Read/BTSFVI/Chapter 69
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Chapter 69 First Bountiful Net
After Ye Chenghu was rescued by Mother Ye, Ye Yaodong also went back to sleep as he had to go fishing later that night.
He was in a drowsy state when he suddenly woke up to the sound of knocking on the door. With something on his mind, his sleep was not very deep, so he immediately sat up and got out of bed upon hearing the noise.
Lin Xiuqing also heard the knocking on the door and turned to look. Her husband had already gotten up to open the door. Just as she sat up, she heard voices coming from the door.
"It's good that you're up. Freshen up and let's go."
"I know."
Ye Yaodong turned his head to enter the room and put on his clothes. When he saw her getting out of bed, he was almost startled. "Why did you get up?"
"I heard some noise, so I got up. Be careful out at sea and listen to your father more."
"I know, I'm not a three-year-old. You go back to bed and rest. It's only 2 a.m."
"Um."
Ye Yaodong quickly put on his clothes and rain boots and hurried out to have a meal. After eating his fill, he would head out to sea.
Mother Ye packed two portions of food in lunch boxes for them and cooked two eggs for Ye Yaodong.
"Since today is your first day going out to sea, these two eggs are for you. Your older brothers also received them when they went out with your father for the first time."
He answered and brought everything he needed. He quickly followed behind his father with a headlamp on.
Outside, it was pitch black, and they could only rely on the headlamp to illuminate the way ahead.
The village was quiet, and it seemed like they could hear the sound of a pin dropping. But as they approached the pier, it became lively. Headlamps were flickering everywhere, and there was a bustling chatter.
"You wait here, I'll go start the boat."
"Did you buy the diesel?"
"Yes, I bought it. I got it earlier when I returned from sailing this afternoon."
After the typhoon, tonight was the first time villagers were going out to sea. The dock was filled with various boats, and several of them were already leaving the shore or floating on the sea. Their family's metal boat, compared to the small wooden boats powered by oars, was considered a large boat.
Amidst the noisy sound of engines, the boat sailed towards the distant ocean.
Because it was dark, Father Ye didn't trust Ye Yaodong to handle the boat. He was afraid that Yaodong wouldn't be able to navigate properly. Yaodong also knew that his words alone wouldn't convince his father. He was quite happy about it and simply lay down wherever he wanted, planning to take a nap for a while longer.
Until they reached the sea area where he often fished, Father Ye finally called him up, "We're here. It's time to cast the net. Pay close attention."
They were using a single-boat trawl net, a type of trawl net with sleeves, primarily operating at the bottom, using the form of tail towing.
With this type of trawl net, two water-blocking boards were added on both sides of the net. When the fishing boat dragged the net, the water flow pushed the two boards to expand outward at a certain angle, causing the fishing net to open up its mouth.
After Father Ye woke Ye Yaodong up, he slowed down the boat and released the fishing gear from the stern slide, connecting the net boards to the towing ropes and separating them from the net board frames.
Then the fishing boat moved forward quickly and gradually released the two towing ropes. When the towing ropes reached the predetermined length, the fishing boat proceeded to tow the net according to the planned direction and speed.
The towing speed of the net is usually around 3 to 5 nautical miles per hour.
Ye Yaodong actually knew how to do it from his past life, but he still listened attentively to his father explaining the principles to him.
"How long before we start fishing the net?"
"It depends on the situation, usually we start fishing the net every two to three hours."
Working at sea can be very dull, especially since he didn't have a mobile phone to watch videos. He could only rest his chin on his hand and stare at the sea surface, waiting patiently.
Moreover, being with his father wasn't as enjoyable as being with his friends. If he were with his friends, they could chat, joke around, and even play cards.
Seeing him idle, his father couldn't stand it and shouted at him directly, "Come over and take the helm for a while!"
"Are you sure?"
"Aren't you the one who said Ah Guang taught you before and you know how to do it? Now's your chance to give it a try."
"Alright then! You take a short nap, and I'll take care of this haul. We're sure to have a bountiful catch!"
As long as his father trusted him, there was nothing he couldn't handle. Ever since he was reborn, everyone always thought he couldn't do it.
His father looked at him with disdain and said, "If you can handle the boat properly, that'll be good enough. Just be careful not to hit the reefs."
Looking down on him!
Ye Yaodong didn't argue with his father. He pouted and turned his gaze towards the distant sea, obediently piloting the boat.
Seeing that Ye Yaodong was behaving properly, Father Ye felt more at ease.
As the sky began to brighten, Father Ye estimated that it was time to start the first haul.
The fishing boat slowly moved forward, sequentially retrieving the towing ropes. When the ropes reached the net boards, his father secured them onto the net board frames, detaching them from the towing ropes. They continued to retrieve the fishing gear, dragging it from the stern slide onto the deck.
Ye Yaodong also rushed forward to help with the hauling, "It's so heavy! Did we catch a big haul? Oh, look, it's skatefish! So many of them! The price might be a bit low, but the quantity is impressive. This pile alone must weigh nearly a hundred jin. And there are a few other fish too..."
Skatefish is probably worth less than 20 cents per jin, but with nearly a hundred jin and other types of fish, it's worth about 20 yuan. There are also some scattered shrimp and crabs. This is indeed a bumper catch. In their village, even on a good day, they only earn a meager ten to twenty yuan from trawling.
Father Ye is also quite satisfied, "Hmm, this haul is good. We've come across a school of skatefish. It seems there are more fish after the typhoon."
Skatefish are cartilaginous fish with a flattened diamond-shaped body, unique and elegant in appearance. Their pectoral fins resemble a pair of large wings, making them appear as if they are flying while swimming.
It looks very similar to a devilfish, but the skatefish has a tail fin or dorsal fin, while the devilfish only has a pectoral fin or rostrum fin.
They also differ in size, with the devilfish being the largest species of rays, far exceeding the skatefish in size. Typically, skatefish can reach a maximum length of 2.5 meters, while the largest devilfish can exceed 7 meters.
Moreover, the devil fish possesses strong aggression and is capable of inflicting fatal attacks, hence its name "devil fish," whereas stingrays are much less aggressive.
As Ye Yaodong sorted the fish, he said, "Isn't it just my luck playing a part?"
Father Ye glanced at him sideways and said, "You'll be in charge of setting the next net and driving the boat. You can go wherever you want."
"Alright, with me in action, we'll definitely have a bountiful harvest today."
Cheap talk; actions speak louder than words. Let's see how many nets he can fill now.
The first catch was already profitable enough, so Father Ye didn't mind letting him give it a try with the next net.
After sorting the skatefish, Ye Yaodong handed over the miscellaneous catch to his father and went to operate the boat and release the net.
Time passed slowly, and the sky grew brighter.
A faint orange glow emerged on the surface of the sea, gradually intensifying. The clouds on the horizon also shimmered with light, capturing the attention of the fishermen at sea.
Ye Yaodong also looked towards the horizon. Is the sun rising?
In the distance, the glow of the dawn illuminated the sky with its brilliance. The sun emerged from the eastern sea, breaking through the chaotic blend of sea and sky, revealing a hint of golden edge.
In less than two minutes, the sun suddenly leaped up, radiating dazzling brilliance.
The vast sea of clouds, illuminated by the sun's red light, became colorful. The golden morning glow gradually dyed the eastern horizon red, and countless golden rays shimmered on the water's surface.
What a beautiful sunrise at sea! It's breathtaking!
It's a pity that communication is not developed enough, and there are no mobile phones. Otherwise, he could record it and send it to his wife. She must have never seen a sunrise at sea before.
If there's a chance, he can bring his wife to see the sunrise at sea.
Ye Yaodong didn't let watching the sunrise delay the sailing. He continued to steer the boat in the right direction, steadily moving forward and dragging the net.
(end of this chapter)
1. (probably stingrays)
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