Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Silence (Part 1)

After taking the photos, Meng Yufei asked the master to develop three photos and prepared to send one to Hai Shi.

The photos would take at least three days to be developed, so they made an appointment with the photo studio to pick them up next weekend.

Three o'clock in the afternoon, Qiongzhou City Pier.

Xia Junshan carried a snakeskin bag in one hand and held Xia Qinqin in the other, Meng Yufei carried snacks and candies wrapped in oil paper, and the family of three bought boat tickets to Nanya Island.

There were not as many people on the return ferry as in the morning, and there were still many empty seats in the cabin. After the family of three sat down, a mother and son came across from them. The mother looked to be around 40 years old, and the little boy she brought looked to be only seven or eight years old.

Since getting on the boat, the little boy has been running around in the boat pole, making a lot of noise.

When the boat started moving, Meng Yufei saw the little boy still running around in the cabin, so she said to the boy's mother sitting opposite her, "Sister, the boat is moving, you should call the child over to sit down. It's too dangerous for him to run around in the cabin."

Unexpectedly, the elder sister opposite heard this and said, "Our Shuanzi is a boy, so he is lively and active, unlike yours who is a girl and cannot understand the personality of a boy."

Meng Yufei: “…” Okay, that’s enough of my talking.

Xia Junshan frowned after hearing what the man on the other side said, and said, "If you are too active, you will annoy others. This is a public place, and your child running around like this is not only dangerous, but also brings trouble to others. We have to avoid him when we walk."

The people behind him heard it and nodded in agreement: "That's right, when I got on the boat just now, if I hadn't dodged in time, I would have been knocked into the sea by that kid."

A passenger across the aisle also complained: "When I was about to sit down, the child suddenly lay down on the seat. I almost sat down. It was so scary."

The older sister on the opposite side saw Xia Junshan wearing a military uniform and looking serious, and considering the complaints from several passengers around him, she finally stopped arguing and called the little boy back to her side.

The wind blew in the afternoon, and the ferry was swaying on the sea. Because she didn't sleep at noon, Xia Qinqin felt a little sleepy after watching the seagulls for a while. She fell asleep in Xia Junshan's arms.

Meng Yufei was enjoying the afternoon sea breeze and felt a little sleepy, so she yawned.

Xia Junshan whispered, "Lean on my shoulder and sleep for a while. We will arrive in a while."

Meng Yufei nodded and said, "Okay, call me when we're almost there." Then she leaned on Xia Junshan's shoulder and fell asleep.

When the ferry was sailing in the sea between Nanya Island and Qiongzhou Pier, it suddenly stopped.

"Hey, is the boat stopped?"

"It seems so. I feel like I can't move. What's going on?"

"It won't malfunction, will it?"

"Not really, maybe we will run into something ahead."

…

All of a sudden, all kinds of speculations were heard in the cabin. Meng Yufei was awakened by the noisy crowd and asked in a hoarse voice, "What's wrong?"

Xia Junshan explained: "The boat stopped."

Meng Yufei looked out the window. The sea was calm and the boat had indeed stopped. She asked curiously, "Why did it stop?"

"We don't know the reason yet. Let's wait a little longer. Maybe it will open soon." Xia Junshan said softly.

After waiting for about ten minutes, the boat still did not leave, and the passengers' questions and complaints became louder and louder.

"What's going on? Isn't this just wasting people's time?"

"Yeah, I still have to go back to cook."

"Just tell me what's going on. Why are you just stopping here?"

The crew on the ship came over to explain: "Don't worry, the ship is out of fuel. We have already notified the port by radio, and they have sent a ship to deliver fuel to us. Please wait a little longer, it will arrive in half an hour at most."

"What do you guys do every day? You even forget to refuel?"

"Yes, fortunately this trip is not far. If you were to go to the far sea, you would have to stop in the Pacific Ocean!"

"Don't you guys check before you sail?"

There were more people in the crowd complaining and grumbling.

Xia Qinqin also woke up, rubbed her eyes and said, "Mom, I want to go to the bathroom."

Meng Yufei said: "Okay, Mom will take you there."

Taking Xia Qinqin from Xia Junshan's arms, Meng Yufei said, "I'll take her to the toilet. You wait here for us to come back."

Xia Junshan nodded and said, "Okay, you guys go out of the cabin and walk to the end along the right-hand deck. The toilet is at the stern." Then he stood up and walked the mother and daughter to the door of the cabin, pointing to the right and said, "That's it, walk to the end along this way."

Meng Yufei smiled and said, "I understand. Go back to your seat and wait for us. You won't get lost."

Inside the cabin, many passengers got up and went to the deck to get some fresh air after hearing that the ferry would stop for another half an hour. The little boy opposite saw that his mother had fallen asleep, so he quietly slipped out.

He jogged along the deck to the rear of the stern, saw a staircase there, and climbed down curiously.

The passenger cabin is on the second floor of the ferry, and the first floor is where the ship's staff stay. There are basically few people coming to the stern. The little boy ran over by accident and saw someone at the stern.

"Uncle, what did you just throw into the sea?"

The little boy asked curiously. When the man at the stern heard the voice, his back stiffened. It was obvious that he did not expect anyone to come here. He turned around and saw a man in his early thirties with thin cheeks and a pair of sharp eyes looking at the newcomer.

Seeing that it was just a child, the man's stiff and alert expression relaxed a little. He asked, "Whose child are you and why are you here?"

The little boy was frightened by the man's fierce eyes and replied obediently: "I... my father is the captain of the island, and I - my mother and I went to the city to visit relatives..."

The man listened to the little boy impatiently and interrupted him to ask, "Shouldn't you be in the cabin on the second floor? Why are you here? Who brought you here?"

The little boy murmured, "The boat stopped... I-I sneaked out quietly, no one brought me here... I saw a staircase and climbed over."

"So you came out alone?"

"Uh, yes, yes."

Hearing that the little boy came alone, the man smiled, waved at the little boy, and said in a gentle voice: "Oh, so, uncle was just throwing candy boxes, good boy, come here, uncle will give you candy."

The little boy was frightened, and subconsciously he dared not move forward, but he did not dare to move a step, so he stood there. The man saw that he was trembling with fear, and smiled and walked over step by step.

…

After Meng Yufei helped Xia Qinqin go to the toilet, she asked her daughter to wait for her at the door.

Xia Qinqin stood at the door of the toilet, looking around curiously at the railings of the deck. She saw a staircase leading down at the stern, and she curiously stepped over to check it out. But then she thought of what her mother had just said, so she stopped and stood obediently at the door, but her eyes kept looking over there.

Plop!

There was a sound of someone falling into the water from below the stairs.

Xia Qinqin's attention was immediately attracted, and she ran over to check out curiously, but she saw a man lying on the stern railing downstairs, leaning his head and looking at the sea, not knowing what he was looking at.

Xia Qinqin hadn't looked for long when Meng Yufei came out of the bathroom and asked, "Qinqin, what are you doing there?"

Xia Qinqin turned around when she heard her mother's voice.

"Didn't I tell you to wait for me at the door? Why did you come here? It's dangerous to walk around on the boat, you know. Come on, let's go back quickly, Dad is still waiting for us in the cabin." Meng Yufei stepped forward, took Xia Qinqin's hand, and pulled her towards the cabin.

Just after they took two steps, they heard footsteps coming from the stairs behind them. Meng Yufei turned around and saw a man coming up. He looked like a staff member on the ship.

Xia Junshan was waiting for Meng Yufei and her daughter in the cabin. After a while, the elder sister woke up and found that her son was missing. She searched the cabin but couldn't find him. She was anxious and shouted loudly: "Shuanzi, Shuanzi! Our Shuanzi is missing! Has anyone seen him?"

Someone around her who knew her asked, "When did your son Shuanzi disappear?"

The eldest sister clapped her hands and said anxiously, "I don't know. I just closed my eyes for a while, and when I woke up it was gone."

"Your child Shuanzi is very naughty. Is he hiding somewhere?"

"Let's help look for it."

"Hey, could it have run away? I'll go look for it outside."

All the passengers in the cabin started to help look for the child, and Xia Junshan also got up and went out to help look for the child.

Meng Yufei looked at the man behind her and asked, "Are you a crew member on the ship?"

The man stared at Meng Yufei's face for a few seconds. Seeing that she looked calm and didn't seem to be pretending, he replied, "I'm an employee of the department store, and I specialize in delivering goods to the supply and marketing cooperatives on the island."

Meng Yufei suddenly realized, "Are you going to deliver goods to Director Zheng of the supply and marketing cooperative? This batch of goods includes toys, right?"

The man nodded and said, "Yes, we were supposed to deliver the goods this morning, but we received a list from Director Zheng yesterday. They were needed urgently, so we were asked to deliver them today. The company was out of stock of several items, so we went to the toy factory this morning to purchase them, and then we rushed to send them by boat this afternoon."

Meng Yufei said, "I asked Director Zheng to buy this toy. I'm sorry to have delayed your time."

The man said: "It doesn't matter, this is our job."

It seems she didn't see me throwing the child into the sea, the man thought to himself.

Xia Qinqin held Meng Yufei's hand tightly and carefully hid behind her mother. When she heard the man's voice, she was so scared that she pulled the corner of Meng Yufei's clothes.

Meng Yufei noticed her daughter's abnormality and said to the man, "You are busy, I will go back to the cabin first, the child's father is still waiting for us."

As he spoke, he led his daughter away from the stern of the boat and asked, "Qinqin, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Xia Qinqin turned her head and saw the person behind her getting farther and farther away. She carefully stretched out her hand and said, "Mom, come here."

Meng Yufei bent over and put her ear close to him. Xia Qinqin whispered in her ear, "Mom, that uncle just pushed the child into the sea."

Hearing this, Meng Yufei was startled. Without looking back, she calmly picked up her daughter and walked towards the cabin. Halfway there, she ran into Xia Junshan who was looking for the little boy.

Meng Yufei heaved a sigh of relief and turned around to look behind her. The man was gone and she didn't know when he left.

"Junshan, a man just came up from the first floor at the stern of the ship, and Qinqin said that the man pushed the child into the sea." Meng Yufei hurriedly told Xia Junshan the news.

When Meng Yufei heard her daughter tell her that the man pushed the child into the sea, she believed it. Qinqin couldn't have said this for no reason, and when the man came up the stairs just now, he looked at her with an inexplicable scrutiny and vigilance.

Xia Junshan had come out to help find the child. When he heard this, he immediately asked, "Where is that man?"

Meng Yufei said, "He was at the stern just now. He was wearing a blue work suit, in his early thirties, about 1.7 meters tall, and very thin."

Xia Junshan said hurriedly: "You guys go back to the cabin first, I'll go over and take a look."

Meng Yufei nodded, "Be careful."

Xia Junshan ran to the stern of the boat, went down the stairs, looked around and saw no one, but he saw a small button on the ground, which had fallen into the pile of ropes. It was invisible to ordinary people if they didn't pay attention.

Xia Junshan squatted down and picked up the button, recalling what the little boy was wearing. This was exactly the button on the boy's shirt.

He looked out to sea from the railing. The sea was very calm at the moment, with only slightly rippling waves hitting the ship. Xia Junshan immediately ran to the captain's office. Fortunately, it was on the first floor and he arrived there in just a few seconds.

"Captain, I am Xia Junshan, the commander of the 1st Regiment of the Island Force. A man just pushed a little boy into the sea. Please organize people to rescue him immediately." Xia Junshan stated his identity directly and told the story quickly.

When the captain heard that a child had fallen into the water, he was shocked and asked, "Captain Xia, is what you said true?"

Xia Junshan took out the button in his hand and said, "This is the button on the child found at the stern. Human life is at stake. Please organize a rescue immediately."

The captain said in a serious tone: "Okay, I will notify someone to go over there."

As he spoke, he took out the walkie-talkie from his pocket and shouted, "Qi Jianhua, Zheng Hongye, please go to the stern of the first floor immediately. A child has fallen into the sea. Rescue him immediately! Please reply if you get it. Please reply if you get it."

"receive."

"receive."

Two replies came from the other end of the intercom, and the captain said, "Captain Xia, don't worry, these two are the best swimmers on our ship. We have already notified them to go over."

Xia Junshan breathed a sigh of relief. He was not a good swimmer. He could swim well, but he couldn't dive into the sea to save people. He had better leave it to professionals.

He then asked, "Captain, where are the lifeboats on the ferry?"

The captain said, "They are all on the left front side of the first floor deck."

Xia Junshan said, "The child was pushed into the sea by a man. I suspect the murderer is trying to escape. Captain, please notify all passengers to return to the second-floor cabin and stay put. I will go to the lifeboat first to check."

The captain nodded and said, "Okay, I understand."

Meng Yufei brought Xia Qinqin back to the cabin. The people inside were still looking for Shuanzi. The elder sister opposite was so anxious that she kept wiping her tears and kept saying, "Shuanzi is very well behaved and won't run around... It's all my fault! Why should I sleep? It's all my fault. How can I go back and explain to his father if I lose Shuanzi... If anything happens to Shuanzi, I won't live anymore..."

Meng Yufei wanted to comfort her, but the situation was unclear. Telling her that the child fell into the sea would only make her more anxious, and the man was not found either... After thinking about it, she held Xia Qinqin and sat in her seat without saying a word.

Xia Qinqin in her arms looked up and asked, "Mom, did Dad go catch the bad guys?"

Meng Yufei touched her daughter's head and said softly, "Yes, Dad is very powerful and will definitely catch the bad guys."

"Grandpa said that Dad is a great hero." Xia Qinqin said seriously.

Meng Yufei came back to her senses at this moment and asked her daughter softly: "Qinqin, when you saw the bad guy pushing someone into the sea, why didn't you tell your mother right away?"

Xia Qinqin looked up at Meng Yufei and whispered in her ear, "Mom, I didn't see him push the child into the sea. I heard him say it."

"Heard it?" Meng Yufei was shocked. Could it be that the man had an accomplice, and Xia Qinqin heard their conspiracy? "Are there other bad guys?"

Xia Qinqin shook her head gently. "I heard what he said in his heart when my mother was talking to him."

"In your heart?" Meng Yufei was a little confused.

Xia Qinqin nodded and said seriously: "Yes, that's what he said in his heart."

Meng Yufei was speechless for a moment, thinking that Qinqin was probably frightened and subconsciously forgot what she saw. She only remembered the information that the man pushed the child into the sea, so she said she heard it.

Thinking of this, Meng Yufei patted her daughter's back with heartache.

The captain announced through the loudspeaker on the ship: "Dear passengers, please pay attention. An emergency has occurred on board. Please return to the cabin immediately. Please return to the cabin immediately."

Hearing the announcement from the loudspeaker, Meng Yufei knew that it was Xia Junshan who notified the captain. It seemed that it was highly likely that the child had fallen into the sea.

Those who heard the notice on the deck returned to the cabin one after another, curiously discussing what had happened.

"What's the emergency? Let's all go back to the cabin."

"You just went out for some fresh air. I don't know that a little boy is missing."

"Gone? No way...did it fall into the sea?"

"It's highly likely that it is, otherwise there will be some unexpected incidents."

"This parent is so careless. How could he not keep an eye on his child on the boat? Also, if the child fell into the sea, why did he call us to the cabin?"

"Who knows? I guess they're afraid someone else will fall in."

…

Xia Junshan came to the left side of the deck where the lifeboat was placed and saw a man in blue work clothes untying the rope!

Xia Junshan approached quietly. With special training, he was able to basically muffle the sound of his footsteps and walked silently behind the man.

When Meng Yufei took Xia Qinqin away, the man was still somewhat relieved that the matter had not been exposed. But when Xia Qinqin turned her head to look at him and whispered in Meng Yufei's ear, he noticed something was wrong!

He had made up his mind to catch the mother and daughter and silence them together, but when he saw men in military uniforms approaching from a distance, he immediately turned around and ran away.

He walked to the place where the lifeboat was placed, but saw two crew members there and was unable to move forward for a while.

While they were thinking about what to do, a voice came from the intercom of the two crew members, and they were called away by the captain.

The man immediately seized the opportunity to run over and untie the rope of the lifeboat.

He also heard the voice coming from the walkie-talkie just now. They had already discovered that the child had fallen into the sea. It seemed that the mother and daughter had indeed seen his actions. He didn't expect that the woman's acting skills were so good that she fooled him.

After untying the rope, he carefully lowered the lifeboat into the sea. When he heard the captain's announcement on the loudspeaker, he grinned and thought to himself: I won't go back to the cabin, I'll go first!