Ye Yaodong came out after changing his clothes. Everyone stood on the deck chatting and talking, and the light of their flashlights was pointed at the sea behind.
Although the tide is high now, the fishing boat is too big to go to the beach. If it goes to the shore, the water level is too shallow and it cannot move forward. This is not a deep-water port and can only park in the middle of the sea.
The gray whale at the back didn't even show its shadow, but everyone knew that it was under the water behind and would naturally be revealed when the tide went out.
When the tide goes out, their fishing boats will be stranded. The next high tide will fill them up and the fishing boats can move.
When he came out of the cabin, his father and the others were still discussing that there were still goods on the ship and they had to sell them.
Although the quantity is not large, it still has to be sent for sale.
"Dad, let's send a boat to the dock to dock. We'll sell the goods first and then come back. It's getting dark anyway."
"We also discussed this. We have to sell the goods first. The tide has not gone out yet, and the fish cannot be stranded. It is late at night. The treasure can be shown to the blind man."
"Then whose ship goes back?"
"I just said that I am going back on this boat. My relatives will go with you on the SF Express. Anyway, I sold some goods yesterday, and there were not many goods. I can sell them out in less than two hours. When I come back, I can have a good sleep and wait for dawn.
.”
Ye Yaodong had no objection, "Now that we've discussed it, let's do it this way."
"I will stay on your boat and watch while your eldest and second brothers go to sell goods with you."
"OK."
"How many times have you been in the water? Are you okay? Do you have a cold?"
"I have a bit of a stuffy and runny nose. Anyway, I'm going home tomorrow. I'll just grab some medicine to take when I get back. I'll wake up Ayuan and take him with me, just in time to send him back."
"Go ahead and don't take them with you next time. Children from other families are not specially invited to work. It's too dangerous to take them to the sea."
"I know, it will make me remember better."
Ye Yaodong ordered the boatmen to move all the goods out of the fish warehouse, and he went into the cabin to call Lin Guangyuan.
It was only when there was no response after calling twice that he felt something was wrong. He touched his forehead with his hand and found that it was very hot.
"You have a fever? No wonder you haven't had any reaction all day."
I woke up at noon to eat and then lay down. I thought he didn't get enough sleep. He had been busy with the gray whale in the afternoon and didn't have time to come in and take a look at him.
It was probably because I was frightened at the critical moment, and there was a lot of water in the cold weather. I had a fever when I got up, but I didn't dare to say anything.
After all, he is still a young man who has not experienced anything.
Ye Yaodong shook him and shouted while shaking him before waking him up.
"Sister-in-law..."
"You have a fever. I'm going to get you a cup of hot water. Don't lie down anymore. Drink some hot water and put on your clothes. We'll take you back when we dock."
"good."
Seeing that he had lost all energy for a while, Ye Yaodong helped Lin Guangyuan put on his clothes before helping him out and letting the boatmen help him first.
He also has to go to other ships, look at the cargo they carry out, keep what he wants, and sell what he doesn't want.
After a busy period, all the goods were moved to the SF Express, and their goods were stacked separately. Then, taking advantage of the high tide, they quickly exited the ship and headed towards the dock.
"Sister-in-law, after I go back and take the medicine, can I still come with you again?"
"Are you looking for death?"
Lin Guangyuan grinned, "No..."
"Nothing, you almost died once, and you still want to come with me?"
"I wanted to see that big whale, but I didn't expect that the fish died immediately. I don't know what it looked like or how big it was. I didn't see anything just now."
"Oh, as long as you don't go out to sea with me and watch the fish, that's fine."
"Then I'll go back with you first. You go to the market to sell goods. Call me when you're done selling."
"Okay, as long as you can get up."
"I am strong and strong."
"Tch, you're a weakling. I've been soaking in the water for a long time, and I don't even have a cold. Ha Qi..."
"Hahaha..." Lin Guangyuan laughed out loud.
Ye Yaodong rubbed his nose and felt that the slap in the face was too fast.
"What's so funny."
After saying these words, he put his hands behind his back and looked towards the dock port ahead.
As it gets dark, there are more fishing boats, and the lights in the distance are gradually getting bigger.
Originally there were only small motor boats and sailing boats on the pier. When their fishing boats docked to move their cargo, there were also many fishing boats slowly docking.
Ye Yaodong also accidentally saw a fresh-carrying ship. The entire deck was full of goods. The piles were so high that he even asked a few people to help unload the goods on the dock.
He took a few more careful glances.
Father Pei smiled and said, "Didn't you also order a fresh-harvest boat? When can it come back?"
"Haha, we still have to wait half a year. I have been busy these past few months and have no time to go to the shipyard to take a look. I will wait for a few days to celebrate the New Year and then go to the shipyard to take a look at the progress."
"Awesome, A Guang can't compare to you. Then my boat will be handed over to A Guang, and I will have to ask you and your father to help look after it."
"Anyway, I just followed Chuanghai and did more, while Aguang did less. He is the young master's life, and I am the life of hard work."
"Nonsense, he is not as good as you, so I can only help him do more. If he could do it, be as good as you, and have the brains of you, I would have given the boat to him long ago, instead of waiting until now, almost 30
He is old and still needs help."
Ye Yaodong smiled and said nothing.
This is also a kind of happiness! I have my dad protecting me.
Although my biological father is a little more utilitarian, he is still planning for his own family and loves his children as much as anyone else.
"Hurry up and move the goods. If you sell it early, you can get some sleep."
"The stock is low today and will be sold out soon."
After Ye Yaodong came ashore, he looked around for a while, but he didn't see Wang Guangliang. He probably had already collected the goods and returned.
The delay in the afternoon was too long. If he came back early, he could reach the shore before dawn, and he could go back and notify his family in advance.
They didn't have much goods, and a large part of it was taken by Ye Yaodong. The three people's goods were piled high on top of each other and hauled away by a tractor.
The baskets for loading goods are all marked with their own marks, so there is no need to worry about confusion.
After arriving at the market, Ye Yaodong asked Lin Guangyuan to go back to sleep alone.
"When it gets daybreak, just take your uncle's tractor to the dock. I won't call you specifically. If you can't get up, don't come."
"Yes! I have never seen such a big whale. I must go see it."
"Wait until you can get up. You still have a fever. Go, go, go home quickly, just over the road. I won't see you off."
"Okay, I can walk back just a short distance by myself."
"Um."
It's just opposite the market, so there's no need to give it away. Now the market is brightly lit and even the road is bright, so you won't fall into the ditch.
After sending Lin Guangyuan away, Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua also pulled two cars over.
They put baskets of goods on the ground carts and pulled them into the market, and transported them back and forth several times before they were done.
Only a few kilograms of goods were sold out very quickly. Before 10 o'clock, they ran out of goods.
After coming out, they went straight to a newly opened restaurant next to the market to fill their stomachs first.
As long as there are people, there will be popularity. Nowadays, there are all kinds of shops around the market, especially small restaurants related to seafood.
The market holds night markets and morning markets. There is money to be made, and there are people working hard at any time.
Moreover, some ship owners who have just sold out their goods have money on hand and are willing to take their people below them to have a good meal.
The surrounding restaurants have opened one after another over the past year, and business is booming in the middle of the night.
Ye Yaodong was thinking about when he would ask Fatty to come over and open a branch.
It's just that he has been too busy in the past few months and doesn't stay at home for long, and most of the fat people are in town, so there are very few opportunities for the two of them to meet.
Although he is a cook, he does not necessarily have to be a cook. He can also be a boss. He does not need to do it himself. He can just hire a chef to work for him in the restaurant.
But the Chinese New Year is coming soon, so I should be able to catch someone, so I have to go and encourage him.
This suggestion should make the fat man happy and not chase him anymore... right?
He is also happy when his brothers get rich. After all, he also gets rich.
After they had a satisfying meal, Ye Yaodong packed up a few simple, filling and delicious dishes to take back.
These days there are no packing boxes, only aluminum lunch boxes. How could they carry aluminum lunch boxes with them wherever they go? They are not cheap, and not everyone has one.
He can only look at what dishes are simple, dry things can be wrapped in newspapers, and a few can be packed for easy portability.
When he got into the car again and headed to the dock, Father Pei couldn't help but ask, "Should we call the leader again tomorrow morning?"
"Yeah, where can I find someone at night? Don't be in such a hurry. You can only contact me during working hours."
"Oh, I hope I didn't get it back in vain."
"Go back and have a good sleep first."
After sleeping for most of the day today, he still felt a little dizzy, and he didn't know if he really had a cold. He could only drink more boiled water when he went back.
The dock was brightly lit, with the lights of various flashlights everywhere, and bursts of noise. Tractors and trucks came and went. It was a bustling scene. It was much livelier than during the day. People were crowded and goods were piled next to each other.
As the Chinese New Year approaches, I feel like there are more people. In fact, the pier is becoming more and more lively, with more and more fishing boats docking in the city.
When Ye Yaodong and the others returned to the boat, everyone else had already fallen asleep. He had no choice but to put the packed food into the pot. It wouldn't be bad anyway if it was cold, and it could be heated up for breakfast tomorrow.
The fishing boats rock and roll with the waves, which makes it easier for people to fall asleep. Everyone is used to listening to the sound of the waves to fall asleep better.
After a rare good night's sleep, the boatmen got up in high spirits as soon as it got dark the next day.
Everyone was thinking about the big gray whale, fearing that someone would take advantage of the fish while they were sleeping, so they all got up early in the morning.
Ye Yaodong was also awakened by the sound of them getting up, and had no choice but to get up.
"Why are you all so anxious? It's only 5 o'clock. Today is the 22nd day of the lunar calendar. The tide is rising now. You can see shit."
"Haha, get up when you've had enough sleep. You have to keep an eye on it."
"The tide won't go out until 6 o'clock this morning. You can watch it if you like."
He said this, but in fact he had slept enough. Everyone was up. If he was asked to lie down again, he wouldn't be able to lie down, so he might as well just get up.
"It seems like it's really not exposed at all. We have to wait until the tide goes out."
"Why are there fried pork ribs and plain-cut chicken in the pot?"
Ye Yaodong walked out and said: "It was quite early to finish selling out yesterday. It was only around 9 o'clock. It's rare to go to eat so early. Usually I have to wait until the next morning. I thought of packing it back for you, but who knew you were all asleep?
, just in time for a quick snack in the morning.”
"Ah! What a huge loss! The food is so good!"
"Next time if there is a shortage of goods, I will go with you."
"Can't I eat this too?"
Ye Yaodong looked at the sea behind him, "It's high tide now, and I don't know how long it will take to recede before the fish are exposed."
"As soon as you start retreating, you should be able to reveal yourself by eight or nine o'clock, right?"
"Wait, hurry up and cook, I can't wait to eat chicken."
Not long after the people on their boat got up, people on the two boats next to them also got up one after another, and some villagers on the shore also showed signs of movement.
When it gets brighter, it seems that the whole village has woken up, and there are many more villagers coming and going to take out garbage on the beach, as well as children playing around.
Everyone was bored after dinner, and it was getting dark early, so they started playing cards on the boat again, waiting for the tide to go out, and basking in the early sun.
It wasn't until the fish boat stopped rocking that everyone threw away their cards and stood up to look at the sea.
"The tide is beginning to ebb, and our ship has run aground."
"Wait a moment, while we are retreating, the big whale will soon be revealed."
Father Ye was a little excited as he geared up, "I don't know how big the fish is yet, I haven't seen the whole thing."
"You'll see it soon."
"Sister-in-law...sister-in-law..."
Ye Yaodong turned around and saw Lin Guangyuan and Lin Xiangyang standing on the shore.
Father Ye frowned, "Why are you here again?"
"When he said he wanted to see a big whale, I said as long as he could get up, he could do whatever he wanted. Anyway, his second uncle drives a tractor to and from the dock and the market, which is convenient. If he wants to see it, let him see it."
"I've never seen you so patient with people before."
"Then you still have to be patient with your children."
Lin Guangyuan rolled up his trousers and came over dripping with water.
"I thought you couldn't get up, but you came just in time. The tide is going out, and the fish will soon be exposed."
"I got up early, took the medicine and waited for my uncle for a long time before he came over. I thought it was too late."
"Just wait."
When the tide rushes forward, it will retreat a lot, leaving only a piece of white foam and soft sand.
In this way, the tide receded little by little, and the gray-black back of the gray whale was slowly exposed under the water.
There was a look of anticipation on everyone's faces.
"You can see it now, but you have to wait a little longer."
"How much longer?"
"It will take about an hour and the whole picture will be revealed."
"So slow..."
Although everyone complained that the tide was slow to recede, there was nothing they could do but wait.
As the tide gradually receded, the gray whale gradually revealed its appearance, and even people on the shore noticed this abnormality.
People around him spread word of mouth that before the tide even receded, a large crowd had gathered on the shore. Everyone looked curiously at the big gray whale in the water and whispered to each other.
Some were also discussing whether the sudden stop of their three boats here was related to the gray whale.
Otherwise, how could there be a big ship parked on the beach and stranded? It’s not even the Chinese New Year yet, and it wouldn’t be so early to celebrate the Chinese New Year. It would also be parked at the pier.
Some people took a few more curious glances early in the morning, but seeing that their three fishing boats had not left and were still basking in the sun on the deck, they were just curious.
Now as the tide receded, the fishing boat was completely stranded, and some people came to the fishing boat to ask them.
"Who are you? Did you drag up that big fish?"
"What kind of fish is that?"
"Are you together? I saw you parked here early in the morning..."
"It's the fish we dragged up."
All the people in their three boats got off the boats and stood on the beach, waiting for the tide to recede.
At this time, the tide was still on their calves, and even though they were wearing rain boots, they were still wet.
The gray whale's body was already half exposed. If they could continue moving forward, it would be fine, but the water would reach their thighs. In the cold weather, they would have to wait a little longer.
"Wait a few more minutes and it will all be exposed soon."
"A Dong, do you have to call in advance? It's already past 8 o'clock." Father Pei was a little anxious after waiting for so long.
Ye Yaodong touched the watch in his pocket, looked at it, and then put it back, "Let's wait a while. It's still morning anyway, so I'm not in a hurry. I'll go ahead and wait for the tide to recede, and take a look first."
He has already calculated that the tide should begin to recede after the high tide at five or six o'clock today, and it will reach the bottom around 12 o'clock, and it will only reach full tide around 7 o'clock in the evening.
The sea area will be slightly different in each place, but the general tide will not change.
The tide has been at low tide for the entire day today. There is no need to be so anxious. We will check the situation first.
He also had to figure out the situation before he could know what he was going to say on the phone later. He also wanted to take a look and verify his previous guesses.
The surrounding local villagers were still discussing, asking other people about how the fish was pulled up, what kind of fish it was, and when it was pulled up.
While everyone was talking to the fishermen around them, they followed the tide and got closer to the stranded gray whale little by little.
The tide had not completely receded from the gray whales, so they eagerly moved forward through the water.
So the local villagers stayed on the beach and watched, waiting for the water level to drop lower.
"Wow, isn't this fish too big?"
"Why are there barnacles all over my body..."
"This tail is so big!"
As soon as everyone walked to the fish, they excitedly bent over to touch its tail and tried to lift it.
"Hey, there are barnacles on the tail too. Fortunately, I have thick hands. If a woman came here, I would touch all the holes."
"Pull it down, my wife's hands are not any tenderer than mine."
"It's ridiculous. They are talking about girls outside. Who can compare with the wife at home?"
"That's not kind of you. The mother-in-law at home is also a young girl."
Ye Yaodong ignored their teasing. When he saw the gray whale up close, it was covered with dense barnacles and there was no good piece of meat. He was so shocked that he got goosebumps.
No wonder that not long after Lin Guangyuan lay on it, the cotton-padded jacket on his body was covered with scratches, and his hands were all covered with wounds.
"It's so scary. There are so many barnacles covering the whole body."
When I saw it at sea before, it was gray and spotted, and I thought it was just the original skin color mixed with a little barnacle.
After all, gray whales are originally gray like rocks with white spots on their bodies.
Who would have thought that this was more than just a little barnacle, it was almost covered with the entire body, so densely packed that he didn't even see a few patches of exposed skin, only small patches here and there.
I heard that gray whales swim very slowly and are easily possessed by barnacles, but this was the first time I saw a whale like this, and it was so scary.
Lin Guangyuan was also very excited, "I just said that I was lying on this fish and it hurt people. Why does it look so scary? Can these shells be scraped off?"
"It can be scraped off, but humans need to help scrape it off, otherwise it can only be allowed to grow. These barnacle spats have a strong reproductive ability and can easily spread all over the body."
Whales have rough skin and swim very slowly, making it difficult for them to be washed away by currents, making them suitable for barnacles to survive. Whales have short fins and cannot be cleaned well.
Some whales die from barnacles.
Looking at it up close now, if nothing unexpected happens, this whale really died of barnacle attachment.
When I saw it at sea before, this gray whale also hit the fishing boat. It was probably tortured and wanted to get rid of the barnacles by hitting it.
When he heard that Father Pei wanted to lure the whale to a beach, he was shocked. He also thought that he would follow his wishes and lure the whale to the beach first, and then clean up the barnacles from the whale.
Then when they were stranded, he discussed the plan with them. He felt that his words still carried a lot of weight. Although he was a junior, he had a share in all three ships.
The other boat belongs to his three brothers, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is completely dominated by him.
However, I didn't expect that this whale could not survive the stranding and fell halfway.
What a pity.
However, he remembered that when he went down to the bottom of the sea and the whale was lying on its side, he noticed its belly and decided to drag it back.
He didn't know if his guess was right, but at least he had to drag it back and have a look. Anyway, even if it took a little effort, there would be no loss.
Others were also chirping and saying that there were too many barnacles on the fish.
"I have never seen a fish covered in barnacles. The turtles I encountered before were also covered in barnacles, but they were not so scary. This fish is so big and covered all over its body."
"Yes, there is no good piece of skin."
"Could it be that he died because he was covered in barnacles?"
"It's very possible. After all, I didn't see any fights with other fish, and I couldn't see any wounds on my body. They were all barnacles."
Ye Yaodong thought so too. He didn't care that the water was washed away by the waves and filled up his rain boots. He continued to lift his legs forward, but his lower body was already wet anyway.
After he walked along the whale's body from its tail to its belly, he stopped and bent down to take a closer look at its belly. It was indeed very big.
But even its abdomen was covered with barnacles, and he couldn't touch it even if he wanted to.
"This is too scary, just like a hedgehog... it's all over the body, it's full of growth, it's so painful."
"How do you know he is in pain?" Father Ye followed him and walked to his side.
"If you have a snake scale on your body, and the snake scale continues to grow, covering your skin, becoming wider and wider, and stretching there, will you feel uncomfortable? Is it painful?"
"What nonsense are you talking about! Isn't it disgusting?"
"Look, if anything that doesn't belong to you is attached to your body, you'll feel uncomfortable, let alone if it's all over your body. To use another analogy, it's like a mosquito bite all over your body, and it will never go away."
Father Ye shuddered and felt a little scary.
Father Pei, who was following him, didn't think these barnacles were anything at all. They were common on the beach, but when Ye Yaodong said this, he also felt very scary.
"So this whale was killed by barnacles?"
"Most likely yes, go look at its head."
There is nothing I can do about the abdomen now, so I can only look at the head first.
Before, I saw that its head was covered with barnacles underwater, but now that the tide is out, I can see it more clearly when I get closer.
Because it was dragged in the sea all the way, the gray whale had its head down and was bruised and worn by some rocks along the way. The barnacles on its body were also somewhat broken, and a large area of ​​its head had obvious scratch marks.
Father Ye couldn't help but said: "Look, they are really all barnacles. They are all around the eyes and nostrils. How can they survive after a long time?"
Father Pei also lowered his head and looked carefully, "It seems that these barnacles really grew too much, so it died of pain."
Ye Yaodong thought for a moment, "It's also possible that he's too heavy and can't bear the weight of his body and can't eat."
The whale is too heavy and relies on the buoyancy of the water to support itself when in the water. Now its whole body is covered with barnacles, which makes it painful and heavy. Barnacles covering its eyes, mouth and nose also affect its ability to find food. When the body can no longer bear its own weight,
If you can't hold it anymore, you'll easily fall down, crush yourself to death, break your bones, and rupture your internal organs.
Ye Yaodong once again thought that when it hit fishing boats from time to time, it might not only want to get rid of the barnacles on its body, but it might also be asking for help.
But it may be too painful, and I am approaching the end of my life. My strength is weak, so my movements become weaker and weaker, and my swimming becomes slower and slower, until I can no longer hold on and fall directly to the bottom of the sea.
Even when he landed on the bottom of the sea, he looked and landed on his back. I wonder if it had anything to do with what he had guessed.
Lin Guangyuan, who followed, asked: "If we stand in the sea, will we get entangled in barnacles?"
"What do you think?"
"Will you?"
"Definitely. Such a big whale is covered in barnacles. Do you think your body can escape it? You can't even swim faster than it."
Lin Guangyuan shuddered, not daring to imagine what it would be like if his whole body, including his eyes and nostrils, were mostly covered by barnacles.
"It's such a tragic way to die, considering he was so big."
He shook his head, "Life is unpredictable. The big intestine surrounds the small intestine. Even the ocean overlord must die when it is due. However, if it had met us earlier and ran aground earlier, maybe we could have saved it."
"Then I can't fall into the sea earlier?"
Ye Yaodong looked at him like an idiot. He and the fool had nothing in common.
Father Ye said doubtfully: "Didn't I want to lead it to a beach to see if I could catch it?"
"That's what you and Uncle Pei think. I don't think so. I just want to rely on you first, lead it to the beach, see if I can take care of it, remove the barnacles, and then live for a few more years.
.”
It is impossible to borrow another 500 years from heaven, but it should be possible to borrow another 5 years.
"Forget it, I'm going to die anyway. Now that I've finished reading and the tide has receded, should I just go ashore and make a phone call?" Father Pei couldn't help but ask again.
"Okay, let me take a look at its belly again."
"Didn't you just see it? There are barnacles on your stomach."
"I know, go and take a closer look."
Chapter completed!