After everyone’s surprise faded, Ye Yaodong headed into the house, planning to take a shower and tidy up his tools.
"Aqing, can you cook me a bowl of noodles? I need to head out early," he said.
"Oh," Lin Xiuqing replied, immediately setting aside her work to prepare the noodles.
She already knew he intended to visit the deserted island to search the sea, so she was fully supportive of his decision.
The other two sisters-in-law were unaware of his plans to search the sea and exchanged glances after hearing he was eating early.
They couldn’t help but roll their eyes, thinking he had suddenly become helpful, only to hear he was heading out right after breakfast.
Ye's mother had intended to scold him a bit, but seeing how the couple was getting along, and realizing her son had already dashed into the house, her words caught in her throat.
She could only mutter a few complaints under her breath.
After finishing his noodles, Ye Yaodong grabbed a bucket and stuffed his tools inside, alongside a burlap sack.
He hurriedly made his way to the pier.
The women of the Ye family busied themselves washing rice and picking vegetables.
They planned to have an early lunch today before heading out to search the sea.
Tomorrow, construction would begin on their house, and they would need to prepare a large quantity of food to support the work, so it was important for them to gather enough clams to help save some expenses.
Everyone focused on their tasks, none noticed when Ye Yaodong left with his search tools.
When he arrived at the pier with his bucket, Xiao Xiao and Azheng were already there.
"How did you get here so fast?" he asked, surprised.
"A man cannot say he’s slow. We just arrived a moment ago; Agong went to start the boat."
"Wait for me; I’ll go buy diesel."
"You still need to buy diesel? Agong didn’t mention it. I didn’t bring any money."
Azheng checked his pockets, "I didn’t bring any either..."
Ye Yaodong smiled, "No worries, I have some money with me. Just keep an eye on the bucket while I go buy it."
Agong, feeling considerate, kept quiet about how he had rented the boat; otherwise, they all would have brought some money along.
Near the pier there was a small shed that not only repaired boat machinery but also sold diesel.
Ye Yaodong bought just one yuan’s worth—enough for their trip and a little extra to pay the shopkeeper.
Once he finished buying the diesel, Xiao Xiao ran over, "Are we ready? Agong has brought the boat to the shore. Once you’ve bought it, we’ll board."
“Ready, let’s go.”
Carrying a small jug of diesel, he followed them onto the boat.
As soon as his foot touched the deck, he felt a slight rocking, but it didn’t bother him; his heart settled a bit.
He handed the diesel to Agong and said, “Pour it in. It’s only a fifteen-minute ride to the island, so I only bought this jug. It should be enough for several trips.”
“Yeah, that’s enough. Let’s head off.”
Before long, the machine began to sputter, and the boat slowly drifted away from the dock.
Everyone sat on small benches, chatting casually, but Ye Yaodong’s face grew paler as they ventured farther into the sea.
Surrounded by water, with only a small boat bobbing in the vast ocean, he couldn't shake the thought of being overpowered by the waves and drowning...
That suffocating feeling lingered in his mind despite his wish to ignore it; now that they were in the middle of the sea, it was hard not to remember.
Just two days ago, when he had been on the rocks fishing for oysters, he had focused completely on the rocks, feeling relaxed with his feet in the water, but now, adrift in the sea, anxiety had taken hold of him.
While everyone was laughing and joking, Azheng noticed Ye Yaodong sitting quietly, his face lacking color, and couldn’t help but ask, “Dongzi, what’s wrong? No way, are you seasick?”
“No, I… you won’t believe it, but I might be.”
“Seriously? You’re seasick already?”
“How long have we been out? This is too much!”
The others stared at him in disbelief.
A local sea dweller actually got seasick? It would be a real joke if this got out.
Ye Yaodong wiped the sweat off his forehead, “I only went on my grandpa’s boat as a kid. I haven’t been on one in years. Please don’t laugh. How much longer until we reach shore?”
Agong, with an amused expression, replied, “We’re heading to the deserted island across from us; it should take about ten minutes. Just hold on; it won’t take long.”
He nodded, but his heart continued to race.
The boat sped across the ocean, ripples radiating outwards, yet he found himself unable to look at the horizon or close his eyes.
Staring at the distant mountains did little to help; his complexion remained pale.
Ye Yaodong felt frustrated; why did he have to end up drowning out here? As someone who relied on the sea for a living, how could he continue if he drowned?
As they neared the deserted island, his condition showed no signs of improving.
Biting his lip, he steeled himself...
“What are you doing? Why are you taking off your clothes?” Agong asked, confused by his actions. “Swimming?”
“You’re going in for a swim?” Xiao Xiao’s eyes lit up, find a swim on a hot day refreshing, “I’ll go with you. We could swim to the other shore!”
Azheng chimed in excitedly, “I want to go swimming too! Let’s race to see who reaches the other side first!”
Saying this, both hastened to strip off their clothes, while Agong could only regretfully steer the boat, “Once we reach the island, I want to swim too!”
Watching their playful actions eased Ye Yaodong’s anxiety.
With them swimming alongside him, he couldn’t drown, and perhaps facing his fear of the sea this way was the remedy he needed.
“Just don’t swim too fast! Remember to wait for me. Otherwise, if I cramp up and drown, I’ll come find you in the middle of the night!”
Azheng rolled his eyes, “So useless yet still so pretty!”
“That pretty face is something you can’t even dream of having.” After speaking, seeing how close they were to shore, Ye Yaodong jumped into the water first.
As soon as he hit the water, that familiar suffocating sensation drowned him, and he suddenly forgot how to swim.
His mind went blank; his arms and legs flailed erratically as he sank straight to the bottom.
Xiao Xiao and Azheng, who had been preparing to jump, saw him struggling and quickly jumped in after him, circling around Ye Yaodong, watching him with closed eyes, still fighting but not showing signs of choking, so they quickly pulled him out of the water.
The sudden rush of fresh air allowed him to gasp for breath; being saved felt indescribably refreshing.
Opening his eyes and using their strength to help him stay afloat, he quickly found his bearings and began to paddle, the panic within him starting to fade.
“What were you doing? Why were you still sinking? Were you really going to drown?”
“I… I cramped up! The moment I jumped in, my leg seized up!”
Everyone: What a coincidence???
A prophecy???
A foretelling of doom???
(End of Chapter)