Wu An ate and drank well, slept for a while, and vaguely heard A Qing shouting, "The rain has stopped, and the wind has subsided."
"Brother, wake up."
Wu An woke up, rubbed his eyes, and walked out of the cabin.
Old Fu, at the helm, shouted, "We can return now!"
Wu An nodded: "Let's go."
He was eager to return home.
I don't know how things are at home.
...
At this point, not only his family, but the entire Xiaoxi Village was in chaos.
After the Chen family's trawler returned, Old Man Chen reported some bad news: Old Fu, who was working on the boat, had accidentally fallen into the water.
It wasn't that they refused to help, but that they found out too late.
In addition, their fishing boat was damaged, so they finally decided to return and report the situation first.
When the leader in charge of the rescue operation learned of this, he was shocked, fearing that someone might die!
They immediately ordered that the people be questioned separately, and the results came out quickly.
Everyone's account is consistent: the fall into the water was accidental. Old Fu is a recipient of the Five Guarantees (a government welfare program for the elderly, disabled, and orphans), and has worked on Chen's fishing boat for many years without any major conflicts with anyone.
Since no one had any motive, and since Old Fu's accident did indeed occur while he was on his way to work, it was classified as an accident.
The leaders urged that the rescue work must continue. At this point, they were no longer thinking about whether they could achieve any results from this incident; they were just happy to avoid being caught out.
Although this death wasn't caused by him, it still resulted in a death.
If he goes to report on his work, his superiors certainly won't be happy.
Upon learning that Old Fu's incident had been classified as an accident, everyone on the Chen family's fishing boat breathed a sigh of relief, except for Fu Yongning, whose expression was one of grief and indignation.
Old Fu's falling into the water was indeed an accident, but it is also true that no one came to his rescue.
In fact, everyone knows this, but no one is willing to investigate it at this time.
After all, failing to help someone in distress is neither illegal nor criminal; strictly speaking, it is a mistake.
Then again, this wasn't just one person's decision, but a collective decision made by everyone on the fishing boat. As the saying goes, the law doesn't punish everyone; at most, we can only condemn them morally and in terms of conscience!
The people from Xiaoxi Village were in charge of logistics, bringing them food and drinks, but Fu Yongning refused them. It seemed that doing so would make him feel better.
Boss Chen quickly found Chen Gui.
Although the trawler has been brought back, it can't just be thrown back into the sea and left unattended.
Upon learning this, Chen Gui looked troubled: "At a time like this, it's probably impossible to spare manpower and resources to rescue the fishing boats."
Old Chen said anxiously, "This fishing boat can't be left unattended. If we deal with it quickly, the losses will be less. I promise you a generous reward afterward."
"Putting everything else aside, your public-spiritedness and help to reduce the losses of us ordinary people deserve my gratitude. I must write a letter of thanks and send you a banner."
Upon hearing this, Chen Gui's eyes lit up.
The village is currently undergoing a leadership transition, which is a crucial time, even though he has already made arrangements with everyone involved.
However, Wu Yingwei has done so much in the village over the years and has built up a reputation. Not to mention the town, even the county knows that there is a person named Wu Yingwei in Xiaoxi Village.
At this crucial moment, if someone writes a thank-you letter and presents him with a banner, it's not only a source of pride, but it also boosts his reputation among the town leaders.
Then progress would be a sure thing.
Not to mention these obvious benefits, they can also make a quick buck behind the scenes.
Judging from the change in Chen Gui's expression, Old Chen knew that the matter was pretty much settled. After giving him the benefits, he would then say flattering words to achieve twice the result with half the effort: "Who doesn't know that you are the most resourceful person in Xiaoxi Village?"
“I didn’t ask anyone else, I only asked you, because I knew you could definitely help me.”
"If you say you can't help, then I really have no way to help you at all."
"You flatter me, you flatter me." Chen Gui rubbed his hands awkwardly and said, "Then I'll call right away to find some manpower and a crane."
"Thank you so much now." Old Chen grabbed his hand and shook it a few times. "I'll have someone go to town to make a banner right away. Can you lend me a place so I can write a thank-you letter?"
The two shook hands, and Chen Gui couldn't stop smiling.
Old Master Chen was also very happy, not only because Chen Gui was willing to help rescue the fishing boat, but also because he and Chen Gui took the opportunity to make contact.
The dock in Xiaoxi Village is quite good; his family's fishing boats usually dock here.
Previously, he would bribe the old village chief, but now that the old village chief is no longer able to perform his duties, a change of leadership is necessary.
Chen Gui is the most likely candidate to be promoted.
If he caters to Chen Gui's interests at this time and helps him out, he will naturally reap the benefits in the future.
Thanks to the rescue of the fishing boat, Chen Laoda and Chen Gui achieved a win-win situation.
Old Chen suddenly realized that throwing away all the fish caught after the fishing boat accident wasn't such a bad thing after all.
It can only be said that every cloud has a silver lining.
Chen Gui glanced at Wu Yingwei not far away and sneered inwardly, "Wu Yingwei, what do you have to fight me with?"
He's been burying himself in his work all day, and now his son's fate is still unknown.
As for me... I've already taken care of everyone from top to bottom, and I even have thank-you letters and banners. The advantage is on my side!
Chen Gui looked at the sea with anticipation in his eyes. It would be wonderful if Wu An died in the sea.
The villagers were all talking about it.
There's still no news about the second son of the Wu family.
“Even the Chen family’s trawlers have run into trouble. Wu An’s boat isn’t very big, so I’m afraid it’s probably in grave danger.”
"Who can be blamed for this? He only has himself to blame for being so greedy and daring to go out to sea in this kind of weather."
"That's right, we old fishermen don't dare to go out to sea in this kind of weather."
"Alright, you guys should stop making sarcastic remarks."
"That kid Wu An is lucky..."
Anyway, everyone had their own opinions. Sister Duan, supporting Mei Yueqin, didn't say anything discouraging at this time, but kept saying nice things to comfort Mei Yueqin and Li Juan.
They say no news is good news, and that good fortune will surely come their way...
Mei Yueqin couldn't hear a single word of what they were saying; she was terrified and kept crying while wiping away her tears.
Li Juan is a little better, but her eyes are still very red.
Wu Yingwei was smoking, and the ground beneath him was covered in cigarette butts.
Upon learning that the rescue ship was going out to sea, Mei Yueqin asked, "Dad, can you go with it?"
Wu Yingwei shook his head and said stiffly, "I'd rather not cause trouble at a time like this."
Mei Yueqin wiped away her tears: "But, but..."
Wu Yingwei kept a straight face and didn't say anything.
He'd like to go too.
Even if he offered to go along, he knew the other party wouldn't agree.
Even as Mei Yueqin cried and wailed, he couldn't say anything.
Is it comforting?
He himself also needs comforting.
As the wind and waves subsided, the rescue boat set sail. At the same time, the leadership was also contacting helicopters for rescue, planning to launch the rescue operation simultaneously.
We haven't seen a rescue operation of this scale in several years.
No one expected that such a not particularly large storm would cause such a serious shipwreck.
It just goes to show that things are unpredictable.
The weather at sea is unpredictable and difficult to anticipate.
Those who make a living at sea, who doesn't risk their lives?
Nobody was optimistic. To put it bluntly, going to rescue them now was just doing our best and leaving the rest to fate.
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