Chapter 90: XiaoMajia Island

XiaoMajia Island.

Located in the southeast of Nanjiang City, the island is shaped like a small vest, hence the name.

Standing on the deck, feeling the fresh sea breeze blow through his fingers, and smelling the unique salty scent of the sea, Chen Jianhai enjoyed it immensely.

All around was an endless expanse of sea.

The azure sea surface rose and fell, with the ship swiftly sailing through, stirring up white waves like a giant butterfly's tail fin stretching and swaying behind the ship.

White seagulls spread their wings, gliding across the sky as blue as washed, and the entire world exuded a clean and free atmosphere.

Chen Jianhai took a deep breath and shouted:

"I, Chen Jianhai, am the greatest!!!"

"I must build the best hotel in all of Nanjiang!!!"

"I want to join the Yeshan Industry Association!!!!"

"To hell with all of you!!!!"

On the deck, XiaoLang and Xu Bo, who were tidying up fishing rods and bait, couldn't take it anymore and scolded:

"Stop going crazy and get over here to help!"

"Oh."

…

As the small yacht sped away from the coastline,

The "rumbling" sound grew louder, the deep and powerful roar of the engine sounded like a galloping horse striding vigorously across the ocean.

The waves were a bit high today, even Chen Jianhai felt a bit seasick.

At the bow of the small yacht, XiaoLang clung tightly to the boat pole, took out his phone with his right hand, trying to take a selfie.

As he wobbled, Chen Jianhai, facing the sea breeze, loudly asked:

"With such big waves, can you hold your phone steady?".

"What are waves! As long as I'm more wave-like than them! I can hold the phone steady!"

"This is called fighting waves with waves!!"

As XiaoLang spoke, he casually placed one foot on the boat's mast and happily pressed the shutter,

Leaving behind an incredibly blurry selfie.

After the speedboat sailed for about 52 minutes,

Chen Jianhai looked ahead,

And saw a small green island emerging from the sea level ahead,

It should be their destination, XiaoMajia Island.

Since this island had only recently been developed, there were almost no signs of human activity in the surrounding sea area,

The closer they got to the island reef, the shallower the sea surface became. To avoid hitting the reef, the speedboat slowed down more and more,

Although Chen Jianhai was used to seeing the sea every day, he was still stunned by the view before him.

The sea and sky were one, blue sea and blue sky.

All time and space seemed to be drawn closer.

Large patches of white clouds lazily floated overhead, seemingly close enough to tear off with a gentle stretch,

The turquoise sea water was like a piece of melted glass, clear and transparent. Looking down, one could even see the shadow of the small yacht on the sea bottom.

Not far away,

The snow-white fine sand covered the entire small island, shining brilliantly under the sunlight.

As the boat docked, Chen Jianhai excitedly picked up his luggage and stepped barefoot into the sea.

The soft, fine sand gently brushed against his feet before being swept away by the cool seawater, tickling and sliding, feeling pleasantly delicate to the toes.

"Lang Ge!"

A middle-aged fisherman, tanned dark and wearing a straw hat, greeted enthusiastically.

"Lao Yan!"

Seeing the middle-aged fisherman, XiaoLang enthusiastically walked over, and the two gave each other a brotherly hug.

"Tired from the journey? Come on! Let's go to my house. The meal is already prepared, and I just caught the fish this morning!"

As Lao Yan spoke,

He led XiaoLang and the others to a blue tricycle, and they headed into the island.

…

XiaoMajia Island is not large,

But it's scenic, and all the buildings look simple, with especially clean cement roads. 

The path Lao Yan took Chen Jianhai and the others on was only about three or four hundred meters long,

You could see the end at a glance.

Although the island is small, it has all the necessary facilities.

Perhaps because of the fresh air and lack of pollution,

Everything here seemed to have a 4k pure enjoyment filter, with colors and scenery so clear that it felt like being in a painting.

On this street, there were fruit shops, barbershops, banks, post offices, barbershops, a TV station, and all the essential living facilities,

Next to the cinema was a café, and next to the café was a lottery shop.

A few children squatted on the stone piers at the entrance, seriously scratching lottery tickets with coins,

The fruit stalls not only had fresh, delicious local fruits but also a small board in front, hanging local fish bones and shell souvenirs.

There were almost no cars on the street,

Aside from the blue tricycle they were on, the only other vehicles were the island's free small buses,

Private cars and sedans were rarely seen,

Islanders walked nonchalantly in the middle of the road,

Children wore vests and shorts, happily running and playing on the street, making XiaoLang extremely envious.

"This place is like paradise!"

Lao Yan smiled indifferently and said:

"Newcomers always think this place is great."

"Our island, stay for a day, it's paradise; stay for a week, it's human; stay for a month, and it's hell."

"You've come at a good time when the weather is nice, so you can have a good time."

"If there's a typhoon, it's scary. Half the roof can be blown into the sky!"

Along the way,

Lao Yan told Chen Jianhai and the others a lot about the customs and traditions of XiaoMajia Island, which they found very interesting.

"Although our island has few people, only over 4,000, our WeChat group has more than 300 members."

"What's playing at the cinema tomorrow, when the cargo ship is coming into port, whose water bottle was left at the lottery shop, sea wave warnings, all are discussed in the group."

"Every Friday is Island Love Day, where every household takes tools to clean up garbage on the streets and beaches, clear away rocks, and weed, very united."

…

Lao Yan spoke happily, and the others listened with great interest.

"Then are there no hotels here?" Chen Jianhai suddenly asked.

"Who would build a hotel in this godforsaken place?" Lao Yan said with a bitter smile.

"It takes an hour by boat just to get here from Nanjiang City. The cost of transporting materials and workers to build a hotel is astronomical."

"And there are frequent typhoons on the island."

"When a typhoon hits, not only can the roof be blown off, but even pigs in their pens can be blown away. By the time the hotel is halfway built, it could be gone."

Lao Yan spoke plainly.

The TV station, signal tower, cinema, and main roads were all planned and built by local relevant organizations,

But private ventures like hotels, without extremely strong financial backing, are hard to establish on the island.

Moreover, those who come to XiaoMajia Island do so for snorkeling, fishing, and the unspoiled sea and sky,

They stay a few days with fishermen, eat fresh fish, and leave.

Who would think of staying here long-term?

Frankly speaking,

When a typhoon hits, not only is there no way off the island, but the supply ships can't come either. No vegetables, no grains, just porridge and pickles, would drive people crazy.

"We're here, get off."

Saying that, Lao Yan stopped the car,

In front was a two-story white house, with a small berry tree in front, bearing clusters of red fruits,

So red and cute.

The island lacks vitamins, so almost every fisherman grows acerola cherries at home, which are sweet with a bit of tartness and incredibly delicious.