Chapter 31: Sweet Potato Noodles

Lin Xiuqing hurried out when she heard movement at the back door. With such an unreliable man, she felt uneasy.

As soon as she stepped outside, she saw his disheveled appearance and worried he might be angry enough to hit their nephew, so she quickly spoke up, “I’ll wash our son; you go wash yourself.”

“Finally, you’re back! I thought I was going to die here!” Ye Yaodong stood up in frustration, immediately stripping off his shirt to wipe his still-dripping hair.

Seeing he wasn’t angry, Lin Xiuqing felt a bit relieved.

“Mom is already boiling noodles. You can eat as soon as you’re done showering.”

“Got it, I’m going to wash my hair first. You guys hurry up and get out when you’re done, and leave me a basin.”

The kids laughed and playfully shoved each other into the house, leaving only the youngest, Ye Chengyang, who stood up anxiously from the basin.

“Brother~ Brother~”

“You little tail, always calling for your brother! Hurry up and wash so you can join in!”

Ye Yaodong didn’t even bother with hot water, just filled a basin with well water and began pouring it over himself, wearing only a pair of shorts.

After two days at the beach, his face was noticeably darker than his neck and body, but compared to his older brothers, he was still quite fair.

His two sons were also fair, but they had tanned as they grew up. In fact, his whole family wasn’t unattractive; they were just short…

This was a common drawback among many Southerners!

It was largely due to poor family conditions and a lack of nutrition. He was lucky to reach 1.8 meters, thanks to his grandmother’s favoritism. He had never lacked for eggs growing up, and there was always a chicken leg saved for him whenever they slaughtered chickens.

In the past, the brigade had sheep grazing, and when he was young, his grandmother would secretly bring back a bowl of sheep’s milk, boiled with tea leaves for him to drink. His brothers and cousins were older then, unable to partake, while his younger sister occasionally got a taste of her mother’s milk.

Because of this, he experienced a genetic mutation, growing to be the tallest in the family and among his friends.

In those days, having a height of 1.8 meters was rare in their village.

After spending most of the day outside, he was only a bit sweaty, so he didn’t bother with soap, just rinsed off casually. He went inside to grab a towel, but when he took off his shorts and opened the wardrobe to find clothes, he remembered he only had one set of summer clothes, which were still drying outside.

“Creak—”

The door swung open suddenly, and he quickly ran to the bedside to wrap a sheet around his lower body. “I thought it was someone else! Why don’t you knock when you come in?”

“Dad~ So embarrassing~ So embarrassing~”

“Get lost! You’re still running around bare-bottomed, and you dare to laugh at me!”

Lin Xiuqing glanced at the shorts tossed on the chair. “I’m in my own room, why would I knock? You’re standing there naked; aren’t you embarrassed?”

“I was just looking for my clothes, and you walked in. Didn’t you say you only had two sets? They’re all out drying. What do you want me to wear? Besides, you’ve seen me like this before; what’s there to be embarrassed about?” Ye Yaodong leaned closer to her, grinning mischievously.

“Stop talking nonsense! You only have two shirts, but you have four pairs of shorts. They’re not in the wardrobe, they’re in the drawer,” she said, pushing him away. After placing the child on the bed, she went to the drawer, retrieved a pair of shorts, and tossed them to him. “Put these on quickly; I’ll go outside to get you some clothes.”

“Your ears are all red; did you think I didn’t notice? We’ve been married for years, what’s there to be shy about?”

“Shameless…” Lin Xiuqing shot him a glare before finally closing the door.

He cheerfully took the shorts and walked to the side of the bunk bed, just about to change, when he saw his youngest son leaning against the bed railing watching him.

“What are you looking at? When you grow up, you’ll also have your father’s assets.”

After saying this, he lifted the mosquito net and playfully tossed the sheet over Ye Chengyang’s head, completely covering him.

“Ah haha~ Dad~”

“Bang—”

The sound of his head hitting the bed board was followed by loud crying. Ye Yaodong quickly pulled on his shorts and leaned over to check. “What a silly kid!”

At that moment, Lin Xiuqing came in with some clothes. “What’s going on now?”

She quickly walked over and saw her youngest son wrapped in the sheet, kicking and pulling, unable to get out and calling for his mother. She shot Ye Yaodong a disapproving look.

“How old is he? And you’re still bullying him? Your mother has already made the noodles; hurry up and get dressed so we can eat.”

Ye Yaodong scratched his nose, realizing he had only tossed the sheet casually and was just playing around with his son.

Listening to her coax the child, he hurriedly got dressed, his stomach growling with hunger.

For lunch, they had sweet potato noodles, made from sweet potatoes they grew themselves. They would grind the sweet potatoes into a paste, then make sweet potato starch to store. When it was time to eat, they’d take a couple of bowls, mix them with water, and pour a little into a pot to cook like pancakes. Once cooked on both sides, they would be cut into strips, repeating the process several times.

With a few toppings and a soup made from yesterday’s freshly dug clams, it was simply delicious.

Ye Yaodong ate a huge bowl by himself. This dish only required sweet potatoes and some labor; they could make it at home without spending money. His family planted plenty of sweet potatoes every year, so they always had starch available whenever they wanted it.

By the time he finished eating, Ye Mother was still busy making more noodles since there were so many people in the family.

“I’m leaving. No need to cook for me tonight.”

“You can’t sit still for a moment. You finish eating and then want to leave again, acting like a child who hasn’t grown up?”

“I worked hard all day today, didn’t I? And there’s nothing to do now, right? I’ll definitely be back early tonight, so don’t lock the door, Mom.”

Just as he tried to sneak out, Ye Mother called him back. “Wait, when we came back, we saw the wind picking up and the waves getting big out at sea. Your father and the others will probably be back soon, so don’t run off. After an hour, go help pick up the goods at the dock.”

Ye Mother had noticed that he had been working a bit harder these past few days, so she thought to send him out to help.

“What about Ah Hua?” He had been hoping that once they were done with their chores, he could go hang out with friends.

“The old lady said he ate noodles for lunch and then went to work in the fields after spreading the ashes in the vegetable garden. He shouldn’t be back anytime soon. Do you think everyone is like you, loafing around all day?”

“Ah, stop scolding! Didn’t I work hard with you today? In another hour, I’ll definitely go to the dock to help with the goods.”

“Remember, if you don’t go, don’t bother coming back tonight.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll remember.”

If he didn’t come back, he had plenty of places to sleep, but he would definitely help out. Yesterday he caught a large yellow croaker; he didn’t know what they would catch today.

It had been so long that he couldn’t recall without special goods.

If he could, he would want his own boat, living off the mountains and the sea.