Chapter 1406: Waiting for News

Under the pillar with the loudspeaker, there was a sea of people, all of whom had crowded over, wanting to hear more clearly.

The surrounding noise was also deafening.

The father and son listened to the discussions in various dialects around them, plus the broadcast playing overhead, and they understood about seven or eight out of ten.

Ye Fu patted his chest in lingering fear, "Mazu bless us. It's fortunate we didn't set off the morning before yesterday, otherwise we would have been in the sea area right at our doorstep when the earthquake happened? And it was a magnitude 5; it was clearly said to be 5-7."

Ye Yaodong also had some lingering fear. Calculating based on last year's return schedule, they set off the morning before yesterday and would have arrived home exactly by the evening of the next day. At the time the earthquake occurred, they would probably still have been at sea.

"Then how would I know? I also heard it from others. 5-7 magnitude, saying 5 magnitude isn't wrong either. It's only been a short while since it happened, and it's normal that the data hadn't been released just now. Those prayer beads really did give a warning. It was truly a big fright, right in the Taiwan Strait, and still at sea."

"If we had set off the day before yesterday, and didn't arrive home in time, we might have been finished halfway."

"Fortunately, fortunately, we didn't board the boat as soon as we saw the prayer beads break. Hey, that cargo ship of Chen Jianian's..."

Ye Yaodong also thought of it, "I don't know if that cargo ship travels fast. If it didn't stop at ports along the way and didn't stay overnight at a port, it would definitely have reached the provincial capital before the afternoon."

Last year, they had stayed overnight in Wenzhou, so they arrived in the evening of the next day.

Originally, when they set off the morning before yesterday, they thought the same, because the small trawlers didn't have a place to shelter from the wind and rain or to sleep; the waves would hit the deck if they were just a little bit rough, and they had thirty or forty small boats here.

Considering the small boats, it was best to dock and rest at night, and set off again at dawn.

And cargo ships definitely didn't need to stop and rest at night, but it was just that they didn't know if they would stop to unload cargo at ports along the way.

Large cargo ships themselves weren't necessarily going directly to their destination; stopping to unload cargo along the way was also normal.

"That's hard to say, but now there is only news of the earthquake, and nothing else."

"It happened yesterday afternoon, and it's already very fast that it could spread here by now. It's estimated that there will be broadcast news tomorrow morning."

"Then we can't leave now either."

"Let's go to the place where the fishing boats are docked and meet up with the others first. There are people everywhere here."

The father and son squeezed through the crowd to walk out; people outside were squeezing in, and they were squeezing out.

In the cold weather, they squeezed out a sweat.

Ye Fu's shoes were even stepped off. When he walked out, he was still holding his shoes in his hands, putting them on.

"So many people, fortunately I tied my shoelaces tightly, otherwise my shoes would have been gone."

"Phew, everyone has gathered over here, it's a bit more spacious outside."

"Let's go."

On the shore where the fishing boats were docked, only a few people were standing sporadically. The others hadn't come over yet; they were probably still in the crowd listening to gossip.

"Dong Ge, Third Uncle..."

"You all heard the broadcast, right?" Ye Yaodong said.

"Heard it. So it was an earthquake, and a 5-7 magnitude one, just yesterday."

"No wonder when we came over earlier, a bunch of people didn't go out to sea and were all standing on the pier talking. So it was an earthquake."

"Fortunately we didn't leave the day before yesterday. Dong Ge's prayer beads really did give a warning..."

"If we had left on time the day before yesterday, we would have been in trouble. We would have been right at sea; even if we didn't die, we would have lost a layer of skin."

"Fortunately we didn't leave. When I heard people around me talking just now, I was scared to death, and my hair stood on end."

"Almost wiped out..."

Ye Yaodong kicked over, "Nonsense!"

"Then what should we do now? It's only been ten-plus hours since the earthquake. Will there be a tsunami?"

"We definitely can't leave. Leave two or three people to rotate shifts, and the others continue to go back and sleep. Tomorrow, listen to what the broadcast says."

Ye Fu said, "Then stand here and wait for a while, wait for the others to come over."

"Dong Ge, those prayer beads of yours are too useful. When we go back, I'll also let the old lady at home give me her prayer beads to wear."

"Right, right, I also have to go back and ask my grandmother at home for prayer beads to wear."

"Fortunately we didn't leave the day before yesterday..."

Everyone had some lingering fear, and also some relief.

It was also fortunate that they ran to Zhoushan, and weren't fishing at home, otherwise, at that time point yesterday afternoon, most of the boats would still have been at sea.

That would have been miserable!

It was also fortunate that the fishing boats in their village followed Ye Yaodong. Their village shouldn't have suffered much loss?

Then I don't know if the fishing boats from other villages were staying at sea.

Now it's the middle of the night, and I don't know the specific situation. Only when it's dawn tomorrow can they call home.

While waiting, everyone was actively discussing in a jumble, all feeling a sense of relief from having survived a disaster.

The workers who were still in the crowd also walked over one after another, and then joined the discussion.

Everyone was also very scared; they had almost been finished.

Their group had three or four hundred people, carrying the hope of the whole village, and they were also the strong laborers of the whole village.

If something really happened, their village would also be finished and would have to become a village of widows.

Ye Yaodong counted the number of people. His own workers had almost all returned, so he said loudly.

"You all heard the broadcast just now. An earthquake happened at 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon, right in the middle of the sea, in the Taiwan Strait. Listening to it, it shouldn't be far from us."

"Whether there are casualties at sea and on land is still unknown, and the situation of the waves in the sea area is also unclear, so we can't leave now."

"The broadcast is also suggesting there that ships traveling south and far away should pause their departure. What the situation is in that sea area currently has to wait until tomorrow morning to listen to the broadcast, and only then might there be the latest news."

"Let's go back now. Tomorrow, after listening to the broadcast, make a phone call home, and then decide when to go back."

"Now you can stay at the pier for a while longer, see if there is any new news, and then go back on your own later. Don't be alone. I'll also go ask people from other fishing boats."

After Ye Yaodong finished speaking, everyone responded with loud cheers.

Just now, before the broadcast sounded, after they asked people around them and knew that an earthquake had occurred at sea, they knew they definitely couldn't leave at night.

He didn't really want to go back now either. Just knowing the news, he also wanted to stay for a while longer to see if he could know a little more.

Ye Fu was the same.

The father and son went to talk to people from other fishing boats again.

Without a doubt, others were also relieved, and all said they would call home tomorrow morning to ask, and then listen to the situation on the broadcast.

Aguang said, "The old lady's prayer beads are really useful. She must have chanted a lot of scriptures into them usually. Fortunately, Dongzi put them on when he came out."

"Fortunately I wore them on my wrist. So they really are effective."

Ye Fu also said, "Next time I won't dislike her for being superstitious and chanting 'Amitabha' every day."

Ye Yaopeng said, "We definitely won't leave tonight, right? The few boats we were close to just now said to let the workers go back and rest on their own later, and talk about it tomorrow."

"We thought the same. We came over just after saying that."

"Let's go listen again, see if there is any news before going back. Since we're already here."

"We've already notified them. Everyone knows we can't leave tonight, so just go back on your own later."

Everyone said a sentence each, and after speaking, they drilled into the crowd again.

Ye Yaodong had been holding his father tightly. His father had been stretching his neck to look here and there, and he was worried his father would get lost.

The father and son shuttled through the crowd. After listening for a while, they didn't see or hear any useful news. Whatever there was, it was all released by the authorities.

The broadcast was also playing on a loop, still the content played before, with nothing fresh.

The masses could only rely on their own brains to guess and discuss there.

After listening for a while, they felt it was meaningless, so they walked back, intending to go back and rest first, and then come out to listen again early tomorrow morning. By then, there would definitely be an updated version.

When they left, the pier was still a sea of people, not decreasing, but rather increasing. They were all fishing boats that had originally planned to go out to sea at night, and fishing boats that had returned to the pier at night.

When they arrived home, there were only a dozen or so people at home. Most were still staying at the pier, reluctant to return, waiting to hear the news.

Ye Yaodong greeted everyone and exchanged information, but there was no difference.

"That's good now, we can't leave again today. Dad, go into the room and find the calendar, see which day later has a departure date."

Ye Fu muttered, "I said the fourth day of the lunar month is also inauspicious, the fourth day..."

"When did you say it was inauspicious? When did you say that? A few days ago, you also thought the fourth day was good. Now you're making excuses, and yesterday was the third day when the accident happened. What does it have to do with today, the fourth day?"

The workers on the side were confused. What accident, what accident?

"I was just saying it casually. I'll go get the calendar."

"Dong Ge, can we make it back by the 31st?"

"We can definitely make it. Today is only the fourth day, there are still 5 days."

Damn, if I had known, I would have left two days earlier.

At that time, I thought we definitely couldn't set off on the first day of the lunar month. Who chooses the first or fifteenth day to go on a long journey?

Going further back, the date was too early. After all, he could earn several thousand to 10,000 yuan a day now.

Ye Fu went into the room and took out the wall calendar, flipping through it while walking, saying, "The sixth day also has a date suitable for travel, the seventh day also has a date, but the eighth day won't work, the eighth day has no date."

"Even if the eighth day had a date, it would be too late. Even if we rushed back, it would be the morning of the ninth day."

"Then it can only be the sixth day."

"Wait for the others to come back, tell the others. I don't know what the situation will be with the broadcast tomorrow. Anyway, we can tentatively set it for the sixth day. By then, we won't dock at the pier to stay overnight, but go straight home."

Today is the fourth day. Today is a buffer day, tomorrow is a buffer day. This isn't a typhoon. As long as it doesn't trigger a tsunami, the aftermath shouldn't be that great, right?

"Let's see. If we don't leave on the sixth day, we really won't make it back in time. It didn't earthquake early or late, but happened at this time." Ye Fu also had a belly full of complaints.

"I'm just afraid of this kind of sudden situation, so I thought about reserving a little more time and returning early. I didn't expect that even returning early would catch up with it."

"Fortunately, nothing happened. As long as people are fine, a little later is a little later. Nothing is more important than life, not to mention there are several hundred people here."

Once this was mentioned, everyone felt lingering fear again.

If they had really encountered it, it was truly possible they would have been wiped out.

Everyone gathered together to talk. Most people hadn't returned yet. They had no intention of going back to their rooms to sleep at this time, so they all sat at the doorway and continued to talk.

Ye Yaodong touched the scattered prayer beads in his pocket, pondering that when he went back, he would let the old lady string them together again, chant scriptures, and then wear them.

In this lifetime, even if he didn't wear gold or silver, he would wear these prayer beads. ===== CHAPTER 1407 =====