Chapter 5: Green-Skinned Cucumbers

Everyone in the family had witnessed the little commotion just now from start to finish. Even his younger siblings, Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua, couldn’t deny a bit of envy, and his little sister, Ye Huimei, was just as envious.

Although their grandmother was kind to all the grandchildren, her fondness for Ye Yaodong was unmatched. Among the four siblings and their many cousins, he was the only one Grandma had personally delivered, nearly born right on the beach.

Right after he was born, he’d looked up and smiled at her, winning her heart on the spot, and she’d doted on him ever since.

Once back inside, Father Ye was still fuming, puffing on his water pipe while shooting daggers at him with his eyes.

Honestly, even now, Ye Yaodong wasn’t sure what exactly he’d said wrong to make both his parents erupt. Was it his attitude? Or was it just years of frustration with his lack of ambition? Probably both—otherwise, what else could be fueling their anger?

“Where’s the melon? I told you all to leave a piece for Dongzi; did you remember?”

As soon as his grandmother sat down, she noticed the children each munching on a slice of melon and quickly asked, worried that Ye Yaodong might not have gotten any.

His little sister, Ye Huimei, spoke up between bites, “We did. It’s on the stove. He can get it himself.”

Everyone else had their melon slices cut and shared, but he, of course, had his own.

And no one seemed to mind. Even the kids had long accepted that their third uncle was treated differently.

Ye Yaodong spotted the melon on the stove—an oblong, green-skinned cucumber melon, just slightly longer than an adult’s palm. He’d seen some larger ones that had likely been cut and divided, leaving him the smallest one.

It was his favorite type of melon, common and cheap. Nowadays, few people grew this variety anymore, favoring round, white-skinned melons. He hadn’t had one of these in ages.

He walked over to the stove. The melon had already been washed, tiny water droplets still clinging to it. He glanced at the cutting board and knife, which still bore traces of juice and seeds, and cut the melon into big pieces, putting them on a plate before bringing it over to his grandmother.

“Here, Grandma, you should have some too.”

His grandmother beamed, waving a hand. “I don’t have any teeth left to chew with. You eat, you eat—why did you even cut it up…”

Though he really wanted to savor it himself, he couldn’t bring himself to eat the whole thing. With so many family members and only a few pieces, he offered a slice each to his two children and another to his wife.

Seeing him share the melon made Lin Xiuqing glance at him in surprise.

Normally, he would have just chomped into it directly. Since when did he think of sharing with everyone?

After she took her piece, he finally picked up one for himself, placing the rest on the table for others to help themselves.

“Third Brother, did you turn over a new leaf?”

“Can’t even let you eat in peace, huh?” he shot back.

Ye Huimei pouted and kept quiet.

Ye Yaodong turned to his grandmother, grinning, “There’s a type of removable dentures now, Grandma. You can wear them while you eat, chew meat and anything else you like, and then just take them out to wash. Next time I’m in town, I’ll check at the hospital about getting you a pair so you can eat anything you want!”

“Oh, no need to waste money on that. I’ve got one foot in the grave already; rice porridge with fermented tofu is just fine, and I fast for half the month anyway…”

“You could still eat meat on the other days, though! Let’s just plan on it.”

“At my age, who needs meat anymore? Fish tastes better anyway, and we seaside folks are better off sticking to fish.” She chuckled, her wrinkled face lighting up happily, clearly touched.

“Fish is good, but so is meat. We should enjoy both.”

Everyone observed the exchange, thinking that, for all his flaws, Third Brother did at least have some heart, proving Grandma’s devotion wasn’t wasted.

By this time, Mother Ye had finished peeling the corn and was about to put it on the stove when Eldest Sister-in-law approached. “Mother, let me cook it.”

“No worries, I’ll handle it. Go look after the kids.”

Grandma looked over at Father Ye, saying, “The corn silk is already black, so they’re ripe. In a few days, let’s go pick them before they get too tough and lose their flavor.”

Father Ye, still holding his water pipe, gave her an exasperated look. “I don’t have time! The boat’s just been repaired, and with the extra help, I need to take the older two sons out to sea a few more times, see if we can haul in a big catch. Third Son is always free, so let him take a few kids and pick it himself, and they can carry it all back.”

“Oh, like he can carry anything!” Mother Ye chimed in, throwing a handful of straw into the stove and striking a match. “He’s useless at lifting anything heavier than his own shadow! I’ll just take the kids myself and help you pick it, Mother.”

Hearing this, Father Ye was reminded of that time years ago when he’d tried carrying rice and ended up spilling it down the ditch. Even now, he couldn’t help but get riled up.

“He’s good for nothing—he’s a grown man who can’t even carry a sack of rice without falling into a ditch! It’s embarrassing…”

Ye Yaodong winced internally. His dad really couldn’t let the past go, though he had to admit that he’d been pretty hopeless back then. But now that he’d been given a second chance, he planned to turn over a new leaf and prove himself…

Sensing that things were getting awkward, Lin Xiuqing quickly changed the subject to save her husband from further embarrassment. “Mother, the first of the month is coming up, and with the low tide, don’t we need to head down to the shore for clam digging?”

“No rush! We’ll still have time for that,” Grandma said, eager to take the burden off him. “We can just let him take the kids to pick a basket or two each day. That way, they’re always fresh, and there’s no need to pick everything at once.”

Ye Yaodong didn’t say a word, knowing his job was already assigned. He wanted to tell them he could handle it but swallowed the words—no point overdoing it right now. He’d just carry the load when the time came.

Their family had never split up due to financial constraints, so they all lived and ate together in the same house. Everyone kept whatever money they earned from odd jobs or fishing, but food and necessities were shared. Being by the sea meant they relied heavily on the land and ocean, so they didn’t have too many expenses.

Father Ye had been putting all his earnings into repairing the boat left by Grandfather. Owning a boat to go out to sea and catch fish was a dream for every coastal family, something that could greatly improve their quality of life.

Now that the boat was finally ready for fishing again, he wanted to work hard with the older boys to see if they could bring in some big hauls. Third Son, well, he figured he’d help him out when the time was right.

Seeing that the whole family was busy, Grandma quickly added, “No need to hurry picking the corn. Let’s just bring in a little bit each day so everyone can enjoy it fresh. If it gets too old, we’ll save it for seeds, and when things slow down, we can till the fields again for you.”

Without even looking up, Mother Ye agreed, focused on the fire in the stove. “As long as you’re not in a hurry, that’s good. It’s not worth much, anyway, so we’ll just bring some in each day to eat. The rest, we’ll leave for seeds.”