Chapter 1: Shameless Visit

Ye Yaodong stood in the corner of the room, feeling his head pounding. With no cigarettes to smoke, he could only chew on a piece of straw while watching his two uncles argue with his father and two older brothers, their faces red and neck veins bulging. The sound of slamming on the table echoed through the room.

He couldn’t understand it. Wasn’t he hired as a sailor on a big ship, decided on a whim to go up on deck to relieve himself, and then got swept overboard by a wave and drowned?

How did he wake up this morning back in 1982?

It was fucking unbelievable! He still hadn’t fully grasped the situation. Even the sight of his father catching a net full of yellow croaker didn’t excite him. After all, being reborn at 25 was the biggest surprise of all!

At 65 years old, he had miraculously crossed 40 years back in time, returning to his 25-year-old self.

It was… really… amazing!
He was given a second chance at life! But it’s a pity that after his death, the ship owner would surely have to compensate his family with hundreds of thousands, benefiting his two sons.

He wondered if they cried or laughed when they received the news…

“Third brother, don’t forget that boat was left by Dad. Our mother chose to live with you, so she left it for you to use. But we brothers all have a share. You have to split the money from selling the yellow croaker with us.”

“Yes, third brother. Now that you’ve caught a net full of yellow croaker, you’re feeling proud, aren’t you? The boat was Dad’s, and we all have a share. You can’t just ignore brotherly bonds and keep it all for yourself.”

His two uncles, Ye Dabo and Ye Erbo, were shouting at the top of their lungs, making Ye’s father glare in anger.

“Bullshit! The boat was left by Dad, that’s true, but it was almost scrapped back then, and the engine was broken. You didn’t want it and demanded cash instead, leaving the old boat to me. You said it still had value, that it could sell for quite a bit even as scrap, so you let me have it because Mom was living with me.”

“I’m the youngest and couldn’t argue my way out, so I took the loss. Now that I’ve fixed up the boat bit by bit over the past two years, you’re all envious? No way. I’ve spent all my savings on this boat, and now that I’ve had some success, you all come running to demand money? Where’s your shame?”

Ye Erbo frowned and said, “Third brother, you did get an advantage when dividing Dad’s inheritance. The boat is Dad’s legacy. We left it to you, thinking it would be a keepsake for Mom since she’s with you. Otherwise, wouldn’t it have been better if we sold the boat and split the money?”

“Nice words about a keepsake. How much do you think selling it as scrap would fetch? The wooden planks are worthless, and iron sells for just a few cents per pound. You left it to me to avoid splitting the inheritance.”

“Uncle, when Grandpa passed away, everyone was there. It was agreed that you would take the money and my dad would take the broken boat. That was your decision. My dad saw Grandma wiping her tears, unwilling to sell the boat, so he accepted the loss.”

The one speaking was Ye Yaodong’s eldest brother, Ye Yaopeng. But as soon as he spoke, his uncle berated him.

“When adults are talking, what’s a youngster like you interrupting for?”

“It’s our money. Why can’t I speak? The family’s been split for two years. You come demanding a share of the fish money, and I can’t talk about it?”

“This is a matter for elders, not for you to comment on!”

Ye Yaodong, standing in the corner, felt his head throbbing. He spat out the straw in his mouth and walked over, placing his arm around his uncle’s shoulder. His short uncle was just the right height for this.

He smirked, “Uncle, that’s going too far. This is our home. Why can’t my brother speak?”

“The yellow croaker was caught by my dad. Did you or my other uncle go out to sea with him? What right do you have to come and demand money? Just because you have a thick skin?”

“Let’s go outside and talk. We’ll call the villagers and the village head to come and judge. Let’s see if they think we should share the money with you!”

“If everyone says we should share, my dad, being a reasonable man, won’t argue.”

Ye Yaodong dragged his uncle toward the door. His father was too concerned about appearances and brotherly bonds to want to tear things apart, but Ye Yaodong had no such qualms. He would have thrown them out long ago.

Though they were his uncles, and despite his rogue past, he couldn’t hit them. So he had to use words to settle it outside.

His short uncle struggled to break free but couldn’t, stumbling along with Ye Yaodong.

“Let go! How can you be so disrespectful to your uncle?”

“Uncle? Anyone trying to extort money from my family is an enemy. Let’s go outside and talk!”

He clearly remembered that in his youth, he was a troublemaker in the village, always idle and causing trouble. Fighting was a common occurrence. Only after getting married did he settle down a bit.

Dragging an elder and speaking rudely was not considered out of line for him. It was just how things were.

However, he had matured with the passage of years and knew this wasn’t a good look. He let go and instead pulled his uncle toward the door.

Ye Yaopeng sighed in relief. Finally, his younger brother was taking action. He had been oddly quiet since this morning, a stark contrast to his usual temper. Normally, he would have exploded by now, not allowing their uncles to rant for so long.

“Neighbors, come quickly… mmph…”

Ye Erbo quickly covered Ye Yaodong’s mouth, forcing a smile, “Yaodong, we just came to discuss things with your father. Times are tough, and family should help each other…”

“Yes, we just wanted to talk things over with your father. Family matters shouldn’t be aired outside. Let’s go back inside and talk.”

His uncle, feeling guilty, knew they had no right. Bringing the villagers into it would only bring shame. The family had split two years ago, after all.

Ye Yaodong pulled his uncle’s hand away, “What’s there to talk about inside? All morning I’ve heard nothing but arguing and my head is splitting. Let’s discuss it outside, let everyone hear. Neighbors… mmph…”

“Third brother, won’t you control your son?” Ye Erbo glared at his father.

“Hmph, now you care about keeping things private. Fine, let the neighbors judge. Otherwise, people might think I’m hoarding all the benefits.”

At this point, the neighbors had gathered, curious about the commotion.

“What happened? Weren’t you celebrating yesterday after catching over 200 pounds of yellow croaker?”

“What’s going on? Is Yaodong fighting again?”

“What trouble is Yaodong causing now?”

“He’s married with kids. Why is he still so reckless…”

Ye Yaodong felt exasperated. It seemed his troublemaker image was well ingrained. Any commotion, and he was the first suspect!

He raised an eyebrow and said, “I didn’t cause any trouble this time. Don’t blame me. It’s someone being shameless…”

“Ah, no, nothing, nothing. Catching yellow croaker is a good thing. We were just curious how you caught so many, so we came over to chat. Yaodong insisted it was too hot inside and brought us out for some fresh air…” His uncle cut him off, smiling awkwardly at the neighbors.

His other uncle also laughed awkwardly, “Hehe, we’ve finished talking. Mom is in the fields, not at home. Let’s head back, elder brother.”

“Yes, let’s go back.”

End of Chapter 1