"Did you fall somewhere or feel any pain?" Lin Xiuqing touched her up and down.
Ye Xiaoxi cried and shook his head, opened his mouth wide and cried, pointing at his mouth, "It hurts here."
"I lost one of my front teeth. Doesn't it hurt? Are you still naughty?"
"Stop being naughty, it hurts..."
Ye Yaodong wanted to find a tissue, but he could only touch his pocket, took out his handkerchief, wiped the blood from her mouth, put the camera aside, and picked her up.
"Rinse your mouth first. It won't hurt if you rinse your mouth. By the way, take a look at your teeth."
She kept shedding tears and rinsed her mouth several times until no more blood came out.
Lin Xiuqing opened her mouth and looked up and down at the gap, "Nothing else was damaged except for one front tooth."
"Okay, now I've opened up a hole and become a toothless guy."
"Wow wow wow..."
"Don't even think about growing it in three years." Ye Yaodong laughed at her.
Lin Xiuqing also added insult to injury, "Let's see if you dare to wear adults' shoes in the future. You even wore my shoes a few days ago. You won't be afraid even if you don't fall once."
Ye Yaodong also deliberately held her in his arms and showed her a mirror, "Don't just cry, open your eyes and see how ugly you are now, Toothless."
She opened her eyes with tears in her eyes, glanced at the mirror, cried louder, and even hit him angrily.
"Oh oh oh... you still hit me, so bad, I won't hug you anymore."
Ye Xiaoxi was still crying and chasing him after being put on the ground, "It's all your fault, it's all your fault, I hate you, you are the ugliest... You are the ugliest..."
"Who just said you wanted to marry me?"
"No, a dog wants to marry you because he hates you."
"Aqing, your daughter called you a dog."
Lin Xiuqing glared at him, "Stop teasing her, missing a tooth is sad enough."
"He is going to be the ugliest child in the village..."
"Ah ah ah, wu wu wu, no, my teeth..."
Lin Xiuqing hit him again and said, "Go out quickly."
"It's so early in the morning, where should I go? I won't go to the county to receive the award in the afternoon."
"I saw you lingering there for a long time, and I thought you were going to go out now."
"Didn't I just want to prepare in advance?"
Since you are all going out, you must dress up in advance and have all your belongings ready, so you can just go out when the time comes.
"Then you go to the workshop to help with the work, or go to the town to see how the factory is progressing over there."
Ye Yaodong saw that he was well dressed. If he rode a motorcycle to the town, he would be disgraced from head to toe, and his efforts would be in vain.
"Forget it, I'll polish my shoes first, and then I'll go to the workshop to help."
Lin Xiuqing took the child aside and coaxed her, "Don't cry. If it falls, it will fall. It will grow back in a few years. Now I have to throw the tooth under the bed."
Ye Xiaoxi wiped away her tears and followed her into the house, "Why did you throw it under the bed? Can you let me play with it..."
"No, if the upper teeth fall out, they should be thrown under the bed, and if the lower teeth fall off, they should be thrown on the roof, so that the teeth that grow back in the future can be straight."
She followed behind him with some understanding, her eyes full of curiosity, and she stopped crying at the same time.
Ye Yaodong was sitting there polishing his shoes, and he didn't forget to add: "When you lose your teeth, you have to stand neatly and straight, otherwise the teeth that will grow out in the future will be crooked, unsightly, and become buck teeth and mouth.
Can't close."
She was so frightened that she quickly covered her mouth.
When it was time to lose my tooth, I stood up straight.
After Lin Xiuqing lost her teeth, she lay on the ground and looked under the bed out of curiosity.
"It's really gone."
"Okay, okay, don't lie on the floor, it's so dirty, let's go out and play."
"don't want."
She wrinkled her face, pursed her mouth, and sat down on the bed again. She didn't want to go out because she had lost one of her front teeth.
Dad said she was so ugly.
In an instant, tears fell down again. The more she thought about it, the sadder she became, she opened her mouth wide and started crying again.
"Why are you crying again?"
Lin Xiuqing ignored her and walked out, "You must be sad, I stopped just now. I guess the more I thought about it, the sadder she became and I started crying again."
Ye Yaodong smiled and stretched his head to look at the door.
"Don't worry about her. She can't hold it in anymore. She'll run out to play later."
"Um."
Ye Xiaoxi cried for a long time, but she stopped when no one came to comfort her.
Then I ran out and saw that no one was at home except the dog, which made me feel sad again.
I hugged the dog and muttered a lot of grievances, then dragged the dog's head, shed tears, and turned on the TV, planning to watch TV at home.
Ye Yaodong waited for lunch and ate for a while before taking his camera and riding his motorcycle to the county to receive the award.
Secretary Chen had already told him the address, and he could find out just by asking people along the way.
When I went there, I had to verify my identity, and then I gave him the commendation book for the Advanced Youth Award and the prize, and asked about his daily work.
Ye Yaodong told them everything he knew, and told them a good story, and then waited until everyone else was in place before going to take pictures together.
But after they finished taking the photo, he took his camera and asked them to take another photo, and said that his photo was in color, so he had to take it again.
If it weren't for the background of the leader's photo and the banners and words on the wall, he would have just taken it home and took the photo himself.
After everything was settled, he was invited to participate in the advanced deeds report meeting on the May Fourth Youth Day. Then he shook hands with everyone warmly and said goodbye, and rode back on his motorcycle.
"Dad...my dad has come back gloriously..."
"My dad is back to receive the award..."
"Dad, what did you get?"
"Why are there washbasins and towels again..."
"Dad, can't you try to get something else? You've already received a lot of washbasins, towels, and hot water bottles."
"What do you want me to get? Can I get a car to show you the scenery?"
Ye Yaodong stopped the car in front of his home and was about to push it in, when he was surrounded by a group of children.
Ye Chenghu, this big speaker, really makes me look good.
"Really?" He looked expectantly.
"You won't even be worth the money if I sell you."
After saying that, he pushed the motorcycle directly in. He didn't care about their laughter, but he still saw Ye Xiaoxi's face with one tooth missing, and she was still smiling happily.
I didn't dare to go out all morning and stayed at home watching TV and taking care of my house. I didn't expect that I was willing to go out to play in the afternoon.
He kept the general's rewards casually, and he locked the important commendation books in a drawer. They were put together with the commendations he had received before. There were already three books.
Looking at it, he did feel quite glorious and proud. Ye Yaodong grinned, locked the drawer and went out.
In the workshop, Ah Qing was talking to Secretary Chen at this time. He went there at the right time.
"A Dong, you are back, Secretary Chen is looking for you." Lin Xiuqing waved to him.
Secretary Chen also said: "I thought you would be back soon, but I didn't expect you to come back until dinner time."
"It took a little longer to talk."
"Everyone went out to see the sea this morning. We discussed it at noon and said that we will collect the vegetables tomorrow. I will come over to inform you in advance to make arrangements."
"Okay, I understand, you can just accept it. It will take several days from the time it is received and dried. If there is no big problem, the price should be the same as last year."
"Okay, haha, it's not that I planted too much this year. I'm a little worried, so I'll ask you a few more questions."
Last year, Ye Yaodong would always go to the village committee to ask questions whenever he was at home. He would also give some suggestions and discuss them with the workers.
This year was gone, I didn’t ask much about him, and I rarely saw anyone, so now it was Secretary Chen’s turn to feel unsure, and I wanted to get close to him whenever I had free time.
Even if nothing happens, I still want to go to him and remind him, especially since the goods are about to be received recently, and I see people every day. After all, this is related to the livelihood of the whole village.
Ye Yaodong chatted with him for a while before sending him away.
Lin Xiuqing came up and asked, "Secretary Chen has been coming to our house too often recently."
"We're not going to collect the food soon."
"I just said it will be harvested tomorrow."
"Well, I'll call tomorrow and find out how much it will cost this year."
By the way, let the layman know in advance so that he can prepare and see if there are any arrangements to come over in the near future.
Last year, I promised to leave him more goods this year so that he would not run out of goods in one or two trips. Last year, the quantity was too small.
When he comes, ask him the route he took.
"It will take several days to dry. Did you receive the award smoothly in the city?"
"All goes well. Let me give a report on May 4th Youth Day."
"Oh, my mother came over this afternoon and said that we as a whole county are going to evaluate the five best civilized families, and she listed our family on the list."
Ye Yaodong was stunned for a moment, "Five good civilized families? Is it our turn? Which five are good?"
"The economy is good, family tradition is good, education is good, harmony is good, and civilization is good."
"Have we all occupied our house?"
She smiled and said: "Mom said, no one can compare with our family in terms of economics, and there is no noise or mess in our family, and there is no such thing as the villagers beating their wives every day. Also, our family
Except for my father, who has escaped from illiteracy, the two of them have separated and are living on their own without dragging us down, so we are definitely qualified."
"That's true. When my father was picking manure two days ago, everyone in the village praised him for his filial piety."
You should know that most people would stay away from anyone who picks up shit, but his father could make people endure the smell of shit and praise him, which is really amazing.
This also shows that the family tradition is good.
In fact, when his father was picking excrement, people saw him. When people asked him how he picked excrement, he felt embarrassed and said that it was the mother who ordered him to do it. As a son, he had to serve her until he was old. Why did he ask him to do it?
, of course he has to do it.
Only then did he win a few more good reputations.
The old lady came over with a cane, and she was very proud when she heard it, "He is not willing to do it if you ask him to do it. No, everyone sees it, and he suddenly has a good reputation."
"Since my mother said she could repay her, she should do so. It's an honor after all."
He is now the God of Wealth in the village. Once he has money, many things will naturally come to his door.
"Well, there's nothing for us to do anyway."
The old lady smiled and said: "Dongzi is back, I will cook for you."
"I'll go, nothing will happen."
Ye Yaodong also thought there was nothing wrong, so he just walked around.
He was dressed particularly energetically today. In the morning, many young girls and wives kept peeking at him. Even now, there are a lot of eyes following him wherever he goes.
He straightened his back and looked proud.
After about 10 days of drying and drying, basically all the shredded squid that was drying outside today has been collected. At this time, the only remaining part has not been torn into small strips.
Recently, tractors have been pulling one load every day and delivering it to the city, for fear of not being enough to sell.
He asked the little girls how much was left to be done, and they blushed and said that they had not finished what they had received today, and it should be ready tomorrow.
Ye Yaodong didn't have much contact with them. After asking, he went to check out the inventory inside, and then went home to wait for food.
"Am I still the most beautiful?"
"Yeah, you are the most beautiful in the village."
"Yes, even if you lose all your teeth, you will still be the most beautiful in the village."
Several children came to her side and laughed and showed their attentiveness.
"You just lost all your teeth, and tomorrow you will lose all your teeth! I won't share it with you."
Ye Xiaoxi stomped away angrily, but without looking at the road, he hit Ye Yaodong's leg directly.
Just when he knelt down and wanted to hug her, she snorted again, stamped her feet, and ran into the house again.
"What are you doing?"
Several boys and girls were still complaining to each other, "It's all your fault. I can't say that all my teeth have fallen out..."
"But she just lost her teeth..."
"It's all your fault..."
Ye Yaodong laughed and followed her home.
As soon as he entered the door, he took off the mirror hanging on the wall, squatted down and placed it in front of Ye Xiaoxi.
"Mirror, Mirror, who is the most beautiful girl in the village?"
Ye Xiaoxi looked at the mirror, pouting, still humming.
Ye Yaodong changed his voice and said, "It's Ye Xiaoxi. She is the most beautiful and cutest girl in the village."
"Hahaha……"
She was so happy that her mood immediately changed, she burst out laughing, and turned around to put her arms around Ye Yaodong's neck, instantly getting close to her father again.
Lin Xiuqing sat in front of the stove and laughed too.
"You are the only one who knows how to coax a child. You kept calling her ugly this morning, which made her cry. Now you are here to make her laugh."
Ye Yaodong continued: "Mirror, Mirror, who is the most beautiful woman in the village?"
He changed his voice and said in a low voice: "It's Lin Xiuqing!"
Lin Xiuqing couldn't stop the smile on her face.
"Dad, why do you call it the magic mirror?"
"Because it can talk, and it tells the truth. Didn't I just answer you? You are the most beautiful girl in the village."
"Hahaha, you lied, it was obviously you who said it."
"No, it's just telling you through my mouth."
Ye Xiaoxi happily took the mirror, shook his head and looked at it, and made a bunch of funny faces, giggling and amusing himself.
Lin Xiuqing looked at Ye Yaodong with a smile, "Where did you learn that?"
"Learned it from a storybook."
"What storybook? Dad, I want that storybook."
"Okay, I'll look for it for you next time I go to the city."
He turned to look at Lin Xiuqing again, "I just forgot to ask Secretary Chen when he would give us the phone line."
"I don't know. I haven't said anything yet. If there is any news, we will definitely be asked to go to the post and telecommunications office to get the application form and pay the money."
"Ask again tomorrow, and you will definitely come to me again tomorrow."
"There's no rush anyway."
"Who says there is no need to worry? One week has passed and I am so anxious that I am just thinking about making a phone call. If I have a phone at home, I can call anytime and anywhere."
"Who are you going to call? The village committee will probably be closed for get off work at this time."
Ye Yaodong said: "Call Boss Zhou and ask him about the price of kelp. Ask him how much he wants this year. Reserve it for him in advance. The rest must be reserved for the common people."
"I also have to call and ask when the lay people will come over. Last year I was told how much they would need. Now I have to allocate it carefully. By the way, I want to see how many are needed in the army. After calculation, it is not enough. The stores still need it.
Keep some to sell.”
"It's just that I don't have time, otherwise I could just work as a second-tier dealer, collecting some seaweed from here and there. This stuff is very seasonal and only available for two months a year. It's okay to stock up more and sell it slowly."
"I'm still thinking that when the layman returns to Zhou City, we can take his car and go up there to have a look. We'll deal with the garbage land we bought before and build it in advance. When we go up there in the second half of the year, a large group of people will have a place to live.
, the extra rooms can also be rented to villagers, and everyone can work together as a group."
Lin Xiuqing frowned, "It's so far away, how long does it take to get there by car? What should I do when I get back? How do I get back?"
"Let's see when he comes out in a big car again. If the time is right, just take his car back. If not, take a boat, transfer to a bus and then take a train. You can always come back. What are you afraid of? There is a mouth under the nose.
"
"It's too much trouble..."
"Look, I'll make some plans later."
"Then you call Boss Zhou tomorrow and ask about the price of kelp and confirm the quantity."
"Um."
The next day, as soon as he got up and opened the door, he smelled the strong smell of kelp in the air.
"Has the kelp been taken back?"
"I heard they collected it at night, and I saw them busy drying it out at around 5 o'clock in the morning."
He walked to the door and took a look. On the beach not far away, there were squid drying out a few days ago, but now they have turned into kelp.
Men and women were walking among the kelp bushes, drying themselves out there happily, and the children also dug in wherever the excitement was.
"You've been exposed to so much sun this early in the morning?"
"As long as there is nothing to do, half the village will volunteer to help."
"It's quite united."
"Of course, I'm all looking forward to selling more money so that I can live on this in the future."
"I'll go take a look first."
"Wash your face and brush your teeth first. Why are you in a hurry? When you get up so late, the porridge is already cold."
"All right."
He went out to see it with his rice bowl in hand. After walking in, the smell became stronger.
Large ropes were set up on neat rows of bamboo poles, and pieces of brown kelp nearly one meter long were hung on them. Everyone tied them up in an orderly manner to dry them.
The children were walking through the bushes, being scolded constantly, but they still enjoyed it.
"Is there another bumper harvest this year?"
"Haha, it's been a good harvest, it's been a good harvest, I'm sure we can sell it at a good price this year, and it won't be in vain for everyone to worry about it for half a year."
"Do more next year."
"Definitely. It's such an easy job and can make money. I'll definitely do more in the coming year. Can you handle it?"
"Sure, the more the better. If it's too little, I'm worried it won't be enough to sell."
"It has to be A Dong, how can anyone else have this ability..."
"Our village depends on you..."
Ye Yaodong walked around with his rice bowl, listening to everyone's greetings and compliments.
After finishing eating, he immediately went to the village committee to make a call, but the village committee was empty, no one was there except the old man guarding the door.
As I thought, all the village cadres had gone to the pier to collect vegetables this morning. They probably got up in the middle of the night to go to the pier or the sea.
He first called Boss Zhou, and after confirming that the price was one penny more than last year, he also settled on a quantity of 20 tons, and then called the layman again.
He went directly to the processing factory.
But the person who answered the phone said that the layman had gone out in a big car and didn't know when he would be back.
He had no choice but to leave a message and hang up first.
There is nothing I can do if I can't contact him. Now I can only wait for the common people to come to him, and I guess they will know better.
Last year, it was around the end of the month when I went to the Kelp Market and met him. When I was in Zhou City in the second half of last year, I told him early on to keep the stock this year. I think he would remember it.
It doesn't matter if he doesn't want it. Anyway, he doesn't have to worry about selling it. At most, it will take a little longer to sell it. But if it doesn't come, his hope will be dashed and he still wants to follow him to Zhoushi.
Now I can only wait until the end of the month to take a look.
Ye Yaodong paid the phone bill and was going to talk to Secretary Chen about the price. When he heard the phone ringing again, he hurried back to answer it.
He makes and answers more than half of the phone calls in the village.
As expected, it was his father-in-law who was calling.
He was told that the city had approved that he could hold the phone line, so I called him specifically to tell him that the money for the phone call would be first deducted from the turnover and let someone do the accounting.
After Ye Yaodong hung up the phone, he immediately asked the gatekeeper where Secretary Chen was. As expected, they were all at the pier. He got on his bicycle and went straight to the pier.
The dirt road next to the beach was now muddy, soaked by the seawater dripping from the kelp, and there were small pieces of kelp that fell on the road.
During the short ride to the pier, his bicycle and the legs of his trousers were so dirty that they were covered with sprayed mud.
Secretary Chen and other cadres were all standing on the dock, and some were on the boat. They all rolled up their sleeves and were helping to move the stuff from the boat to the shore, and then use the trucks to haul it to dry.
He parked his bicycle and searched for a while before finding the person.
"Uncle Chen, why did you get started?"
"There are too many. Everyone should help and put them away early. Sunshine is very precious to us, so we have to race against time. If these are not dried in time, they will be easily damaged."
"I'll tell you some good news. This year's price is one cent higher than last year's."
Secretary Chen's eyes shone with joy, "Really? Can we get one more penny this year? That's great. It's been a great harvest. This extra penny is a lot."
"Yes, I came to see you as soon as I made the call. Everyone's work this year has been in vain."
Chapter completed!