Chapter 53: The Boat Goes to the Shelter Harbor

Leaf Father put down his bowl and quickly responded, “We need to head to the shelter harbor now.”

This boat was newly repaired and was their family’s treasure, so they couldn’t afford to lose it.

Although based on past experience, it was only early July and there probably wouldn’t be a big typhoon, it was always better to be cautious—they couldn’t take the risk.

“Dad, can I come with you?”

“Trying to get out of work?” Leaf Father glanced at him sideways.

“No, of course not! Haven’t you seen how hard I’ve been working these days? The shelter harbor is probably not far. Take me there to have a look and teach me how to drive the boat on the way.”

The shelter harbor was indeed close, just in their town’s sea area. It wasn’t a problem to take him there, so after a brief thought, Leaf Father agreed.

Leaf Yao Dong followed his father to the boat, while the others continued working at the homestead. There was no effect on land, and the sun was still high in the sky with no wind.

It wasn’t until they were on the boat that he really felt the typhoon was coming. The waves on the sea were rolling, creating layer after layer of foam.

There were also many small wooden boats floating on the sea, just a few meters long, reminding one of ancient small boats.

The boatmen were putting all their strength into rowing, likely heading to the shelter harbor as well. Leaf Yao Dong couldn’t help but feel worried for the boatmen, fearing a wave might hit and capsize their boats. Fortunately, their boat was larger and had an engine system for propulsion, unlike the manual rowboats.

In this era, small wooden boats were still common, and it would take a few more years for them to gradually be phased out. The boats used in future parks would definitely be more advanced.

“Dad, since we’re heading to the shelter harbor, let’s cast a net, we might as well not waste the opportunity. If we catch some small fish or shrimp, it’ll be useful for cooking.”

“Hmm.”

To make the most of the opportunity, Leaf Father spent the whole journey teaching him how to operate the boat and cast the net, even letting him try steering the boat.

He pretended to listen and learn but couldn’t help saying, “Dad, A Guang taught me this a few days ago!”

“So, you mean after one lesson from him, you already know how to do it? No need to learn from me anymore?”

“Uh… no, you’re more experienced, so you go ahead and continue…”

It wasn’t until they were almost at the shelter harbor that Leaf Father started casting the net.

“Huh? There’s quite a lot of catch! I see a big blue crab!”

After emptying the catch, Leaf Yao Dong picked out the shrimp and crabs first, then sorted them: “Yellow crabs, black crabs, spring fish, water fish, small pomfret, sea eel, small squid, little tubes… they’re pretty fat, with roe inside… Dad, after just a short time, this net’s catch is pretty good!”

“Hmm, maybe because of the typhoon, these sea creatures got swept in by the waves.”

At least the netting wasn’t a waste.

After collecting everything, the boat finally entered the shelter harbor.

The shelter harbor had no unloading equipment; its only purpose was to shelter boats during storms and protect them from the strong winds and waves.

In their town, there were three mooring points for fishing boats: Yu Jing, Yang Tou, and Heng Shan. Among them, Heng Shan was the narrowest, stretching about three kilometers from the anchorage to the sea entrance. The southern shore also had a standard sea embankment as a support. During a typhoon, the boats in the harbor were relatively safe.

In the narrow shelter harbor, only about a hundred meters wide, Leaf Yao Dong saw boats of various sizes packed tightly together.

Looking around, aside from the wind turbines on the smaller fishing boats that were still spinning wildly, the other boats had all been securely fastened and remained motionless.

After Leaf Father secured the boat, he also took measures to tie it down and then told Leaf Yao Dong to gather the catch. They were ready to disembark and return home.

Leaf Yao Dong walked along the stone path with a bucket of fish, watching as a bus drove by. He craned his neck to look at it and couldn’t help but frown. “Dad, can’t we take a bus? It’s so much faster. We could be home in less than ten minutes, but now we have to walk for so long.”

“Take a bus? What are you talking about? Your legs are precious, huh? It’s only a few steps. If you walk for an hour, you’ll be home,” said Leaf Father.

An hour? Leaf Yao Dong sighed. People’s legs really can walk far these days.

The younger generation would have legs that are truly precious. In the village, even a five-minute walk requires an electric bike.

Leaf Yao Dong trailed behind his father, his legs nearly giving out by the time they got home.

Leaf Father picked out the good stuff that could be sold for money and separated them into a bucket. “Go call your mother to come and kill the fish, and help with the work. I’ll take these to sell.”

Couldn’t he just sit down and catch his breath?

The old lady spoke up from the side, “What’s the hurry? Drink some water and rest. I just made a whole pot of tea; it needs to cool down, and later, Dongzi can take it over.”

Leaf Father gave them a glance but didn’t say much. He simply grabbed the bucket and headed out the door.

The morning was still sunny, but by afternoon, clouds began to roll in, and the sky turned overcast. But by evening, the sun appeared again, and after it set, the sky was painted with a beautiful sunset. The weather during a typhoon was so unpredictable.

From the moment the typhoon started forming to when it made landfall, it took a few days. The impact on coastal cities varied depending on the typhoon’s path.

The weather alternated between cloudy and sunny for two days. On the third day, the sky became completely overcast, and heavy rain began to pour. The construction at the house was also halted, and they would have to wait until the typhoon passed before resuming.

After breakfast, Leaf Yao Dong, feeling bored, squatted under the porch, watching the unpredictable weather. It was still raining heavily when he ate breakfast, but now, the sun was shining again?

The kids at home couldn’t sit still either. Once the rain stopped, they all ran out to splash in the water. He scolded them a few times, but couldn’t stop them. He was too lazy to deal with it. Anyway, they’d get soaked and would be punished together later.

“A Qing, there’s no rain now. Want to go for a walk by the beach?” he called to Lin Xiuqing, who was inside weaving a fishing net.

“Why go to the beach during a typhoon? What if the waves drag us away?”

“The tide is receding, it’s fine. Look, the sun’s out now. Come on, let’s go…”

“I don’t have time…”

“You can weave the nets anytime. Let’s just go for a walk and check out the waves.” He said, pulling her up.

With so many people inside, it wasn’t proper to keep pulling her, so Lin Xiuqing reluctantly stood up, grumbling about how he was delaying her work.

As soon as she stepped outside, she saw the kids playing in the water, and immediately got furious. “Big sister, second sister, these little brats are playing in the water and got themselves all wet.”

Two figures immediately rushed out from inside, and it wasn’t long before the kids were crying out in distress.

After Lin Xiuqing finished scolding the kids and changing her clothes, she was once again pulled by Leaf Yao Dong toward the beach.

She grumbled as she walked, “What’s the point of going to the beach during a typhoon? It’s just going to rain again. Everyone else is staying inside, and you insist on going outside…”

“Stop complaining, I’m just taking you for a walk to see if we can find anything.”

“Find what? How do you know we’ll find something?”

“We’ll see when we get there.”

“I didn’t bring a bucket…”

“I have a sack in my pocket!”