"But I'm not surprised by what Old Zhao did," Xiaohua said, "He got divorced, the child was awarded to his ex-wife, he's free of burdens, no ties. Here, let's toast to Old Zhao."
My fishing rod made a noise, and I went to reel it in.
To my amazement, I'd caught an octopus. Its round head hung from the hook, and its long legs coiled up the line. It was a pale life form, too weak to struggle.
I removed it from the line and threw it back into the sea, giving the silly creature a chance to live.
As dusk fell, I turned the yacht back towards home.
The evening sea breeze was refreshing and brisk. Xiaohua embraced me from behind: "Wait until later, after we send them off, it'll just be the two of us." Her voice was soft and sweet.
I patted her hand on my waist: "I can't steer properly with you like this."
"Then find a reef to crash into so we don't have to go back at all," she said. "We'll live on that reef and become like Robinson Crusoe and his wife, okay? Jiayang."
