Chapter 398 Sea Surface Risks
Wen Mei's funeral was simple. The body was placed in a coffin and then into a freshly dug pit, which was considered a send-off by those present.
Gong Aidang found a piece of wood and carved Wen Mei's name and date of death on it, so that Wen Mei's family could move the body later.
Zhang Chunli was in a daze. She was still groggy when Gong Aidang took her away. It wasn't until they returned to the entrance of Zhizhi's cave that she regained her senses. When asked about Wen Mei and Wang Qing's situation, she collapsed onto the ground and wept bitterly.
No one present, neither Zhizhi nor the villagers, spoke. A disaster had already claimed a life, and no one could predict what would happen next.
Gong Aidang immediately went to find Ji Songlin and the elders. They had to make a decision on the village chief's instructions that day.
After hearing the news from Gong Aidang, Ji Songlin looked at the dispirited villagers and felt a wave of sorrow.
"Aidang, did you really search all around the mountain?"
"Yes, Uncle, it's all flooded."
"Heaven is trying to take our lives!"
"Shut up. You still have the energy to wail. Hurry and think of a solution."
Gong Aidang didn't dare to speak. He was waiting for the elders to come up with a plan.
"What is Zi's boy's decision?"
"They've already started building boats, but they won't travel with us."
The elders were also silent for a moment. After all, migrating thousands of people was no simple matter.
"Then let's start building boats too. We won't wait ten days. Since we're preparing to leave, let's leave as soon as possible. As soon as the boats are ready, we'll go."
The elders made the decision. Gong Aidang and Ji Songlin had no objections and quickly went to prepare for a large meeting.
Hearing the sound of gongs, the villagers came out wearing raincoats.
Gong Aidang shouted at the top of his lungs, explaining the situation outside. Before he could finish, he was drowned out by wails.
"Now we are short of food and need to save ourselves. Otherwise, we will starve to death on the mountain sooner or later. Let's all start building boats, and when they are finished, we'll paddle to other cities."
"What about our homes?"
"Will anyone accept us?"
"Can we survive in other cities?"
Questions came one after another. Gong Aidang and Ji Songlin could only answer what they knew. In fact, they were not clear about the situation outside and could only think of other solutions when they got there. It was better than now, wasn't it?
"The country will not abandon us. If we can escape to other cities safely, the government will definitely resettle us. When the rain stops and the floodwaters recede, we will return. Our homes will still be here."
Although the villagers lacked enthusiasm, the work still had to be done. Apart from the elderly, children, and pregnant women, everyone else pitched in. Some chopped trees, some chopped vines, some split wood. Everyone was working hard.
Zi Yisheng's group also began their preparations. They didn't need to paddle for a long time. They only needed to paddle to a place near a coastal village after crossing two mountains.
To avoid carrying the boats while crossing mountains, all the strong laborers were dispatched to the mountains near the coastal village to build boats.
When it was time to leave, the elderly and women would go there. This freed up a lot of space in the cave, leaving only Zi Yisheng and Ye's father to ensure the safety of the remaining people.
Ye Mu'en and dozens of others found suitable caves to live in and started chopping trees. Gong Wentao was the only man who knew how to cook, so he had to stay in the cave to prepare three meals a day for everyone.
Bai Rong's team worked quickly. In just three days, they made twenty small boats and took them down the mountain to test their buoyancy.
The boats were not large, each capable of carrying ten people. If children were held in their parents' arms, a few more boats could be saved.
After a night of testing and no leaks, everyone accelerated the boat-building process.
It took another ten days to complete all ninety-seven boats. The villagers on the mountain boarded the boats in an orderly queue. They had discarded as much luggage as possible, as they could retrieve it from the mountain later if they returned.
The villagers also cooked their remaining meager supply of food, as there would be no opportunity to cook on the boats.
Zi Yisheng's group departed three days earlier than Bai Rong's team.
Because there were elderly people like Old Bai and Old Fan in their group, Ye Mu'en and his team built the boats and then returned to carry them.
Ye Shengsong did not go down the mountain at all. Zi Yisheng and Ye Mu'en were responsible for her alone.
The mountain paths were slippery, and everyone stumbled forward. The journey across the two mountains took an entire day.
Zi Yisheng's group did not bring much luggage. They only ate a full meal the next morning and then boarded the boats with some water.
As soon as Ye Shengsong stepped onto the small boat, she felt it rocking violently, with the possibility of being capsized by the waves at any moment.
Once everyone was on board, the boat felt much steadier. Before departing, Ye Shengsong had gone into her space and retrieved life jackets and swim rings from her survival kit.
Ye Shengsong thought that if there were real danger in the water, she would abandon her principle of keeping her space a secret. Human life was the most important thing.
It seemed the wind and rain at sea were even fiercer. For safety, all the boats were tied together with ropes. Six boats rowed forward side by side, making them less likely to be capsized.
Those sitting at the edge of the boat continuously paddled with wooden boards, switching when they got tired. In fact, the distance to the cargo ship was not far, only about ten miles.
However, they were rowing against the wind and waves. They couldn't paddle far in an hour, and a large wave might even push them back.
As soon as Zi Yisheng boarded the boat, he tied Ye Shengsong to himself with a rope, for fear that she would be blown overboard. He also held her tightly with both arms to try and keep her warm.
Ye Shengsong couldn't even open her eyes. Even with them squinted, she couldn't see the situation on the water.
Ye Mu'en was one of the people paddling at the side of the boat. The heavy rain severely affected his vision, so he took out swimming goggles from his bag. These were given to him by his sister beforehand, and the labels had already been removed.
"Put them on your eyes. They will block the rain and wind."
Seeing the swimming goggles being handed over, Zi Yisheng knew that the little girl had taken them from her space.
"I had someone bring these back from abroad before. I didn't expect them to be useful now. Everyone put them on quickly."
Ye Shengsong felt warmth in her heart that someone was taking credit for things.
With the goggles, things improved significantly, and at least her eyes could be opened.
After paddling for three consecutive hours, they faintly saw a behemoth on the sea surface.
Yes, on the sea surface, their cargo ship was a behemoth.
Everyone saw hope. No one at sea was not worried, fearing that they would perish in the sea that day.
Finally, they reached the side of the cargo ship. Asen directly grabbed a rope from the cargo ship and jumped off his boat. With agile movements, he pulled himself up the rope onto the cargo ship.
Everyone held their breath, and when they saw Asen climb onto the ship, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Soon, Asen lowered the gangplank, and everyone helped each other to board the ship.