"Aunt Wang, shall we play chess?" Zhang Hongmei mainly wanted to distract Wang Xinyi because she saw that Wang Xinyi was too nervous.
Wang Xinyi shook her head. "No, if the wind picks up soon, there will be big waves, and we won't be able to play chess at all."
Zhang Hongmei felt this wouldn't work; Wang Xinyi was too nervous. Seeing her like this actually calmed her down.
He took out two books and handed one to Wang Xinyi, saying, "Since that's the case, then read a book. Otherwise, there's no point in you sitting here so restlessly. Why don't you do something else to distract yourself?"
Wang Xinyi took the book, mainly because she was too embarrassed to refuse, but how could she possibly read it? However, half an hour later, the boat was still moving forward at a steady speed. Although she felt a bit swaying, nothing else happened. Looking at the young girl, she was quietly leaning against the wall reading, looking very relaxed. So, she gradually relaxed and calmed down a lot.
Suddenly hearing a pattering sound, Zhang Hongmei looked out the small window. It was raining. Looking at the raindrops, each the size of a bean, Zhang Hongmei began to worry.
The wind wasn't very strong, and the waves didn't affect the speed, but the raindrops were quite large. Hopefully, there won't be any more strong winds.
The boat continued its journey, but Zhang Hongmei heard nothing. She guessed everyone was scared and holed up in their rooms. Actually, that was for the best; they were all rational people. There were no hysterical cries or screams, so even though they were tense and afraid, they didn't panic.
Human emotions are easily contagious, so everyone holds back. That way, even if something goes wrong, they can face and resolve it rationally. People often say mistakes are made because of being busy, and it's often true. This relatively calm approach increases the chances of avoiding danger.
This time is really hard to endure; ten minutes feels like a whole day. The raindrops haven't gotten any bigger or denser, which is a good thing.
Zhang Hongmei secretly breathed a sigh of relief and continued reading.
Wang Xinyi almost cried tears of joy. Was this it? Thank God!
And that was indeed the case. Xiao Wanxiang breathed a huge sigh of relief. Everyone on this ship was an elite; there was no room for error.
The decision to speed things up was the right one. It's unexpected that the clueless young mistress actually guessed correctly; that's true luck! Unbeknownst to Zhang Hongmei, she was once again hailed as a lucky charm.
The rain stopped, and everyone on this trip came to the deck. They had been told not to come out when it rained, but now that the ship felt stable and the rain had stopped, they dared to come out.
Everyone wore expressions of relief and joy, as if they had just escaped a disaster.
Now they're finally feeling scared. Especially Zhao Yuetong and Miao Xinyue, the two girls, they're even a little unsteady on their feet.
When I saw Zhang Hongmei in the corridor, I rushed over and started crying.
Zhang Hongmei put her arms around the two of them, saying, "It's all over now, don't be afraid."
Wang Xinyi was also trying to persuade them, and the other three girls came over, all with terrified expressions, especially Jiang Mingyan, whose eyes were red.
“Let’s go up to the deck for some fresh air. Go and see for yourselves, it’s really over.”
"Chairman, you don't know, the ship was rocking so badly back then, I was almost scared to death. I thought I wouldn't be able to go abroad, and I would never see my parents again. I thought I was really finished this time." Miao Xinyue spoke incoherently.
Several girls came onto the deck. Now all the men were there, and the six girls went to the other side. Zhang Hongmei was now their pillar of support.
Xiao Wanxiang was very satisfied with Zhang Hongmei's calm demeanor; she truly had the bearing of a great general.
"Senior Miao, you can just call me Hongmei. Don't be afraid. Life is full of ups and downs. It's all over now."
Zhang Hongmei pointed to the sea and said, "Look, everyone, how calm it is now? I think what happened just now was nothing to those sailors. We were scared because we've never experienced anything like this before."
Following Zhang Hongmei's guidance, the girls looked towards the sea. The azure ocean was like a mirror; who could have imagined the huge waves that had just crashed? The girls finally understood the impermanence of life.
"Hongmei, aren't you scared?" Zhao Yuetong asked, looking at the calm Zhang Hongmei with a puzzled expression.
"I was scared too, but I knew being scared was useless. I know the saying, 'In haste makes waste,' meaning that when people are flustered, they make mistakes they shouldn't have made. So I told myself I had to stay calm. Even if there was real danger, I had to stay calm so I would have a chance. Don't you agree?"
The five girls stared blankly at Zhang Hongmei's words, and after thinking about it carefully, they realized that it was indeed true.
Through this incident, even those who initially looked down on Zhang Hongmei changed their attitudes. She was the youngest among them, and although Zhang Hongmei was well-known, it was only through hearsay that they truly understood the gap between them.
Unconsciously, the girls' hearts drew even closer to Zhang Hongmei.
This incident made more than ten students studying abroad realize the unpredictability of life. They used to live among people, but this time they began to fear the power of nature. It was too terrifying.
Xiao Wanxiang noticed that the young men seemed a bit off. "Are you scared?"
Several people looked up at him, but no one answered.
"You're scared already? You guys have really been spoiled since you were little. Men should have courage. Even if it's scary, you should have the spirit to face it."
His words failed to lift the spirits of most people. The only exception was Zeng Zhongkang, who had been observing Zhang Hongmei. He found it particularly interesting that this young girl could comfort everyone after the incident. Wasn't she afraid? Could she remain so calm in the face of life and death?
What an interesting little girl! Observing her behavior, it doesn't seem like the behavior of a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl at all; she's too mature.
Because of this accident, Xiao Wanxiang specifically ordered that they be taken fishing. The men then perked up a bit.
Zhang Hongmei overheard this as well. "Are they going fishing? Should we give it a try? It wouldn't be a waste of all the days we've spent at sea."
"Hongmei, you really want to go? You're quite the adventurer." Miao Xinyue was genuinely a little envious of Zhang Hongmei's boldness.
“Let’s give it a try. It’s really great to experience fishing at sea. I’m afraid you’ll regret it if you don’t participate. It’ll be a precious memory to say that you’ve fished at sea.”
"Okay, I'll go."
"Let's go too."
Zhang Hongmei smiled and said, "That's how it should be. What's done is done, and we have to move on, right?"
Zeng Zhongkang, who was not far away, also smiled.
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