Panic adrift in the middle of the sea

Only after everyone stopped staring at him in surprise did he head inside, planning to rinse off and get his tools together.

"Ah Qing, cook me a bowl of noodles. I need to head out early."

"Okay."

Lin Xiuqing immediately put down her work to cook his noodles. He had told her last night that he wanted to explore the Isolated Island and gather seafood, so of course she supported him and helped him out.

His two sisters-in-law didn't know he was eating early so he could gather seafood. Hearing him, they couldn't help rolling their eyes. They had thought he was finally improving and knew to help with the work, only for him to turn around and say he wanted to eat and head out early...

Mother Ye had wanted to scold him, but seeing that the couple were both perfectly willing to go along with this, and that her ungrateful son had already disappeared inside, she could only swallow her words and settle for a little muttering.

After finishing his noodles, Ye Yaodong picked up a bucket filled with tools, stuffed a sack into his pocket, and hurried toward the dock.

The women of the Ye Family also got busy, some washing rice and others picking over vegetables. They needed to eat lunch early today before going out to gather seafood. Construction on the house would start tomorrow, and they would be going through a lot of food every day after that. They needed to dig up more sand clams to help cut expenses.

Everyone was busy with their own work, so no one paid attention to Ye Yaodong or realized he had gone out with his seafood-gathering tools.

When Ye Yaodong reached the dock with his bucket, Xiao Xiao and A-Zheng were already there.

"How did you two get here so fast?"

"You can't call a man fast. We only just got here ourselves. A-Guang went to get the boat."

"Wait here, then. I'll go buy some diesel."

"We need to buy diesel too? A-Guang didn't say anything. I didn't bring any money."

A-Zheng felt his pockets too. "Neither did I..."

Ye Yaodong smiled. "It's fine. I brought some. I'll leave my bucket here. Watch it for me while I go buy the fuel."

A-Guang was being pretty generous too. He hadn't mentioned that he was paying to rent the boat himself, or they would definitely all have brought some money.

Near the dock was a little shack that specialized in repairing boat engines and also sold diesel. They weren't going far, so he only bought one yuan's worth. As long as it was enough, that would do. Anything left over could count as a little compensation for the owner.

He had just bought the diesel when Xiao Xiao ran over and said, "Done yet? A-Guang's brought the boat up to shore. If you've got it, let's get aboard."

"Done. Let's go."

Carrying a small jug of fuel, he followed them aboard. As soon as he stepped onto the deck, he felt that it wasn't so bad. A little rocking was nothing to him, and his heart immediately settled somewhat.

He handed the diesel to A-Guang and said, "Pour this in. It only takes ten-odd minutes to get to the island, so I only bought one jug. It should still be enough for several trips back and forth."

"Yeah, that's enough. Off we go!"

Soon, the engine began rattling, and the boat slowly pulled away from shore. Everyone sat on little stools, chatting comfortably. Only Ye Yaodong grew paler the farther the boat traveled out to sea.

Looking at the water surrounding them on every side, with only a little boat rocking in the middle of the vast sea, he couldn't help remembering how his strength had failed him, leaving him helpless as seawater flooded his mouth and nose...

He had thought that suffocating sensation wouldn't bother him as long as he didn't think about it. But now that he was out in the middle of the sea, it was impossible not to remember.

When he had been harvesting oysters on the rocks by the shore two days earlier, his attention had been focused on the rocks. Even with his legs in the seawater, he hadn't panicked. Drifting out at sea now, though, made fear rise inside him.

Everyone was laughing and chatting, but A-Zheng noticed him sitting quietly and looking rather unwell. Surprised, he asked, "Dong, what's wrong? Holy shit, don't tell me you get seasick?"

"No way. You actually get seasick?"

"We've barely left shore! Isn't this a bit much? You're already sick?"

The other two were astonished as well. A man from the coast getting seasick-and right after heading out, at that. People would laugh themselves silly if they heard.

Ye Yaodong wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I only rode on my grandpa's boat when I was little. It's been years since I last got on one. Stop laughing at me. When are we reaching shore?"

A-Guang looked at him, unsure whether to laugh or cry. No wonder he hadn't dared go straight out to sea with his father. "We're heading to that Isolated Island across from us first. It should take ten-odd minutes. Hang in there. It won't be long."

He nodded. He was simply overwhelmed by panic.

The boat sped across the sea, sending ripples spreading out one after another. He dared neither look at the surface of the sea nor close his eyes, so he could only stare at the distant mountain peaks. But that didn't help much either. His face remained deathly pale.

Ye Yaodong was frustrated too. Of all the ways he could have died, why had he had to fall into the sea? How was someone who depended on the sea supposed to make a living now?

Even as they drew close to the Isolated Island, his symptoms hadn't improved. He gritted his teeth and steeled himself...

"What are you doing? Why are you taking your clothes off?" A-Guang watched him in confusion. "Going swimming?"

"You're going down for a swim?" Xiao Xiao's eyes lit up. That sounded pretty good. In this sweltering heat, being in the water was far more comfortable. "I'll come with you. We can swim right over to shore."

A-Zheng said excitedly, "I want a dip too. Let's race and see who reaches shore first!"

As they spoke, both men started stripping off their clothes. Only A-Guang had to stay at the helm, disappointed. "Once we get to the island, I'm going in for a swim too."

Watching them, Ye Yaodong felt reassured. With them swimming beside him, surely he wouldn't drown. He would fight poison with poison. Whether he could overcome his fear of the sea all came down to this.

"Don't swim too fast. Remember to wait for me. Otherwise, if my legs cramp up and I drown, I'll come looking for you in the middle of the night!"

A-Zheng rolled his eyes. "Pretty boys are all looks and no use!"

"You couldn't be a pretty boy even if you wanted to." With that, seeing that they were already very close to shore, Ye Yaodong jumped into the sea first.

The instant he entered the water, that familiar suffocating sensation engulfed him. Suddenly, he forgot how to swim. His mind went blank, his limbs flailed wildly, and his body sank straight toward the seabed.

Still aboard and about to jump, Xiao Xiao and A-Zheng were both startled by his strange movements and sinking body.

"Doesn't Dong know how to swim? What's he doing?"

"Let's fish him out and see!"

The two plunged in with splashes like dumplings dropping into a pot, both swimming toward Ye Yaodong. Seeing that he was still struggling with his eyes shut but showed no sign of having inhaled water, they hauled him straight to the surface first.

The sudden breath of fresh air let him breathe again. The relief of being rescued was indescribable.

He opened his eyes and floated with their support. Before long, he regained his feel for swimming and began moving his limbs himself. Some of the panic in his heart faded too.

"What were you doing? How did you end up sinking? Were you really getting ready to meet Mazu?"

"I got a fucking cramp! The moment I jumped in, my leg suddenly cramped up!"

Everyone: What a coincidence???

He could predict things that accurately???

He knew ahead of time???