Feng Ye was awakened by the sound of firecrackers.
He was still confused and didn't realize what was happening when he got up.
As he came out of the room, he saw Ye Qingling standing at the door and asked, "Whose family is celebrating? Why are they setting off firecrackers so early in the morning?"
Seeing his bewildered expression, Ye Qingling couldn't help but laugh: "You forgot, this is your own home."
"My own home?"
Feng Ye suddenly realized, "You mean, these firecrackers are to celebrate the return of our second ship?"
"What else can we do? Even though it's a second-hand boat, we'll still set off some firecrackers when we get back. You're the only one sleeping like a log, while your sister-in-law, Uncle Ling, and Aunt Ling got up early to buy firecrackers."
"I'll go buy it right now."
"It will be too late by the time you get up. I've already given money to my parents and asked them to buy it for me. They should have finished setting it off by now."
As she spoke, she touched her belly, "It's just that I can't go by myself, otherwise I would have gone to join in the fun."
"I was really half asleep, I even forgot something so important."
Feng Ye stepped out of his house and glanced at the dock. He saw that the dock was bustling with activity, with many people gathered there and firecrackers going off from time to time.
It wasn't just the three families who set off firecrackers; relatives and friends also came to congratulate them upon hearing the news.
"There are quite a lot of people."
"Some came out to fish early in the morning, while others came out of the village after hearing the firecrackers being set off at the dock."
Feng Ye said "Oh" and turned to go into the kitchen.
"Aren't you going to go and join in the fun?"
"No, my parents will handle it. It's so hot, I'm too lazy to go."
“We’ve all eaten, but we’ve saved breakfast for you; it’s in the pot.”
"Okay, I'll brush my teeth and wash my face first."
When he came out with breakfast, stood by the door eating and looking towards the dock, Ye Qingling asked, "When are you planning to go out to sea?"
"It depends on the situation. If the boatman has arranged it, we'll leave this afternoon; otherwise, we'll leave tomorrow."
"Then I'll prepare some clean clothes for you first."
As Ye Qingling spoke, she turned and went back to her room to pack his clothes.
After finishing breakfast in a few bites, Feng Ye pushed his cart to the old house to pick vegetables.
His main targets are fruits and vegetables such as chili peppers, eggplants, loofahs, and cucumbers, which can be stored for a slightly longer period of time.
There are also tubers with a longer shelf life, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and yams.
Leafy greens don't keep well, so just pick a little, enough for the first two days.
When he passed by the dock, he called his mother, sister-in-law, Aunt Ling, and Ye Qingling, who was with Feng Xinan to watch the excitement, to help.
As for his father and Feng Jialing, they had to find boatmen for him and didn't have time to spare.
It wasn't that he didn't want to find a boatman himself, but that he didn't know who to ask.
If he randomly picked a few people, plenty of them would be willing to go to sea with him.
Didn't many people volunteer themselves just a few days ago?
The problem is that the boatmen we find must have worked on ships, have experience at sea, and be reliable.
How could a young man like him know who is experienced and reliable?
Not long after they finished picking the vegetables and pushed the cart back home, his father and Feng Jialing also returned.
As soon as he entered, Feng Jiaqing said with a smile, "I've found boatmen for you. They're all experienced. They'll come over after lunch."
Feng Ye was overjoyed: "That's great! It's good to get out sooner. I'm sure my brother and A-Can are getting impatient and can't wait to see our new ship."
Feng Jialing asked, "Are you sure I don't need to come along?"
"No need. It's only a 10-hour boat ride. I can manage. Once I rendezvous with the Dong Sheng and Ah Can and the others arrive, I can go to sleep."
As agreed yesterday, Ah-Can moved to Dong Sheng, and Ye Chenliang and Luo Zhiping also came over.
The remaining crew members, Feng Xuan, Xiao Mingshi, Du Yulin, and Han Qiwen, stayed on the Dongsheng.
At the same time, Xiao Mingshi was promoted to vice captain to assist Feng Xuan in managing the ship's affairs, and his corresponding benefits were also improved, with a fixed monthly salary of 200 yuan and a commission increase to 1%.
In addition, four of the eight newly recruited boatmen will be assigned to each of the two boats.
...
After lunch, the eight boatmen arrived one after another. They were all people that Feng Jiaqing and Feng Jialing knew, having worked together on the fishing fleet when they were young.
Feng Ye only recognized three of them; the other five were unfamiliar faces.
After listening to his father's introduction, I learned that although these five people were also from Dongtou Village, they belonged to other villagers' groups.
After greeting them and exchanging a few words, I led them, pushing a cart full of things, to the dock.
Feng Jiaqing was responsible for ferries them out in a small boat.
After transferring everything to the Donglai, Feng Ye didn't delay and immediately started the ship, heading straight for the county town.
He had promised to take Fang Yi out to sea, so he had to go and pick him up.
It's also a good opportunity to replenish other supplies in the county town, such as fresh water, ice, fuel, rice, flour, and cooking oil.
In just over an hour, the Donglai ship docked smoothly at the county town's wharf.
Feng Ye gave some money to a man he knew named Li Baojun and asked him to take three people to purchase the necessary supplies.
The remaining four people stayed on the boat, responsible for overseeing the replenishment of fresh water, diesel fuel, and ice.
He then went to the Chengguan Police Station to find Fang Yi.
Seeing him approach, Fang Yi's face lit up with surprise: "Old Feng, you got the boat so quickly?"
"I went to Xiamen Island the day before yesterday afternoon, and I completed the formalities yesterday and brought the boat back."
Feng Ye smiled and nodded, "That's why I'm keeping my promise and taking you out to sea for a drive."
"That's great! Let's set off now. I can't wait to see the sea."
"Have you taken the leave?"
"I've already made the arrangements, and I've even prepared everything. I'm just waiting for you to come."
As Fang Yi spoke, he walked to the side, took a backpack from the cabinet, and slung it over his shoulder. "Let's go."
"Let me remind you, the open sea is not like the coast. The wind and waves are much bigger. You'd better think it through. Once you go out to sea, there's no turning back."
"Don't worry, I've been on boats before, it'll be fine."
"Okay, let's go then."
Seeing that he was determined to go, Feng Ye didn't try to persuade him any further.
Anyway, there are plenty of beds on the ship, especially on the Donglai, which has ten beds in total. Adding one or two more people wouldn't be a problem.
The two returned to the dock. The crew had returned and the supplies were ready. The Donglai then set sail and headed towards the vast sea.
There were hardly any waves today, and the boat sailed exceptionally smoothly.
Despite the blazing afternoon sun, Fang Yi stood at the bow of the ship, arms outstretched, facing the sea breeze, feeling the vastness and freedom of the ocean, his face beaming with excitement and joy.
However, less than two hours later, his happiness vanished.
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