12dz Chapter 543 Uncle A Bing
Chapter 543 Uncle A Bing
The pirates who came this time were exceptionally arrogant. They robbed the goods but refused to leave, and just kept going against the government.
They even freed up manpower to occupy most of the land at Bichao Bay Wharf, and acted with particular arrogance.
Many pirates were spreading tung oil everywhere, setting fire to fishermen's boats, stolen empty cargo boxes, and scrap wood.
In an instant, flames soared into the sky and thick smoke billowed.
The pirates had just started a fire when the constables rushed off to put it out.
They kill anyone they see.
This is nothing short of a blatant provocation against the government.
Xu Yiyi watched the flames on the dock from afar, where the fighting had already raged.
"So, are you going to go ashore at another pier or go straight back to the island?" Old Lu asked.
Without a moment's hesitation, Xu Yiyi shifted her gaze from the firelight to the distant island that lay dormant in the darkness like a giant beast.
"Let's go back to the island first."
As soon as he finished speaking, the bow of the ship quickly veered off course from the dock and headed towards Wangdao Island.
The wind seemed to pick up, making the sails flutter loudly.
At this time of year, the island would usually be quiet with cooking smoke dissipating, fishing lights twinkling, and the occasional sound of children playing.
Fishermen can be seen gathering seafood on the mudflats, creating a peaceful scene.
But tonight, before the ship even got close to the island, an unusual deathly silence enveloped us.
There were no scattered lights as usual on the island, only a somber darkness.
Old Lu said in a deep voice, "Something's not right on the island."
His face suddenly darkened as he looked around and saw that the island was inhabited by fishermen, with no wealthy or powerful people living there.
Even with its special location, there are no large numbers of cargo ships passing by at this time of year.
Pirates rarely gain anything from visiting islands, so logically they shouldn't even go ashore.
Xu Yiyi didn't have time to think about anything else and immediately took the oar from Lao Lu's hand. "You're not familiar with this waterway, so I'll row."
The small boat approached the waterway where the island usually moored its boats, where the current was also slow.
Xu Yiyi personally steered the small boat, carefully approaching the shore.
The oars broke the stillness of the water, and the bright moonlight was reflected in the ripples, breaking into a chaotic, shimmering display of light and shadow.
Amidst the interplay of light and shadow, Xu Yi spotted something unusual floating on the water's surface.
It was floating around, with wood chips and some unidentified objects.
Her heart sank little by little.
The boat moved forward a little further, getting closer to the shore, and the water became murky.
While keeping a close eye on the old road on the shore, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a dark shadow in the water.
Suddenly, he shouted in a low voice, "In the water!"
Xu Yiyi looked in the direction he was pointing. Just a few steps from the bow of the boat, by the water plants, a dark shadow was half-submerged and half-floating, swaying slightly with the ripples.
It is humanoid.
Her body stiffened abruptly, and almost instinctively, she plunged the oar into the water to stabilize the boat.
He then leaned out most of his body and reached out to grab the dark shadow floating in the water.
Touching a cold, slippery piece of fabric, she gritted her teeth and forcefully dragged the man toward the side of the boat.
Lao Lu immediately lent a helping hand.
The two men worked together to drag the soaking wet and heavy body onto the narrow deck at the bow of the ship.
Old Lu was about to turn the person over to look at them, but Xu Yiyi didn't dare.
All that was known was that he was a middle-aged man, wearing a coarse cloth short jacket commonly worn by men on the island, and his exposed skin was bluish-white.
Xu Yiyi knelt beside him and quickly reached out to check his pulse on the side of his neck. Her icy fingers touched a patch of lifeless skin.
Undeterred, she leaned down again and pressed her ear close to his mouth and nose.
No, there wasn't even a trace of warmth left.
With trembling hands, she finally mustered the courage to turn the person who was lying face down over.
When the familiar face came into view, Xu Yiyi's carefully maintained calm expression finally shattered.
It was Uncle A Bing, who patrolled the village at night.
He injured his back when he was young and could not do heavy work, but he was also a warm-hearted person, so he took the initiative to take on the job of patrolling the island at night.
Every evening, no matter how late they finished working at the restaurants in town and returned by boat, they could always see Uncle Bing waiting by the river with a lantern.
I always make sure to ask them a few questions: "You're back? Was the journey safe?"
Everything from the past is still vivid in my mind.
Xu Yiyi could only kneel there blankly on the cold, slippery deck, looking at Uncle A Bing's eyes that would never open again, her face filled with deep sorrow.
She lowered her head, her shoulders trembling almost imperceptibly.
Old Lu sighed and patted her on the shoulder: "Let's get ashore first."