Chapter 747 – Party at Sea (Part 2)

Zheng Shangjie had managed to collect over a dozen jin of eggs and traded the remainder of her quota for a full bucket of milk. Now she helped Qian Xuanhuang secure everything onto the two bicycle racks—eggs strung together with straw rope to keep them from cracking in the basket, the milk already pasteurized. Wu Nanhai winced at her sudden requisition; the herd was still being expanded, which meant precious little milk could be spared for human consumption each day. What surplus existed was negligible, and this withdrawal ate up nearly half his total reserves.

"What do you need all this milk for?" Wu Nanhai asked, curiosity getting the better of him. "Making cheese? I've got some already." His current method for dealing with surplus was to process it into several varieties of cheese—even the whey could be put to use. Almost nothing went to waste.

"Of course we'll make fresh cheese," Zheng Shangjie replied, "but we also want to extract cream."

Wu Nanhai's thoughts immediately turned to cream cake. "Now that's mouthwatering..."

"I'm planning to bake a grand cake for the New Year assembly. This is just practice—I'll bring you half when it's done." Using this as cover, Zheng Shangjie talked him into giving her another requisition slip. With it in hand, she secured several kilograms of flour and a small packet of premium yeast strains from Huang Dashan's microbial lab.

Supplies gathered, Zheng Shangjie cycled to the South Sea Café, which now doubled as a convenience store for transmigrators, stocking an assortment of consumer goods. From Chu Qing she purchased several boxes of handmade cigars, an array of seasonings, two crates of rum and rice beer, over ten crates of kvass and soda, several cans of coffee, and plenty of tropical fruit.

"The drinks, fruits, and vegetables you ordered will be delivered first thing tomorrow morning. Here's your pickup slip." Chu Qing tallied the bill with practiced ease, handed over the slip, and accepted the thick stack of Circulation Vouchers. After counting them, she pressed a few keys on the register, which responded with a cheerful ding.

"Your change is 15.71 yuan."

"Keep the rest as a tip," Zheng Shangjie said.

"Thank you, ma'am." Chu Qing casually dropped the coins into a locked wooden box with a slot on top.

"You're not keeping it yourself?"

"There are several of us working here. Tips have to be shared."

"But aren't you—" Zheng Shangjie almost asked, But aren't you the boss's wife? Fearing she might embarrass the woman, she swallowed the words.

They loaded the purchases into wicker baskets and cycled back to Lingao Point Park. Zheng Shangjie immediately changed clothes, washed her hands, and set to work with Mendoza and Qian Xuanhuang, readying every item they would need. She had originally wanted to procure some large cuts of pork and beef for grilling—she and her husband had accumulated a decent amount of meat vouchers, after all—but the Qian brothers thought it would attract too much attention. Besides, grilled meat was hardly in short supply.

The following morning, Chu Qing dispatched a farmhand on a Purple Lightning to deliver the goods, fruits, and vegetables. A crate of charcoal arrived as well, courtesy of the Fuel Plant—fuel in the Green and Blue zones was now centrally distributed. Lin Chuanqing was the first guest to arrive, coming aboard a live-well boat with its hold brimming with the morning's catch: fish, crabs, lobsters, and all manner of shellfish swimming in constantly circulating seawater beneath the deck boards.

"That's far more than we'll ever finish..." Zheng Shangjie's eyes gleamed. Though everyone had long since grown weary of seafood, grilled seafood remained a rare treat—they seldom had the chance to prepare it that way.

Lin Chuanqing laughed expansively, scratching at his crew cut—now flecked with grey. "Don't worry. Those dozen or so people you've invited all have healthy appetites. I'll handle the seafood prep. I'm a proper fisherman, after all."

Qian Shuixie—back from Sanya to attend the New Year assembly—and Zhou Weisen hauled a large family-sized barbecue grill out of the yacht's hold. It was standard equipment aboard the Feiyun. They opened the forward and aft glass doors of the upper cabin, connecting it to the fore and aft decks and creating one expansive activity area. The grill and dining table were set up on the open upper deck.

Lin Shenhe was the first official guest to arrive. The transmigrators stationed in Danzhou had been thoroughly embarrassed by the Work Team incident, but Lin Shenhe alone had avoided any "political or policy errors" and thus sailed through unscathed. He had also made the list to return to Lingao for the New Year assembly instead of having to "remain on the front lines." He wore an immaculate white counterfeit Adidas tracksuit, fake Converse sneakers, and a knockoff U.S. law-enforcement baseball cap. A bouquet of flowers rested in his hands, and with his sunny face, he looked every bit the handsome young man.

He smiled and thanked the hostess for the invitation, then presented the flowers. Zheng Shangjie's face blossomed with joy—no one had given her flowers since D-Day. She immediately called for Qian Xuanhuang to fetch a vase and set it on the table.

Next to arrive was Guo Yi, who had brought two maidservants at Zheng Shangjie's request. Yi Liu and Zhi Tao wore brand-new maid uniforms and gazed wide-eyed at the Feiyun—even for them, accustomed as they were to Australian goods, this was the most beautiful and exquisite thing they had ever seen.

"Why are you standing there gawking? Come lend a hand!" Zheng Shangjie called out with a laugh. The two girls answered with an eager "Yes!" and hurried aboard. Having spent time at the Maid School, they were familiar with the transmigrators' lifestyle and household tasks, and Zheng Shangjie had no trouble putting them to work.

Beiwei, Salina, and Xue Ziliang arrived together. Beiwei, as always, wore his uniform—though it was a newer one. Xue Ziliang and Salina sported counterfeit casual wear as well. When they had transmigrated, they had nothing beyond the clothes on their backs and no spares. The best outfits they could muster now were knockoff garments salvaged from Lando's ship. Xue Ziliang brought a small keg of fruit wine he had brewed himself as a gift.

Pei Lixiu was the last to arrive. She wore a brilliant red qipao embroidered with gold thread in a peony motif, slit almost to the top of her thigh. The men stirred, and the native maidservants gaped.

Ai Beibei had left for the General Hospital early that morning. Seeing that nearly everyone had gathered yet one host was still missing, Zheng Shangjie phoned several times before managing to pry her away. Fearing the party would be all adults and thus boring, Qian Duoduo insisted that Ai Beibei pick up Li Quan from the farm on the way. Ai Beibei promised to have her back that evening. Elder Sister Li was a little worried but didn't object.

Once everyone was present, the Feiyun raised its sails and set off. The weather was gorgeous—a light breeze drifting across the sea, a few white clouds dappling the sky. Even in the depths of the Little Ice Age winter, on this balmy afternoon the tropical waters off Lingao had warmed to well over twenty degrees. Because there would be shooting later, the hosts refrained from serving alcoholic beverages right away, offering instead fresh coconut juice, mango juice, lychee juice, orange juice, and watermelon juice. Guests could also have their drink blended with cream ice cream and crushed ice into a milkshake. Ai Beibei and Zheng Shangjie had spent the previous afternoon processing fresh milk into cheese and extracting cream. With cream and cheese on hand, they could now prepare all manner of Western pastries and dishes—such as the Western-style canapés served alongside the drinks. To others these were simply tasty treats, but for the two Western women, such delicacies had existed only in memory since the transmigration. Seeing them now filled their hearts with unexpected joy.

"Hoist the sailing permit flag," Qian Shuiting instructed his daughter. Per naval regulations, all vessels leaving port had to register and obtain clearance. Though the Feiyun was privately owned, it too had to comply.

"Aye aye, Captain!" Qian Duoduo wore a scaled-down sailor's cap, a navy-blue silk scarf around her neck, and a diving wetsuit—she looked very much like a proper sailor. She turned to Li Quan and commanded, "Loose the halyard!"

Li Quan was dressed in a National School girl's uniform. This was her first time surrounded by so many high officials, and she felt timid. At the young "official's" command, she hurried to untie the rope from the flagpole.

"Duoduo, Xiao Quan is our guest. We should be polite..." Ai Beibei moved to correct her daughter's lordly manner.

Qian Duoduo was unapologetic. "I'm the captain! Of course I give orders."

Together the two girls raised the ensign to the top of the mast. Li Quan gazed curiously at the deck, the railings, and the rigging, fascinated by everything aboard.

Once underway, the yacht sailed freely across the waters near Lingao Point. Qian Shuixie stood at the helm, offering guidance to any guest who wanted a turn at playing captain. Qian Shuiting, Beiwei, and Xue Ziliang handled the hard labor of trimming the sails. The others lounged on deck, sipping drinks, nibbling canapés, and chatting idly. Pei Lixiu, only a few minutes out to sea, found the wind "exposing" her and had to retreat below deck, clutching her thighs. Zheng Shangjie lent her a skirt.

Zhou Weisen helped the two girls serve as navigators and assisted any lady acting as lookout in reading compass bearings from various landmarks at the navigator's command. By adjusting the sails, the yacht could make headway at up to forty-five degrees into the wind using a zigzag tack. If caught in a dead headwind, they could still inch forward through wider tacks. Because the halyard lengths on this twin-masted yacht were fixed, each sail could swing only to two preset positions. Once heading and wind direction were established, each sail had a range of angles on either tack that would drive the ship forward. The navigator continually monitored the angle between heading and wind to determine the correct sail orientation and the moment to tack. Meanwhile, they plotted the ship's position on the chart, traced the course, and—most importantly—ensured the vessel avoided shoals and reefs. The handling was remarkably simple: under normal conditions, a crew of four could operate a boat like this; in a pinch, two people could manage everything.

(End of Chapter)