Chapter 655: Heavy Fog at Sea

The catch was completely tidied up; Fu Yongning brought the Fan brothers to search the fishing boat inside and out, and everything like the fish baskets was fastened.

Finally, they returned to the rest area.

Several people were drenched in sweat.

Fu Yongning took off his vest and shouted, "There's not a hint of wind; we're saving up for a big move."

Wu An called out, "Come sit, the tea is just right to drink."

Fu Yongning sat down, hadn't even sipped tea, sighed, and said, "The catch on the boat, all together, is about ten‑odd tonnes."

"It's a shame we ran into a typhoon; otherwise we could work another two days and surely fill the hold before heading back."

A Qing and Mei Wu also chimed in.

Wu An smiled and gestured for him to drink tea.

If you had to say who most hopes to fill the hold, it's him.

After all.

The one who makes big money is him.

But the weather is like this; their fishing boat isn't big enough, its wind‑wave resistance insufficient—if it were a 45‑meter or even 70‑80‑meter large fishing vessel, a force‑7‑8 sea could be resisted head‑on.

Even if they couldn't work, they wouldn't need to turn back.

If they could plow through the wind and waves, they could keep working at sea.

Actually.

Wu An felt a bit glum about being forced back by the typhoon, but not too much.

At sea he can earn money; back on land he isn't idle either—there's a pile of things waiting for him to do.

……

Next there wasn't much to do, so Wu An took out some cards to let them pass the time.

Several people puffed out clouds, and the rest area filled with swirling smoke.

Wu An rose and went to the wheelhouse.

Old Fu Tou saw him enter and said, "We'll be home around eight o'clock."

Wu An nodded: "No problem."

"The typhoon won't be here for a while yet."

"We have plenty of time."

Old Fu Tou asked, "Everyone's been complaining, right?"

Wu An smiled: "Actually this trip isn't bad—ten‑odd tonnes of catch, after just two or three days of work, we can still make a fair bit."

Old Fu Tou nodded.

Wu An asked, "Old Fu, how's your medicinal wine soaking?"

Old Fu Tou laughed and asked, "How about it, you want to soak some too?"

Wu An nodded: "Sure I do."

"Last time I drank the medicinal wine you gave me, my dad and our neighbor Old Uncle couldn't praise it enough, and my dad even said the more you drink, the more spirited you feel."

"I've been thinking of making more to soak; the longer it sits, the better, right?"

Old Fu Tou nodded: "Definitely."

"When we get back from this trip, come with me and grab a few bottles to take home."

Wu An said, "Taking a few bottles to drink is fine."

"But I plan to buy a hundred cases of Maotai to steep in medicinal wine."

"Maotai now costs just over a thousand yuan a bottle; buying a hundred cases puts no strain on him, and holding it could even appreciate in value."

"If you really want to make money from Maotai, you'd still need to buy its stock."

"This year, due to policy, Maotai's share price has fallen—it's a good time to buy in."

"Before, he didn't have much spare cash."

"Now he can open an account, put some money in, and leave it there."

Wu An continued, "The liquor is easy to buy; the main worry is the medicinal ingredients—I'm afraid of getting scammed."

"In his previous life, he saw news of someone soaking medicinal wine, only to find the ingredients were plastic, and they'd drunk it for years."

"With things like ginseng, the pitfalls aren't small either."

Old Fu Tou said, "That's easy; I'll introduce you to a medicinal‑material supplier—though not cheap, the goods are absolutely genuine."

After chatting for over an hour, Wu An felt sleepy, yawned, and went back to sleep.

After waking naturally, he looked outside and saw a hazy gray.

"Has it gotten dark?"

Wu An rubbed his eyes, felt his vision obstructed, but quickly realized and exclaimed, "Holy shit, is this fog?"

He hurried to the wheelhouse.

In the wheelhouse were Old Fu Tou, Mei Wu, and Fu Yongning; everyone was there, and as he entered they all chattered, explaining the situation.

"Fog has set in."

Old Fu Tou wore a grave expression and said, "It might be caused by the typhoon."

"We're currently in the sea area where we're operating alongside the Prosperous Abundance."

"I've already stopped the fishing boat."

Wu An thought it over and said, "Just stopping definitely won't do."

"We must return to port to ride out the wind."

"If they encounter a typhoon, even if he gives the fishing boat a luck boost, there's no guarantee they'll stay safe amid the storm's fury."

Luck Value has an upper limit.

If you enchant the Fishing Rod and catch a fish that exceeds its capacity, the Fishing Line will snap.

Then, before the might of nature, if the load is exceeded, what will become of the fishing boat?

Lao Fu Tou chuckled wryly: "In this situation, sailing is too dangerous."

Sailing at night is already somewhat hazardous, let alone in fog.

He asked, "Can the extent of the fog's effect be determined?"

"Or the time it will dissipate?"

Lao Fu Tou said, "Can't be certain."

"I suspect the fog formed due to the typhoon's influence; once the typhoon passes, the fog should clear."

Wu An was drunk.

When the typhoon arrives and the fog clears, they still can't outrun the typhoon.

We must go.

He quickly made up his mind and said, "Waiting for the fog to clear is the same as sitting and waiting for death."

"Lao Fu, set sail."

A Qing raised his hand: "I support it."

"Brother is on the boat."

"What reason do we have to be cowardly?"

"Goddess Mazu will surely protect us for a safe return."

Mei Wu also nodded: "A An's Luck is strong; any hidden reefs or other fishing boats we can't avoid, they will also actively steer clear of us."

Fu Yongning and the others said nothing, merely nodding in support.

They were not that optimistic.

But the current situation is severe, and there is no other choice.

We can only risk sailing.

Lao Fu Tou nodded and said, "Alright, our boat has a sonar; as long as the sea conditions aren't too complex, ordinary reefs can be avoided in advance."

In this case, reefs are a threat, but the greater threat comes from other fishing boats.

If a collision occurs, it's far more dangerous than striking a reef.

To give an analogy, the current situation is like vehicles driving at high speed in heavy fog; a moment's inattention can cause an accident.

A crash on the highway can still receive rescue.

But at sea.

Especially in this weather, even if other fishing boats receive a rescue signal, they likely wouldn't dare to come.

At that moment.

The radio suddenly crackled: "This is Prosperous Abundance, please respond if you hear us."

Wu An, surprised that the radio was the channel previously used with Prosperous Abundance, picked up the transceiver and said, "This is Peaceful."

"Sea Captain, why are you still here?"

Amid the thick fog, Hai Shen heard the reply, chuckled twice, and said, "We originally planned to cast a few more nets, but didn't expect the fog to roll in suddenly."

"Our coordinates are XXX, XXX."

Wu An said, "I'm not far from you; so I'll slowly steer over. With our two boats together, we can look out for each other."

Hai Shen thought it was perfectly fine.

Although now he and Wu An are "hardship brothers," both trapped by the thick fog, for some reason, after getting in touch with Wu An, he felt inexplicably much more at peace.