Chapter 387
"The man who sold the boat disappeared long ago. My father couldn't bear the blow and fell ill."
"The family's money was swindled away, and we lost our father, our laborer, and we still owe a lot of debt. As the eldest son, I have to take on this heavy responsibility and support the family."
When Sigui said this, his mood became depressed.
He was still studying at the time, but everyone knew that something had happened in his family, and debt collectors came to his house one after another. When they saw their father collapsed and there were a bunch of young children and women in the family, they were afraid that the money would be wasted.
His father was already seriously ill, and debt collectors came to the house every day and refused to leave until late at night. His mother cried all day long, and the frightened looks of his younger brothers and sisters huddled in the corner hurt his eyes even more.
Sigui had no choice but to drop out of school and go fishing with others.
Seeing that the family really couldn't come up with the money and Sigui had already gone into business, the debt collectors also promised to pay the money back as soon as possible, so they gradually stopped coming.
He didn't have a fishing boat, so he could only go out with other people's fishing boats, and the fish he caught had to be shared with the owners of the fishing boats as rent.
There are four mouths to feed at home. Not to mention paying off the debt, he has to risk his life to support his family.
He goes to the deepest places and even dangerous places that others are unwilling to go to.
Fortunately, my father's health gradually improved, and my younger brothers and sisters could help my mother with some work such as repairing fishing nets, cleaning fish and making dried fish. The family was obviously getting better.
But the creditors outside were not happy. It had been two years and there was still no reason to repay the debt.
The creditor came to his door again. He felt very uncomfortable when he saw his father, who was tall and mighty in his heart, nodding and bowing cautiously in front of others.
He wanted his father to stand up straight and behave himself, and he urgently needed money.
So when he learned that the "Ghana" was recruiting sailors, he secretly signed up.
Originally, the people there refused to accept him because of his young age, but he was not only an excellent swimmer, but he could also hold his breath underwater for a long time.
The recruits on the Ghana didn't believe it and asked Sigui to prove it on the spot. In front of them, Sigui dived into the water, then straightened his body, relaxed his muscles, reduced his heartbeat, and minimized oxygen consumption. When he came up again, eight minutes had passed.
This skill shocked the whole audience, and he was immediately chosen by the recruiter of the Ghana.
Su Qingci looked at the young man with his head down and shoulders slumped, and couldn't help feeling a little distressed.
Two years ago, he was only 14 years old and had to shoulder the burden of supporting his family and taking care of his parents and siblings.
At this time, Su Jindong was still pestering Li Yue Niang for pocket money to eat this and that.
There is also the name Sigui, which in inland China means the desire to return to one's hometown.
Su Qingci was just a little skeptical before, but now she is 30% sure that this father who works hard to make money, is frugal to himself and even his family, and wants to buy a long-distance sailing ship, may be Su Changzhi.
But whether it is true or not, we have to see it in person to know.
Su Qingci vaguely remembered that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait began to contact each other in 1979, and that people could only apply for family visits in 1987. It was not until 1993 that the postal departments on both sides could officially handle registered mail business with each other, which means that ordinary people could officially communicate with each other.
At this time, the relationship can be described as "tense".
If the other party is really Su Changzhi, buying a long-distance ship to sneak back to the country will be his only way to go home.
"It's okay, as long as you are still here, everything will be fine." Qianfu patted Sigui's shoulder and comforted him.
"Actually, I'm pretty much the same as you."
"My parents saved their entire lives and spent money to get me an apprentice on the Ghana. You may not know this, but I've already been working for Dalong for four years."
"At first, I was not only a handyman, but also his slave. I did all the dirty work on the ship and had to serve him. I washed his clothes, shoes and socks for four years, and I even washed his feet for two years."
"Beating and scolding are commonplace."
"He wasn't willing to teach me anything. It was only this year that he stopped being wary of me and allowed me to stand by and watch."
"Every time I go home, my parents look at me expectantly and ask me how it's going. I can only bite the bullet and nod and say yes, even though I've actually been wanting to quit for a long time."
When Sigui listened to Qianfu's words, the depression on his face disappeared and he began to comfort Qianfu instead.
After a few words, they both turned their gazes to Su Qingci.
"Sister Su, what about you? Why are you floating on the sea alone on a cruise ship?"
Su Qingci said calmly, "I'm luckier than you. Didn't we encounter a gale a few days ago? Your ship sank, and ours almost capsized."
"All the crew members on the ship were swept into the sea. I was the only one who escaped the disaster by hiding in the bottom cabin. Fortunately, the ship did not sink."
Sigui and Qianfu looked relieved, without a doubt, "Then you are quite lucky."
"The scene that day would have been disastrous for any ship that encountered it."
After this chat, everyone became familiar with each other. Seeing that Su Qingci had no concerns, Xu Dasheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief and continued to pick up the rag on the ground to clean up.
Su Qingci knew that he couldn't sit idle, so she let him go.
The next morning, Su Qingci stood on the deck, looking around with a telescope.
Since yesterday, they encountered more and more boats. In the distance, fishing boats and small boats of different sizes passed by frequently. Su Qingci knew that they were almost reaching the island.
Of course, Su Qingci had no intention of driving the cruise ship to the island pier.
"Qianfu, where are we now?"
"We've already entered the island area. If nothing unexpected happens, we should be able to reach the dock this afternoon."
Su Qingci was silent for a moment. "Is there a suitable place to dock the cruise ship? I don't plan to drive the cruise ship to the dock."
Qianfu immediately understood what Su Qingci meant. The current political power on both sides of the strait...
"Five nautical miles from the coast there's an island called Utau Island. There's a channel running through the middle of Utau Island. The current is strong, and there are steep cliffs, so it's quite complex. It's difficult for ordinary fishing boats to get in, so few people go there."
"Given the configuration of your cruise ship, it's not difficult to get in."
Su Qingci didn't hesitate too much. "Okay, Qianfu, you take the helm and drive the cruise ship directly into the sea channel of the Wutuo Island you mentioned. We will then transfer to a small boat to go ashore!"
"Okay." Qianfu looked eager to try. He had never had any chance to practice before, let alone on such a high-end cruise ship.
After lunch, I went into the control room and kept an eye on the situation through a telescope.
After seeing Utau Island from a distance, we slowly slowed down the cruise ship. The terrain of Utau Island is indeed complex. Although it is called a sea channel, it is actually not wide and can only accommodate one ship passing through. There are also many reefs hidden under the water on both sides, which can easily be hit if you are not careful.
Qianfu slowed down his speed and moved forward slowly and carefully.
It took a while to stop the cruise ship in the middle of the river.
When docked here, no matter other ships enter from the front or from the back, they can see the cruise ship in the middle.
Because the sea channel can only accommodate one ship passing through, even if there are other fishing boats coming here, they will retreat when they see the cruise ship in the middle of the sea channel.
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