Chapter 39 Ship Trial

Cheng Hui felt a little sad looking at the lonely figure. Most people in the village were engaged in fishing, and only a very small number of people would leave everyone, their families, or even the group for a long time.

But the trade route requires people to travel, and someone must sacrifice. If that’s the case, why can’t that person be Jian Xiaocheng?

Today is the day when the new boats we made are launched. It is already the middle of winter and the sea temperature is even lower. The original raft is no longer suitable for practice. Naturally, we have cleared the first generation of self-made boats. Now we will test their performance. If there are any shortcomings, we can modify them.

The newly built boat is two meters long and one meter wide. The cabin can only accommodate two people. It is specially used as a water tank to store seafood. When spring comes in Lingnan, the temperature rises rapidly. If the dead seafood is directly exposed to the sun, then after one or two hours, these seafood will completely deteriorate.

The entire ship is made of mortise and tenon joints, leaving no gaps, and is coated with tung oil, so it is not easily corroded by sea water. The only drawback is that the entire ship is made a bit roughly.

If today's water test is successful, then in the future we will equip everyone in the village who goes into the water with one, just like we do now. As for larger ships that can sail farther, we can only explore them slowly.

For the past half month, the Feng family watched their new neighbors eat delicious food every day and could not stand the corruption, so they finally came over and became part of the family. As for the wishes of the Li family, Lin Yue said that their wishes were not important.

Except for Jian Xiaocheng and Guo Minglang who set out on the road to find a trade route for selling dried seafood, the rest of the people in Baixiang Village were on the beach, looking nervously at the small boat. This was a boat they designed and made independently without any carpentry experience.

"Okay, this boat looks much better than the raft I made. It's definitely usable. No need to be so nervous. Besides, it's still early. If it doesn't work out, we can always make some modifications!"

Lin Yue sat on a stool specially set up in the boat and comforted everyone. To be honest, this small boat was quite practical and took all aspects into consideration. The only problem was stability.

Because Lin Yue really didn't understand how a boat that was easily broken apart by just a few pieces of wood put together using what they called mortise and tenon joints could really withstand the impact of the waves without taking in water or falling apart.

This touched upon her blind spot in knowledge. In the apocalypse, everything was basically made of steel and cement. There were no wooden buildings at all, and they had completely disappeared from her knowledge system.

"Pooh, pooh, pooh, what nonsense! This boat your uncles have built is so good, it will surely succeed."

Min glanced at Lin Yue with annoyance. It is not appropriate to say discouraging words when doing things.

He slapped Lin Yue on the shoulder and said, "Why are you saying such discouraging words at this time? You should say auspicious words. What if they come true? Aren't you just trying to attract hatred?"

But Lin Yue was really worried that this bare boat would be hit by the waves and fall apart. Wouldn't that be an even more embarrassing scene? By telling everyone in advance, at least they would be mentally prepared and not lose their composure.

Min thought she spoke very quietly, but in fact, except for her words, everyone around her was quiet and basically everyone could hear it.

Lin Hongzhi held his forehead and said, "What a silly woman!" He coughed twice to remind her to stop talking.

"Sister-in-law, this is the first ship we built. Lin Yue is right. If it doesn't work, we should find a solution in time. Even if we fail, we won't take our anger out on a child."

Lin Hongyuan, Guo Minglang, Cheng Xiao, Feng Shiyun, and Chen Chen formed a village affairs office. All major events in the village had to be approved by these five people before they could proceed.

This time the ship was made through brainstorming based on the needs. Building the ship was also the first task they received. If they failed, it would definitely hit their confidence, but they were all laymen and they could accept the first failure!

Chen Chen was originally a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Works. He had no contact with the production of actual objects. The most he did was look at the blueprints and walk around the craftsmen's workshop.

He was the one who took the lead in making the boat this time. This was also his first time making something. He was very nervous and prepared for failure. But he felt bad when Lin Yue said he had failed.

As a mature adult, he disdains to argue with a child about right or wrong, even if Lin Yue has proven himself to be strong.

"Alright, alright, it's getting late. You guys should hurry up and find a boat to test whether this boat works properly. If there is a problem, you can fix it in time."

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit stagnant, Lin Hongyuan ordered the children to move and broke the deadlock.

The boat was very light, and it was as free as a fish when entering the water. Especially after using the oars, the speed was extremely fast. Facing the sea breeze, Lin Yue felt like she was flying.

This was a completely different feeling from being on a raft, and several children screamed with excitement.

"It feels so good, ah! Ah! This feels so exciting!" The last time Lin Daxuan felt this way was when he was chasing a deer on the road to exile. Now that he is free from restraints, it feels even better!

"What the hell are you yelling about, you little bastard? I thought something was wrong."

Lin Yixu's face was dark as he scolded his son who was becoming more and more out of line. It was obvious that due to his neglect, his son had gone astray from the humble gentleman he expected.

Lin Hongyuan slapped his son on the shoulder.

"Who are you calling a little bastard? I think you're getting worse and worse. Get out of here now. I'm getting mad just looking at you."

The scolded Lin Daxuan had been secretly paying attention to the situation on the shore. He secretly laughed when he saw his father being taught a lesson.

"Brother Xuan, steady the boat and try to put in the crab basket and cast the net."

Xuan Ge'er, who was so distracted, suddenly remembered that he used the boat to catch seafood, and quickly tried to use the oars to balance the swaying boat, but the wind and waves were too strong, and even if he tried his best, the boat still swayed with the wind and waves.

"Brother Xuan, row to the left. The wind and waves are smaller over there."

"Brother Xuan, didn't you eat? Row harder!"

Lin Daxuan's forehead was covered with sweat and the oars were making sparks, but the boat refused to turn and kept spinning in place, tossing it up and down with the wind and waves. He had to steady his body to avoid being thrown out and to change the direction of the boat, and his strength was depleted very quickly.

"Brother Xuan."

The people watching on the shore were very anxious, especially Lin Yichen who was still giving orders and wishing he could do it himself. Just when he was urging them again.

“Boom.”

Lin Daxuan accidentally shifted his center of gravity and the boat and he flipped into the sea.

"Xuan'er, Xuan'er, hurry, hurry, save them, save them."

Lin Hongyuan panicked when he saw his beloved grandson fall into the sea. The adults behind him who had made emergency preparations also dived into the sea, fearing that something might happen to the child.

The roof of the house leaked all night long, and problems also arose with Lin Yue in the distance.