The group walked back along the beach. Before they reached the dock, they heard a commotion up ahead.
Voices, curses, and the sputtering of boat engines mingled in the sea breeze, rising and falling as they shattered the island's tranquility.
"What's going on? Why have so many people suddenly come to this remote island?" Yang Wanqing stood on tiptoe to look over.
More than a dozen men stood on the dock, all seasoned fishermen in their forties or fifties. Their skin was tanned dark, and they wore navy waterproof clothing. Some wore conical hats, while others were bareheaded.
They stood in a cluster facing the sea, their voices loud and agitated. A few were even waving their fists.
Chen Siyao craned her neck too, asking curiously, "They look like local fishermen. Why are they arguing so fiercely?"
Chen Siyao and the other women walked over and recognized the old man who had brought them there. He stood at the front of the crowd, peering into the distance through a pair of binoculars, his face livid.
"Sir, what happened?" Chen Siyao stepped forward and asked.
The old man lowered his binoculars, glanced at her, and sighed. "The fishing boats from South Monkey Country have crossed the boundary again. They're fishing in our waters. We've told them several times, but they won't listen."
His tone was helpless. "One of our fishing boats went to reason with them. Not only did they refuse to leave, they rammed us with their boat. Their boats are bigger than ours, so all we could do was get out of the way. We came to this island to wait for help."
He pointed at several black specks on the distant sea. "Those are the boats. We called the nearby fishermen over to help, but before everyone could