It was past 1 p.m. when we got back to the Dongtou Village Wharf.
The sun hung high in the sky, and its rays shone on the shimmering sea, as if draping the area in a golden cloak.
The Xuri ship docked steadily at the pier in Dongtou Village, creating a beautiful scene with the surrounding scenery.
It was high tide, allowing the Asahi to dock directly without having to stop in the middle of the sea.
Even if we run aground when the tide goes out, it doesn't matter, since we're not planning to go out to sea today anyway.
There were only a handful of fishing boats docked at the pier.
These are all lucky boats that had a very good catch, which is why they came back early. Otherwise, they would usually haul in one or two more nets before heading back.
The people at the dock were no longer surprised that Feng Ye and his group had bought a second-hand trawler; the news had already spread throughout the village.
Feng Ye wanted to keep a low profile, so he told his family not to spread the word and also asked A-Can to tell his family not to make a fuss about it.
However, since there were construction workers working at his house, the news naturally spread.
At the dock, when the villagers saw Feng Ye and his group disembarking from the Xuri, they all greeted them and came forward to congratulate them.
"Ah Ye, you've brought the boat back already. This boat is nice, when are you going to try it out to sea?" a middle-aged man asked with a smile.
"Let's wait until tomorrow. Let's prepare today," Feng Ye replied.
The three agreed to meet at around 4 a.m. to go out to sea, and then they went their separate ways.
Ah-chan went home to prepare, while the Feng brothers went to the new house to help. They couldn't do much else, but passing bricks around was something they could manage.
In the afternoon, Xiao Guowen and Xiao Guowu came looking for them.
"Wow, you guys actually bought a metal boat without saying a word, that's awesome."
"You guys are so unfair! You didn't even tell us beforehand. We found out from someone else."
Feng Ye stood up, shook his head and laughed, "It's not a new ship, just a second-hand one, there's no need to make a fuss about it everywhere."
“That’s different. This isn’t the small wooden boat in front of you; it’s a trawler.”
"Damn it, they changed ships so quickly. My dad said he'd buy a ship, but there's still no sign of it. If we'd known, we would have teamed up with Ah-Can instead of giving you this chance."
Xiao Guowen made a joke with a grin.
"Regret it now, huh? Too late, you've missed your chance on this ship."
Feng Ye continued speaking, looking smug.
"cut……"
The two brothers simultaneously gave Feng Ye the middle finger.
After a while of commotion, Xiao Guowen said, "Let's get down to business. Have you checked the dates? When are you planning to set sail?"
"Tomorrow is an auspicious day. We've already made arrangements to set off at four in the morning."
"Going out at four o'clock? Aren't you going to set off some firecrackers to celebrate?"
"It's a second-hand ship, so it doesn't matter."
"That won't do. It's a trawler that's over ten meters long. How can we not celebrate and wish for good luck?"
Xiao Guowu chimed in, "That's right. Even though it's secondhand, it's still your new ship. Now that it has a new owner, it should have all the necessary features."
Goodness, these two are even more enthusiastic than Feng Ye. If you didn't know better, you'd think they were the brothers who bought the boat.
"We've already made an appointment, it wouldn't be right to change the time, would it?"
Feng Xuan and A-Can originally planned to hold a ceremony, but Feng Ye persuaded them to stop.
He really disliked these kinds of ritualistic things.
Xiao Guowen thought for a moment and said, "Then how about this, my brother and I will buy a string of firecrackers and send them to your house. You can set them off yourselves when you go out to sea tomorrow."
"All right."
Feng Ye had no choice but to accept it.
After chatting for a few more minutes, the two brothers left.
When I got home from work in the evening, I found more than ten strings of firecrackers piled up in the corner of the main room.
Feng Ye didn't ask any more questions. He only needed to remember that Xiao Guowen and Xiao Guowu had given him gifts; his parents would take care of the rest.
With my parents around, the family's social obligations are not something I need to deal with yet.
...
Feng Ye was woken up at four in the morning.
Besides Feng Xuan, even Feng Jiaqing and his wife got up.
Xiao Chunxiu even cooked a meal for the two brothers.
The two brothers ate their meal in a hurry, and when they went to the yard, they saw that the cart was already full of ten baskets of longline fishing rods.
These were the longline catches that the two of them had originally placed in the sea, five baskets each. After they went out to sea on the ninth day of the lunar new year, they brought them all back, sorted them, and dried them.
To raise money for the boat, Feng Xuan had already sold his small wooden boat, which was taken away by the buyer when he returned from his voyage on the ninth day of the lunar new year.
Feng Ye's boat is not for sale yet; he plans to keep it for the Feng family to collect fish traps and for transferring catches when the large boat cannot dock at low tide.
In addition, there were firecrackers, fresh water, food for the two brothers, and bait for longline fishing.
The two brothers, carrying headlamps and with Feng Jiaqing holding a flashlight, pushed a cart toward the dock. Xiao Chunxiu stayed at home and did not go with them.
The village was relatively quiet, but it was a different story when we got to the dock. Headlamps were flashing everywhere, and there was a lot of talking.
What a lively scene!
Fishing boats of all sizes were moored at the pier. Several were slowly sailing away from the pier, while others had already drifted out to sea and were heading to more distant waters.
Ah-Can was already waiting on the boat, and the baskets and buckets he brought had already been loaded onto the boat.
Perhaps because it was his first time going to sea, his father also came to the dock, with about ten strings of firecrackers beside him.
Feng Ye and Feng Xuan called him "Uncle" and then busied themselves carrying things onto the boat.
Then the group happily set off firecrackers on the dock, string after string.
The early morning hours are usually quiet, but the sound of firecrackers going off at this time is exceptionally loud, and it's unknown how many sleeping villagers they will wake up.
Feng Jiaqing and A-Can's father were both beaming with joy.
Buying a boat is a big deal; for people living by the sea, it's no less important than building a house.
Those who had not yet set sail came forward to offer their blessings, generously saying all sorts of good things.
Feng Jiaqing and A-Can's father both felt honored, their faces beaming as they responded to the congratulations.
The two elders took care of things on shore. After setting off the firecrackers, Feng Ye and the other two sailed out to sea in the Rising Sun.
The ship's name was chosen yesterday afternoon by Ah-chan's dad.
Feng Xuan was steering the boat, while Feng Ye and A Can were baiting the longline fish.
Ten baskets of longline fishing, totaling a thousand hooks, and baiting them all is a rather time-consuming task.
The Rising Sun had been cutting through the waves for nearly two hours when it was already bright daylight and the sun had risen above the horizon. Only then did the two of them manage to bait the hook.
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