Chapter 10 - Fishy Cao is Angry
clownfish - 0 | clownfish - 9 | clownfish - 11
Shen Dong didn’t have much time to ponder his current predicament, Hong Jie made sure of that as he wholeheartedly urged him to get the computer. And there was Cao Mu who joined in too. He was excited as, apart from taking food from the ancestral hall, he rarely went ashore. And that was even before factoring in that this would be a group outing. In face, he was even more wholehearted in urging Shen Dong forward than Captain Jack. Not that he could remember who Captain Jack was.
“W-wait… for me, me here.” Shen Dong felt like his head was expanding and he pointed at the rocks, tracing out a circle.
“Oh.” Cao Mu nodded.
“Why we gotta wait here?” Hong Jie retorted.
“He told you to wait here, so you wait here. What’s there to ask?” Cao Mu said, looking at him.
“I’m going to go find Chen-shu.”
“Who’s Chen-shu?”
“Oh, that fat uncle at the lighthouse? It’s been ages since I’ve seen him. Say me say ‘hi’ to him.”
“Who’re you?”
“The captain! Fishy Cao, how come you still haven’t remembered?!”
“Captain who?”
Shen Dong pointed a finger at the two of them, but said nothing, then turned and left.
He hadn’t told Chen-shu he was going to take the computer to go get it repaired and neither did he want him to find out that he’d met Hong Jie, lest he find out about Cao Mu.
“You can fix it?” Chen-shu asked with surprise when he heard that Shen Dong wanted to bring it back to his home to have a poke around.
“D-don’t kn-know.” Shen Dong unplugged everything and found a box to carry it all on. The monitor was one of those old boxy kinds and he had no idea if there was anyone around who could still fix them.
“Have a god then. Treat it as something to help pass the time,” Chen-shu said with laugh.
“Oh.” Shen Dong carried the box with one arm and looped his other around the monitor. Like him, this computer had arrived at the same time as him on the island and had never left since.
Hong Jie had his boat moored on the other side of the island. It was a bit far out over the reef but given the size of the boat, there was no other choice.
Shen Dong watched as he easily dived, fully clothed into the water. He came out, turned and held out his arms. “Give it here.”
“W-what?”
“I’ll carry it above my head,” Hong Jie said urgently. “Quick. I’ll paddle water and head back.”
“It’s heavy.” Shen Dong hesitated. The box maybe could be carried over while treading water, but the main bit was just too heavy. Plus Hong Jie was still fully clothed.
Actually, he still didn’t know why Hong Jie wore the clothes he did, all bundled up and looking like a beggar.
“I’m the captain, are you disobeying orders?” Hong Jie scoffed. “Give me that monitor. The case Fishy Cao can carry.”
“Fine. Here.” Shen Dong didn’t want to say much more and handed the things over.
Hong Jie wobbled about as he sized up its weight then held it above his head and set off into the water.
Shen Dong watched and waited to see if a miracle would happen.
Three seconds later, it did.
Hong Jie and the computer both sunk under the water.
“He’s gone,” said Cao Mu.
“Amazing,” Shen Dong said with a sigh. “W-wait for me. I’ll g-go get my card.”
Shen Dong had a few hundred kuai notes stored up like souveniers since there was no where to spend them here. Now, fortunately, he had something to do with them along with the bank card that his wages were paid into.
It took him a while to find the card. He had to pull out all the drawers in the table before he discovered that the card had somehow ended up sliding down behind the table.
He picked up the dust covered card and looked at it. He could feel the strong emotions of it at the thought that after all these years it was finally being put to use.
As he returned to the cliff, he saw Hong Jie and Cao Mu working together to tip water out of the computer. He wasn’t sure if he should clap or laugh.
“P-put it down,” He went over and tapped the screen. “It’s useless.”
“You’ve broken it!” Cao Mu shouted at Hong Jie on hearing this.
“It was already broken!” Hong Jie shouted back.
“Don’t go looking for excuses,” Cao Mu said, side-eyeing him, “Captain Jack.”
“It’s not an excuse!” Hong Jie said with a huff, then quickly turned to stare at Cao Mu. “You remember me!?”
“Yeah. I remember,” Cao Mu said laughing.
“It’s really not easy!” Hong Jie said with a long sigh.
Shen Dong was surprised to see among the general clutter of Hong Jie’s boat, three drums of oil. He’d assumed the pirate ship was wind powered only.
“What ya think? Surprised, huh?” Hong Jie said, kicking an oil drum with his toe. “Normally I rely on the sails, but sometimes I something a little extra.”
He was indeed surprised. Shen Dong said nothing and sat down on one of the drums.
“Set sail! Fishy Cao, on look out!” Hong Jie kicked the engine into gear.
“Look out for what?” Cao Mu asked as he stood on the deck.
“Look out for the situation of the ocean, see if there are any enemies, you know.”
“I’m not looking,” Cao Mu said. “It’s too silly. No pirate would use such a trashy boat.”
“Completely uncooperative. What a bore,” Hong Jie evaluated with disatisfaction. He said nothing more and instead pointed the boat in the direction of the village and set off.
The closer the cliffs became, the more Shen Dong got nervous. He didn’t know what he was getting stressed about, or if it was just from being away from cilisation so long made the idea of suddenly being thrown back into it again feel awful.
Or perhaps there was another reason. He’d felt that even if he hadn’t been on the island he would still have this impulse to avoid other people.
Cao Mu was happy. He sat to the side, his face full of anticipation.
“D’you need to withdraw some cash?” Hong Jie asked from the tail end of the boat. He’d seen the card in Shen Dong’s hand.
“Oh.” Shen Dong nodded.
“Then we’ll head for the town. There’s a bank there. You going to buy a new computer then?” Hong Jie pondered a moment. “There’s only one person who can fix gadgets in the village, he normally fixes radios, TVs that kind of stuff. He doesn’t sell though. But in the town there is an electronics store…”
Shen Dong didn’t say a word. He suddenly felt like diving into the ocean and swimming back to the island.
Go ashore, go into town, withdraw money, then buy a computer?
At the thought of this list of tasks, his breath suddenly became strained. There was no way he could get through all of that smoothly.
No way in hell!
“Stop!” Shen Dong suddenly stood and waved an arm at Hong Jie.
“What? We’re nearly there, just twenty more minutes or so. Why you wanna stop?” Hong Jie looked agog at him.
Shen Dong didn’t know how to explain. “Stop,” he repeated.
“Why?” Cao Mu was also surprised and turned back to look at him.
“J-just stop.” Shen Dong’s voice was thin and he was already feeling weak.
Hong Jie completely didn’t understand but he cut the engine anyway and the boat came to a slow stop.
“I…” Shen Dong slowly sat back down on the oil drum and pressed his fingers to his temples.
Hong Jie stared at him a while then said, “You’ve stayed on the island way too long, right?”
Shen Dong didn’t make a sound. He was probably right.
“You’re scared?” Cao Mu asked, crouching down by him.
“Oh?” Shen Dong hadn’t expected Cao Mu to use such words and his heart gave a little tug. He was right. He was scared. Of what though, he had no idea.
“The first time I went to the village I was also scared,” Cao Mu said in a small voice. “Grandpa took me. I didn’t dare go ashore, I just stayed in the water then swam away.”
Shen Dong quickly looked at Hong Jie. He was worried he’d get curious about Cao Mu on hearing this, but his attention was elsewhere and he was instead lying on his back at the tail end of the boat.
“But,” Cao Mu continued on in a small voice, “Later I wasn’t scared. Actually, there’s nothing to be scared of. I’ll be with you, and so will the captain.”
Shen Dong turned to look back at Cao Mu again. This was the first time he’d ever been comforted so gently before and it was from a fish who didn’t know anything.
“Oh.” He could only make that sound. He didn’t know what else to say.
“Let’s go then,” Cao Mu turned and shouted, “Captain! Set sail!”
“Ah?” Shen Dong stared at him. The comforting was over? Just one sentence, and that’s it?
“Alright! Full steam ahead! Turn about to starboard!” Hong Jie spent no time assessing the situation or evening turning to look at what was happening. As soon as Cao Mu said the word, he was revving the engine again. The sudden rumble of the engine made Shen Dong forget all his complaints.
He massaged his temple. Fine. Go. It’s not like he’d die from going ashore, he wasn’t a fish after all.
Hong Jie moored the boat at an ancient dock far from the village. It was one that fisherman normally used and had an oddly lonely look to it in the glistening sun.
Shen Dong felt like he wasn’t quite there.
“Let’s go,” Hong Jie said as he jumped down from the boat, splashing water all over himself. “Let’s not go into the village. If my grandpa sees me, he’ll lock me up in my room again. Let’s just head straight for the town.”
“Is it far?” Cao Mu asked, also jumping down.
“Not really. There’s a bus, or we can just hitchhike a ride.”
“H-how long?” Shen Dong asked. He knew why Cao Mu was asking about the distance. If too much time passed, Cao Mu would probably end up feeling unwell.
“Real close. If you add withdrawing the money, then a round trip will take less than an hour. Though, I’m not sure how long it’ll take for you to buy a computer.” Hong Jie raised a hand to block the sun from his eyes and looked out toward the sea. “After I take you two, I need to come back. I cannot leave the sea for long.”
“What?” Shen Dong stared at him. For once he was thankful for his stuttering that made him talk slower. He’d been about to ask ‘are you a fish too?’
“I’m of the sea! Away from sea water makes me feel really bad. I’m a son of the ocean!”
“Me too,” said Cao Mu.
“No you’re not. You just came out of the ocean.”
All the way along the road to the town, Shen Dong felt some kind of awful feeling fill his body. The place was unfamiliar, so were the smells, and even the brief glimpses of ocean he saw were different.
And it wasn’t just because he’d been on an island for seven years. Part of his discomfort was from the fact that the three of them stood out just way too much.
At the fore was Captain Jack in his colourless mass of clothes and eyepatch over his right eye. Next was the dazzling as far as the eye can see sapphire shirt wearing Cao Mu. Lastly, was Shen Dong in his bright green shirt and he was sure his face had some kind of mix of vacant staring, helplessness, and shiftiness as he tried to not look at anyone.
Just way too obvious! Shen Dong was sure they’d soon get grabbed!
They didn’t go into the village. Instead, Hong Jie took them along a side road nearby. In the distance they could see one small house with fishing lines strung up against the wall to dry and a boat that was long in disrepair.
Shen Dong looked around the village and found it rather quiet. He recalled the very first time he’d been through it it had also been this quiet with barely a soul.
Perfect.
“I’m thirsty,” said Cao Mu in a low voice to him.
Shen Dong immediately felt worried. Back in the Watch Room, whenever Cao Mu said he was thirsty, Shen Dong would get him a cup of water. Sometimes he’d hold a mouthful in his mouth for a while and zone out. It was those moments that Shen Dong found most peaceful.
But right now, he was worried. What if Cao Mu collapsed here on the road? Would he turn into foam then… He didn’t want to think about how a little clownfish would fare.
“I don’t have any money. Once we get to the town, Shen Dong can buy you some water. Once we hitch a ride, we’ll get there in no time,” said Hong Jie.
“You…” Shen Dong went over to Cao Mu and looked at him closely.
“I’m okay. I’m only thirsty,” Cao Mu said with a smile, then added proudly, “When I’m in the Watch Room, I can go a whole night!”
“Later I’ll get you a whole crate of water,” said Shen Dong.
“You really are rich,” Hong Jie said, turning back. “Eh? Just then you didn’t stutter. How come now…”
“Don’t say it!” Cao Mu shouted. He stepped decisively between Shen Dong and Hong Jie.
“Why?” Hong Jie asked vaguely.
“Anyone who says that about him he’ll hit,” said Cao Mu. He grabbed Shen Dong’s arm to prevent him from hitting Hong Jie.
“That? What that?” Hong Jie asked, still confused.
“Be quiet,” Shen Dong said. He closed his eyes and sighed, taking his arm back. “I d-don’t want, want to hit him.”
“Then you hit me!” Cao Mu stared at him. “Wait, he said that, so why don’t you want to hit him? You always hit me! You really just want to make enemies with me?!”
Shen Dong couldn’t figure out what to say for a while, until finally he said, “Cos I want to!”
Cao Mu had his brows furrowed and was about to say something when from behind them suddenly came the rumbling of a tractor. It sounded pretty far away, but it still made Shen Dong’s shake and he fought the urge to hide behind Cao Mu.
“Ah! The free ride’s here!” Hong Jie said happily and turned to stand by the road. “We’ll ride it to the town. It’ll be real quick.”
“That thing’s even more broken down than your boat,” said Cao Mu. He had his eyes narrowed as he looked at the tractor.
“My boat’s not broken! What would you know anyway. My boat’s seen things. It’s been my faithful partner on the sea all these years. It’s the proof of my battle with the sea!” Hong Jie shouted while he waved down the tractor.
“Battle? I thought you were the son of the ocean. You battle with your dad, is it?” Cao Mu laughed.
“You…” Hong Jie had his arm still stuck out. He wasn’t sure how to retaliate.
“Fathers and sons fighting is normal,” said Shen Dong as he stepped behind the other two. Up on the tractor, other than the driver, were a few girls and Shen Dong could already hear their whispering. He could also feel himself sweating.
“Right! Shen Dong is completely right! Fishy Cao, you just don’t get it!” Hong Jie puffed out his chest and waved toward the tractor.
“I don’t have a father,” Cao Mu said with a laugh.
Shen Dong opened his mouth but couldn’t find anything to say.
Finally the tractor came to a rolling stop in front of them. The driver was an eye-catching old uncle with brown teeth and bright white eye whites. He stared in shock at Hong Jie. “Xiao-Jie?”
“Oh, Uncle Yang, we need a ride,” Hong Jie patted a hand against the tractor.
“Sure, sure. Get on.” Uncle Yang looked the three of them up and down. “These two are…?”
“My friends,” Hong Jie replied as he climbed up onto the shaking tractor. He turned his head and waved for Shen Dong and Cao Mu to get on. “Quick, get on.”
The girls already on the tractor squeezed to the side to give them room. One girl smiled at Hong Jie. “So you’ve got friends, Hong Jie.”
The other girls laughed, their gazes fixed onto Cao Mu and Shen Dong.
“‘Course I do,” Hong Jie replied completely unfazed as he took a seat.
Cao Mu got up on the tractor too. He didn’t care for all the girls staring at them. He sometimes went to the village to eat food from the ancestral hall, but this was his first time actually being face to face with a villager.
By the time Shen Dong got up onto the tractor, he felt like his legs had turned to jelly and it took him quite the effort to get up. He sat squeezed between Cao Mu and Hong Jie and stared at the shaking floor, unwilling to look up.
“Hong Jie, where’re your friends from? I haven’t seen them before. They’re handsome, not like people from round here,” one younger girl said as she stared at Cao Mu, before lowering to head to take a look at Shen Dong’s face.
“Really, you,” another girl chided, pushing the first. “You see? He doesn’t even dare to look up.”
The other girls laughed into their hands.
Shen Dong’s hand was at his temples again. He kept his eyes trained on the messy box of baskets and fishing nets. If he weren’t so concerned about Cao Mu, he would have long ago jumped off, no, he wouldn’t have gotten on in the first place.
To this point Cao Mu had said nothing. When the girls stared at him, he stared back. But when they suddenly started all laughing, he became not so cheerful. He pointed at the young girl. “What are you laughing at?”
Cao Mu’s tone was rude and his words made a silence fall over the group, like someone had just hit stop on a laugh track.
“Cao Mu…” Shen Dong was stressed in this situation, but he could tell the girls didn’t mean any harm and didn’t deserve to have that attitude thrown at them. He wanted to tell Cao Mu not to speak like that, but found he couldn’t do it. He just couldn’t stammer in front of all these people.
“What’s so funny anyway?” Cao Mu didn’t get what Shen Dong was trying to tell him and instead addressed the rest of the girls.