The Cursed Ship

In the evening, Zheng Yang came to the pier of Xiaogangwan again.

The fishing boats that went out to sea had sold their catch and returned to the small island. A middle-aged white man and an old fisherman jumped off one of the small fishing boats. They were father and son.

The name of the middle-aged man was Hans, and he was the one who helped Zheng Yang buy back mercury a few days ago.

Zheng Yang went up to meet him, and said to the man, "Uncle Hans, will you go fishing near that small island twenty-three nautical miles south tomorrow? I want to find something on it."

"Xiao Zhengyang, what are you doing with those strange things every day? The island is surrounded by rocks, and the fishing boats can't touch the shore at all, and I heard that there are many poisonous insects and snakes on it. It's too dangerous. You'd better give up. Those weird thoughts."

Hans stopped, stared at Zheng Yang and warned him seriously.

"Besides, you should also find a job. There are always job opportunities when you go to sea with people or go to a port city. I was at your age, and I was already proficient in sailing and netting."

"I see, so Uncle Hans, will you go to the small island in the south tomorrow?"

"..."

Hans looked deeply at Zheng Yang, this kid simply took his words as deaf ears! After a while of silence, he still said:

"My ship doesn't have a lifeboat. If you must go, first convince Mark to lend you his lifeboat, otherwise you have to swim to the island."

Zheng Yang tried his best to act like a teenager, shook his fist vigorously, and said happily: "Thank you, Uncle Hans. I have a lifeboat myself, and I can make two oars in a while."

"Oh, hell!"

Hans was full of disbelief: "I know you collected some materials, but believe me, you will never be able to build a decent boat with those old planks, and you won't be able to get into the water at all."

Old Hans tied the cable and came up from below. When he heard his son's words, he interjected dissatisfiedly: "Little Hans, I seem to have told you the story of how I successfully escaped from a shipwreck when I was young by relying on a plank of a ship. "

"Please, father, you can't keep calling me little Hans, I'm already thirty-five years old!" Hans held his forehead and complained to the old fisherman, and then said to Zheng Yang: "The story my father told was just a coincidence, It doesn't represent common sense."

Zheng Yang dragged him to the house and said, "I really finished it. It's in the yard. I just need a few people to help lift it to the sea and tie it to the back of your boat first."

Different from Hans' attitude, Old Hans showed great interest in Zheng Yang's words, so he followed suit, and said that if Zheng Yang's performance is not good, he can help improve it.

After a while, a group of people swarmed into Zheng Yang's yard, besides Hans and his son, there were also old people and children who heard about it along the way and came to see the excitement.

Seeing the boat, the young and old onlookers exclaimed, but Hans remained silent.

The eyes of those children looking at Zheng Yang are full of envy and admiration. This is really amazing. They can actually build a boat by themselves, even though it is just a small lifeboat.

Old Hans was also amazed: "I didn't expect you to have such a good skill, look at these joints and bending parts, it's really beautifully done, and you have a strong and stable keel. Considering your age, this is really impressive." Unbelievable. Oh, look what this is, a bug-shaped figurehead?"

He touched it around, smelling the old smell of the wood intoxicatedly, and exclaimed: "If you didn't insist that you created it, I really thought it was a great boy who has been tested by the sea and waves!"

"Do you want to build a sloop? It's not necessary at all. It's too small to go to the deep sea. It's okay to paddle on the beach! Even if you want to go to a farther place, you should install an engine. A few hundred Just hang up the Golden Shield." Hans also said at this time.

Zheng Yang naturally couldn't tell the truth, he just said, "I don't have much money, and I want to play jib!"

Hans shook his head,

I think Zheng Yang is playing for fun and not doing his job properly. He had heard that some lunatics liked to sail around the world in a single-masted sailboat, and of course their sailboat was much bigger than Zheng Yang's. The boat in front of me was too small, and a slightly bigger wave could capsize it.

However, he still called a few people to help lift the boat out, and it was indeed suitable to paddle it to land on the small island.

In fact, such a small boat is not heavy at all, and it can be carried by two people relatively easily. Even Hans can carry it by himself, but it is more laborious.

After a while, everyone put the boat beside the pier, and Zheng Yang pushed it into the water with his own hands. Immediately, a feeling of comfort came from the spirit boat.

"Boy Zheng Yang, I have an old oar here, and I gave it to you as a gift to celebrate your successful building of your own boat!" Old Hans handed down an old oar from the fishing boat, and said with a smile .

Zheng Yang thanked him loudly, and he really wanted to row his boat out for a ride immediately.

But Hans threw down a cable at this time, and told him to tie the boat up, so that the tide wouldn't take it away and he wouldn't be able to find it tomorrow.

Another old fisherman who was watching said, "Little Zheng Yang, I have an old canvas that I can't use. Do you want it? It's enough for your sail!"

Zheng Yang didn't like it, so he quickly thanked him for accepting it.

Old Hans laughed, and invited Zheng Yang to his house for dinner, and told Zheng Yang that he would help him make sails after dinner, and promised that he would be satisfied.

Next, Zheng Yang went to the old fisherman's house and brought the old canvas, which was less than three meters long and one meter and two wide. It is indeed enough for the current spirit ship, if it is too big, it may capsize the ship if it is blown by the wind.

In fact, Old Hans made the sails smaller, because Zheng Yang's boat was too small. Compared with letting the boat run on the wind, Old Hans is more interested in helping children make toys.

For this, Hans also spent a large bundle of rope and a set of pulleys, and Zheng Yang also seriously expressed that he would return the money to him in the future.

They went to the beach overnight to fit the jib to the boat, because they would have to go to sea before dawn tomorrow.

Once the triangle sail is installed, it looks a little awkward.

It was also because the boat was too small, less than one meter wide and only two meters long, plus the jib sail and four or five diagonally pulled ropes, it was difficult for Zheng Yang to have room to move around on the boat.

Fortunately, Zheng Yang knew in his heart that he could expand it through transformation in the future.

"Xiao Zhengyang, listen to me. It's all fun, but you can see that your boat is very small. Remember not to drive it into the deep sea, or it will be dangerous!" Hans looked at the old and the old. Less excited, he still warned Zheng Yang seriously after holding back for a long time.

Zheng Yang patted his chest and assured: "Don't worry, Uncle Hans, you know, I've always been a good and obedient boy!"

Hans felt a toothache.

You also call obedient? There are no bear children on the entire island!

There is a small cabin in front of the wheelhouse of the fishing boat, and there is a simple folding bed inside. Zheng Yang asked again: "Can I come to sleep on your boat at night, I am afraid that I will oversleep at home and waste time."

"up to you!"

...

Zheng Yang went home and packed a backpack, which contained a lot of bottles and cans and field tools, including the telescope that Zheng Yang's father bought for him as a birthday present, compass, flashlight, waterproof flint (magnesium rod), First aid kits, realgar water to drive away poisonous insects and snakes, mercury, and many luminous vine roots dug back in the afternoon and other materials. If there is a chance, he will naturally activate the spirit sail immediately after collecting the materials.

With no dry food to bring, Zheng Yang only brought a 2-liter plastic bottle of fresh water, a backpack, and a machete with a blade about 30 centimeters long, and went to Hans' family's fishing boat.

Although the dream last night made Zheng Yang completely lose his appetite for fish, he still had to eat fish in order to survive, especially when there was no dry food to bring with him in places like sea islands.