Back To the Small Fishing Village In 1982

Father Ye put down his chopsticks and responded, "We’ll set sail for the sheltered harbor now."

This boat has just been repaired, and it's their family's treasure, so they can't afford to lose it easily.

Although, based on past experience, it's just the beginning of July and there shouldn't be any major typhoons, it's better to be cautious. They can't afford to take the risk.

"Dad, let me go with you!"

"Want to slack off and not do any work?" Father Ye glanced at him sideways.

"Where did you get that idea? Haven't you seen how hardworking I've been these past few days? The sheltered harbor shouldn't be far away. Take me there and let me learn a thing or two, and while we're at it, teach me how to sail along the way."

The sheltered harbor is in their town's waters, it is quite close. Taking him to see it shouldn't be a problem, so after giving it some thought, Father Ye nodded in agreement.

Ye Yaodong followed Father Ye to sail the boat, while the others continued their work at the homestead. There was no impact on the land, with the sun still shining high in the sky and even a lack of wind.

It wasn't until he got on the boat that he felt that the typhoon was really coming. The waves on the sea surface were rolling, creating layer upon layer of foam.

There were also many small wooden boats, only a few meters long, floating on the sea surface, reminiscent of ancient small flat-bottomed boats.

The boatman was exerting all his strength to row the boat, presumably heading towards the sheltered harbor. Ye Yaodong watched with anxiety, fearing that a wave might come crashing in and overturn the boat. Fortunately, the boat was relatively large and equipped with a motor and other propulsion systems, so it was not manually rowed.

In this era, these types of small wooden boats are still quite common. It will take a few more years before they are gradually phased out. The small boats used for leisure activities in future parks will be much more advanced than this.

"Dad, since we're already heading to the sheltered harbor, why not cast a net? Let's not waste the opportunity. If we can catch some small fish and shrimp, we can use them for cooking."

"Um."

In order to make the most of the opportunity, Father Ye spent the entire journey teaching him how to operate the boat, how to cast the net, and even let him have a try at driving...

He pretended to listen attentively and followed along, but couldn't help but say, "Dad, Ah Guang already taught me a few days ago!"

"So you’re saying if someone taught you once, you already know everything and don't need to learn anymore?"

"Uh... no, you have more experience. You continue talking..."

Father Ye didn't raise the net until they were close to the sheltered harbor.

"Oh? There's quite a catch! I see a big blue crab!"

After emptying the catch, Ye Yaodong first picked out the shrimp and crabs, then sorted through them. "Yellowfin, blackfin, spring fish, water grain fish, small snapper, sea eel, small squid, small pipefish... They're quite plump, and their bellies are full of roe... Dad, just dragging for a while, this net is quite good!"

"Well, it's probably because of the typhoon. These seafood were swept in by the waves."

This net is not in vain.

After collecting everything, the boat finally entered the sheltered harbor.

The sheltered harbor is a port without loading and unloading facilities. Its sole purpose is to provide protection for boats during storms by serving as a shelter from strong winds and waves.

In their town, there are three ports where boats dock: Yujing, Yangtou, and Hengshan. Among them, Hengshan is the longest and narrowest, stretching about 3 kilometers from the anchorage to the mouth of the sea. Additionally, there is a standard seawall on the southern bank for further protection. During typhoons, the boats docked in this harbor are relatively safe.

Within the narrow and elongated sheltered harbor, which is only a few hundred meters wide, boats of various sizes are closely arranged side by side as far as Ye Yaodong's eyes can see.

Looking around, apart from the wind turbines on some small fishing boats spinning madly to generate power, the rest of the fishing boats have been securely fastened and remain motionless.

After securing the boat in place, Father Ye also took measures to fasten it, and then he asked him to gather the goods before going ashore together and heading home.

Ye Yaodong carried a bucket of fish as he walked on the gravel road. Seeing a bus passing by beside him, he stretched his neck to look and couldn't help but frown, "Dad, can't we take a bus? It's much faster. It won't take ten minutes to get home, but we have to walk for a long time."

"What kind of bus do you want to take? Your legs are so precious, just a few steps. It'll only take an hour to walk home."

An hour, huh? He sighed, realizing just how capable human legs are.

For the younger generation, their legs are truly precious. Even in the village, they would ride an electric scooter for a five-minute walk.

Yaodong followed behind his father, and his legs were almost numb by the time they arrived home.

Father Ye picked out the valuable goods that could be sold and put them in a separate bucket. "Go and fetch your mother to help with cleaning the fish. While you're at it, lend a hand with the work. I'll take these to sell."

Can't you let him sit down and take a rest for a while to catch his breath?

The old lady spoke up from the side, "What's the rush? Take a break and drink. I just brewed a pot of tea, and it needs to cool down. It'll be perfect for Yaodong to carry over later."

Glancing at them, Father Ye didn't say much and simply grabbed the bucket, heading out the door first.

In the morning, the sun was shining brightly, but in the afternoon, dark clouds started drifting in, causing the sky to become overcast. However, as evening approached, a beautiful sunset appeared as the sun went down, followed by a sky filled with colorful evening clouds. The weather during a typhoon can be so unpredictable.

From the formation of a typhoon to its landfall, there is usually a period of several days. Coastal cities are affected to varying degrees based on the trajectory of the typhoon.

It alternated between cloudy and sunny for two days until the third day, when dark clouds gathered and heavy rain started. Construction work at the homestead also came to a halt, and they had to wait until the typhoon passed before resuming work.

After finishing breakfast, Ye Yaodong felt bored and squatted in the corridor near the door, observing the unpredictable weather. It was raining heavily when he had just finished breakfast, but now the sun was shining again?

The children in the house couldn't stay still either. As soon as they saw that the rain had stopped, they all rushed out to stomp in the puddles. Ye Yaodong scolded them a few times but couldn't stop them, and he was too lazy to bother. After all, if they got wet and received a beating together later, it wouldn’t be his problem.

"Ah Qing, it's not raining now. Do you want to go for a walk on the beach?" He shouted to Lin Xiuqing, who was weaving a net inside the house.

"Why go to the beach on a typhoon day? You'll just get swept away by the waves."

"The tide is receding. It's fine now, and the sun is out. Let's go..."

"I'm busy..."

"You can weave fishing nets anytime, let’s walk around and watch the waves." He pulled her up while talking.

With so many people in the house, it wasn't a good sight to see them arguing and pulling each other. Lin Xiuqing had no choice but to go along with him, complaining a few times about being delayed from her work and such…

As a result, as soon as they came out of the house, they saw a group of children playing in the puddles, which instantly made her furious. "Eldest Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, these little rascals are playing in the water and getting all wet."

Two figures rushed out of the house immediately, and in no time, the sound of children's screaming could be heard.

After Lin Xiuqing finished scolding the children and changing their clothes, she was once again pulled by Ye Yaodong towards the beach.

As they walked, she complained, "On such a stormy day, it's going to rain again soon. Why did you drag me out? Why can't we stay away from the beach? Everyone else is staying indoors, but you insist on going outside..."

"Stop nagging. I'm taking you for a stroll to see if there's anything to pick up."

"What are we going to pick up? How do you know there's something to pick up?"

"You'll know once we go and see."

"We didn't bring a bucket..."

"I have a sack in my pocket!"

(end of this chapter)

***

Ah Dong's legs: ...what has this precious baby ever done to you (｀^´ )

Ooo, Ah Dong's a snitch. Let's hope the kids ain't like the diabolical kids we see on the news.

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