiar and a big client, so they prioritize him first. Originally, the three brothers booked it for two days each, so it's normal for him to take over later." said Ye's father.

“It seems that the efficiency has been greatly improved.”

“I also think that they have a lot more people in the factory.”

Mother Ye asked, "When will the big ship that you three brothers are working on be built?"

"Maybe in the middle of next year. We'll see then."

"A few more boats are coming. My house is full of boats..."

"It's not good to have more ships? They are all our assets."

"It's fine if you have more people on your side, you can just let others do it and let others collect the goods. Your elder brother and second brother brought back two fishing boats, and they will need to replace them with new boats next year. If you rent these two boats, won't your two sisters-in-law have to help collect the goods?"

"That's nothing. Women hold up half the sky. Anyway, my two sisters-in-law just weave and mend nets at home and do some odd jobs for my workshop. One more boat means more income."

Mother Ye didn't say anything else. She had become numb from having so many boats at home. At the beginning, she was very happy when there were one or two, two or three more boats. Later on, she was happy, but she was no longer as surprised and excited.

Compared with the villagers, we are so far ahead that there is no comparison.

Each of his sons is incomparable to those in other villages.

Comparing myself with others now is simply bullying.

"So how much was it divided? I heard that you gave everyone a red envelope to calm them down. How much was it? Does your father have any?"

Ye Yaodong glanced at his mother and then looked up at his father.

It’s a bit difficult. How much should he say?

"Why are you looking at me? I didn't get much in the first place, just enough for me to put in my pocket for pocket money."

The old lady also interrupted, "Why did your father give you a red envelope? You are not an outsider. How can he feel comfortable taking your money?"

"Why should I be embarrassed? Am I not a human being? I also contributed."

"I'm done eating, you guys break it up yourselves."

After Ye Yaodong shoveled in the remaining porridge, he put down his bowl and chopsticks and immediately walked out, away from the center of the war.

His two sons followed closely behind him and ran out.

The fishing boats drifting on the sea have disappeared, and I don’t know what time the Harvest set off early in the morning.

"Hurry up~ It's time to go to school~ Let's go~"

"Are you okay?"

"Hurry up and leave, it's too late..."

"Too late for what? It's still early, are you going to school to copy homework?"

"Shhhh~"

A group of children at the door were shouting and calling their friends.

Early in the morning, the women around were hanging clothes at the door, buying vegetables, and standing there in groups of three or four chatting.

The news spread throughout the village early in the morning that they had caught 11 kilograms of plum fish in one net, and had encountered pirates on the way back. The story was so thrilling and surprising, with so many details, as if everyone had experienced it personally.

When everyone saw him, they greeted him and asked a few related questions.

Ye Yaodong was bored, so he stood at the door and answered a few questions. When he saw his parents come out, he handed it over to them and let his mother join them with a beaming smile, while he went to take a look at the workshop.

The groceries brought back yesterday were not many, just a few thousand kilograms. There was no need to call many people. Lin Xiuqing had already arranged it this morning. When he went there, it was bustling with activity.

"They fight every day, there's no peace, I don't know if they can live like this..."

"It's all smashed up like this, so it's probably impossible to survive, right?"

"Indeed, when a couple fights, the wife's family usually comes to mediate the conflict. How could the wife's family also join in the fight? It would be strange if the conflict was this serious and the couple could reconcile."

"It's better to get together. Otherwise, it's not easy to find these two. They both have such bad reputations."

"If they get divorced, how can people living nearby look down upon them..."

"That's hard to say. Ah Sheng, I like this kind of thing. As long as she can give birth to a son, this one gave birth to two sons..."

"That's ridiculous. Fortunately, Ah Sheng got married at the end of the year..."

"How could she be so foolish? Didn't she see what happened to that rat? Ah Sheng's mother only talked about Wang Lizhen, how could she not know that she couldn't marry her home? That couple is also a wicked couple who will be punished by their own evil deeds."

"I heard that Ah Sheng's mother got a folk remedy from somewhere yesterday and made a bowl of Chinese medicine, saying it was for pregnancy protection. She brought it over to give to the new bride, but the new bride dumped it out. His mother then sat on the ground crying and making a scene, saying that the new bride was deliberately going against her and taking advantage of her kindness..."

Ye Yaodong's ears perked up as he listened to the gossip of these old women.

Great! He wanted to know if anything had happened in the village recently.

Now he no longer had to go around the village. He could just move a stool and sit in the workshop to find out everything that had happened in the village recently.

It's not that he's gossiping, it's just that what happened some time ago is somewhat related to him, and he just wants to hear about the subsequent developments. He's really curious.

"Is that medicine a legitimate medicine? Why not take legitimate medicine?"

"It was said to be legitimate medicine, but no one knew where she got it from. There was a lot of fuss, and the Women's Federation went to the village barefoot doctor to ask, and they said it was not prescribed by the barefoot doctor."

"This family is quite noisy..."

"Yesterday we had a quarrel from morning to afternoon. The husband said he was right, and the wife said she was right. In my opinion, this medicine should not be taken carelessly..."

"In the final analysis, it's because she's over 30 and doesn't have a son. She's doing this for the good of her new daughter-in-law, but she doesn't appreciate it."

"That new daughter-in-law is also very powerful. She sat on the bed and pointed at my nose and scolded me, saying that she couldn't stand seeing her son and daughter-in-law getting along so well and had to make something happen to disgust them."

"If you ask me, why should she care so much about the couple's life? They have several sons, not just this one. Why does she have to keep an eye on this son's family affairs?"

"That's because this son is a cause of worry. He has no wife and no children. Now he has a wife, but he can't keep the baby stable. I heard that he wanted to come over to ask for compensation, but Ah Sheng stopped him and scolded him, so he didn't come."

"Yes, he said that he kept scolding his wife because of this matter, saying that his wife alienated the relationship between them..."

Ye Yaodong didn't know about this. It turns out there is a story behind this. It's just like a big drama. His second aunt really wants to trick her son.

The relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is really complicated.

Fortunately, although his mother is a bit of a nag, she is not that bad.

He continued to sit for a while, listening to these women talking about how the daughter-in-law of a certain family was this and that, not filial to the elderly, not knowing how to manage the daily life, lazy, or going back to her parents' home every other day...

Whose family has a new son, who has a new granddaughter, who's old man passed away, and so on and so forth...

Anything can be talked about. Look, whose chickens are brooding and hatching chicks? I can talk about it.

After cleaning up the house, Lin Xiuqing watched him move a stool into the workshop and sit behind the women, sorting a basket of fish, and ignored him.

Ye Yaodong also thought that if he wanted to know something in the future, he could just come and sit in the workshop, so that he could know everything that happened in the village.

After he had listened to most of what was said, he picked out the goods in the basket on hand and went to find Lin Xiuqing.

"More than half a month has passed. Where are the three little lambs?"

"Why didn't you ask Mom when she was here this morning? Why do you come and ask me now?"

"Isn't it because she is still settling accounts with my father? I didn't ask and let her do it."

"Ask again at lunch time."

The eldest and second sisters-in-law next to them also asked curiously.

"You guys are going to buy more sheep. Who are you going to herd them for? Can you handle it?"

"Let Yangyang herd sheep? Then can he still read after herding sheep for a few days?"

"If I don't buy him some sheep, he will still be away from home all day, even busier than me. Now I'll buy him some sheep to herd and he can enjoy it. When I let him go to school next year, he won't be thinking about herding sheep like the others, and he won't be sitting around at home making trouble all day."

"Why do I feel like I'll be even more reluctant to go to school if I leave it alone?"

Lin Xiuqing was stunned for a moment, her expression became uncertain, and she looked at Ye Yaodong.

"Why are you looking at me? You have to go to school when you are old enough."

Ye Yaodong didn't have this anxiety. What did it matter whether he could study or not? Not studying wouldn't kill him. He didn't seem to be a good student in his previous life.

Is it possible to love reading if you don’t herd sheep?
"Where is Dad again? I haven't seen him come here to take a look after dinner."

"He said he went up the mountain to see how the tomb was being repaired in the past two days and whether it had started."

"How can it be done so quickly? It takes a long time to carve out the stones, and then they have to be moved to the cemetery. It has been raining for a while, and it has only been sunny for a few days. How can we start repairs so quickly?"

"Then he goes up and down several times a day."

"Repairing a tomb is a big deal. How can we be at ease if we don't keep an eye on it? Anyway, he has nothing to do."

Ye Yaodong didn't say anything. He walked around here with his hands behind his back, then walked to the next door for a while, and then walked towards his home in Linji.

Without a doubt, he came to nothing again. He is like a dragon that is hard to find. I have never seen anyone busier than him.

After leaving a message, he slowly walked home again.

It was broad daylight and he had nowhere to go. All his friends had gone out to sea and were very positive. He had no one to talk to and could only go home and watch TV.

However, as soon as he got home, he saw the two little ones squatting at the door of an empty room on the first floor, looking at him curiously.

Looking around, there was only a hen in the house hatching chicks in a straw nest. There was nothing unusual in the other rooms, only piles of dried fish.

He also squatted behind them and asked quietly: "What are you doing here? Are you watching the chicks hatching?"

"Shh~" Ye Xiaoxi turned her head and pouted, putting her index finger to her lips and shushing, "Don't disturb the mother hen~"

"Mother Chicken??"

Ye Xiaoxi nodded, "Grandma said we can't quarrel."

"What's so interesting about this?"

The old lady was sitting there watching TV and smiled as she said, "Yesterday they found the hens sitting on their nests, so they were very curious and squatted there to watch for most of the day. I don't know what was so interesting about it, and they were squatting there again just after they finished their meal this morning."

"It's nice, let's see the baby chickens."

The world of children makes adults laugh and cry and they cannot understand it.

"Come on, don't just squat there. I'll take you to dig up earthworms and feed them to the mother hen. Do you want to?"

"Yes!" Ye Xiaoxi immediately responded loudly.

Pei Yu pulled her arm, and just like her just now, he pouted, put his index finger to his lips, and reminded her to keep her voice down, "Shh~"

"Shh~"

The two little girls maintained the same posture, pouting and hushing all the time, and then walked out tiptoeing with shifty eyes, like thieves.

Ye Yaodong was watching from behind with great amusement. It was the first time he realized that the little girl had such a lovely side. The two little boys could not have been so cute when they were little.

Today, both of them are still wearing the same red clothes and tying the same two little buns, just like twins.

Pei Yu was wearing Ye Xiaoxi's sweater from last year. Ye Xiaoxi grew very fast and was taller and stronger than other children. After the sweater became too short, Lin Xiuqing gave it to Pei Yu after the New Year, and then she found time to knit a new identical one for her.

Since it got hot these past two days, I haven’t let them wear cotton jackets anymore, just sweaters. Today, it’s rare to see two of them wearing exactly the same clothes, like twins.

My daughter looks cute though.

He followed behind and sighed, fortunately he had a daughter in this life, otherwise, A Guang would be so envious.
"Wait, take a jar..."

Ye Yaodong took an empty tin box of canned fish from the windowsill at the door and walked towards the two little girls.

Lin Xiuqing was reluctant to throw away these iron boxes. She picked up the empty boxes of canned fish. Not knowing what they were used for, she placed them on the windowsill at the door, waiting for them to be used at any time.

He broke off two small pieces of bamboo and handed them to the two girls, asking them to dig the soil.

At this time of spring, there are many rains, the soil on the ground is still moist, the temperature is rising, and the earthworms begin to move. It is also suitable to dig earthworms early in the morning.

Pei Yu dug in the soil twice and saw a long earthworm wriggling. She immediately shouted excitedly, "Bug~Bug~"

"It's an earthworm." Ye Yaodong corrected her.

Ye Xiaoxi also dug one at this time and shouted happily, "Earthworm~"

After calling out, she reached out and caught the earthworm that was about to burrow into the soil again.

"Got it, sister? Got it~"

Pei Yu shook her head and saw that the earthworm had half of its body burrowed back into the soil. She just dug there and continued to dig the earthworm out, but she didn't dare to reach out her hand.

“Catch it…”

"No, I'm scared~" she said in a baby voice.

"Don't be afraid, I'll give it to you."

Ye Xiaoxi grabbed Pei Yu's hand out of righteousness and put the earthworm in her palm, which frightened her so much that she sat down on the ground and burst into tears.

The earthworms also fell to the ground and burrowed into the soil.

Ye Xiaoxi looked confused.

Ye Yaodong patted her and coaxed her, then said to Ye Xiaoxi: "She doesn't dare to catch it, don't scare her, just catch your own."

"My sister is afraid of bugs. What a coward!"

After she said this, she immediately squatted down and started digging again. She caught the escaped earthworm and put it into the iron box of fish can.

"I got it, I'm awesome!"

After praising herself happily, she continued to dig the one that Pei Yu had just dug and escaped.

"I caught it again, look, sister~it's so soft~"

Ye Yaodong looked at this happy wild girl and laughed too, "Put it in the jar and don't bring it to her. When your sister digs it up later, you can help her catch it."

She smiled, revealing a row of teeth, but not her eyes. She nodded happily, "I'll help my sister catch it."

Pei Yu also stopped crying. He opened his big wet eyes and looked at the earthworms wriggling in the fish can. He boldly used the bamboo stick in his hand to stir them. As he played, he began to grin and then started digging again.

Ye Yaodong looked at the two of them and smiled again. He took a newspaper and sat on the recliner at the door and rocked, trying to give them something to do so that they wouldn't have to chase chickens and dogs and run around everywhere.

He stopped digging. He was not a child, so why would he play with earthworms?

The spring sun was warm, and even the wind seemed warm, much better than the chilly sea. He had to wear a cotton jacket at sea, but after getting ashore he only needed to wear a base layer and a thin sweater.

Now that the sun was shining, he felt it was too hot even wearing a sweater, so he simply took it off and covered his face with it to block the sun. He stopped reading the newspaper and rocked leisurely in the recliner, listening to the laughter of the two little girls beside him.

Just when he was relaxing, someone called him at the door, breaking the warmth in the yard.

"Adong?"

He sat up puzzled, looked towards the gate, and then walked up with a smile on his face.

"What brings Secretary Chen here? If you need anything, tell someone to come and call me. I'll go find you. Come on, come in and sit down..."

"I heard the news all over the village early in the morning, and I knew you were at home, so I came to check on you."

"Would you like some tea? There's nothing else in the house."

"No, no, just talk."

After Secretary Chen sat down, he looked at the two children digging the soil nearby and said, "This little one has been raised in your home."

"His parents went to the city, and there's no one to look after him, so I'll be keeping him here for a few months. It'll give these two some company. What's going on? How are you doing lately?"

"Okay, there's something I want to discuss with you."

He paused, looked at Ye Yaodong's puzzled expression and said, "It's like this, isn't today April 4rd? It's the third day of the third lunar month..."

"Ah? Today is already the third day of March? Isn't that my daughter's second birthday? Come here, Xiaojiu..."

Ye Xiaoxi listened to the friendly call, turned her head to take a look, and immediately shook her head like a rattle, "No, I still need to dig for worms."

"No, today is your birthday, I totally forgot..."

As soon as he got up in the morning, his mother started to make trouble for his father, so he ran away after dinner without even having time to check the calendar, and even forgot what day it was.

It was also during those days when people had just solved the problem of food and clothing. No one celebrated birthdays, only special birthdays, such as one’s first birthday, which would only be celebrated once every ten years. At most, they would eat longevity noodles and two poached eggs. Normally, people would even forget when their birthday was.

He has been back for three years, but he has never forgotten his birthday. It was only many days later that he accidentally remembered that his birthday had passed.

The second birthday was not important, so A Qing did not remind him specially. No one in the family had celebrated a birthday in the past few years.

He called out to the child several times, but Ye Xiaoxi didn't even turn her head. She only turned her head at the beginning, but now she had her back to him and kept shaking her head and twisting her butt, unwilling to move.

Secretary Chen patted his shoulder and said, "I'm here to talk to you about serious matters, not to remind you of your child's birthday."

He had just started talking when he was interrupted. All he could hear was him mumbling about his child's birthday.

"What's the matter? I thought you came here to chat after hearing the gossip in the village this morning."

He really thought so, otherwise, he couldn't think of anything else to ask him for?

"It's like this, isn't today the third day of the Lunar New Year? Mazu's birthday is on March 23rd..."

Ye Yaodong suddenly realized something, "Oh~ Mazu's birthday is coming soon... then what?"

Why did you come over to tell him?

There is an ominous feeling.

"Well, I was thinking that we had such a grand ceremony last year. The Mazu temple in our village was the largest and most spectacular in the entire county, and it was also reported in the local newspapers at the time. It doesn't make sense not to have some fun this year."

He nodded. "Of course, we must. We can't just let it die. We have to carry forward this folk custom."

"What's more, Mazu protects the peace of the sea, so her birthday must be taken seriously and celebrated. We should also have a parade like last year, with the whole town being paraded around. All Mazus in the world are one family."

"Moreover, some fishermen from surrounding towns and villages also came to donate money and contribute their efforts. Those who donated money must be blessed especially, and those who did not donate money must also be blessed. Everyone's faith also contributes to the power of faith. Each village must be inspected to ensure that everyone is peaceful."

Secretary Chen smiled and patted him in appreciation, "Yes, you are right. We old guys think so too. It is not easy to build such a large Tianhou Temple. It all depends on everyone's efforts. Mazu protects the safety of our sea area, so of course we have to take it seriously. What's more, it is so easy for you to fight pirates today, which must be inseparable from Mazu's blessing."

Ye Yaodong continued to nod in agreement.

"This year is the second year since the Tianhou Temple was completed. We can't just let it sit there. We have to make a big event. It only happens once a year. So we old guys have discussed it and decided to do the same as last year. We will invite a troupe to perform for a few days to liven up the village."

"It should be..."

"We won't invite her for so many days, it's too expensive. We can just invite her for three days. After the three-day opera, Mazu will still parade for three days, and then go to the temple on her birthday. At noon, the whole village will have a feast to wish for peace."

"Good good..."

"It costs a lot of money to perform for three consecutive days, and we have to provide food and drink for the men during the three-day parade..."

Ye Yaodong understood instantly that this person was not here to discuss something with him, but to ask for money.

He just said that he was not a village cadre, and if they wanted to hold a celebration or make it lively, they could just make the decision themselves. Why did they have to come and talk to him, as he was not a big shot.

It’s only right to pay, it’s Mazu’s birthday.

"…For this to benefit the whole village, everyone in the village must contribute money together. However, some families are in financial difficulty, so it would be inappropriate to ask for too much. If it's too little, it won't work… If some individuals don't contribute, everyone will definitely have opinions. We can all watch the show together and receive the blessing of Mazu…"

"I understand. If we want to contribute, every household must contribute the same amount, otherwise some people will have objections. Let's put it this way. I am now considered a wealthy family in the village. I have many boats at home. I need Mazu's blessing. It is reasonable for me to contribute more. I will donate more, 500 yuan."

Secretary Chen was pleasantly surprised, and his old face instantly lit up with smiles, he was extremely happy.

"500!!! Okay, okay, you are the most sincere and helped me solve the problem directly. No wonder Mazu has been blessing you with peace and prosperity. Just for your kindness, I deserve any blessing."

"It's my duty. Mazu has blessed me with peace and prosperity, so I have to do my part and contribute more to her."

"Okay, okay, we old guys were thinking yesterday when we were discussing that the funds donated by the villagers would definitely not be enough for the six-day event. We were worried about it. Now you can help solve the problem. Our event will definitely be big and good."

"Then I came back just in time."

"Yes, this is all thanks to Mazu's blessing."

Ye Yaodong also smiled and nodded, "Then how much money does the village plan to ask each household to contribute?"

"I thought if each household contributed two dollars, everyone would be able to contribute and no one would cry poor and disturb the birthday celebration."

"That's about right. Two yuan per household, and there are about 400 households in the village, so that's about 800 yuan. Add my donation, and it should be enough to hire the troupe and provide food and drink for the three-day parade."

"That's enough. When the Mazu procession is over and the temple is in session, each family will be asked to pay for the lunch. Volunteering is the best option. Those who are willing to have a peaceful meal can pay two yuan each. If not, forget it."

"Hey, if we want to eat Ping An, we don't have to limit it to our village. If people from other villages or other towns want to come and eat Ping An, that's fine too. All Mazu in the world are one family. As long as they pay, it'll be fine. We can open a few more tables then."

"That's fine. Having a peace meal can bless the men in your family who are going out to sea."

"Okay, then when we start raising funds, I'll have A-Qing send the money over."

"Okay, okay, I'll prepare to broadcast it this afternoon, and tomorrow I'll have people go door to door to collect money and count the numbers. Thank you very much. It's a blessing for our village to have a boss like you. No wonder Mazu blesses you to get rich together."

"Alas, I am not a boss at all. I just own a few boats and my workshop is just a small business. It's good that no one bothers me."

"If anyone dares to cause trouble for you, just catch some fish and sell dried fish. You are a proper fisherman selling local specialties, not a speculator. Don't worry. If anyone in the township asks about it, we will help you."

"Okay, okay. If I can do better, it will definitely benefit the villagers, provide more jobs, and earn me some extra money."

The big-pot system had just ended in the late 1970s, and economic reform was quite difficult, and development was not that fast. Most people were doing small business. In recent years, small businesses have been allowed, but they were not allowed to expand. This year seems to be much better. He seemed to have heard that he could get loans and be allowed to expand and become stronger.

"Okay, then with your donation, our big problem has been solved. I have to go back and talk to the others. We'll discuss it and come up with a plan. Then we have to book the troupe in advance."

"Ok."

After Secretary Chen achieved his goal, he left with a happy look on his face.

Ye Yaodong continued to sit back in the recliner and rock, thinking about the donation in his heart. 500 yuan was nothing to him now, and it would be good if he could contribute a little more and add bricks and tiles.

This can continue year after year, of course, provided that he has money every year.

These old guys are quite thoughtful. The first person they thought of was to look for him.

As he said, one does not visit a temple without a request.

However, it is good that this traditional culture of parading gods continues to be preserved. It is also a unique custom and honor of their village. It is also a cultural heritage that continues for decades.

He fell asleep while being rocked, and was only awakened by the roar of a lion in his ear.

"Oh, look at you two, you're all wet with play. What's your dad doing? He just sits there and doesn't care about you. You just put on clean clothes this morning, and it's only been half a day. You've been playing in the water or playing in the dirt all day. In the blink of an eye, you've become so scary..."

"Dad asked us to dig bugs..."

"What the hell are you doing? I'm just sitting there and sending you to dig earthworms..."

"I need to feed the mother hen..."

"Mother Hen is hungry..."

Two children's words rang out one after another, and Lin Xiuqing's voice was also constantly criticizing.

Ye Yaodong sat up and said nonchalantly: "What's the big deal about playing in the mud? If it gets dirty, just wash it off. They didn't do anything, and they didn't run around everywhere."

"This is what you taught me. I follow you every day."

"If they don't follow me, they will be dressed the same way every day. There is no difference. Just have fun."

He turned to the two children and said, "Yeah, are you happy? Are you happy?"

"Happy~Happy~"

"Mmmmm~"

"Mom, we caught a lot of bugs and gave them to the mother hen to eat."

"Go in and wash your hands quickly, your face is covered in mud."

Ye Xiaoxi reached out and touched his face in confusion, and Pei Yu immediately burst into laughter.

"It's even dirtier. Look at your hands. You can even touch your face with your hands?" Lin Xiuqing grabbed her collar with disgust and carried her into the house.

"Wait, wait, Bug..."

Pei Yu immediately picked up the can of fish and followed behind.

When Ye Yaodong saw them passing by the door, he sat up and took a look. There were a bunch of earthworms wriggling densely inside the can. The two children had a great performance. One can was filled to the brim and it looked like it was almost overflowing.

"There are so many of them, aren't you afraid? Are they all moving around?"

"Don't be afraid, don't bite."

"Well, just leave it at the door. Wash your hands and change your clothes later before coming out to play."

Pei Yu nodded obediently and put the can under his recliner.

Ye Yaodong also followed him into the room and told Lin Xiuqing that Secretary Chen had just come over to ask for donations.

"500!! That's a lot!"

Her hands shook as she filled the water tank.

"Yeah, when they asked, I just said 500."

"You can't say 200. Let him do the math himself. If it's not enough, we can just add a little more. 500 is too much. With the donation from the village, it's more than 1300."

"The six-day event must have cost a lot."

"It's just that hiring a troupe is a little expensive. How much can the food and drink for the parade cost? At most, it costs a little rice and grain. The vegetables from the fields don't cost much. The seafood at the dock is not expensive either."

"Don't worry about it. It's not that different. The normal maintenance of the Mazu temple requires some money, and some offerings such as incense, candles and gold ingots. The offerings have to be changed every day."

"Did you find our family to donate more?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure. I guess so. Besides me, who else in the village has the money to donate?"

"Are you still proud of yourself?"

"Why did you choose me instead of someone else? That's because I'm rich and everyone knows it. It's my duty to contribute some money to benefit the village."

Ye Yaodong is quite good at enjoying himself.

Lin Xiuqing glanced at him and said nothing more, continuing to fill the basin with water. "When do you want the money?"

"Tomorrow, they said it will be broadcast on the radio this afternoon."

"Oh, I know."

"And today is my daughter's birthday, why didn't you tell me?"

"What's there to say? It's not your birthday, nor is it your 10th or 20th birthday. I thought you remembered it. You're so cute normally, but you don't even remember my birthday."

"I remembered it a few days ago, but I had a thrilling experience yesterday and forgot about it for a while after I came back. I also forgot to check the calendar today."

"She's so young, there's no need to celebrate her birthday. Just fry two poached eggs for her at noon."

"That's it?"

"Otherwise, you want to set up ten or eight tables, right?"

"Not really. I have nothing to do this afternoon. I'll go to town and buy her some egg cake, soda and some snacks."

"what ever."

When she finished filling the water and turned around, she saw the two children stretching out their hands to smear mud on each other's faces and heads, running around the room laughing, which almost made her angry.

"Come here, do you want to be whipped?"

"No, give it to my sister, I want to eat the egg cake!"

Lin Xiuqing made her laugh, put the water on the ground, and pinched her nose, "Don't be naughty, wash your hands quickly, or I will beat you up on your birthday."

Ye Xiaoxi also squatted down with a smile, put his hands in the basin and started playing with them. Now he could play with water openly.

Pei Yu also ran over and shouted in a baby voice, "No whip."

"Wash your hands first. Look at your shoes. They are all covered in mud. I specially gave you little leather shoes to wear today..."

Ye Xiaoxi playfully stretched out her wet hands to her mother and kept flicking water droplets. After being slapped, the back of her hands turned red. She then stopped and rubbed her hands back and forth obediently.

But after a while, the wound healed and the pain was forgotten. While his mother went to get a rag to wipe their hands, he and Pei Yu started playing in the water, splashing water all over the floor.

"I think you don't need egg cake anymore, just eat whip."

"I'm good~"

(End of this chapter)