RPAGF Chapter 404 Running aground
Chapter 404 Running aground
"Something seems off about the weather."
Xu Yiyi stood in the courtyard and looked up. The sun had just risen when it was covered by clouds.
Old Lu looked up when he heard her words and said nonchalantly, "It might rain."
"Don't just stand here, go check why today's catch hasn't arrived yet. Usually, they'd be starting to process the ingredients by this time."
Old Lu frowned, and Xu Yiyi realized that Xu Anyang had been gone for quite a while and hadn't returned yet.
"Sihai is looking after her younger brother, so I have to go out for a bit."
Sihai's round little head had just been raised when all he could see was the hem of his older sister's clothes.
Xu Yiyi walked quickly to the dock, where a large crowd had gathered.
It was still as lively as ever.
"what happened?"
Xu Yiyi walked down the large steps and stood next to Xu Anyang.
"I don't know. I just asked the fisherman's team leader, and he said that the boats that used to deliver our fish catch haven't returned to port!"
Xu Anyang said with a worried look on his face, "I saw Uncle's boat."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yiyi immediately stood on the large rock to take a look.
Of the hundreds of boats, only Grandpa Xu's boat was visible; the other clansmen's boats were nowhere to be seen.
"I hope nothing bad has happened."
"Don't worry, go ask."
Xu Yiyi climbed down from the rock and quickly walked to Grandpa Xu's boat.
At this moment, Xu Zhengci, Xu Ming, and several other clansmen who had come with the boat were processing the catch, while Grandpa Xu leaned against the mast with his pipe.
Seeing her and Xu Anyang was somewhat unexpected.
"Hey! What a rare guest!"
Xu Ming stood up, his tone sarcastic.
"What are you doing here? You're not welcome here, including yourself."
Xu Ming glanced at the two of them. He used to find Xu Anyang somewhat agreeable, but now he was very close to Xu Yiyi.
I just find it really annoying.
"We didn't come here to find you!"
Xu Anyang snorted coldly: "Uncle Zhengci, when you returned to port, did you see any of the other uncles' ships in the clan?"
Xu Zhengci was surprised to find that it was someone looking for him, and quickly stood up.
"We did encounter a ship, but it wasn't one of our clan's ships."
Xu Zhengci looked at the two of them with a serious expression: "What's wrong? What happened?"
Xu Yi frowned upon hearing this. The waves had been a bit high these past two days, but it hadn't rained. The uncles and elders in the clan were all experienced fishermen; nothing should have happened to them.
"Uncle Haisheng and his team have been delivering fish to the restaurant. Usually, the fish would have arrived by this time, but today we haven't seen a single one."
Xu Zhengci only realized what was going on after hearing this: "Now that you mention it, I also feel that something is wrong. Usually there would be a lot of clansmen at the dock at this time, but today, apart from the few of us on the boat, we haven't seen anyone else."
Xu Ming also felt something was wrong when he heard this.
"Did something happen during the night?"
In the dark, with poor visibility, it's easy to run aground and sink a ship.
"Don't worry, maybe...maybe he just ran into a little trouble and couldn't get back in time. Let's wait a little longer."
Xu Zhengci comforted her.
But Xu Anyang and Xu Yiyi felt they couldn't wait.
The two came and went in a hurry.
"Let's go back to the island first."
Xu Yiyi quickly walked to the small boat, loosened the rope, and pushed the boat out with all her might.
The two men's boat slid hastily into the island's waterway.
The sound of the boat's hull brushing against the water plants startled the birds, whose fluttering wings swept across the water and landed on the branches.
The woman who was washing clothes by the river stopped her wooden pestle and looked at the two men with some confusion.
At this moment, the two people who should have been busy at the restaurant in town appeared here, which made people stare wide-eyed.
Xu Yi jumped aboard the boat before it had even come to a complete stop.
"Slow down! Why are you in such a hurry?"
Uncle appeared before them and saw Xu Yiyi paddling the boat ashore.
Because it wasn't stopped properly, the boat slid straight off.
"Grandpa! What route did Uncle Haisheng and the others take when they went out to sea last night?"
Xu Yiyi's tone was somewhat anxious, which made the old man pause for a moment.
"This period is fixed."
"Fixed..."
Xu Yiyi muttered to herself.
"Yes, it's a fixed route. We take the waterway on the east side of Eagle Reef, cross Qinglongcha, go around Baihatan, and then come back."
Xu Yiyi frowned; that area did indeed have a lot of reefs.
Uncle stopped walking with his cane, raised his eyes and looked deeply at Xu Yiyi, only to see her face full of sorrow.
Why are you asking that?
No sooner had Uncle Taiye finished speaking than Xu Anyang had already pulled her boat back.
"Grandpa, Uncle Haisheng and the others haven't returned."
Xu Anyang's words immediately caused an uproar.
"what?"
The sound of washing clothes on the riverbank had stopped at some point, leaving only the soft sound of the river water lapping against the shore.
Upon hearing this, Afan nearly fell into the water, his soaking wet clothes sliding back into the water without him even bothering to retrieve them.
"What do you mean by that? What do you mean by 'didn't come back'?"
Afan's legs went weak, and he suddenly stood up and rushed to Xu Anyang's side.
"Explain yourself clearly."
Uncle's face immediately darkened, and he raised and lowered his cane.
“Usually by this time, Uncle Haisheng and his crew would have already delivered the restaurant’s catch, but not today. We went to the dock to ask, and their boat hasn’t returned to port.”
Xu Yiyi didn't dare to look Afan in the eye and simply explained the situation.
Upon hearing this, Afan couldn't accept it and fainted immediately.
"Someone come quick!"
……
"Aunt Afan..."
Xu Anyang used his shoulder to press against Afan's lower back, and Xu Yiyi directly pinched her philtrum.
The pain struck, and the person slowly woke up.
"Aunt Afan, don't worry. We'll follow the route and search for them. Maybe Uncle Haisheng and the others have caught something big and will be back a little late."
Xu Yiyi comforted him and had the other women help him up.
"Anyang, hurry back to your clan and call people. Call them one by one and search along the route."
As soon as Xu Yiyi finished speaking, Xu Anyang blew the conch shell.
The patrolling boys on the island rushed over and immediately blew their brass whistles.
In less than a quarter of an hour, all the men in the clan had arrived.
"What happened to the clan leader?"
……
"Are there pirates?"
……
A crowd gathered, and voices rang out.
Xu Anyang, as the spokesperson, recounted what had just happened.
"Hurry up, get on the ship and search..."
As soon as Uncle gave the order, all the men rushed to board the small boats on the river.
"Don't bother going to Anyang, lend me your boat first."
Before Xu Anyang could board the boat, an old man rowed the boat and slid out of the river.
The speed of their movements left onlookers gasping in amazement.
"Aunt Afan, Uncle Haisheng will be fine. You go back and rest first, and wait for us to come back."
After Xu Yi finished speaking, she tugged at Xu Anyang's clothes.
The two rowed their small boat and chased after them.
"Sister Yi, is it really not a sinking? It's been a whole night, could it really be gone..."
Xu Anyang had barely finished speaking when Xu Yiyi tapped him on the head.
"You jinx!"