Read/BTSFVI/Chapter 70
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Chapter 70 A Bountiful Catch
When the sun was high in the sky, casting a radiant red glow, Father Ye glanced at the time and decided it was time to start the second haul.
As they reached the tail slide, he noticed that this catch seemed to be even larger and more challenging to drag. Father Ye shouted to Ye Yaodong, "Come and help!"
The father and son worked together to bring the net up from the tail slide. "Oh my, this is really tough. It's still skatefishes in this catch. Did we venture into a skatefish swarm and can't get out?"
"Good luck again, another bountiful catch! The entire sea in this area is filled with skatefish," Father Ye said joyfully.
The schools of fish are swimming together. With one catch, they get a better harvest than those scattered shrimps and crabs.
Ye Yaodong also grinned from ear to ear, saying, "This catch is even bigger. We're going to make a fortune today! There are also two Chinese fan rays and this blue shark is not small either, it's still moving. It must weigh around forty to fifty kilograms."
The blue shark is known as the most beautiful shark in the sea, with a sleek and handsome appearance. They are still abundant in the ocean now, but in 40 years, they will be listed as an endangered species. Many countries, especially RB, are fishing for blue sharks.
"Um, we can still sell it for a few yuan."
The value of shark meat is quite low, and the valuable part is the shark fin. However, for people like them who are currently lacking resources, even a large chunk of shark meat is something they can eat.
He felt somewhat proud, "I told you I had good luck. These two catches should fetch around 50 yuan, right?"
Luck is a mysterious thing; if you keep saying you're lucky all the time, your luck might actually be good. On the other hand, if you keep singing the blues, bad luck might just keep following you around.
"Um, the catch from these two rounds is pretty good. It's equivalent to a month's wages for a worker. Today, we can go for another three rounds. You go and operate the boat to set the nets, and I'll take care of things here."
Father Ye was also very satisfied. The yield from these two rounds made up for their previous two trips.
He couldn't help but think that his third son had been quite lucky recently. Perhaps it was because he was still new to the job. It was a good opportunity to take advantage of his good luck and let him go for a few more rounds. Besides, he seemed to have a natural talent for fishing. He didn't need much instruction and already knew what to do.
If he can continue to work diligently and go out to sea after the family is divided, the two elders won't have to worry about him starving to death.
Finally, things are starting to get better.
Ye Yaodong continued to set the nets for the third round, but the catch wasn't as good as the previous two rounds. Moreover, there were no skatefish in the third round. He didn't know if they had escaped or if they had all been caught. Instead, they caught a bunch of balang fish! Despite their small size, they weighed over a hundred jin!
But these fish were incredibly cheap!
"Damn, why is it balang fish? Is this fish even worth five cents per jin?"
"It sells for three cents!"
Father Ye wasn't too regretful either. Fishing is also a matter of luck, and it's not reasonable to expect a bountiful catch every time. The value of this catch was similar to their normal haul.
Moreover, although this fish is cheap, it tastes great when dried or salted. Everyone in their family enjoys it.
Ye Yaodong has relatively low taste requirements when it comes to food. While most people would turn up their noses at this fish, he appreciates its meaty texture and the benefits it brings. After long cooking, the balang fish becomes firm in texture, rich in flavor, and particularly satisfying to chew. The only downside is that it is sold at a very cheap price.
If he had to buy it, his perspective might be different, and he would probably exclaim how lucky he was to get such a great deal.
"The catches from the previous two nets were good, so let's just keep all the fish from this net to dry or pickle. After all, they won't spoil, and we still have a few months until the houses are completed. The typhoon has just passed, and we have no food at home. It's a good opportunity to stock up, in case we encounter consecutive typhoons again. Then we won't have to worry about running out of food."
Keep some of this cheap fish; it's cost-effective to have it for ourselves or use it as a dish for the workers.
"You and your bad omens! Typhoons don't happen every day," Father Ye scolded him with a stern look. "Let's see, let's see how the next few hauls turn out."
"They definitely won't be bad!"
"After sorting these fish, let's go eat first. Once we finish eating, we can continue putting out the nets."
The meal prepared by Mother Ye in the early morning has already turned cold. Luckily, it's the height of summer, so they don't need to eat hot food. Besides, there aren't any traces of oil in the dishes.
Their meal is quite simple: a bowl of clams and a bowl of stir-fried vegetables. There's no other choice; they haven't been out to sea for a few days, and all they have at home are vegetables and the clams they collected yesterday. Even the dried fish has been completely consumed.
Yesterday, they sold all the seafood they collected at the beach that could fetch a price. The ones they couldn't sell were only enough for one meal, considering they have nine adults and eight children at home. They go through quite a bit of food each day.
Mother Ye is very thrifty. Every day, she cooks porridge with shredded sweet potatoes, which is enough to sustain them.
Of course, the workers engage in physical labor, so they can't eat sweet potato porridge. Mother Ye cooks white rice for them, while she prepares sweet potato shreds for their family's dinner.
When they go out to sea, they also bring white rice. After all, they only have one meal while at sea. They eat a meal before setting off at night, and that sustains them until now.
After finishing all the rice and dishes, Ye Yaodong takes the initiative to go and open the boat to cast the net. Father Ye is somewhat satisfied and gives him a nod of approval.
In fact, Ye Yaodong quite enjoys going out to sea for fishing. Every time he casts the net, it feels like opening a blind box. You never know what kind of fish you'll find inside. It could be valuable fish or just random ones. If there's a big catch, you can imagine how happy he would be.
Right now, they are fishing for a living. Many modern people go out to sea for the fun of it and the satisfaction of the harvest. Buying fish? Anyone can afford it.
Father Ye observed that Ye Yaodong handled the first two nets proficiently, and he steered the boat well. As they prepared to cast the fourth net, Father Ye didn't pay much attention anymore. He simply cautioned to be careful and avoid touching the reefs, then closed his eyes and took a short nap.
Today's catch is already sufficient, and he doesn't mind letting his youngest son take over. It seems like he learns faster than the eldest and second son.
Ye Yaodong takes the task of steering the boat seriously. When he sees that it's about time, he wakes up his father who was dozing off, and prepares to fish the net.
"Dad, this net seems to have quite a lot!"
The father and son struggle a bit to handle it.
"Hmm, let's pull it up and see what we've got."
As the two of them worked together to haul the entire fishing net onto the boat, they also took a look. "Damn, it's still skatefishes! We hit a skatefish jackpot today! Three out of four nets are full of skate fishes."
"Skatefish are skatefish. As long as there's a good catch," said Father Ye with joy. This net has more quantity compared to the previous two nets, another bountiful catch.
Ye Yaodong was also thrilled. With so many skatefish in this area today, it could be considered a fortune.
"Today, there aren't many crabs, shrimps, and other seafood. Should we go further and find another spot for the last net? It feels like this area is filled with skatefish, and we've probably caught most of them."
Father Ye gave him a disdainful look, "Why do we need so many different types? As long as we have something valuable to sell, that's good enough. Let's continue dragging the net in this area and see if we can catch more skatefish!"
"Alright, we'll do as you say!" Who knows, there might still be some skatefish left to catch.
However, the last net surprised both father and son. There were no skatefish at all, only a mix of blue swimmer crabs, shrimps, and various other fish. Altogether, the catch weighed around thirty jin.
The father and son weren't too disappointed; this catch was considered a normal haul from dragging the net.
They just didn't expect that when they untangled the net and poured out the contents, there would be some rare finds!
"Wow, look at this! It's a Red Spotted Fish! This net actually caught a big Red Spotted Fish!"
(end of this chapter)
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