Chapter 61 Chapter 61 Lingjiang Port
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Everyone was busy, and Gu Mengran couldn't sit idle either.
He was indeed not fully recovered yet, and the deck was not allowed to help, so he simply strolled to the cab, sent Zheng Yijie out to help, and stayed in the cab alone to help operate the crane.
The diesel was still being loaded into barrels, and Gu Mengran was sitting in the cab with nothing to do. He buried his head in his fingers for a while, and was really bored. He picked up the high frequency and called out, "Xu Xinghe, are you busy?"
"Brother Gu, are you in the cab?"
The other party responded quickly, and Xu Xinghe's voice with a hint of joy came: "No hurry, no hurry. I heard that you caught a cold. Are you feeling better now?"
"Much better. Who was so loud-mouthed to tell you that?"
Being bored, Gu Mengran started chatting with the other party about this topic.
Xu Xinghe chuckled. "Brother Zheng said that you were from Juqing, oh no, now it's called Hengrongsheng 2! He said that you fainted after returning from our Hengrongsheng 2, and you caught a cold and had a heat stroke, it was terrible."
"It's a bit tragic." Gu Mengran sniffed, "Why did you suddenly change the name? Heng Rongsheng 2 is okay."
"Haha, the name I thought of is not bad, right? The reason for changing the name is because of Brother Liang. He said that the Juqing series is a ship under the CMA CGM Group, and those who have been sailing for a long time will know it, so we found paint overnight and changed the name."
Gu Mengran nodded thoughtfully, "So that's how it is. Liang Zhao knows quite a lot."
"I think so too." Xu Xinghe agreed with a smile.
He paused for a moment, then moved the pager closer and deliberately lowered his voice, "I want to ask you something, brother. Brother Liang used to work on a ship in Huangjiang, right? How old is he this year?"
As soon as these words came out, an alarm sounded in Gu Mengran's mind. After being silent for nearly a minute, he asked, "Why are you asking this?"
Xu Xinghe didn't notice anything unusual and said with a smile, "That's right, our two families are allies, and I think our relationship can be even stronger."
"Look, Brother Liang is single, and my sister is single too. If they get together, then Heng Rongsheng and Feng Yihao will be a family, right?"
Gu Mengran paused for a moment while holding the pager, and chuckled, "An alliance is not enough, and you want a marriage? You have a pretty clear plan."
Xu Xinghe's expression changed very quickly. He first smirked, then sighed, his voice a little depressed, "Ah, it's because I'm too useless. Just like today, I was supposed to work on the deck, but I'm just a summer intern and I don't know anything. My sister has to do everything herself."
"She has always been the one who gave in to me and took care of me since I was little. I really want to do something for her, but I am such a loser. She lives a very tiring life, and is always dragged down by her brother, so -"
"So you want to find a brother-in-law to help her share some of the burden?" Gu Mengran interrupted him coldly, his tone was not friendly.
Xu Xinghe hesitated: "I just have this idea."
Gu Mengran was furious and started to scold him: "What the hell are you thinking? I think there is something wrong with your brain."
“I, I—”
Xu Xinghe tried to explain, but Gu Mengran didn't give him the chance, and said sarcastically: "What do you mean by you? Are you a giant baby? You have hands and feet, but you can't learn if you don't understand? Even if you learn, you can't help? You take shortcuts and find a brother-in-law to continue sucking your blood. What do you think of your sister? Is she your tool?"
Xu Xinghe was confused by what he said, and while Gu Mengran was taking a break, he hurriedly explained: "Brother Gu, you misunderstood, that's not what I meant. I am studying, and I am also trying to help my sister share the burden. Finding a brother-in-law is not to suck my blood, I, I..."
After hesitating for a long time, Gu Mengran said, "Tsk, does your sister know that you want to find a brother-in-law for yourself?"
"No, I don't know." Xu Xinghe said a little guiltily.
His anger did not subside, but Gu Mengran calmed down a little and talked to him seriously: "Whether it is to bring us closer together or to help your sister share the burden, finding a partner is not something you can decide for her, understand?"
"I understand. I just wanted to ask you first and then ask her."
Gu Mengran sneered: "How should I tell her? Help her analyze the pros and cons of finding a partner, and then use the benefits of finding a partner to convince her? Is that what she really thinks? Are you sure she won't sacrifice herself to make it easier for you?"
The other party was silent, the white noise was "hissing", and Xu Xinghe said nothing.
Gu Mengran sighed silently and said earnestly: "I believe that you are not completely planning to suck my blood, but your idea is stupid. If you feel sorry for your sister, then work harder and stand on your own feet as soon as possible. If she can't even rely on her own brother, will she trust other men?"
After an unknown amount of time, Xu Xinghe's voice could be heard again amidst the rustling white noise. His voice was hoarse and weak. "I'm sorry, Brother Gu. I understand."
"You haven't done anything wrong to me. It's just that I, an outsider, feel embarrassed to be preaching to you here." Gu Mengran laughed at himself.
"No, no, no, I really understand Brother Gu." Xu Xinghe said quickly: "My sister is indeed the kind of good sister who would sacrifice herself for me. It's me who didn't consider this point, and it's like selling my sister for fame."
"You're right. It's better to rely on yourself than on others. I have to stand up for myself first. Otherwise, with a father like this and a brother like this, I'm sure my sister will hate men!"
Instead of becoming depressed by Gu Mengran's accusations, Xu Xinghe suddenly became ignited as if he had been injected with chicken blood.
Gu Mengran chuckled softly and was about to cut off the high frequency and end this unpleasant chat when he suddenly thought of a key issue.
"Xu Xinghe." Gu Mengran lowered his voice and said, "I have a question."
"Brother Gu, you say."
Hearing him being so serious, Xu Xinghe thought he was going to say something serious, so he sat upright, waiting for Gu Mengran's next words.
Unexpectedly, after a moment, Gu Mengran coughed lightly and said embarrassedly: "I'm curious, why did you choose Liang Zhao to be your brother-in-law?"
"Ah?" Xu Xinghe was stunned for a moment, and answered truthfully: "First of all, Brother Liang is handsome, and he can endure hardships at first glance. He is the kind of man who does more than he talks, is very reliable, and loves his wife very much."
Love my wife...
Gu Mengran burst out laughing, "How do you know he loves his wife?"
"Men who talk less usually love their wives." Xu Xinghe said seriously.
Gu Mengran asked again: "Have you ever considered others?"
"I've considered it, I've considered Brother Zheng, but he, he..." Xu Xinghe's voice was getting smaller and smaller: "Don't tell him, he's too short, and he's nearsighted. I'm worried that his glasses will break and he won't be able to tell the difference between humans and animals after driving ten meters!"
Don’t mention it, it’s really possible. Gu Mengran suddenly smiled, covering his mouth with his hands, for a long time.
Just as Xu Xinghe wiped his sweat and thought that the topic was finally over, Gu Mengran asked again: "What about me? Have you ever considered me?"
Xu Xinghe's body trembled, and he said in horror: "Brother Gu, stop teasing me!"
"How am I teasing you? I'm not a man?" Gu Mengran asked in confusion.
"It's a man, but, but..." Xu Xinghe stammered, "You, you seem to like men too."
The smile froze on his face. Gu Mengran straightened his back and asked, "Is it so obvious?"
Xu Xinghe almost choked to death on his saliva. He patted his chest and coughed, "No, brother, please don't be so honest!"
Gu Mengran shrugged, "To be honest is not——"
"Driver's cab, get ready to operate the robotic arm!"
Before he could finish his words, the intercom on the console rang. Gu Mengran said to Xu Xinghe, "Let's talk later," then put down the pager, went to the console and started working.
It was similar to what Gu Mengran had estimated. The robotic arms of the two ships operated simultaneously and worked until six o'clock in the morning, transferring nearly 300 tons of diesel to the Fengyi.
The Wind Wing was not equipped with a spray cooling device, so all the oil drums were piled up in the lobby on the first floor and covered with heat-insulating tarpaulins. But the quantity was too large, and Gu Mengran was still worried, so he put most of them back into the space under the tarpaulin.
300 tons may sound scary at first, but for Hengrongsheng 2 which is fully loaded with 3,000 tons, it is only one-tenth of the weight.
Although Xu Xingran wanted to distribute more and Gu Mengran also wanted some more, there were no extra oil barrels and they couldn't catch the diesel with their bare hands.
The river surface filled with dead fish was too eerie and no one wanted to stay there for too long, so after breakfast, a little after eight o'clock, the Fengyi circled to the front and continued sailing with the relieved Hengrongsheng 2.
Two days passed in a flash, and when we arrived at Lingjiang Port on the morning, everyone got up early without any prior arrangement.
When Gu Mengran walked into the cab wearing a mask, everyone was already there.
Liang Zhao, who was on night shift, sat in the captain's chair with a look of fatigue on his face. The old man and Zheng Yijie were wearing long sleeves and long pants and masks, wrapping themselves tightly. They stood side by side beside the windshield to observe the situation on the river.
"How's it going? Did you see the port?"
Obviously, he had just arrived. The old man was looking through the telescope, but he hadn't figured out what was going on yet. Zheng Yijie stood on tiptoe and moved closer, asking anxiously.
The old man said impatiently, "Don't be impatient, don't touch me. I finally got to the port, but it's gone once you touch me."
"Grandpa Meng, you are old and your hands shake easily. Let me do it."
"What are you doing here, you bespectacled guy? Do you understand what I am saying?"
He was a little nervous at first, but the two of them sang the same tune and his nervousness faded away. Gu Mengran chuckled, walked straight to the windshield, took out another telescope from the space, and looked at the harbor through the glass.
The distance was not too far, and the colorful containers on the dock could be seen with the naked eye. He adjusted the telescope to a higher magnification, and with a small movement of his arm, he could easily take in the dock.
Just like a passing typhoon, the earthquake caused chaos at Lingjiang Port. All the densely packed containers on the dock were overturned and lay on the ground in a mess.
The orange cranes and robotic arms standing on the dock were uprooted, and the approach bridges were broken or cracked, with almost nothing spared.
Not seeing anyone, Gu Mengran moved the telescope to the shore and casually glanced around and saw the water service area that Liang Zhao mentioned.
Although it is called the water service area, it is actually on the shore. It is not as exquisite as the shore service area. It is like a factory built with steel decks, neatly lined up along the shore.
After a round of inspection, there seemed to be nothing unusual, but Gu Mengran had a vague sense of foreboding. He took a deep breath and slowly pointed the telescope at the calm river surface in front of him.
The Lingjiang Bridge was broken in the middle, and a large section of the bridge deck disappeared. The steel bars protruding from the cross section were weighed down by heavy concrete blocks, hanging in the air and teetering on the verge of collapse, with the risk of secondary collapse and falling at any time.
Further ahead, dozens of ships of different types were parked across the river, like a steel wall, tightly blocking the increasingly narrow waterway.
Rotten fish and shrimps were floating on the river, and the surface of the river was covered with white. As the telescope moved, Gu Mengran could occasionally see some large floating objects.
Close to the harbor, he initially thought that it was garbage from the shore or a sunken ship that had floated up, and did not pay much attention to it. But just as he was about to put down the telescope, the lens shook slightly, and a swollen and rotten human head suddenly came into view.
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