Chapter 1205: The original intention was good

After Ye Yaodong changed his clothes and came out, everyone was standing on the deck chatting, their flashlights all aimed at the sea surface behind them.

Although the tide was rising, the fishing boats were too large to get any closer to the beach. If they continued toward the shore, the water would be too shallow, and they wouldn't be able to move forward. This wasn't a deep-water port, so they could only anchor in the middle of the sea.

Not even a shadow of the gray whale behind them could be seen, but everyone knew it was underwater; once the tide receded, it would naturally be revealed.

Once the tide receded, their fishing boats would also be grounded, and they wouldn't be able to move until the next high tide.

When he came out of the cabin, his father and the others were still there discussing; there was still cargo on the boats that needed to be taken to be sold.

Although the quantity wasn't large, it still had to be sent off to be sold.

"Dad, let's send one boat to the pier to dock. We'll sell the cargo first and then come back. It's already dark anyway."

"That's what we were discussing too. We have to sell the cargo first no matter what. The tide hasn't receded yet, so the fish won't be grounded. It's the middle of the night; showing treasures to a blind man is pointless."

"Then whose boat is going back?"

"We just said my boat will go back. You and your father-in-law can go on the Shunfeng boat. We sold cargo yesterday anyway, and there isn't much left. It won't take two hours to sell it all and come back. We can still get a good sleep when we return and wait for dawn."

Ye Yaodong had no objections. "Since it's been decided, let's do it that way."

"I'll stay on your boat to keep watch. Your eldest brother and second brother will go with you to sell the cargo."

"Fine."

"Are you alright after going into the water a few times? Did you catch a cold?"

"A bit of a stuffy nose and runny nose. I'm going home tomorrow anyway, so I'll just take some medicine when I get back. I'm going to wake up Ah Yuan and take him along; it's a good chance to send him back."

"Go ahead. Don't bring him next time. He's someone else's child, and he wasn't specifically invited to work. It's too dangerous to bring him out to sea."

"Understood, I've learned my lesson."

Ye Yaodong instructed the crew to move all the cargo out of the fish hold, and he went into the cabin himself to call Lin Guangyuan.

He only called out twice with no response, and that was when he sensed something was wrong. He touched his forehead and found it was burning hot.

"He has a fever? No wonder he didn't have much of a reaction all day."

He had woken him up at noon to eat, and then he lay back down. He thought he hadn't slept enough, and he had been busy with the gray whale all afternoon, so he hadn't had time to come in and check on him.

It was likely that he was frightened during the life-and-death moment, and since it was a cold day and he was soaked in so much water, he developed a fever after coming up, but he didn't dare to say anything.

When it came down to it, he was still just a teenager who hadn't experienced much.

Ye Yaodong shook him, calling out while shaking him, before he finally woke the person up.

"Little Uncle-in-law..."

"You have a fever. I'll go pour you a cup of hot water. Don't lie back down. Drink some hot water, put your clothes on, and we'll send you back once we dock."

"Okay."

Seeing that he couldn't muster any strength for a long time, Ye Yaodong helped Lin Guangyuan put on his clothes, then supported him outside and let the crew help him first.

He still had to go to the other boats to look at the cargo they had lifted out, keep what he wanted, and move the rest to be sold.

After a busy round, all the cargo was moved onto the Shunfeng, each person's cargo stacked separately. Then, taking advantage of the rising tide, they hurriedly backed the boats out and headed toward the pier.

"Little Uncle-in-law, can I still come with you after I go back and take medicine?"

"Are you looking to die?"

Lin Guangyuan grinned. "No..."

"No what? You almost died once, and you're still thinking about coming with me?"

"I want to see that big whale. I didn't expect the fish to just die like that. I don't even know what it looks like or how big it is. I didn't see anything just now."

"Oh, as long as you don't go out to sea with me, seeing the fish is fine."

"Then I'll go back with you first. You go to the market to sell the cargo, and call me when you're done."

"Fine, as long as you can get up."

"I'm strong and healthy."

"Pfft, a weakling. I was soaked in the water for a long time too, and I didn't catch a cold. Ah-choo..."

"Hahaha..." Lin Guangyuan laughed until he was out of breath.

Ye Yaodong rubbed his nose, feeling that he had been slapped in the face too quickly.

"What's so funny?"

After dropping that line, he put his hands behind his back and looked toward the pier and harbor ahead.

It was dark, but there were even more fishing boats. The twinkling lights in the distance were gradually enlarging.

There were only small motorized boats and sailboats at the pier, but as their fishing boats docked to move cargo, many other fishing boats were slowly docking as well.

Ye Yaodong was surprised to see a fresh-catch transport boat, its entire deck packed full of cargo, stacked high, and they had even hired a few people at the pier to help unload.

He paid attention and took a few extra looks.

Pei Fu smiled and said, "Didn't you also order a fresh-catch transport boat? When can you sail it back?"

"Heh, I still have to wait half a year. I've been busy these past few months and haven't had time to check on the shipyard. I'll go check the progress in a few days after the New Year break."

"Impressive. Ah Guang can't compare to you. And this boat of mine will also be handed over to Ah Guang. I'll still need you and your father to help keep an eye on things then."

"What are you saying? I've just been going out to sea and working more, while Ah Guang has worked less. He has the life of a young master, while I have the life of a laborer."

"Nonsense. He's not as capable as you, so I can only help out more. If he were as capable as you, as skilled as you, and as quick-witted as you, I would have handed the boat over to him long ago, instead of waiting until now—he's almost 30 and still needs people to help him."

Ye Yaodong smiled and didn't say anything.

This was also a kind of happiness! Having an old father protecting you from behind.

Although his own father was a bit utilitarian, it was all for the sake of his own family; his love for his son was no less than anyone else's.

"Hurry up and move the cargo. If we sell it early, we can still get some sleep when we get back."

"There's not much cargo today, we'll be done selling it very soon."

After Ye Yaodong went ashore, he looked around but didn't see Wang Guangliang; he had probably already finished collecting the cargo and left.

They had wasted too much time in the afternoon. If they had come back earlier, they could have docked before dawn, and he could have had him go back to notify his family in advance.

They didn't have much cargo, and a large portion of it had been claimed by Ye Yaodong. The cargo of the three of them was hauled away in one tractor, stacked high.

The baskets used to hold the cargo all had their own marks, so there was no fear of them getting mixed up.

After arriving at the market, Ye Yaodong told Lin Guangyuan to go back and sleep first.

"When dawn breaks, just take your second uncle's tractor to the pier. I won't specifically call you. If you can't get up, don't come."

"I have to! I haven't even seen such a big whale yet, I definitely have to go see it."

"We'll see if you can get up first. You still have a fever. Go, go, hurry home. It's just across the road, I won't send you off."

"Okay, I can walk back myself, it's just that short distance."

"Hmm."

It was just across from the market, so there was no need to send him off. The market was brightly lit now, and the road was quite bright too, so he wouldn't fall into a ditch.

After sending Lin Guangyuan away, Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua also pulled over two flatbed carts.

They put the cargo basket by basket onto the flatbed carts and pulled them into the market, making a few trips back and forth before they were done.

With only a few thousand jin of cargo, it sold very quickly. It wasn't even 10 o'clock yet, and they were already done selling and coming out.

After coming out, they headed straight for a newly opened restaurant on the edge of the market to fill their stomachs first.

As long as there were people, there was popularity. Now there were all kinds of shops around the market, especially small eateries related to seafood.

The market had both night and morning sessions. There was money to be made, and there were people working desperately at any time of day.

Moreover, some boat captains who had just sold their cargo had money in their hands and were willing to take their subordinates out for a good meal.

The restaurants around here had opened one after another over the past year, and business was booming even in the middle of the night.

Ye Yaodong was even pondering when to call Fatty over to open a branch.

It was just that he had been too busy these past few months and hadn't stayed at home for long, and Fatty was mostly in town, so the chances of the two of them meeting were very slim.

Although he was a cook, he didn't necessarily have to be a cook; he could also be a boss. He didn't have to do everything himself; he could just hire a chef to work in his restaurant.

But the New Year was coming soon, so he should be able to catch him; he had to go and incite him a bit.

Fatty should be happy with this suggestion, and he wouldn't chase him to beat him up... right?

If his brothers got rich, he would be happy too, after all, he would get rich too.

After they had a satisfying meal, Ye Yaodong packed a few simple, easy-to-carry dishes to take back.

In this day and age, there were no takeout boxes, only aluminum lunch boxes. How could they carry aluminum lunch boxes everywhere? These things weren't cheap, and not everyone had one.

He could only look for dishes that were simple, could be wrapped in newspaper, and were dry and easy to carry to pack a few.

When they got back on the vehicle to head to the pier, Pei Fu couldn't help but ask, "Tomorrow morning, should we make another phone call to contact the leaders?"

"Yeah, where would we find people in the middle of the night? Don't be so anxious, we can only contact them during office hours."

"Oh, I hope we didn't bring it back for nothing."

"Go back and get a good sleep first."

He had slept for most of the day today, but he still felt a bit dizzy. He didn't know if he really had a cold, so he would just have to drink more plain hot water when he got back.

The pier was brightly lit, with flashlight beams everywhere. There was a constant buzz of noise, with tractors and trucks coming and going. It looked lively and bustling, much more so than during the day, with people packed against people and cargo against cargo.

With the New Year approaching, it felt like there were even more people. In fact, the pier was becoming increasingly lively, and more and more fishing boats from the city were docking.

When Ye Yaodong and the others returned to the boat, everyone else was already asleep. He had no choice but to put the packed food into the pot. It was cold anyway, so it wouldn't spoil, and they could heat it up for breakfast tomorrow.

The fishing boat rocked with the washing of the waves, which made it easier for people to fall into a dream. Everyone was used to listening to the sound of the waves, which made it easier to fall asleep.

It was a rare good night's sleep. The next day, just as dawn was breaking, the crew members climbed up, full of energy.

Everyone was thinking about that big gray whale, fearing that someone might have taken advantage of their sleep to occupy that fish, so they all got up very early.

Ye Yaodong was also woken up by the commotion of them getting up, and he had no choice but to get up helplessly.

"What are you all in such a rush for? It's only 5 o'clock. Today is the 22nd of the lunar calendar, and the tide is rising now. You won't see a damn thing."

"Heh, we got up once we had enough sleep. We have to keep an eye on things."

"The tide won't recede until 6 o'clock this morning. If you want to watch, then watch."

Although he said that, he had actually had enough sleep too. Since everyone was up, he couldn't stay in bed if he were called to, so he might as well just get up too.

"It really doesn't seem to be revealed at all. We have to wait for the tide to recede."

"Why is there fried pork ribs and white-cut chicken in the pot?"

Ye Yaodong walked out and said, "It was quite early when we finished selling the cargo yesterday, only a little past 9 o'clock. It's rare to be that early, so we went to eat. Usually, it's the next morning. I thought I'd pack some back for you all. Who knew you'd all be asleep? It's just right for an extra meal in the morning."

"Ah! What a huge loss! Eating so well!"

"If there's not much cargo next time, I want to go too."

"Isn't this also eating well?"

Ye Yaodong looked at the sea surface behind him. "It's high tide again now. I don't know how long it will take for the tide to recede before the fish is revealed."

"It'll be fast once it starts receding. It should be revealed by eight or nine o'clock, right?"

"Just wait. Hurry up and cook the rice. I can't wait to eat the chicken."

Not long after the people on their boat got up, people on the two boats next to them also got up one after another, and even some villagers on the shore had traces of movement.

When the sky got brighter, it was as if the whole village had woken up. There were many villagers coming and going to dump trash on the beach, as well as children playing.

Everyone was bored after eating, and it was still early, so they started a game of cards on the boat to wait for the tide to recede, and by the way, bask in the early morning sun.

It wasn't until the fishing boat stopped rocking that everyone threw away the cards in their hands and stood up to look at the sea.

"The tide is starting to recede. Our boat is already grounded."

"Wait a little longer, it's still receding. The big whale will be revealed very soon."

Ye Fu rubbed his hands together, a bit excited. "I still don't know how big that fish is. I haven't seen the whole thing."

"You'll see it soon."

"Little Uncle-in-law... Little Uncle-in-law..."

Ye Yaodong turned his head to look, and Lin Guangyuan and Lin Xiangyang were standing on the shore.

Ye Fu frowned. "Why are they here again?"

"They said they wanted to see the big whale. I said as long as he can get up, it's up to him. Anyway, his second uncle drives the tractor back and forth between the pier and the market, so it's convenient. If he wants to see it, let him see it."

"I haven't seen you be so patient with people before."

"Well, you still have to be a little more patient with children."

Lin Guangyuan rolled up his pant legs and was already wading through the water.

"I thought you wouldn't be able to get up. You came just in time. The tide is receding, and the fish will be revealed immediately."

"I got up a long time ago. I took medicine and waited for my second uncle for a long time before I came over. I thought I wouldn't make it in time."

"Just wait."

Every time the tide washed forward, it would recede a long way, leaving only a patch of white foam and fine, soft sand.

Just like that, the tide receded bit by bit, and the gray-black back of the gray whale slowly revealed itself under the water surface.

Expectant expressions appeared on everyone's faces.

"We can see it now, but we still have to wait a bit longer."

"How much longer?"

"About an hour, then the whole thing will be revealed."

"So slow..."

Although everyone complained that the tide was receding slowly, there was nothing they could do but wait.

As the tide gradually receded, the gray whale revealed its appearance bit by bit, and even people on the shore discovered this anomaly.

Word spread among the surrounding people. Before the tide had even receded to the bottom, a large crowd had already gathered on the shore. Everyone was curiously looking at the big gray whale in the water, whispering to each other.

Some were also discussing whether the fact that their three boats were suddenly anchored here had anything to do with that gray whale.

Otherwise, how could big boats be anchored here on the beach? It wasn't even the New Year yet, and even if they were taking a break for the New Year, it wouldn't be this early; they would be anchored at the pier.

Some people had curiously taken a few extra looks early on, but seeing that their three fishing boats hadn't left and were still basking in the sun on the deck, they were just curious.

Now, as the tide receded and the fishing boats were completely grounded, some people walked up to the fishing boats to ask them questions.

"Where are you all from? Did you drag that big fish up?"

"What kind of fish is that?"

"Are you all together? We've seen you anchored here since early this morning..."

"It's the fish we dragged up."

The people from their three boats also all got off the boats and stood on the beach, waiting for the tide to recede further.

At this time, the tide was still at their calves, and wearing rain boots meant it wouldn't get into their shoes.

Half of the gray whale's body was already exposed. If they wanted to continue moving forward, they could, but they would have to wade through water up to their thighs. Since it was a cold day, they still had to wait a bit longer.

"Wait a few more minutes, it will all be revealed very soon."

"Ah Dong, shouldn't you go make a phone call in advance? It's already past 8 o'clock." Pei Fu had waited for so long and was a bit anxious.

Ye Yaodong touched the watch in his pocket to check it, then put it back. "Wait a while. It's still morning anyway, no need to be so anxious. Let's go up and wait for the tide to recede first, and take a look first."

He had already calculated that today, the tide should start receding after high tide at five or six o'clock, and it would recede to the bottom around 12 o'clock, and it wouldn't be full until around 7 o'clock in the evening.

Every sea area would have slight differences, but the general tide wouldn't change.

Today was equivalent to the entire day being in a receding tide state, so there was no need to be so anxious. Let's look at the situation first before talking.

He also had to figure out the situation before he would know what to say when he went to make the phone call later. He also wanted to take a look and verify his previous guesses first.

The surrounding local villagers were still discussing there, pulling others to ask questions. They were all inquiring about how this fish was dragged up, what kind of fish it was, and when it was dragged up.

Everyone was talking to the surrounding fishermen while following the tide forward, bit by bit approaching the grounded gray whale.

Before the tide had completely receded from the gray whale, they were anxious and waded forward directly.

Only the local villagers remained on the beach watching, waiting for the water level to be a bit lower.

"Wow, isn't this fish too big?"

"Why is it covered in barnacles..."

"This tail is so big!"

As soon as everyone walked to the side of the fish, they excitedly bent down to touch its tail and even tried to lift it.

"Hiss, the tail is also covered in barnacles. It's a good thing my hands are rough. If a woman were to touch it, she'd get a cut."

"Forget it, the woman in my house doesn't have hands any more tender than mine."

"That's hilarious. They're talking about girls outside; who compares them to the wife at home?"

"That's not kind of you. The wife at home was also a young girl once."

Ye Yaodong didn't pay attention to their banter. Looking closely at the gray whale covered in dense barnacles, without a single piece of good flesh, he was shocked, and goosebumps rose all over him.

No wonder Lin Guangyuan had only been lying on it for a short while before his cotton-padded jacket was all torn, and his hands were full of wounds.

"This is too scary. So many barnacles, it's covered the entire body."

Before, when looking at it on the sea, it was gray and spotted, and he thought that was just its original skin color, mixed with a few barnacles.

After all, gray whales were gray like rocks, and they had white spots on their bodies.

Who would have thought that this was more than just a few barnacles? It was practically covered from head to toe, dense and packed. He didn't even see a few pieces of bare, good skin, only a small patch here and there.

He had heard that gray whales swam very slowly and were easily infested by barnacles, but this was the first time he had seen a whale like this. This was too terrifying.

Lin Guangyuan was also excited to death. "I said at the time that lying on this fish was uncomfortable. Why did it grow so scary? Can these shelled things be scraped off?"

"They can be scraped off, but it requires humans to help it scrape them off. Otherwise, it can only let them grow. These barnacle larvae have strong reproductive abilities and can easily cover the whole body."

Whale skin is rough, and their swimming speed is also very slow, making it difficult to rely on water flow to wash them off, which is suitable for barnacles to survive. Whale fins are relatively short and cannot clean them well.

Some whales die from barnacle attachment.

Looking at it from such a close distance now, if there were no accidents, this whale really died from barnacle attachment.

When he saw it on the sea before, this gray whale even rammed the fishing boat. It was probably tortured and thought about relying on ramming to get rid of the barnacles.

At that time, when he heard Pei Fu wanted to lure this whale to ground, he was shocked, and he also thought that he would just follow his wishes and lure it to ground, and then he would clean the barnacles for this whale himself.

And then wait until it was grounded, and then discuss plans with them. He felt that his words still carried weight. Although he was a junior, he had a share in all three boats.

The other boat was also owned by his own three brothers, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was completely led by him.

It was just that he didn't expect this whale to not even be able to hold on until it was grounded before it "whale-fell" halfway.

What a pity.

However, he thought about when he went down to the seabed and this whale was lying on its side there, he noticed its abdomen, which was why he decided to drag it back.

He didn't know if his guess was right, but at least he would drag it back to take a look. Anyway, it was just a bit of effort, and there wouldn't be any loss.

Others were also chattering there, all saying that there were too many barnacles on this fish.

"I've never seen a fish covered in barnacles. The sea turtles we encountered before were also covered in barnacles, but not this scary. This fish is so big, and it's covered all over."

"Yeah, there isn't a single piece of good skin."

"Could it be that it died because it was covered in barnacles?"

"Very likely. After all, we didn't see it fighting with other fish, and we couldn't see any wounds on its body; it was all these barnacles."

Ye Yaodong also thought so. He didn't care that the water was washed by the waves and filled his rain boots; he continued to lift his legs forward. Anyway, his lower body was already wet.

When he walked along the whale's body from the tail to the abdomen, he stopped and bent down to look carefully at its belly, which was indeed exceptionally large.

It was just that even its abdomen was covered in barnacles. He wanted to touch it but didn't know where to start.

"This is too scary, like a hedgehog... covered all over, full of them. How painful this must be."

"How do you know it's painful?" Ye Fu followed behind him and walked to his side.

"If you had a patch of snake scales on your body, and those snake scales kept growing, covering your skin, getting wider and wider, and tightening there, wouldn't you be uncomfortable? Wouldn't it be painful?"

"What nonsense are you talking about! Isn't that disgusting?"

"Look, anything that doesn't belong to your own body attached to it will feel uncomfortable, let alone this dense coverage all over its body. To give another analogy, it's like being bitten by mosquitoes all over, and it never goes away."

Ye Fu shivered and also felt it was a bit scary.

Pei Fu, who was following along, originally didn't think these barnacles were anything; they were common by the seaside. But after Ye Yaodong said this, he also felt it was very terrifying.

"So this whale was killed by barnacles?"

"Most likely. Let's go look at its head."

There was nothing to be done about the abdomen for now, so he could only go look at the head first.

Before, when looking at its head underwater, it was also full of barnacles, but now the tide had receded, and looking at it up close would be clearer.

Because it had been dragged through the sea all the way, the gray whale was head-down, and it had been bumped and worn by some reefs along the way, so the barnacles on its body were somewhat broken, and there were very obvious scraping marks on a large part of its head.

Ye Fu couldn't help but say, "Look, it really is all barnacles. Its eyes and nostrils are all covered. How can it live after a long time?"

Pei Fu also lowered his head and looked carefully. "It seems it really was because these barnacles grew too much, so it died in pain."

Ye Yaodong thought for a while. "It could also be that its weight was too large, it couldn't bear its own body weight, and it couldn't eat anything."

A whale's weight is too heavy, and it relies on the buoyancy of water to support it when it's in the water. Now that it's covered in barnacles, it's both uncomfortable, painful, and heavy. Its eyes, mouth, and nose are all barnacles, which also affects its foraging. Once its body can't bear its own weight and it can't hold on, it's easy for it to directly "whale-fall," crushing itself to death, with broken bones and ruptured internal organs.

Ye Yaodong again associated it with its occasional ramming of the fishing boat before. It might not just be wanting to get rid of the barnacles on its body; it was probably also calling for help at the same time.

But it might have been too painful, and it was reaching the end of its life, with weak strength, so its movements became weaker and weaker, and it swam slower and slower, until it couldn't hold on and fell directly to the seabed.

Even when it fell to the seabed, he saw it landed on its side, and he didn't know if it had anything to do with his guess.

Lin Guangyuan, who followed, asked, "If we humans stand in the sea, will we be entangled by barnacles?"

"What do you think?"

"We will, right?"

"Definitely. Such a big whale was covered in barnacles. Do you think your body can escape? You don't even swim as fast as it does."

Lin Guangyuan shivered, not daring to imagine what it would be like if he were covered all over, with his eyes and nostrils covered by barnacles.

"This way of dying is too miserable, at least it's such a big size."

He shook his head. "Life is impermanent, the big intestine wraps the small intestine. The overlord of the ocean has to die when it's time to die. However, if we had met it earlier, if it had grounded earlier, maybe we could have saved it."

"Then I couldn't have fallen into the sea earlier, could I?"

Ye Yaodong looked at him like he was an idiot. He had no common language with a fool.

Ye Fu asked suspiciously, "Weren't you thinking about luring it to ground at the time, to see if we could catch it?"

"You and Uncle Pei thought so, but I didn't. I just thought about following your wishes first, luring it to ground, to see if I could give it some maintenance, remove the barnacles, and then let it live for a few more years."

Borrowing another 500 years from the sky is impossible, but borrowing another 5 years should be possible.

"Forget it, it's dead anyway. Now that we've seen everything and the tide has receded, should we go ashore directly to make a phone call?" Pei Fu couldn't help but ask again.

"Okay, let me look at its belly again."

"Didn't we just look at it? The belly is full of barnacles."

"I know, let me go take a closer look."

He had just taken a simple look earlier. Most of the barnacles on the abdomen were intact, and the scraping wasn't obvious, but they were all still soaked in water. Now the tide had receded further, so he would go take another look.