At first light, the harbor crew lowered the chain. Ruo stood at the bow of the lead boat and guided it past the reef, keeping it clear of the shallow shelf. The second cargo boat followed at a safe distance, carrying Pema with the replacement collar drawings and the material list.
Yan, Qinghe, Han, Bai, Sato, and Meili boarded the lead boat. Other relatives chose to stay behind. No one called it a family split; it was a set of separate decisions made under different needs.
The wind was favorable. Han kept Ruo’s tide chart open beside her own route map. The captains adjusted for the current as the boats passed the chain tower. Yan secured the research case in the dry cargo space and checked the seals twice.
Bai watched Meili tie the blue thread around his case. “It is still decoration,” he said.
“It is a safeguard,” Meili insisted.
“Then I will protect it.” He tucked the case into a dry corner. Sato laughed, and the small exchange softened the departure without making the family’s questions disappear.
Ruo piloted the lead boat around the outer reef, then turned back toward the village. He would remain with the ferry crews and keep watch on the harbor chain. Han thanked him for the chart and logged the route change.
