In the vast, boundless sea, surrounded by water with no end in sight, their situation was dire with fuel nearly exhausted and no means of calling for help. The mood was heavy and oppressive, leaving the three men with little desire to speak. After about ten more minutes of sailing, Zhang Weihao reminded them again that they had at most half an hour of fuel left. He looked to Chen Jin, whose recent actions had been impressive and reliable, for a decision.
Chen Jin's lips curled into a bitter smile. Realizing the need for a decisive leader at this moment, he was about to suggest continuing forward when he suddenly spotted a faint shadow on the distant horizon. Not caring whether it was a trick of his eyes, he examined it closely and then shouted excitedly, "Hao Ge, head northwest and veer off about ten degrees to the left!"
Zhang Weihao's spirits lifted immediately, and he followed the instruction. Zhang Weixiong, also excited, stood up and shouted, "Where, where? What did you find? Show me." Unfortunately, he could only see the endless blue sea around them.
Disappointed, Zhang Weixiong complained, "What are you playing at?" His hopes dashed, he slapped Chen Jin. Chen Jin elbowed him back, chuckling, "Wait a bit, what's the rush?" He was becoming more certain that the small black shadow ahead was their lifesaver.
Zhang Weihao, no longer conserving fuel, increased the boat's speed at Chen Jin's confident words. Even if they were wrong, they'd just run out of fuel a bit sooner.
As they moved closer, Chen Jin's smile grew more pronounced, affecting Zhang Weixiong, who still couldn't see anything. Annoyed, Zhang Weixiong slapped him again, "You look so smug; what did you see?"
Chen Jin sighed, pretending to be disappointed, "You saw it too, didn't you? Nothing. I'm just smiling to keep everyone relaxed."
Zhang Weixiong, not having Zhang Weihao's sharp vision, missed the sight. But then, Zhang Weihao himself cried out in surprise, "There's a boat coming our way!"
As the boat approached, it became clear that they had been spotted, and the other vessel moved towards them. Zhang Weixiong was overjoyed, jumping and shouting, "I told you, a narrow escape brings good fortune..." Zhang Weihao, more composed, suggested to Chen Jin, "Jin, maybe you should stay in the cabin for a bit."
Chen Jin understood his concern but shook his head, "If it's the coast guard, hiding would only make things worse." Zhang Weihao chuckled, "I overthought it. But don't worry, if anything happens, my dad and I will do everything we can to help you."
Chen Jin thanked him. He had already seen that it was a fishing boat, but there was no need to say so.
Thankfully, they had not deviated too far, and they had only been off course for about half an hour. Otherwise, they might have been in real trouble, and even Chen Jin's keen eyes wouldn't have spotted Zhang Jiacong coming to find them.
Indeed, the approaching fishing boat was Zhang Jiacong and two villagers from Rongshu Village.
Upon arrival, Zhang Jiacong and the villagers first noticed the enormous great white shark tied to Chen Jin's boat. The villagers gasped in shock, but Zhang Jiacong, more concerned, asked sternly, "Hao, how did you end up so far off course?" His tone was strict, betraying his worry and anger.
Zhang Weihao stuck to their agreed story, scratching his head and pointing to the great white shark, "Dad, while we were fishing, we stumbled upon this shark. It was belly-up but still moving, so we decided to follow it and see if we could catch it."
Great white sharks, though formidable predators, have natural enemies in the sea, such as the even more ferocious and powerful killer whales. When encountering such foes, even great whites steer clear.
Zhang Jiacong was still displeased, "Reckless! That's not something you should covet. You've been restless without me around..." He then asked, "But that doesn't explain how you got lost."
Zhang Weihao answered, "After following it for a while, it stopped moving. We cautiously approached to net it but accidentally dropped our compass in the sea during the struggle."
Zhang Weixiong then chimed in, "Dad, let's talk about it back home. I'm starving."
His words seemed to work. With their boat running low on fuel, they linked up using a large anchor, and the other boat towed them back.
Zhang Jiacong joined them, and everyone gathered in the cabin to talk. The earlier conversation was for outsiders, but now, Zhang Weixiong recounted the entire incident.
Zhang Jiacong listened, eyes wide in disbelief. If it hadn't been Zhang Weixiong speaking, he might have scolded him. Instead, he stared at Chen Jin and finally said, "Jin, thank you. You really are our family's lucky star."
Chen Jin smiled, "Uncle Cong, you're making me blush. Hao Ge and I are like brothers. Besides, we were all in the same boat..."
"Enough said, I'll remember this," Zhang Jiacong patted Chen Jin's shoulder, grateful. He didn't dwell on Chen Jin's brave actions, as without witnessing them, who could imagine such a ferocious scene?
After another hour and a half of sailing, they arrived at the Rongshu Village fishing port on Nan Ya Island around 1 PM. Their arrival, with the great white shark in tow, caused quite a stir.
Zhang Jiacong, with Zhang Weixiong and Zhang Weihao, left the cabin, asking Chen Jin to stay inside, "Jin, please stay here for a bit."
Chen Jin understood the need for discretion and nodded, "No problem, Uncle Cong. Take care of what you need to."
Zhang Weixiong wanted to stay, but Chen Jin urged him to go out, "It's better for you to be seen. Otherwise, they might come looking for you here."
From inside, Chen Jin clearly heard the applause, cheers, and whistles when Zhang Jiacong and his sons emerged. Amidst the noise, Zhang Weixiong, the born promoter, vividly described their encounter with the nearly dead shark, their struggle to capture it, and the final, heroic kill.
A nearby fishmonger quickly approached, shouting, "Mr. Zhang, congratulations! How about selling this guy to us for 50,000 Hong Kong dollars?"
Zhang Jiacong, relieved, grinned and bargained with the fishmongers. They settled on 18.8 HKD per pound, a price that satisfied everyone.
After the lively bargaining and selling of the shark, Zhang Jiacong generously handed out red envelopes to everyone present, including the villagers who had helped with the search.
Back in the cabin, Zhang Jiacong appreciated Chen Jin's calm and composed demeanor. Sitting down, he took out a stack of thousand-dollar bills and offered them to Chen Jin, "Jin, we owe you a lot for this. This is your deserved share."
Chen Jin, without looking at the money, shook his head, "Uncle Cong, why are you doing this?"
Zhang Jiacong insisted, and Zhang Weixiong eagerly stuffed the money into Chen Jin's hand, "Jin, this is 100,000! If only a big white shark could fetch more."
Chen Jin returned the money to Zhang Jiacong, "Uncle Cong, if you insist, let's divide it into four parts. Keep my share, and I'll ask for it when I need it."
Zhang Weixiong liked this idea and reached for the money, apparently ready to divide the spoils. But Zhang Jiacong scolded him, "Stop messing around!" He agreed to keep Chen Jin's share, acknowledging that the money belonged to him.
Chen Jin then took the money, counted out ten notes, and handed them back to Zhang Jiacong. He also gave five notes each to Zhang Weixiong and Zhang Weihao, saying, "Let's divide a part of the spoils now, so you don't hide it all away from us."
Zhang Jiacong finally laughed, storing the money in his pocket and affectionately chided Chen Jin, "You cheeky kid." He also warned his sons to be frugal with their share.
Zhang Weihao asked Chen Jin, "Jin, why don't you want your share?"
Chen Jin shrugged nonchalantly, "I don't need it right now. When I do, I'll ask Uncle Cong for my share." Zhang Weixiong playfully tapped his chest, "Good thing. I'd have trouble if you asked me for your share."