Ruan Meng sensed something was wrong and told Xiao Kai and the guards to keep an eye on Sun Mu'en, while she and her third brother hurried towards the source of the sound.
As soon as I got close and heard the sound, my legs started to go weak.
"Grandma Liu! Why did you do something so foolish!"
"Grandma! Why are you doing this!"
......
A man's voice came from inside, and Ruan Meng recognized it as Feng Yun's.
“Now, crying won’t help! Who saw it? Are you sure it was Granny Liu? Who saw it first?”
A village woman stepped forward, "I saw it first! After the tide came in, I saw Granny Liu dragging a raft towards the water's edge..."
"I was curious and was about to go up and ask, but Grandma Liu acted as if she didn't hear me and quickened her pace into the water."
"I sensed something was wrong, so I ran in her direction while calling for help. But the beachcombing had ended, and many people had just gone home; there weren't many people on the shore..."
"By the time I ran over, the water had already reached Grandma Liu's knees. She turned back and smiled at me, then turned around and lay down on the raft."
"I can't swim. If I could, I would have grabbed her! I rushed into the water and shouted for her, but a wave came and went. When the storm subsided, all I saw was the raft and Grandma Liu..."
"Waaaaah, I can't see her anymore!"
Other villagers echoed:
"Yes, we heard crying and rushed over. At first we could see a raft in the water, drifting far away, but then we couldn't see anything anymore!"
"It's too dark. We want to go into the water, but we don't know the exact direction and don't know where to start."
"Poor Granny Liu, it's all that damned nephew's fault! Miss Ruan has already agreed to let her move in, and good days are just around the corner, why did she have to do this!"
"This is the real Granny Liu! After her husband passed away, she raised her son with great difficulty. After her son died, she never burdened anyone, nor did she cry to everyone she met..."
"Even now, she must be in great pain, burdening the village chief and the villagers. Her nephew continues to pester her; after all, he's her husband's nephew, and it would be unbearable for both sides to suffer..."
"Not wanting to burden the Ruan family, I'd rather die cleanly and decisively, without any lingering entanglements, so there's no need to worry about funeral arrangements..."
"Grandma Liu was truly considerate of her descendants. It's such a pity that such a good person couldn't die peacefully!"
......
The villagers discussed it, but it only lasted a short while.
Feng Yun spoke up, "Go home and get your fishing nets, for the backwater trip. Who wants to come with me?"
"Let's take Grandma Liu home!"
There are not many men left in the village, and the few remaining are all unable to swim, which is why they haven't gone to work on boats or in mines.
Feng Xi arrived and, upon hearing the situation, was the first to raise his hand.
When the man couldn't swim, several women stepped forward, saying, "We can swim!"
The third brother looked at Ruan Meng and his eldest brother, nodded to his eldest brother, and then stepped forward.
The guards were moved and looked at Xiao Kai. Xiao Kai gritted his teeth and decided to let them decide for themselves to choose five people.
Ruan Qian asked Feng Xi to help prepare the burial site, and only allowed Feng Yun to take the lead.
Feng Yun nodded gratefully to Ruan Qian.
A group of more than ten people, holding two nets, swam towards the deeper water.
Feng Xi led the remaining men in the village to dig up the graves of Granny Liu's husband and son.
Ruan Meng gazed at the deep blue sea, unable to see any figures, with only one thought in her mind.
We're too poor!
When people are so poor they can't survive, they have no choice but to die!
They were so poor that if someone fell into the water, there wasn't even a boat to rescue them, not even a fishing boat!
Those on the shore refused to leave.
The people in the water are the people they have been waiting for.
Half an hour later, the wind and waves grew stronger and stronger. The village chief rushed over upon hearing the news and told the villagers to shout in unison on the shore to summon the rescuers back.
But there was no response.
The people on the shore became anxious, but were helpless.
Sending more people to search would be even more dangerous.
Just then, a villager exclaimed in surprise.
"Look! There's a big ship! Isn't it the big ship that left today?"
Upon hearing this, the Sun family steward and guards all ran towards the large ship. Once they were close enough to see the sails clearly, they excitedly shouted behind them:
"Yes! It's our merchant ship!"
The villagers cheered and wept with joy.
Before the merchant ship even docked, Xiao Kai rushed over, explained the situation, and, accompanied by two guards, pointed out the way and headed towards the open sea...
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