Chapter 2 The Catch Was More Than Satisfactory
The second set of gillnets yielded a more pleasing catch, with sea bass dominating. It was estimated they had encountered a school of fish, with over a dozen sea bass, each weighing over two catties. Coupled with red grouper, spotted grouper, and black seabream, this haul could fetch at least 3,000 yuan, recovering more than half of the trip’s expenses.
“The outer sea is truly incomparable to the inner sea. Back then, we would set seven or eight gillnets, and a catch of two to three hundred would be considered good. Having a good boat makes all the difference, hahaha!”
Dai Changrun and his wife, along with their son, laughed heartily. The greater the harvest, the more income they received. They owned a ten percent stake in the venture, so their happiness was understandable.
Seeing the joy on the Dai family’s faces, Li Haochen was also delighted. This was the most effective form of advertising. If their income increased and their lives improved, he wasn’t worried about the people of Dai Village not being tempted.
The large boat was safe and comfortable, with good accommodation. More importantly, there was the ten percent stake, and they didn’t have to worry about sales. This was also a significant reason why Dai Changrun readily agreed to help.
For instance, the two sets of gillnets they had just cast brought in over three to four thousand yuan. After selling the catch, the Dai family would receive three to four hundred yuan. With subsequent fishing using longlines and traps, if they worked diligently, they could earn several hundred to over a thousand yuan a day by doing two or three rounds. This income could even match their earnings from several previous days.
Li Haochen was already considering ordering more fishing boats from the shipyard upon their return. If this trend continued, the catch on their return tomorrow would undoubtedly be good. With the Dai family’s joy, it was unlikely that the people of Dai Village would remain unmoved once they knew.
He was not short of money now; a small goal, even if deposited in the bank for fixed deposits, would yield several million a year. His goal was seafood; making money was secondary. Even if he lost money, it would be enough to help the one he loved.
“The boats and dormitories still need to be prepared in advance.”
As Li Haochen was still contemplating how to solve the dormitory issue, Dai Changrun and his wife had already begun setting the longlines. This did not require a winch, otherwise, the fish hooks would become a tangled mess, which would be maddening.
A 1,500-meter longline, along with the fish caught on the hooks, carried a considerable weight underwater. It would be nearly impossible to haul it in by human strength alone.
Dai Zirui started the engine and made a gesture to Dai Changrun outside, and the fishing boat began to move at an ultra-low speed.
The moment the boat moved, Dai Changrun began to powerfully haul in the longline. On the side, Dai Ruhuo quickly coiled the main line into a large basin. If any fish were caught on the hooks, they would be directly cut off with scissors and thrown into the live bait tank. Her movements were swift and efficient, showing no indication that she was a woman over fifty.
Li Haochen was not idle either. He had just retrieved the gasping groupers from the live bait tank and was performing a decompression operation. After some effort, they finally revived. It was good; they weighed four to five catties each. Just one of them was worth over four hundred yuan.
Dai Changrun and his wife worked like tireless machines, showing no signs of fatigue. Their movements were as precise as if programmed, likely a skill honed through years of hard work, reflecting the hardships and difficulties faced by fishermen.
After nearly half an hour, the longline was finally hauled in completely. Looking at the catch in the live bait tank, everyone burst into laughter.
“It’s so much better than the inner sea. Such large groupers, and seabream with faces as big as mine, I haven’t caught any for many years, hehe.”
Dai Changrun’s smile was radiant. The traces of time etched on his face by the wind and sun seemed to have vanished at this moment.
“Uncle Dai, please have some water and rest. These traps are different from gillnets; the fish and crabs inside won’t die.”
Dai Changrun and his wife accepted the warm boiled water handed over by Li Haochen and gulped it down, saying cheerfully, “Benefactor, we’re not tired. It’s getting late, and we need to pull out the traps quickly. Otherwise, the second round won’t be finished until after midnight, hehe!”
“Uh… still setting more?”
“Hehe!”
Dai Changrun chuckled and began to pull the traps. For them, another round of setting could mean hundreds or even thousands more in income, so their motivation was naturally high.
Setting traps was physical labor, but the distance wasn’t long.
There was no need to start the boat. Dai Zirui stopped the engine and went out to replace the fishing hooks and lines on the longline.
Dai Ruhuo began to clean the gillnets of shells, seaweed, and other debris.
Seeing that there was nothing for him to do, Li Haochen went into the ship’s galley to prepare a late-night snack. He didn’t cook noodles or pasta because he didn’t know how long they would be working.
Li Haochen took two pieces of cured sausage, peeled off the casings, and cut them into small pieces. He also diced a carrot and shelled some golden and silver corn. After preparing these ingredients, he washed the rice and started cooking.
He stir-fried the diced carrots and corn until they were about eighty percent cooked, then added the diced cured sausage and stir-fried them a few times before scooping them out. When the rice cooker indicated five minutes remaining, he poured these ingredients into the pot, spread them evenly, and waited for the timer to finish.
“Beep beep! Beep beep!”
A few minutes later, the rice cooker beeped. Li Haochen added the prepared chopped green onions and cilantro to the rice, stirred them evenly, and pressed the keep-warm button.
He walked out of the cabin. Dai Zirui was already operating the boat and occasionally looking at the fish finder, while Dai Changrun outside waited for his signal.
About half an hour later, Dai Zirui, combining his knowledge from the fish finder and his experience, identified the area for setting the traps and nets. As soon as the signal was given, Dai Changrun and his wife outside began to cast the traps and longlines.
An hour later, the last gillnet was set. Dai Changrun and his wife entered the cabin with excitement and anticipation.
“Uncle Dai, you’ve worked hard. Quickly wash your face and come over. I’ve cooked some sausage rice.”
“Benefactor, thank you so much.”
Dai Changrun and his wife did not stand on ceremony. After washing their faces, wiping themselves down, and changing their clothes, they came over and wolfed down the rice, clearly exhausted.
The next morning, the roaring vibration of the engine woke Li Haochen from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes and went up to the cabin.
“Brother Li, did I wake you?”
“No, I’m used to waking up early. I’ll go take a look.”
Upon reaching the deck, Dai Changrun was almost finished hauling in the longline. Judging by his smiling face, the catch must have been very bountiful.
Li Haochen walked over to the live bait tank and, sure enough, saw three large groupers, each weighing around twenty catties, proudly asserting their presence.
“Uncle Dai, that’s great. These few large groupers alone are worth nearly ten thousand.”
“Yes, the outer sea is rich in resources, and we’ve been lucky. Oh, I didn’t expect to catch a big leopard eel on the last hook, hahaha…” Dai Changrun said as he pulled, the flower eel on the last hook further enhancing his laughter.
Half an hour later, the traps were also completely pulled out. They had unexpectedly caught over twenty large bread crabs, each weighing one to two catties. Although it wasn’t the peak season for fatness, the price was still not cheap, costing at least 120 yuan per catty.
The two rounds of catches were extremely generous. If Li Haochen hadn’t been there, they probably would have set a third round.
Dai Changrun and his wife tidied everything up, cleaned the deck, and then set sail for home.