Chapter 12: The White-Crested Wave

As Lin Yu had suspected, after swimming in, he found nothing—not even the shadow of a single swimming crab.

Not daring to linger in the sea, Lin Yu immediately began to swim back. Swimming in the ocean was incredibly exhausting; the rising waves created immense resistance, and having swum far out, he had already spent a great deal of energy. Now, the return swim felt beyond his strength.

A twinge of worry crept into his heart, but he forced himself to remain calm. He knew well that panic only led to disaster at such moments.

Fortunately, by keeping his head above water, he could breathe smoothly. So even if he swam more slowly, it would be safer.

But just then, the waves began to rise.

The once calm sea surface started trembling subtly without warning. At first, faint ripples appeared on the distant horizon, barely noticeable. Then, those ripples rapidly spread and intensified, intertwining and amplifying.

In an instant, rows upon rows of waves surged from the horizon like a stampede of furious white horses, neighing and howling, kicking up towering sprays, crashing toward the shore with overwhelming force.

Suddenly, Lin Yu was swept up and tossed by the waves.

This terrified Erni, who shouted loudly before desperately pulling on the rope. The waves were fierce, with dazzling white foam flashing at their peaks—such eerie waves made Erni deeply anxious.

But soon, Lin Yu’s head popped up above the crest of a wave, and Erni breathed a sigh of relief.

With Erni’s help, Lin Yu quickly made it back to shore, gasping for breath. This trip into the sea had drained much of his energy, and thinking back on the scene, he couldn’t help but feel a chill of fear.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

Lin Yu shook his head. “The waves rose strangely. Luckily, I tied the rope beforehand. Otherwise, it would have been dangerous.”

“I told you not to go, but you wouldn’t listen. Now look—something almost happened!” Erni was angry, but more than that, worried. Thankfully, Lin Yu was fine; otherwise, she’d be inconsolable.

Lin Yu smiled. “I’m fine, see? Don’t be mad. The wind’s picking up—that means whitecap waves are coming. We should head back quickly.”

Whitecap waves are those with white foam breaking at their peaks.

When the wind continues to blow over the sea surface after waves form, it breaks the wave crests. The air mixed in the water forms white foam when the waves break, creating whitecaps.

This is a dangerous signal. Fishermen who have spent years at sea stop going out when they see this, to avoid being swallowed by the waves.

Sure enough, when the two returned to the dock, several boats were rocking endlessly with the waves. Second Uncle and Second Aunt, having secured their boats, stood on the dock with furrowed brows.

“What kind of weather is this? It changed just like that. No one’s going out to sea today. What do we do now?”

“What else can we do? It was calm an hour ago, but now small waves keep coming, and in a few hours they’ll be one or two meters high. No way we can go out in this. We’ll be stuck at home for three to five days, maybe even a week.”

Second Aunt’s brow was twisted like a knot, her face sour.

For fishermen, no sea meant no income—living off savings, which soon ran out. Moreover, their family’s quota for the month hadn’t been met yet; she was naturally anxious.

She had been upset in the past few days after the land was reclaimed, and now her mood was even worse.

At that moment, they spotted Lin Yu and Erni approaching. Second Aunt’s face darkened.

“Isn’t that that brat Lin Yu? Looks like he’s coming back from Golden Sand Beach—probably went digging for clams again. And that’s Erni with him. Why does she always hang around with him?”

“Erni is quite a catch though. She knows how to run a household, and with her looks, she stands out in the village. Our Xiao Hai isn’t young anymore. Maybe we should try to set them up?”

Second Uncle paused mid-draw on his pipe and glanced at his wife. “What are you thinking? Do you really think Erni’s mother would accept our son? Don’t you know about the trouble with the Lao Cui family? They demanded a hefty bride price—three sets of traditional gifts and one sound system—and since they couldn’t pay, the match was off.”

“What? So Erni refuses to marry?”

“She’s just a girl—it’s not like she can say no. It’s her mother who thinks the Lao Cui family is poor and fears her daughter will suffer. She’s the one who let it be known that Erni doesn’t want to marry. Our family has some means, but we can’t afford those gifts. Stop hoping.”

Second Aunt’s face flushed with indignation upon hearing this.

“If you ask me, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Our family’s conditions are among the best in the village. If Erni won’t marry Xiao Hai, how could she possibly want that brat Lin Yu? Just wait—I’ll go talk to Erni’s family. Maybe it can still happen!”

Second Uncle said nothing in response.

Soon, Lin Yu and Erni arrived. Seeing Second Uncle and Second Aunt, Lin Yu deliberately ignored them and tugged Erni to leave.

“You little brat! Don’t you see your Second Uncle and Aunt here? Not even a greeting!” Liu Guilan shouted grumpily.

Second Uncle frowned and spoke sternly, “Xiao Yu, you’re getting worse and worse—no manners at all. Is this how your mother taught you?”

Lin Yu stopped and shot them a glare. “How my mother taught me is none of your business. Whether I’m polite or not doesn’t concern you. Stop putting on airs as Second Uncle and Aunt around me. After my father’s accident, you didn’t help us at all—you even grabbed our land. I have nothing to say to you.”

“You…” Second Uncle’s face turned red with anger.

Sensing the tension, Erni quickly intervened, “Uncle, Auntie, he just got back from the sea and caught nothing. He’s upset—don’t be like him. We have things to do, so we’ll be going now.”

With that, Erni hurriedly pulled Lin Yu away.

Watching them leave, Liu Guilan found herself liking Erni more and more. She couldn’t help but say, “Erni’s getting more and more beautiful. Even if her mother wants that bride price, we’ll pay it to get her married into our family. This girl looks like a lucky charm—finding such a good daughter-in-law for our son is worth spending more.”

“But I think Erni’s interested in Lin Yu. Look—they’re holding hands,” Second Uncle said as he puffed on his pipe.

“So what? Their family’s so poor they can barely get by. Even if Erni wanted to, would her mother agree? Just wait—Erni will be Xiao Hai’s wife. I’m sure of it,” Second Aunt said with a proud smile.

She was betting her hopes fervently.

The more Erni liked Lin Yu, the better. Taking Erni away would be like getting back at that brat Lin Yu who threatened her with a bowl and a slice.

Unaware of Liu Guilan’s thoughts, Lin Yu and Erni had walked some distance away before Erni rolled her eyes and scolded, “You can’t talk to your Second Uncle and Aunt like that.”

“How else? I wasn’t wrong.”

“Are you an idiot? Talking to them like that only makes them angry. Look at how your Second Uncle looked just now. If you’d said a few more words, he might have hit you. And if he hit you, do you really think you could fight back?”

Only then did Lin Yu realize Erni was worried about him. He relaxed his expression. “He only bullies me because I’m young and weak now. Wait a year—I bet he won’t dare act tough in front of me anymore.”

Indeed, Lin Yu was still thin and small, the result of long-term malnutrition. Fortunately, he was still growing; there was time. In a year, he would grow tall and strong, and no one would dare bully him.

Meanwhile, the wind grew stronger, shaking the poplar trees lining the road.

“The wind’s picking up. Let’s hurry home. Your mother must be back by now; she’ll be worried if you’re not there.”

Erni suddenly remembered that with the whitecaps coming, the parents couldn’t go fishing and must have returned early. She called out and broke into a run, shouting at Lin Yu to call her when he packed up the traps.

“Slow down, don’t fall,” Lin Yu said, amused by her frantic pace.