The villagers got straight to work. What household didn't have a few worn-out fishing nets? They only had to take a couple, join them end to end, and stretch them out to block even the widest road, leaving no room to squeeze through.
What was more, the villagers were so enthusiastic about it that they even drew up a roster, with elderly villagers taking turns keeping watch in the morning and at noon.
Those people had originally thought the villagers were only talking and hadn't followed them at first. Not until that afternoon, when they wanted to go down to the beach to check the tide, did they spot from a distance that the road leading to the pier, where they boarded their boats, had been barricaded.
They went back to the educated youth quarters and told everyone, and the whole group headed for the pier together.
Such a large group had to pass through the village. Before they even reached the pier, the villagers were already running around spreading the word, moving faster than they were.
The farce that had only just ended that morning turned into another standoff at the pier that afternoon. The villagers flatly refused to let them through.
"You keep saying it'll be approved sooner or later and telling us to wait patiently. Well, you can wait patiently too."
"That's right. We won't go out to that stretch of sea either. Everything's waiting on the seabed for you to haul it up. Just be patient."
"We can all wait together. Otherwise, we'd worry you'd leave as soon as you finished salvaging everything."
"Look at the Mazu Temple over there. Its roof tiles were blown all over the ground. We're in a hurry to repair it too! Please try to understand, leaders!"
"Go back and put