Chapter 30 Fisherman

Before sunrise, Kouri woke up in the dark.

From the age of ten, from the moment he first went to sea, he was always the first to wake up. He could hear his wife breathing slightly beside him. He turned around and kissed his wife, then groped to remove her arm and sat up. The "busty" wife is not beautiful and behaves rudely, but Kouri is already satisfied. The cold air in the limestone wall made Kou's body goose bumps. He put on his clothes in the dark, turned over and got out of bed.

"Be careful." My wife is sleepy and mutters to take care of her.

"I know." He responded with a kiss.

He put on his cowhide boots and a waterproof cloak. When he went downstairs, he heard his daughter calling him, so he approached the corner of the room, where his daughter's bed was placed.

The daughter put her hands around his neck and said coquettishly in his ear, "Dad, come back early. I want to eat grilled oysters and fried salmon at noon."

"I will even give you a shark." He pinched his daughter's face, and her daughter giggled. Let's sleep again." He kissed his daughter's forehead. "When you wake up, I'll be home."

"Well, Dad, you go." My daughter obediently closed her eyes.

Kuri walked out of the door. Before dawn, there were only a few torches on the street, and everywhere was shrouded in darkness and shadow. Only his footsteps echoed around. He turned around from time to time, afraid of seeing the ghosts who killed people, but the surroundings were empty and quiet, which made him even more afraid. He held his breath, accelerated his pace, and almost ran. At the same time, the horrible things he heard these days kept coming out of his head - people died every day. When he flew all the way to the dock, he was out of breath and his clothes were wet with cold sweat, but the noisy calls and the crowded crowd relieved him. He walked over with his sore legs.

There are already many fishermen and porters on the dock. At the edge of the stone railing, fire basins burned firewood one by one, and the warm light lit up around, dispelling the ink-like darkness before dawn and dragging the shadow of their hard work.

"Ku Li, hurry up!" Like every morning, Kenneth was shouting to make him faster.

"Here it comes." He shouted back and walked over. Several sailors greeted him, and he also responded one by one. When he reached the side of the boat, Kenneth and his two sons had untied their nets and raised their sails.

"Are you lingering with your wife?" Kenneth complained, "Why is it so slow?"

If you want to walk alone in the dark alley like me, you will stay until dawn. Kou Li thought to himself and closed his mouth without saying a word. He doesn't want to be laughed at by the other party.

"What the hell, if it weren't for your daughter and my son..." Kenneth chattered endlessly.

Cori frowned, "...Nalya wants to eat grilled oysters and salmon at noon today."

Kennes suddenly stopped talking. He was stunned for a moment, and then laughed, "No problem!" While greeting Koli to get on the boat quickly, he shouted loudly to his second son on the deck, "Tanlun, do you hear me? Leave all the oysters later."

"I know, father." Tanren Dali raised his head and responded loudly in the entanglement of fishing nets.

There is a thick brown hair in Tanenda, and the blue eyes seem to be the color of the ocean. Tall, strong, cheerful, and warm-hearted, but not inheriting old Kenneth's stinky mouth. Maybe it's a good choice to let him be his son-in-law? Kuri was surprised by the sudden idea that came to his mind.

He once owned a long ship and inherited it from his father. But in a storm, his ship was damaged and sunk, and so far he has not been able to save enough money to buy a new ship. If it hadn't been for Kenneth's help, their family would have been living on the streets and begging along the street. He sighed. Although Kenneth's stinky mouth was annoying, at least he still had a ship that could go to sea. Cory decided not to obstruct. Let Tanlun and his daughter try to date first. Thinking so, he grabbed Kenneth's smiling hand and jumped onto the deck. He opened the cable and pushed the shore with a wooden oar. The boat and dock got farther and farther away and sailed to the sea.

The sea is calm, and there are no strong winds and waves from a few weeks ago. The boat sailed out of the bay, and only they were alone in the empty sea, as if there were only four of them left in the world. The morning sun rose right in front of them, as if paving them a golden road to the temple of the sea god.

But they were tired of living at sea, so Kenneth simply threw all the work of pulling the sails to his son, and he pulled Kou into the cabin with a pipe in his hand.

"Old man, how are you thinking?" He pulled out two large wooden cups from the corner and poured wine into it. Nelia and Tanren are both old. Do you still have to work like this? I really don't know what you're thinking about!" He dried off the glass of wine angrily.

Kou Li grabbed the wooden glass and stared at the wine that was about to spill out without saying a word. If possible, he just wants his daughter to stay with him for the rest of his life. Naria is so cute. Thinking that she will be with another man and no longer act coquettish to him from then on, and since she left him like this, Coley felt that her heart was tightly grasped and empty and uncomfortable.

"You are talking." Kenneth patted the table, "I was asking a year ago, and you are still like this, saying nothing. Do you agree to them or not?

Kuri reluctantly raised his head and said dryly, "I still have to think about it for a few days."

"A few days, a few days, another few days. Count yourself how many times you have said it?" Kenneth shouted angrily, "I can still wait, but what about the children? Let them wait for your decision like this? Tanren is 18 years old! Nalya is almost 16 years old! When do you want them to wait?"

"Give me a few more days, just a few days." He said almost pleadingly.

At this moment, Cory only felt that he was not a human inside and outside. He just doesn't want Nalya to be a victim of gratitude.

"Dad, I will marry a knight in the future! Let him ride a tall horse to marry me." When she was a child, Nelia said in his ear. He also nodded with a smile and agreed without any doubt. Because she is so beautiful, in his eyes, she is more beautiful and lovely than those noble girls who came down from the three-masted sailboat.

Nalya has silk-like jujube red hair and beautiful emerald-like eyes. She is neither as dark as him nor as fat as her mother. She has the unique youthful vitality of a 15- or 16-year-old girl. How can he easily make a decision to let Nalya marry?

"In the final analysis, you are just evasing!" Kenneth stared at him, "I see!" He threw away the wooden wine glass, "You want your daughter to climb on a high branch and be a warm bed maid for the young master of a big family!" He suddenly became sharp.

Kori stood up and said, "Shut up! Kenneth!" His eyes burned with anger, "I have never thought like this, and I will never do it!" I know better than you. That's hurting my daughter!"

"You haven't made a decision for a long time. What if you don't plan to make such a plan?"

"Kenneth, I have always been very grateful to you for helping our family in my most difficult time. We know how to repay kindness, but you can't use kindness as a threat to force my daughter to marry Tanron!"

"Is there anything more suitable besides Tanlen?" Kenneth roared an angry, "The fisherman's daughter married the fisherman's son, and the door is right!"

Cori originally intended to let Nalya make her own choice, but after hearing Kenneth say, he made the final decision. He wanted to reject it completely - he was a fisherman, his father was a fisherman, and his ancestors were fishermen for generations. He didn't want his daughter to marry a fisherman and give birth to a child. After that, he was still a fisherman!

"All right." Cory bravely met Kenneth's angry eyes, "I can give you the answer now: even if my daughter is lonely for a lifetime, she will not marry your family!"

"What did you say?" Kenneth blushed, spewed wine from his mouth, and rushed to him, "I deliberately left the ship to Tanren to inherit, and did not leave a penny of the property for James. My wife blamed me countless times, but I took it all back!" What is it for? It's not for your daughter to get married and live a good life! But what about you? But you won't marry!"

Cori hugged Kenneth's body and shouted back, "I won't take Nelia's happiness as a joke!"

"Fuck your children's play!" Kenneth broke free from his hand and punched him directly. One punch hit his chin. Cory counterattacked unwillingly, and his hammer-like fist hit Kenneth's forehead. They caught fire and wrestled with each other without admitting defeat. They rolled around in the cabin, and the things in the cabin pinged and fell to the ground.

Kenneth's eldest son James rushed into the cabin, "Father! Uncle Cory!" He tried to pull them away, but was punched by Cory and Kenneth. "Tanron, leave those dead fish alone. Come and separate them."

The second son Tanren Dali also quickly joined the circle. They didn't know how many times they had suffered, but finally hugged one and separated them. But even so, they kept struggling, waving their arms at each other, kicking their legs, and spitting stars in their mouths.

"Kori, you are a true and ungrateful villain!" Kenneth roared.

Kou Li wiped the blood from the corners of his mouth, "Let go of me, James. I'm fine." He looked at Kenneth and said firmly, "I will repay you in other ways, but I can't do it in exchange for Nalya."

"Damn it, you all heard it clearly. Don't call him uncle anymore. He just wants to marry us!"

"I know, I know." Frustration appeared on Tanrendari's face, and then more frightened. Panic? Cory was about to ask, but he heard James say, "Father, let's go back and talk about it. Come out and have a look now. Something's going on!"

"Go back? Of course, we have to talk about it when we go back. Kenneth said angrily, "Say, what happened? Are the fishing nets broken, or are we surrounded by tiger sharks? Or the seabird pooped over your heads!"

"Neither, father, you'd better go and have a look. I... I don't know what to say." James was impatient, but it was indescribable. This is the fisherman's son, Cory thought disdainfully.

"Then don't hold me!" Kenneth shook off Tanrendari's arm and glanced at Kouri. "If you want to hug him, go and hug the old guy. I'm afraid he will die of shame and anger. I can still walk by myself. Let's get out of the way.

He kicked open the hatch and climbed the ladder, and then Kouri heard him shout in horror, "God is on top, Kouri, Kouri!" Fuck, come out! Fuck, tell me it's not true!"

Kuri climbed out of the cabin, and then he was stunned by the scene in front of him.

Fish, countless fish, countless dead fish. They all turned over in white belly and floated on the sea. Sharks, walruses, giant whales, and strange-like marine creatures that they have never captured or even seen before are all crowded together. Among them, there are many thief gulls and albatrosses. The blue sea seems to have become a huge cemetery.

"Is this true...?" Kenneth grabbed his neck and said, "Tell me, is it true?"

Kuri swallowed his saliva with difficulty and said in a dry and hoarse voice, "Yes... It's true... There are all dead fish around us, as if only we are still alive." He couldn't help shivering.

Kenneth let go of his hand and stepped back a few steps in a dull manner until his back hit the mast. He was stunned for a long time, then raised his head and shouted at his sons, "When did you find out? Why didn't you call me earlier?"

"There weren't so many at first, but there were some, and later..." The eldest son James said in horror, "Later... it seemed that the sea was suddenly filled with dead fish, and then we saw seabirds falling from the sky..."

"I shouldn't go to sea today, I really shouldn't go to sea!" Kenneth kept muttering, "God must be angry. This must be God's warning to us." He raised his head and found that his sons were still motionless. He got angry again, "What are you still doing?" Do you still want to pick them up and take them back? Return! Return!"

The boat rolled over the bodies of piles of dead fish and struggled to move forward in the sea of death, like driving in sticky glue. However, the sea of dead fish seems to be boundless, and they have not been able to escape from the control of death from near noon until dusk. The whole ocean seems to be dead and there is no end.

"What the hell is going on?" Kenneth, who lost his patience, shouted at his sons, "Are we lost?"

"No, father, I'm going in the right direction." Tanren Dali explained, "The dead fish on the sea slowed us down. We don't even have half the speed of the ship in the headwind.

"No, you must have taken the wrong direction!" He pushed away Tanrendari and took the helm himself, "I'll do it myself!" I knew that I couldn't hand over the boat to you now!" Tanrendari handed him Haitu, but he slapped him away. "Throw it away, you don't need this junk!" I began to run this fishing road when I was still in my mother's womb. Even if I narrow my eyes, I can go home!"

"Uncle Cory." James turned to him.

But he just shook his head, "Let him go." He can take us back."

Kuri looked at the dead fish around him and couldn't help thinking of a month ago. That day, there were also dead fish everywhere, but that day the dead fish floated all over the harbor. It took sailors and porters a week to clean up the dead fish, which were almost piled up into a hill. At this time, there was such a big area in front of him that he couldn't help thinking that it would fill the whole city and make the smell spread everywhere.

When night fell and stars rose from the dark blue sky, the boat staggered into the harbor like a tired traveler. However, they soon noticed the difference.

"*It's quiet." Cory frowned. Only the firelight of the brazier bloomed brightly on the dock, and the surroundings were empty and uninhabited, as dead as when he came this morning.

Maybe they got rid of the entanglement of the dead fish, and Kenneth's sons also relaxed a lot. Maybe they want to surprise us." Tanrendari couldn't help laughing.

"Falty surprise! Tie up the ropes and we are going to go ashore. Kenneth asked his sons, "Go home and have a drink. I'm exhausted. You two bastards can't help, and they are in the way. As a result, you have to do everything in person!" The boat gradually landed, "Kuri, call your wife and your daughter to come to my house. Let's make it clear today. Damn, your indecisive personality is really not as good as your mother-in-law.

"Let's do it another time." Cory said as usual.

"Today!" Kenneth waved his hand, "Tanron, go straight to your Uncle Cory's house and call your aunt and Naliya."

"That's not good."

Kenneth slapped him on the head, "Fuck you are so shy! No matter how shy your wife is, she will run away!"

James smiled and jumped on the shore first and tied the rope to the stake.

"Cou Li, what are you still doing? Didn't you hear what I just said? Hurry up, let's go."

Standing in the bow, he came to his senses and heard Kenneth's words gradually dissipate in the wind. *It's quiet, he thought, it's really quiet. Why is there no sound at all?

Cou Li jumped ashore. Then they saw the "surprise" in Tanlundari's mouth, but the truth was - only surprise, no joy.

There are many people lying on the dock. Some of them fell head down in buckets, some plunged into the pile of horse shit, and some simply broke their heads... They were motionless, like... dead.

"What's wrong with this?" Kenneth sat on the ground and said tremblingly, "Are they... dead?"

Ku Li was surprised that he still had the courage to stand and even walk towards them. Mekan!" He found a familiar sailor, but he couldn't wake him up. He bent down and put his finger on his nose. Then he stumbled back a few steps. "He...he's dead..." He looked around, and so many bodies were scattered on the dock, like dead fish in the ocean. I think... I think..." He said in horror, "They are all dead."

Their legs and feet were weak, and they supported each other through the body and carefully avoided the body. Go back, faster, faster." They kept urging in their hearts, but it seemed that their legs without bones were completely out of control. They moved forward almost inch by inch.

Suddenly, Tanren Dali screamed. He waved his arm crazily and knocked his father to the ground with great strength. Tanlun?" James looked back, and then he let out a second scream.

The uneasy Kou found that there were countless figures in the shadow behind them. They staggered and stumbled towards them.

"The body... the body... came back to life..." Kenneth shouted in horror.

A living body caught Tanrendari and was dragging him back. More bodies walked towards him. His red eyes and drooling open mouth predicted his fate.

"Ken...Kenneth, come on...run!" He pulled him up and said, "James, run!"

"Tan...Tanlun..."

"Let's go!"

But they couldn't leave. The walking bodies surrounded them, roared at them and waved their arms. Their chins opened and closed, making a crushing ferocious smile. Then they rushed at them.

Naliya, my daughter. This is Cory's last consciousness.