Chapter 576: Hu Zi sneaks over

Good thing the stove is big enough; the barbecue cooks quickly.

The prepared spiny pomfret is indeed tastier, with richer flavor and texture.

After eating and drinking for almost an hour, Fu Yongning went back up to the deck to grill several more times.

Wu An had A Qing fetch a few more bottles of wine.

There wasn't much to do at night, and with swordfish swimming around the fishing boat, he didn't plan to work after dark.

Idling is idling; might as well drink to one's heart's content.

It's mainly the small barbecue; the food is hearty, but without a drink it always feels like something's missing.

Unlimited supply—eat however you like, and when a batch is finished you can go get more.

This is even better than eating a buffet at a restaurant.

Wu An took a spiny pomfret, eating and saying, 'If you can drink, have a bit more.'

'They won't start work until morning tomorrow.'

'Even if they get drunk, it's fine; there's plenty of time to sober up.'

Hearing this, the Fan family brothers shouted excitedly.

Both brothers can hold their liquor quite well.

They've drunk before, and at the table they welcome anyone.

But on the boat, the two brothers are restrained; when everyone drinks together, they stop after one bottle.

Fan Dali said, 'A An, really?'

Wu An nodded.

Fan Dali said, 'Then I can let loose.'

Fan Xiao Zhu took the wine and said, 'Brother, I'll just have two more bottles.'

Fan Dali nodded: 'Me too, about the same.'

After eating and drinking for another half hour or so, Lao Fu Tou said he was full and stood up.

Wu An was a little surprised: 'Lao Fu, is that enough?'

Don't let Lao Fu Tou's age fool you—his alcohol tolerance is such that even the Fan family brothers combined can't outdrink him.

He usually carries that iron bottle of medicinal liquor, taking a couple sips when idle.

The medicinal liquor he brews is not only good for the body, it's very potent—ordinary people can't handle it.

Lao Fu Tou nodded: 'I'm not drinking anymore; I'm old, and eating too much at night makes me feel awful.'

'You eat and drink as you like; don't worry about me.'

Lao Fu Tou walked around the deck, saw no trace of swordfish, then turned and entered the wheelhouse.

Swordfish were hunting nearby, and he really couldn't put his mind at ease.

Late at night, visibility is poor; swordfish swim fast, making them hard to see with the naked eye.

He had a feeling the swordfish were still nearby.

We need to keep watch.

If anything happens at night, we can respond immediately.

……

Wu An drank three bottles in total, finished the last sip, and inverted his cup on the table.

A Qing saw and said, 'Brother, you're not drinking anymore?'

Wu An nodded: 'I ate too much, my stomach is stuffed, I can't drink any more.'

'You keep eating; I'm going out to get some fresh air.'

He came onto the deck.

He, like Lao Fu Tou, walked around the fishing boat and then went to the wheelhouse.

Lao Fu Tou was smoking, saw him approach, and asked, 'Did you drink too much?'

'No.'

'Then you don't need to keep me company; I can stand watch alone tonight.'

'Hmm, I'm not sleepy yet, Lao Fu—how far are we from the sea trench right now?'

Lao Fu Tou thought: 'If we go full speed, it's about two hours.'

'What do you think about heading straight for the sea trench now?'

Lao Fu Tou pondered, then suddenly asked, 'Are you worried about the swordfish?'

Wu An nodded: 'A Qing may be unreliable, but the swordfish lingering nearby is still a hassle.'

Lao Fu Tou said, 'We can go now; then… we'll turn off all other lights and leave only a searchlight on.'

'Will that work?'

'No problem.'

'Then raise the anchor; we'll make a run for it tonight.'

Wu An made a quick decision: the swordfish are too fierce; we can't afford to provoke them, but we can flee.

Although swordfish can be caught, it's risky; he still wants to bring his brothers to make money safely.

At any time, one must consider cost-effectiveness.

In his view, risking danger to catch swordfish is far inferior to dragging a net.

Soon.

The fishing boat started up.

Everyone came over to ask, learned that we were setting out for the sea trench overnight; although night sailing carries some risk, with Lao Fu Tou at the helm nobody objected further.

Lao Fu Tou didn't set the speed too fast, it was one-third slower than normal cruising speed.

Wu An kept looking through the binoculars, not searching for swordfish—they're too fast to see at all.

He was watching the school of fish.

The school of fish wasn't following; only occasionally a few fish were drawn by the light and leapt out of the water.

One hour later.

Lao Fu Tou said, "A An, we're near the trench."

"Hmm."

"Then let's stop the boat."

"We can take a break."

Upon reaching the rest room, everyone had already eaten and drunk well; although they'd had quite a bit to drink, nobody was drunk.

Wu An said everyone could drink freely, but after all we're on a ship—just listen to the boss; us workers can't take it too seriously.

The Fan brothers were tidying up.

Wu An rinsed off quickly, and just as he lay down he heard a familiar, clear sound.

He suddenly sat up.

It was Hu Zi!

Wu An eagerly ran to the deck, shining the light toward the direction the sound came from, and just saw Hu Zi's big head poking out of the water.

"Hu Zi, over here, over here!"

Wu An waved his hand, somewhat excitedly.

Hu Zi let out a happy call, swam over quickly, and rested his head against the side of the boat.

A Qing also greeted happily: "Hu Zi, good evening, have you eaten?"

"Pfft."

Hu Zi spat a mouthful of water at him.

A Qing wiped the water off his face—it was salty, and he couldn't tell whether it was Hu Zi's saliva or seawater.

He wasn't someone to be provoked either.

He opened his mouth and spat at Hu Zi too.

Hu Zi immediately dove into the sea, making A Qing angrily spit saliva at the water's surface.

"You still want to run in the sea? If you've got the guts, don't breathe—just wait to eat my spit."

After saying that, A Qing realized he couldn't spit anymore, so he ran to the rest room to get a drink.

Wu An laughed and cried at once.

These two goofs called Mei Wu to get some ice, then shouted twice at the sea, and Hu Zi cautiously poked his big head out.

"Where are your kin?"

"I've called them all."

"The ice is plenty."

Wu An called out.

With an orca pod around, as long as we don't provoke them, swordfish won't dare to offend the killer whales.

Hu Zi called twice, and for some reason Wu An sensed fear in his call.

A Qing came over and shouted, "Brother, Hu Zi seems to have sneaked over."

Wu An glared: "Really?"

Hu Zi nodded his head.

Wu An, drunk, snapped: "Last time you sneaked over, did you forget how you got punished?"

"You you..."

Hu Zi also let out a couple of aggrieved calls.

A Qing said, "Brother, don't say that about him—I used to sneak over to find you too."

"Well..." Wu An sighed, saying, "Fine, I'm sending you to help me find two trawlers."

"If there's nothing else, just keep an eye on them for me."

"On those two trawlers, I've placed a marker on one of them."

"Can you sense it?"

Hu Zi hesitated a moment, then nodded again; Wu An's face lit up: "Good, then I'll leave it to you."

"All right, then you're free to go."

"Hurry and go find your kin; when you do, own up properly—you might get off with just a couple less beatings."

After feeding Hu Zi some ice, Wu An hurriedly sent him on his way.

Hu Zi had sneaked over to see him, and Wu An was still happy, but as a friend he didn't want Hu Zi to be punished by his pod because of this.