When he got into the car again and headed to the dock, Father Pei couldn't help but ask, "Should we call the leader again tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah, where can I find someone at night? Don't be in such a hurry. You can only contact me during working hours."

"Oh, I hope I didn't get it back in vain."

"Go back and have a good sleep first."

After sleeping for most of the day today, he still felt a little dizzy, and he didn't know if he really had a cold. He could only drink more boiled water when he went back.

The dock was brightly lit, with the lights of various flashlights everywhere, and bursts of noise. Tractors and trucks came and went. It was a bustling scene. It was much livelier than during the day. People were crowded and goods were piled next to each other.

As the Chinese New Year approaches, I feel like there are more people. In fact, the pier is becoming more and more lively, with more and more fishing boats docking in the city.

When Ye Yaodong and the others returned to the boat, everyone else had already fallen asleep. He had no choice but to put the packed food into the pot. It wouldn't be bad anyway if it was cold, and it could be heated up for breakfast tomorrow.

The fishing boats rock and roll with the waves, which makes it easier for people to fall asleep. Everyone is used to listening to the sound of the waves to fall asleep better.

After a rare good night's sleep, the boatmen got up in high spirits as soon as it got dark the next day.

Everyone was thinking about the big gray whale, fearing that someone would take advantage of the fish while they were sleeping, so they all got up early in the morning.

Ye Yaodong was also awakened by the sound of them getting up, and had no choice but to get up.

"Why are you all so anxious? It's only 5 o'clock. Today is the 22nd day of the lunar calendar. The tide is rising now. You can see shit."

"Haha, get up when you've had enough sleep. You have to keep an eye on it."

"The tide won't go out until 6 o'clock this morning. You can watch it if you like."

He said this, but in fact he had slept enough. Everyone was up. If he was asked to lie down again, he wouldn't be able to lie down, so he might as well just get up.

"It seems like it's really not exposed at all. We have to wait until the tide goes out."

"Why are there fried pork ribs and plain-cut chicken in the pot?"

Ye Yaodong walked out and said: "It was quite early to finish selling out yesterday. It was only around 9 o'clock. It's rare to go to eat so early. Usually I have to wait until the next morning. I thought of packing it back for you, but who knew you were all asleep?

, just in time for a quick snack in the morning.”

"Ah! What a huge loss! The food is so good!"

"Next time if there is a shortage of goods, I will go with you."

"Can't I eat this too?"

Ye Yaodong looked at the sea behind him, "It's high tide now, and I don't know how long it will take to recede before the fish are exposed."

"As soon as you start retreating, you should be able to reveal yourself by eight or nine o'clock, right?"

"Wait, hurry up and cook, I can't wait to eat chicken."

Not long after the people on their boat got up, people on the two boats next to them also got up one after another, and some villagers on the shore also showed signs of movement.

When it gets brighter, it seems that the whole village has woken up, and there are many more villagers coming and going to take out garbage on the beach, as well as children playing around.

Everyone was bored after dinner, and it was getting dark early, so they started playing cards on the boat again, waiting for the tide to go out, and basking in the early sun.

It wasn't until the fish boat stopped rocking that everyone threw away their cards and stood up to look at the sea.

"The tide is beginning to ebb, and our ship has run aground."

"Wait a moment, while we are retreating, the big whale will soon be revealed."

Father Ye was a little excited as he geared up, "I don't know how big the fish is yet, I haven't seen the whole thing."

"You'll see it soon."

"Sister-in-law...sister-in-law..."

Ye Yaodong turned around and saw Lin Guangyuan and Lin Xiangyang standing on the shore.

Father Ye frowned, "Why are you here again?"

"When he said he wanted to see a big whale, I said as long as he could get up, he could do whatever he wanted. Anyway, his second uncle drives a tractor to and from the dock and the market, which is convenient. If he wants to see it, let him see it."

"I've never seen you so patient with people before."

"Then you still have to be patient with your children."

Lin Guangyuan rolled up his trousers and came over dripping with water.

"I thought you couldn't get up, but you came just in time. The tide is going out, and the fish will soon be exposed."

"I got up early, took the medicine and waited for my uncle for a long time before he came over. I thought it was too late."

"Just wait."

When the tide rushes forward, it will retreat a lot, leaving only a piece of white foam and soft sand.

In this way, the tide receded little by little, and the gray-black back of the gray whale was slowly exposed under the water.

There was a look of anticipation on everyone's faces.

"You can see it now, but you have to wait a little longer."

"How much longer?"

"It will take about an hour and the whole picture will be revealed."

"So slow..."

Although everyone complained that the tide was slow to recede, there was nothing they could do but wait.

As the tide gradually receded, the gray whale gradually revealed its appearance, and even people on the shore noticed this abnormality.

People around him spread word of mouth that before the tide even receded, a large crowd had gathered on the shore. Everyone looked curiously at the big gray whale in the water and whispered to each other.

Some were also discussing whether the sudden stop of their three boats here was related to the gray whale.

Otherwise, how could there be a big ship parked on the beach and stranded? It’s not even the Chinese New Year yet, and it wouldn’t be so early to celebrate the Chinese New Year. It would also be parked at the pier.

Some people took a few more curious glances early in the morning, but seeing that their three fishing boats had not left and were still basking in the sun on the deck, they were just curious.

Now as the tide receded, the fishing boat was completely stranded, and some people came to the fishing boat to ask them.

"Who are you? Did you drag up that big fish?"

"What kind of fish is that?"

"Are you together? I saw you parked here early in the morning..."

"It's the fish we dragged up."

All the people in their three boats got off the boats and stood on the beach, waiting for the tide to recede.

At this time, the tide was still on their calves, and even though they were wearing rain boots, they were still wet.

The gray whale's body was already half exposed. If they could continue moving forward, it would be fine, but the water would reach their thighs. In the cold weather, they would have to wait a little longer.

"Wait a few more minutes and it will all be exposed soon."

"A Dong, do you have to call in advance? It's already past 8 o'clock." Father Pei was a little anxious after waiting for so long.

Ye Yaodong touched the watch in his pocket, looked at it, and then put it back, "Let's wait a while. It's still morning anyway, so I'm not in a hurry. I'll go ahead and wait for the tide to recede, and take a look first."

He has already calculated that the tide should begin to recede after the high tide at five or six o'clock today, and it will reach the bottom around 12 o'clock, and it will only reach full tide around 7 o'clock in the evening.

The sea area will be slightly different in each place, but the general tide will not change.

The tide has been at low tide for the entire day today. There is no need to be so anxious. We will check the situation first.

He also had to figure out the situation before he could know what he was going to say on the phone later. He also wanted to take a look and verify his previous guesses.

The surrounding local villagers were still discussing, asking other people about how the fish was pulled up, what kind of fish it was, and when it was pulled up.

While everyone was talking to the fishermen around them, they followed the tide and got closer to the stranded gray whale little by little.

The tide had not completely receded from the gray whales, so they eagerly moved forward through the water.

So the local villagers stayed on the beach and watched, waiting for the water level to drop lower.

"Wow, isn't this fish too big?"

"Why are there barnacles all over my body..."

"This tail is so big!"

As soon as everyone walked to the fish, they excitedly bent over to touch its tail and tried to lift it.

"Hey, there are barnacles on the tail too. Fortunately, I have thick hands. If a woman came here, I would touch all the holes."

"Pull it down, my wife's hands are not any tenderer than mine."

"It's ridiculous. They are talking about girls outside. Who can compare with the wife at home?"

"That's not kind of you. The mother-in-law at home is also a young girl."

Ye Yaodong ignored their teasing. When he saw the gray whale up close, it was covered with dense barnacles and there was no good piece of meat. He was so shocked that he got goosebumps.

No wonder that not long after Lin Guangyuan lay on it, the cotton-padded jacket on his body was covered with scratches, and his hands were all covered with wounds.

"It's so scary. There are so many barnacles covering the whole body."

When I saw it at sea before, it was gray and spotted, and I thought it was just the original skin color mixed with a little barnacle.
To be continued...