Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 402 401 Sleeping Heron Pool

Xu Liansheng looked at Feng Xiuhu and said, "Second Master, if you need any help, please feel free to ask."

Shunzi also looked at Feng Xiuhu—Feng Xiuhu hadn't mentioned anything else before they came.

Feng Xiuhu waved his hand: "No need. I just want to wander around the city. There are so many islands in Qianyu City, and there are quite a few places I haven't been to yet."

Xu Liansheng smiled and nodded: "I was saying that I would find a place this afternoon so that Third Master could practice his shooting skills, but since Second Master has already made arrangements, then let's wait until next time."

Shunzi stared wide-eyed at Xu Liansheng, his eyes filled with astonishment—he never expected that Xu Liansheng would remember something he had only mentioned last night that he had never handled a gun before.

Shunzi's heart fluttered, and her fingertips felt a little numb.

He suddenly turned to look at Feng Xiuhu: "Brother, I..."

Feng Xiuhu saw the excitement in his eyes: "Want to test the gun?"

Feng Xiuhu was unaware that Shunzi's excitement at this moment was not because he was about to fire a gun, but for some other reason.

But Shunzi was too embarrassed to explain, so she nodded in agreement with Feng Xiuhu's words: "Mm."

Feng Xiuhu considered it for a moment and thought it was acceptable—guns are not like swords; if you don't know how to use them, you can easily hurt your own people.

So he agreed: "Then you should study hard. I don't expect you to be a great shooter, but at least you should understand what the trigger and safety do, know when to fire and when not to fire, and also know who to shoot and who not to shoot."

Shunzi nodded hurriedly: "Don't worry, big brother, I will definitely study hard and not embarrass you."

Then Feng Xiuhu instructed Xu Liansheng: "My younger brother is simple-minded, so don't lead him astray."

Xu Liansheng blushed slightly and said reproachfully, "What are you saying, Second Master! I'm a woman, how could I take Third Master to a place like that?"

Feng Xiuhu asked in surprise, "I haven't even said what place it is yet—which kind of place are you talking about?"

Xu Liansheng rolled her eyes at him and wisely didn't respond.

……

Two people came, one person left.

Feng Xiuhu left Shi Wuyu alone, leaving Shunzi with Xu Liansheng.

Actually, he lied. He wasn't just wandering around; he had a specific destination in mind.

Feng Xiuhu wanted to go see the striking owls.

However, this matter could not be said in front of Xu Liansheng, so he just made up an excuse to get by.

After discussing this matter with Fang Youliu last night, Feng Xiuhu had this idea.

There was a principle he didn't mention to Fang Youliu at the time.

It's true that the conflict between the owl and the factory was bound to erupt sooner or later, but there's a crucial factor at play—there needs to be someone to take the lead.

Back in Fancheng, Feng Xiuhu wasn't exactly a "leader," but what he did was essentially what a "leader" would do.

So who is the "leader" of Qianyu City?
Feng Xiuhu was quite interested in this and felt that he might be able to have a good chat with this person.

After getting into a carriage, Feng Xiuhu said to the driver, "To Tiezhen Reef."

"at this time?"

The driver seemed reluctant and turned around to look at Feng Xiuhu: "Are you the manager of the factory, sir?"

Feng Xiuhu asked in confusion, "What? Only factory workers can go to Iron Anvil Reef?"

The driver waved his hand and explained, "Of course not, it's just that things haven't been peaceful at Iron Anvil Reef these past few days. The police are arresting people, and the foreigners are also checking things, so it's best to avoid going there unless you have important business to attend to." Feng Xiuhu frowned slightly: "I'm not going into the factory, I'm going to find the Owlman."

The driver was taken aback for a moment, then laughed: "Sir, you're not a local, are you?"

Feng Xiuhu was also stunned: "How did you figure that out?"

The driver laughed and said, "Sir, you may not know this, but although the owl people work on Iron Anvil Reef, they don't live there. They've made their home in Mianlupu—every local knows that."

So that's the reason. Feng Xiuhu waved his hand and said, "Then let's go to Mianlupu."

The carriage set off, and after their earlier conversation, Feng Xiuhu and the driver chatted along the way.

The driver told Feng Xiuhu, "Mianlupu is low-lying and has many mudflats. Compared with other islands, it is not suitable for building houses. So it was considered an 'abandoned island' a long time ago. On the contrary, the waterbirds that migrate here every year often roost on the island, which is why it got its name - Mianlupu."

"But this land was just sitting there empty anyway. No one knows who started it, but people just tacitly agreed to drag all the abandoned and damaged ships here to dump them. Over time, the pile of broken ships grew bigger and bigger, so some of the older generation called Mianlupu 'Boat Graves'."

The driver shook his head: "But fewer people are calling for it now."

Feng Xiuhu asked, "Why are there fewer now? Have all the older generation died?"

The coachman's face darkened: "That's such an ominous thing to say—it's not that the older generation is gone, but that the owl-men have arrived."

“When there were fewer owls, they didn’t settle in Mianlupu. But as the factory was built, more and more owls came, and they started to cluster together—you know what I mean? Owls are naturally inclined to cluster together because they want to build houses together!”

During the conversation, the carriage crossed a bridge and then stopped.

The driver called out to Feng Xiuhu, "This is Mianlupu. There's no road ahead. I can only take you this far."

Feng Xiuhu got out of the car to take a look—

The ground beneath their feet was the edge of Mianlupu, the highest point of the island. Beyond that was a very steep slope, and the entire road was a rough, uneven dirt track, making it difficult for the carriage to travel.

Following the earthen slope to the bottom, one finds a relatively flat, muddy tidal flat. Looking further into the distance, Feng Xiuhu's eyes widened in shock.

On the farthest edge of the mudflats, countless abandoned boats were piled up, forming a long, high wall along the mudflats.

On these abandoned ships, the owl people used local materials and made use of waste to build densely packed stockades!
The scene was truly spectacular.

If it weren't for the driver's earlier explanation and some exposed keels and masts, Feng Xiuhu would have almost failed to see that the contents of the village building were actually countless abandoned boats.

"This is fucking amazing at fixing things..."

Feng Xiuhu couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"Who says it's not?"

The coachman, who hadn't left yet, chimed in with a laugh: "That's why the name 'Owlman' is so fitting. They really are just like birds. Birds like to build nests, and so do they."

As Feng Xiuhu descended the earthen slope, he encountered many owl-men along the way, all of whom cast their gazes upon him.

Some people's eyes held curiosity, but more often they held scrutiny and hostility.

Feng Xiuhu's shoes were covered in mud, and his trousers were so dirty they were unbearable to look at. After walking for a while, he was finally about to enter the village's area when he was blocked by two owl-men.

One man sized up Feng Xiuhu, while the other went straight to the point and asked, "Did the factory send you? Which company are you in charge of?"

Feng Xiuhu thought for a moment: "Whom do I look like?"

The owl who asked the question sneered: "Judging from your fancy clothes, I know you work for foreigners—either in a textile factory or a shipyard!"

(End of this chapter)