"Yeah, the second son has become more successful now, he's not as much of a scoundrel as before."
"Speaking of which, the second son stole one of my chickens last month, hahaha."
"Tch, you only stole a few chickens. My chicken coop was completely emptied. Tell me, second brother, did you do it?"
Ye Cheng was speechless. Why bring up old grievances now?
He quickly took out cigarettes and offered them to several elders. There was no other way; that's how it is in the village—seniority is highly valued. Even though he had saved someone this time, he couldn't be too proud.
"Your uncles and aunts are right to teach me. I will definitely change next time, I will definitely change."
“Don’t change it. Next time you want to eat chicken, just tell me and come get it directly. Don’t sneak around like this. We’re all from the same village,” Uncle Zhao was the first to speak.
"Well, I don't have many left at home. If you're interested, I'll bring them to you tonight."
“I have a few ducks at home, I’ll take them with me then.”
Seeing the miserable state of the Duan family, they all felt they had made a huge profit; what did a few chickens and ducks matter?
Villagers raise chickens and ducks quickly.
"No, no, uncles and aunts, there's really no need. I just passed on a message. It was all decided by everyone themselves."
Ye Cheng knew that it was most important to be composed at times like this, just like when he had his first job.
He single-handedly secured the entire project. At the celebration banquet, after drinking too much, the young man, full of youthful vigor, said to his superiors, "If it weren't for me, our company would be finished."
He told the truth, but he offended his superiors, and his colleagues gradually began to distance themselves from him.
From then on, he understood that being a good person should always come before doing anything else.
Seeing that Ye Cheng was not arrogant despite his achievements and still needed everyone to speak, the group was even happier. One of them pulled Ye Guowei aside to congratulate him, saying that the Ye family would definitely flourish in the future.
Ye Guowei had a loving father's smile on his face, even happier than when Dou Dou got 100 points on her test.
Duan Yong was also dragged over by his mother, his face radiating utter defiance, like he'd just eaten shit. Aunt Duan immediately struck him twice, but both blows landed on his back, causing negligible damage.
"Second son, your aunt thanks you on behalf of our family. Duan Yong from our family even got into a fight with you before... and you still went out of your way to inform our family. Sigh, I'm almost embarrassed to say it."
"Auntie, we're all from the same village. Our conflicts are just minor ones. Don't take them to heart."
As Ye Cheng spoke, he took out a cigarette from his pocket and handed it to Duan Yong, "Yong, have a smoke and calm down."
Duan Yong hesitated for a moment, then nodded, silently accepted the cigarette, and didn't say a word. He was still angry.
Ye Cheng didn't point it out. That's how young people are; they're thin-skinned and would rather die than admit their mistakes in public.
Besides, he didn't think he had done anything wrong; Ye Cheng was just lucky.
Moreover, if his father hadn't come back, he might not have been caught in this storm.
However, if he were to openly oppose Ye Cheng again in the future, his mother would probably beat him up.
"Uncle Duan, Aunt Duan, now that your boat is gone, what are your plans?" Ye Cheng asked.
Speaking of the boat, Uncle Duan and his wife were heartbroken and full of regret. "What else can we do but try to raise money to get another boat, otherwise our lives will be in trouble."
Fishermen sound like a great profession; you can catch fish with every cast and make money right away.
However, the effort put in is completely disproportionate to the reward. It should be noted that fishermen have never been considered a wealthy class.
Things got a little better in later years because of the tourism industry. Now, it's hard to make much money just by fishing, especially in coastal areas.
"Uncle, I don't have much money. Here's 3,000 yuan. Take it and buy the boat as soon as possible. You can pay me back when you have the money."
Uncle Duan stared wide-eyed at Ye Cheng, his lips trembling as he stammered, unable to utter a word.
"Acheng, this...this is so embarrassing."
Duan Yong, standing to the side, looked at Ye Cheng with a shocked expression. He couldn't believe that Ye Cheng would be willing to spend money to help them.
When did Ye Cheng, the village's notorious troublemaker and a negative example, suddenly become so magnanimous?
And to pull out 3,000 yuan at once is not a small amount; is beachcombing really that profitable?
"Yes, Cheng, you need money too, how can we take your money?" Aunt Duan said this, but she didn't touch it. They needed the money, but they still had to be polite.
"Uncle, Aunt, I'm a bachelor and don't have any expenses for the time being. If you want to buy a boat, you can use it first. Don't worry, there's no interest."
Gold is easy to come by, but opportunities to buy bones with gold are rare, and Ye Cheng would not let one slip by.
Lending 3,000 yuan to someone in your own village, someone you know well, won't be shortchanged, and you'll even get a lot of positive feedback—it's a win-win situation no matter how you look at it.
"Then...then we'll keep it for now, and we'll write you an IOU when we get back. We'll pay you back after we buy a boat and catch some fish." Aunt Duan happily put the money into her pocket.
"The second brother is a true friend."
"Old Duan, you should really thank the second brother."
“3,000 yuan is a lot of money. The second son is doing well now.”
“I’ve said it since he was little: my second son is a smart kid, he’ll definitely amount to something when he grows up. You’ll see.”
"Sigh, I wish my son was as sensible as my second son."
A group of people were praising Ye Cheng, this old turtle, to the point that they were almost embarrassed.
The storm at sea finally calmed down after lasting for more than half an hour.
After the storm passes, there is still a lot of follow-up work to be done.
Ye Guowei stayed behind to help the boss count the goods, while the other villagers went back to their own boats to check for leaks or anything like that.
There was nothing for Ye Cheng to do here, and Xiao Hu had gone to help his second uncle with his work, so Ye Cheng had to go back alone first.
As soon as he rode his bicycle to the village entrance, he saw a group of people already gathered there; everyone had seen the storm earlier.
The dock is so close to the village that the village was also affected quite a bit. They were quite frightened, but thankfully they received good news from their families that everyone was safe.
Upon seeing Ye Cheng return, everyone spontaneously gathered around and showered him with praise.
Chen Jinhai stood in front with a smug look on his face. "Acheng, thanks to you for providing the information, the village committee was able to remind everyone in time."
Ye Cheng sneered and said without any hesitation, "I wonder who disagreed with what I said back then."
Chen Jinhai chuckled awkwardly twice, "Well, the village committee also needs to be cautious, very cautious. It's all in the past now, it's all in the past. You should thank your friend properly next time."
This old bastard doesn't want to give Ye Cheng any credit at all; he's given all the credit to that fictitious friend from the meteorological bureau.
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