Chapter 1 The Beginning

A year ago, after Fourth Uncle bought the Fu Yuan, Fang Senyan unhesitatingly quit his job and returned. At that time, he was already the second mate on a Panamanian 5,000-ton freighter, and the chief mate was about to retire after the new year. Despite the captain's repeated attempts to retain him, Fang Senyan firmly refused, returning to the dilapidated Fu Yuan to work as a crew member again. He also took out all his savings to pay off Fourth Uncle's debts. The shack where Fang Senyan and San Zai lived was built with the last month's salary he received before leaving his job.

Although he hadn't walked far, his shoes were already filled with mud and water, and the cold feeling seemed to seep into his bones. Every step he took was accompanied by a dull "thud, thud," making it difficult to move. After a short while, San Zai's shack was already in sight. Without looking back, he patted the wet oilcloth twice, as a greeting to say goodbye. Then, he bent down, turned left, laboriously opened the gate of the nearby shack, and crawled inside.

Fang Senyan was about to turn around and leave when the gate of the shack behind him suddenly opened again, and San Zai's head popped out. His dark hair was plastered to his forehead, and the expression on his face was one of envy and admiration.

"Brother Yan, the waves were more than ten feet high at the time. Even Fourth Uncle and the others couldn't do anything. How did you aim so accurately at that sperm whale?"

Although San Zai was only a few months younger than Fang Senyan, he was far inferior in terms of intelligence and adaptability. In terms of experience, he was even further behind Fang Senyan, who had been out in the world for five years. Therefore, he had always treated this non-blood-related brother with an attitude of admiration. Fang Senyan smiled slightly after hearing his question, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"I just got lucky."

After casually turning on the light, Fang Senyan took off his soaked coat and grabbed a dry towel to wipe the water from his head. He was about 180 centimeters tall, with a strong build and thick black eyebrows. The chest muscles under his tight-fitting elastic vest showed bulging muscle contours. Years of life at sea had given his skin a healthy bronze color. A simple crew cut and sharp eyebrows gave people an association with a high-quality fitness coach, but his slightly thin lips and indifferent eyes gave him a coldness that kept people at a distance.

Frankly speaking, this was an extremely crude shack, only about seven or eight square meters in size, hastily built from scraps of building materials and low-quality asbestos fiber tiles. The furnishings inside were equally simple: a single spring steel wire bed, a washbasin, and a simple wall-mounted plastic wardrobe. But entering here brought a special feeling of warmth, a feeling of home that no matter how luxurious a hotel could replace.

The only decoration inside was a small photo frame placed on the bedside table. Inside the frame was a slightly yellowed color photograph with three people in it: Fang Senyan, Fourth Uncle, and San Zai. It was a photo taken before Fang Senyan first went out into the world. Looking at Fourth Uncle in the photo, Fang Senyan's eyes showed a sense of affection and respect. It was this honest and simple man who had raised himself and San Zai with great effort. More importantly, he had never hidden their origins from them, and even forbade them from calling him "Dad." Because Fourth Uncle devoutly believed in feng shui and heard a fortune teller say that he would be lonely and drifting all his life, he didn't want the two children to be tainted by his bad luck, preferring to live a lonely life to the end.

For Fourth Uncle, who firmly believed that of the three unfilial acts, the greatest was to have no descendants, this was such a foolish and great sentiment.

Thinking of all the past events, Fang Senyan felt a little emotional. He was a very determined person, and since he was sensible, he had not resented his parents who abandoned him, but was even more grateful to Fourth Uncle. Although he called him Fourth Uncle, he truly regarded him as his father in his heart. There was also a piece of white paper pasted on the bedside, with ten crooked characters written on it: "Live life to the fullest, die without regrets!" Fang Senyan had seen these ten characters in a dilapidated book, and after pondering them for a long time, he liked them very much, so he wrote them down and stuck them on his bedside.

After staring at the photo for a while, Fang Senyan turned off the light and went to bed, but after overcoming the initial fatigue, his sleepiness gradually disappeared. He didn't feel the joy of having made a fortune, but he always felt an indescribable anxiety, as if something big was about to happen.

Fang Senyan's intuition had always been very accurate, which was why he had such a good reputation outside. Because he was often able to find the best way to handle things by intuition, and people who knew him rarely gambled with him, because even when Fang Senyan had bad luck, he could skillfully minimize the losses. The reason why San Zai asked Fang Senyan why he could accurately hit the vital point of the sperm whale with a harpoon in the wind and waves was also because Fang Senyan's extraordinary intuition played a huge role.

The torrential rain was densely drumming on the roof of the shack, monotonous and dull. Fang Senyan tossed and turned in bed, but he didn't feel sleepy at all. He simply sat up, opened the lamp with his upper body bare, and lit a cigarette. He glanced inadvertently and saw something red flashing in the opposite mirror. Looking down, he found that several crisscrossing red marks had appeared on the center of his chest at some point, looking like scratches. He touched them and felt no pain or itching, so he didn't take it to heart.

At this time, Fang Senyan felt a little thirsty. He got out of bed and poured a glass of water, blowing on it as he drank. When he was halfway through, he suddenly heard the sound of wading through water outside. The sound was very irregular, as if someone was struggling desperately in the mud and water. Then, very quickly, there was a dull thumping sound on the door of Fang Senyan's shack, as well as hoarse and slurred shouts!

"It's here!" Fang Senyan's heart tightened, and he immediately went to open the door. As soon as the door was opened a crack, the cold wind rushed in impatiently, followed by a bloody hand reaching in and grabbing the door frame tightly. Then, a person covered in blood and mud stumbled in. It was Gao Qiang, who slept on the floor at Fourth Uncle's place. Although Fang Senyan reached out to help him, Gao Qiang collapsed to the ground, clutching Fang Senyan's feet tightly and hissing desperately:

"Brother Yan, something happened!"

Fang Senyan's thick black eyebrows shot up like unsheathed swords, but a clear thought surged in his heart: "It really came," the source of the unease was here! Although he was distraught, he took a few deep breaths and shouted:

"What's going on!"

"It's Uncle, that bastard! Fourth Uncle said he was going to leave the money from selling the ambergris to you and San Zai as a wife's dowry, so he took advantage of everyone being asleep to secretly go to Hua Shanfei to sell us out! A full nineteen jin seven liang three qian of ambergris, and Hua Shanfei only threw out a hundred yuan!"

Fang Senyan's heart sank when he heard the words "Hua Shanfei." This guy could be said to be the ruler of Siqiao Town. Anyone who wanted to gain a foothold here had to pay protection fees on time. And he himself was secretly engaged in smuggling, trafficking, and drug dealing. He had more than a dozen thugs under him and had connections in both the underworld and the white world. There were even rumors that "Hua Shanfei" was a key member of the "Ghost Boy Gang," known as the third largest gang in Vietnam, and was a capable subordinate of the gang leader "Black Ghost Dong." If that ambergris was coveted and seized by this guy, then all they could do was swallow their teeth and blood.

However, Gao Qiang struggled up at this time, drank some water, and continued with a sob in his voice:

"Although Fourth Uncle was reluctant in his heart, he also knew that Hua Shanfei was not to be trifled with, so he could only sell it cheaply with the idea of ​​losing money to avoid disaster. Hua Shanfei also took a step back and said that we wouldn't have to pay protection fees in the town anymore. But everyone was still uncomfortable in their hearts, so they couldn't help but whisper a few curses behind their backs, but a guy named Xi Di next to Hua Shanfei heard it! That guy Xi Di, even Hua Shanfei seemed to have to look at his face, I don't know what his background is, and he immediately became unreasonable. Plus, Uncle, that bastard, fanning the flames next to him, Xi Di… Xi Di actually wants to burn down the Fu Yuan!"

If you don't live by the sea, it's hard to understand the feelings of boat people for their boats. Most of them grew up watching the boats, and when they grew up, the boats were their homes/workplaces/entertainment venues. Even after they got married and had children, they spent much more time on the boat than with their families. Under these circumstances, the boat was almost their spiritual pillar, so much so that many old people asked to have their coffins made in the shape of a boat after they died.

And for Fourth Uncle, who had scraped together money from the cracks in his teeth after wandering for half his life and being down on his luck to buy this Fu Yuan, his feelings for the boat were only more than that! If this Xi Di wanted to burn the boat, then it would be better to just take Fourth Uncle's life!

When Fang Senyan heard this, the veins on his forehead had already popped out one by one. Gao Qiang then buried his head and said with tears in his eyes:

"After everyone heard this, they couldn't bear it anymore, so they exploded and took up their weapons to fight them! But Hua Shanfei quickly called his men to help, and the result… alas! But that Xi Di's face was also cut by us, and that pretty boy immediately jumped up and down like a mad dog. When I ran away, I heard him shout that he was going to drag Fourth Uncle to burn with the Fu Yuan! Uncle A'gui from the next shack heard about it and wanted to come out to mediate, but Hua Shanfei slapped out seven of his teeth! Brother Yan, what do we do!"

Uncle A'gui in Gao Qiang's mouth was also a well-known figure in Siqiao, and it was said that he was somewhat related to Hua Shanfei. He had suffered such an end, so the fate of Fourth Uncle was conceivable. Facing such a desperate situation, Fang Senyan calmed down. He first patted Gao Qiang on the shoulder, then wrapped him in a dry piece of clothing, lit a cigarette and stuck it in his mouth, then said very calmly:

"You go and call San Zai right now. The two of you leave together and go to the police station to report the case!"

Gao Qiang didn't know if it was fear or cold when he came in, but he had been shivering and trembling. When he heard Fang Senyan's words, he felt as if he had found his backbone, and he immediately took a puff of the cigarette, took a few breaths, wrapped himself tightly in his clothes, and said urgently:

"Okay, Brother Yan, I'll go right away."

He suddenly seemed to remember something and immediately said nervously:

"What about you, Brother Yan, aren't you coming with us?"

Fang Senyan said calmly:

"I can't just watch Fourth Uncle and the Fu Yuan burn together! Hua Shanfei collects thousands of dollars in protection fees from us every year, and he took tens of thousands of dollars worth of ambergris for nothing. He has to be reasonable, right? I think I'll go over and talk to him, and I should be able to settle this matter. You two go quickly. If I can't settle this matter, then I'll have to rely on you to save me."

When Gao Qiang heard this, he felt as if it made some sense. He wasn't a very scheming person, so he nodded vaguely and went out to find San Zai. As soon as Fang Senyan saw him leave, his eyes turned cold, and he pulled out a sharp knife from behind the door!

This knife was specially used for killing and gutting fish on fishing boats. It was about a foot long and was made of scraps of steel plate. Fang Senyan sharpened the edge of the blade bit by bit himself. The dark blade, the bright edge, was chilling, and the angular handle was simply wrapped in several layers of cloth to prevent slipping.

Fang Senyan's previous optimistic statement was just to trick Gao Qiang and San Zai into leaving, because he knew in his heart that this matter could no longer be resolved peacefully. Xi Di, whose face had been cut, was the son of Hua Shanfei's boss, "Black Ghost Dong!" At this time, the only way to reason with "Hua Shanfei" was with a knife! Live life to the fullest, die without regrets! He and Fourth Uncle were not father and son, but their relationship was better than father and son. Now, even if he risked his life, it was justified and without hesitation!

Seeing many friends asking about the update, I can't update too much during the new book period, 6k every day plus irregular explosions! Hehe, usually one chapter in the morning and one chapter in the afternoon.

Finally, I want to say: Dear friends, I miss you so much!