Before sailing out of the windless harbor waters, sailboats rely on their engines to move forward. The bow of the boat adjusted slowly, presumably looking for the direction of Hailuo Island.

Lu Rulan helped Uncle Fu sit down on the seat on the side of the ship, and then began to look at the sailboat.

He hadn't seen many private boats, but this one was clearly beautiful. The streamlined white hull reflects the faint moonlight; The deck area at the bow of the ship appears to be covered with a layer of navy blue fish scales; A few small lights of modest power surround the hull and outline the location of the guardrails.

Although they were at sea, it was not all around them in total darkness - a small harbor on their right, and rolling hills beyond. The buffer zone between the port and the hills is a small town.

At three o'clock in the morning, the lights were shining in what should have been a quiet town. The sea and the city are far apart, but you can still feel the tension and fear.

Lu Rulan glanced at her mobile phone, and the signal had dropped to zero at some point. He was worried about how he could get back in touch with his cousin, when he heard Haichen call his name.

"What are you doing, come here."

“…… Do? ”

"Let's take the helm."

"How could I do this?!" Lu Rulan hurriedly shook her head, "You look for Uncle Fu, I can't!" ”

"I'm old, I can't move." Uncle Fu looked at Haichen, then at Lu Rulan, and waved his hand again and again.

Haichen also urged: "Hurry up and come over with less nonsense, it's very simple." If you don't obey, be careful to throw you into the sea! ”

There was no way, the sender had to bow his head on the ship, Lu Rulan was deflated, so he had to walk over in a huff.

"You teach me!"

"Come and stand here, hold your hands."

Haichen took a step back and asked Lu Rulan to stand in front of the steering wheel: "This steering wheel is connected to the rudder under the ship, and it can control the sailing direction of the ship. You feel it gently, is it moving? ”

"Yes." Lu Rulan did feel the steering wheel slowly turning in his hand.

"All you have to do now is turn it back in the right direction."

As he spoke, Haichen had already stretched out his hand from behind Lu Rulan and also held the steering wheel.

Soon, the steering wheel was pulled back to its original direction.

"Take a break every few seconds, now try it yourself."

Lu Rulan nodded, and slowly adjusted according to his movements: "...... It feels like driving. ”

"Simple, right?" The Hychen let go of the steering wheel completely.

Lu Rulan asked anxiously: "Then what are you going to do?" ”

"You'll see it when you look at it."

With that, Haichen stepped onto the foredeck in two steps and grabbed the rope on the mast.

Just listen to the hula, and the gray-white sails are like huge wings, rising above the boat.

"Wow!"

Lu Rulan sighed from the bottom of her heart, as if the mood she had suppressed all night was also raised high with these two huge sails.

After adjusting the sails according to the wind direction, Haichen turned off the engine, walked back to Lu Rulan, and took over the steering wheel.

When the engine stopped, the boat suddenly became quiet, and the sound of the waves and wind quickly became clear.

Lu Rulan stood on the edge of the steering wheel, looking left and right with curiosity.

Haichen asked, "What's wrong with you?" ”

"I just had a feeling all of a sudden...... The ship itself is a kind of machine, but when the engine is turned off, it seems to come to life and become a ...... Big fish. ”

Speaking of this, even Lu Rulan herself laughed: "Isn't it ridiculous to say this." Even I don't know what I'm talking about.

"I can understand." Haichen nodded: "Quietly blending in with the ocean, that's why I like sailing." ”

Lu Rulan was a little surprised by Haichen's recognition. He opened his mouth to say something, thought about it but closed it tightly, and even deliberately turned his head away.

“…… The engines are turned off, why are the lights still on this ship? ”

"See the shiny decks ahead?"

"Is it photovoltaics?"

"Hmm. I've been slowly retrofitting this ship for several years. Now it's a hybrid of diesel and photovoltaics. However, for the time being, the electricity generated can only be used to supply the ship's lighting, communication and navigation settings. ”

"That's pretty good, too...... How long have you bought this boat? ”

"It's something my dad left behind, and it's long overdue for a new generation. But I was reluctant, so I kept asking someone to revise it, and it slowly became what it is now. ”

"Oh......"

Lu Rulan was thinking about whether to ask about his family, when a slight snoring suddenly sounded in his ears. It turned out that Uncle Fu was leaning on the side of the boat, and he fell asleep at some point.

Haichen wanted to take the helm, so Lu Rulan took the initiative to help, picked up the old man and sent him to the cabin.

The cabin of the sailboat was a little more spacious than he had imagined. Walking down the stairs there is a small living room. Lu Rulan put Uncle Fu on the three-person sofa on the right side. After making sure he wouldn't roll down, he turned around and headed back to the upper floor.

"Why are you coming up again?" Haichen took the helm, "I'm just the one here." ”

Lu Rulan deliberately did not answer this question: "How long will it take to get to Hailuo Island?" ”

"Almost an hour."

"What kind of place is that? Is the island big? ”

"It's okay, an island offshore. There used to be a small fishing village above, and it was developing well. But in recent years, the people in the village have gone out to work, leaving only the older generation to look at a lighthouse. ”

"If you send Uncle Fu to the island, will he be able to live on the island?"

"There are crops and vegetable patches on the island, fresh water, not to mention fishing. Electricity may be a problem, but the lighthouse generates its own electricity, so the villagers should have followed suit. Then again, if the world is really in chaos, there will be no electricity anywhere, and it will be the same everywhere. ”

"That's just as well." Lu Rulan nodded, "How many people are there on the island?" ”

"You may not believe it." Haichen freed his hand and compared the number: "Two people." ”

"Two people, one island?"

"An old couple, I have to call them aunts. has been guarding the lighthouse and refusing to leave. Some companies near the wharf regard Hailuo Island as a warehouse, and they have piled up a lot of materials on it, and they also ask the old couple to help watch it. They don't take any money, they just carry something with them when they come and go. ”

"Don't they have any other family?"

“…… There were, but they were all gone. ”

Haichen was silent for a moment: "Shipwreck, something happened with my father." After that, the husband and wife kept the lighthouse, saying that they would not wait until the day the ship returned. ”

Although his voice was calm, a shallow melancholy could still be heard.

Lu Rulan also became sad.

"The current situation, if it continues to worsen. I'm afraid there won't be any more ships sailing to Hailuo Island, right? Are they just like that, never returning to land for the rest of their lives? ”

"Hmm. Maybe that's not the worst option. ”

At this point, the two of them fell silent in unison.

The waves are undulating, the wind is ebbing and flowing, but there is some incredible calm in the bumps.

It was only at this time that Lu Rulan began to feel that her body was rapidly sinking. The tiredness suppressed by adrenaline finally swept over.

He didn't bother to move any more, so he leaned back on the seat on the side of the boat, tilted his head a little, and fell asleep to the hypnotic sound of the swaying waves.

――――

To be fair, it's not a good night's sleep. At least when Lu Rulan opened her eyes again, she still felt sleepy and a deep sense of getting up.

But this wake-up gas soon turned into an unexpected surprise - the thing that had just woken him up from sleep was actually the ringing of his mobile phone!

Lu Rulan hurriedly picked up her mobile phone and found that it was an email prompt tone. But he didn't choose to check the email, but quickly dialed Su He's phone.

"The user you are dialing is not in the service area for the time being, please dial again later."

The tone of his disappointment sounded again. He reluctantly repeated it several times, and finally had to give up again and look at the hard-won and precious mail instead.

The email was sent by my cousin Su He, and the time of sending it was 6:05 this morning.

Lu Rulan hurriedly checked the time on her phone, seven twenty o'clock.

Only then did he realize that he had slept for three hours, and that he was no longer sleeping in the upper seat of the dinghy.

At this moment, he was lying on the long sofa in the cabin, where Uncle Fu was supposed to rest. He also had a towel blanket on his body.

Above him, skylights on either side cast the morning sun.

What about Haichen?

Lu Rulan hurriedly got up and walked up.

When he reached the deck, he realized that the sailboat had docked. And on the hillside about two hundred meters away from him, stood a tall cylindrical tower with red and white.

There is no doubt that this is Hailuo Island.

Haichen probably accompanied Uncle Fu to the island. Do you wait for him to come back, or do you go to the island to find him? Lu Rulan suddenly fell into a dilemma.

Fortunately, at this time, a figure came from a distance on the other side of the beach.

"Yo, wake up." Haichen greeted Lu Rulan from afar.

Lu Rulan stood at the stern of the boat and looked at him, a little like laughing and straining her face.

"You're not afraid that I'll take advantage of your absence, and run away from your boat?"

"Don't be afraid." Haichen jumped on board along the pier: "You're not a bad person. ”

"Don't pretend we know each other, okay?" Lu Rulan gave him the position in front of the steering wheel, thought about it and asked, "...... You're not ready to stay on the island too? ”

"No, they're more upset when they see me. Let them live in peace. When it's too peaceful on land, I'll ask them if they want to go out. ”

Saying that, Haichen also asked Lu Rulan: "What about you, do you want to find your brother?" ”

"I just received an email from him. He is now and ...... Well, his blind date failed to be with him, and he was safe for the time being. He said he knew of a place that was perfect as a place of refuge. ”

"What place? Far from here? ”

"Not far. And right by the sea. It is an old botanical garden that is being renovated. My brother was hired as an eco-design consultant over there, and his former subjects were ...... It's the same whale I called before, and he is also in charge of the microgrid project there. ”

"Why does your brother like to find a man?"

"Can't you? What age is it, it's the same for men and women. ”

“…… That's right. Haichen smiled, "The microgrid is the kind of power generation project that can operate in isolation without the external power grid?" Sounds like a lot of fun. ”

"I'm going there." Lu Rulan greeted the rising sun, her eyes were bright: "Do you want to come along?" ”

"I won't send you over, will you swim there yourself?"

Haichen nodded without much hesitation and thought: "However, before we go there, there is another place to visit." ”

"Where?"

"The old rule - you'll know when you go."