Upon arriving in town, Feng Ye first carried a snakeskin bag to the dock, leaving the rest for Ye Qingling to guard.
His idea was to see if he knew any fishing boats and hitch a ride back home.
After all, it's already the 14th of the month, and there's a good chance that some people will come to town for the market.
If you can't find it, then you'll just have to wait for the afternoon ferry.
But to his surprise, he searched the dock but couldn't find a single familiar fishing boat. Instead, he saw his father sitting on a small, dilapidated boat, smoking.
He walked curiously to the side of the boat: "Dad, what are you doing here?"
Feng Jiaqing looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "You're back so early? I thought we'd have to wait until almost noon."
"Did you come here specifically to wait for me and A-Ling?"
"Well, I was just heading back to the island anyway, so I stopped by to wait for you guys."
"You haven't returned to the island yet? Then where did this ship come from?"
"Pah, pah, pah! Where is it damaged? How can you say your own boat is damaged?"
"What? It's yours? You bought it?"
Feng Ye seemed somewhat surprised.
Feng Jiaqing shook his head: "To be precise, this was bought by you, A-Xuan, and A-Can together."
Upon hearing his father's words, Feng Ye immediately realized: "Was this bought for delivery?"
"Well, didn't you say you wanted to buy another boat to make delivery easier? So Lao Qi and I asked around, and it just so happened that a friend of one of the vendors who sells our dried fish had a boat to sell, so we went to check it out and bought it."
"But this ship is so dilapidated."
"As long as it can be driven, it's fine. It's just for delivery, why be so demanding?"
"That's true, but is there really nothing wrong with this ship?"
Feng Ye was still a little worried.
This is a wooden boat, and it's a modified small rowboat, except that a diesel engine has been added to the stern for power.
But both the wooden boat itself and the diesel engine looked dilapidated.
"What could be wrong? I drove it back from the county, and there was no problem at all. It was just a little slow, but that's okay. We're not in a hurry."
Since his father said there was no problem, Feng Ye felt a little relieved and asked, "How much did it cost?"
Feng Jiaqing replied, "Not much, three thousand five hundred yuan."
"That's alright, it's quite cheap."
Feng Ye nodded.
A new wooden boat now costs over three thousand, while this one, though it looks dilapidated, is still usable and can easily fetch a thousand or so.
The reason it's so expensive is because of this diesel engine. Although it's also a bit old, it's still a mechanical power source, so you don't have to row hard.
I wonder if the inside of this diesel engine is like its exterior; if so, it will be a lot of work to repair later.
"By the way, we don't have enough money to buy this boat. Ah-Can borrowed 2,200 yuan from Boss Xu. Go back and give Ah-Can the portion you are owed."
"What about the other 1300 yuan? Is it for selling dried fish?"
"Well, business was pretty good today, we made a little over 1300 yuan."
"Okay, I'll give him the money when I get back. I also need to talk to him about something."
"Don't just stand there, put the things on the boat. Where are Ah Ling and my grandson?"
Feng Ye carried the burlap sack onto the boat and put it away: "There are still some things that haven't been moved over yet; they're guarding the roadside."
"And what else? Your father-in-law treats you very well; every time you go back, he brings back big bags and small packages."
“It’s actually not bad.” Feng Ye nodded. “Dad, you have to come with me. There are two large sacks of stuff that I can’t carry all at once.”
People come and go at the dock, and things are left on the boats, but generally no one touches them.
But it's different on the roadside; people might think it's unwanted and someone is just taking it.
"Then let's hurry up and move the rest of the things over, so as not to keep Ah Ling waiting too long."
Feng Jiaqing stood up, dusted himself off, and threw his nearly finished cigarette into the sea.
The two quickly left the dock and walked along the town's streets toward the intersection where Ye Qingling was.
On the way, Feng Ye still asked with some concern, "Dad, is this boat really okay? I still feel a little uneasy."
Feng Jiaqing patted his son on the shoulder and laughed, "Don't worry, although this boat looks dilapidated, Lao Qi and I have checked it carefully. The diesel engine is still usable. Besides, this isn't the first time we've sailed this kind of boat, so we know what we're doing."
"Alright then, you guys be careful. Also, when you get back, you need to find a mechanic to check it out properly, just in case something goes wrong on the way."
"You don't need to tell me that. Seventh Brother and I have our own plans."
"I'm just reminding you, don't try to save us money, we still have to spend it where it's necessary."
"Okay, I know, you don't need to be so nagging like your mother..."
The two walked quickly through the bustling street and arrived at the intersection.
Seeing that not only Feng Ye had come, but also her father-in-law, Ye Qingling was quite surprised: "Dad, what brings you to town?"
"Father came especially to wait for us..."
Feng Ye picked up a snakeskin bag and explained as he walked, also mentioning that he had bought another delivery boat.
Feng Jiaqing carried another one and followed behind them.
Upon arriving at the dock, after loading the goods onto the ship, Feng Jiaqing started the diesel engine.
With a roar, the small boat slowly sailed away from the dock and headed towards the distant White Stone Island.
To be honest, although the ship looks dilapidated, some of the planks do show signs of rot.
However, these are all minor parts that can be replaced at any time, and overall they are quite sturdy.
Moreover, the diesel engine runs smoothly without any abnormal noises.
The speed is indeed a bit slow; it probably won't even cover ten nautical miles in an hour.
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