Chapter 128: The Cavern
Chapter 128: The Cavern
Zhou Chenglei sailed the boat further out, and together with Jiang Xia, they cast their net into the sea.
Zhou Fu took the initiative to take over the task of sailing, dragging the net as they went.
After all, it was still early, and the sky hadn't even brightened yet. It wasn't suitable to dive into the sea at the previous spot just yet, as it was still over an hour until sunrise. Dragging the net for two hours would be enough; they couldn't waste this opportunity.
After Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei finished casting the net, they continued with their translation work.
Zhou Chengxin was fishing and had wanted to call Jiang Xia, but seeing that she was busy translating, he felt awkward about interrupting her. Instead, he called Zhou Chenglei to join him.
Zhou Chenglei glanced at him indifferently and said, "I'm learning translation with my wife. You can fish by yourself!"
Zhou Chengxin's lips twitched slightly, "Do you know how to translate?"
Zhou Chenglei replied, "Of course."
Zhou Chengxin was speechless.
He regretted not studying harder in the past.
If only he had studied one more day than Zhou Chenglei, he wouldn't be in this situation today! Zhou Chenglei could speak and understand English, managing basic communication without any issues, even though he wasn't as proficient as Jiang Xia.
So, Zhou Chengxin also picked up a science magazine to practice his translation skills. After all, spending time with Jiang Xia was better than accompanying his brother fishing.
Including the hour spent translating after dinner the night before, Jiang Xia had finished translating the entire magazine in just over three hours. She would review it again in the evening.
Zhou Chenglei attempted to translate half of it as well, but there were some parts he wasn't sure about, so he would need to consult Jiang Xia.
It was time to haul in the net, so the two of them put away their magazines and prepared to do so.
Jiang Xia, urged by Zhou Fu, touched the fishing net before allowing Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Chengxin to haul it in together.
This catch was quite good, mostly consisting of tonguefish, along with over a dozen bigeye snapper and various other small fish of different sizes.
Bigeye snapper prefers to rest during the day and become active at night, and winter and spring are their peak seasons. These dozen or so snapper were likely caught before they had a chance to return home to sleep, ensnared in the net.
Tonguefish is also known as 'Tongue Fish' or 'Stepping Stone Fish' due to its resemblance to both a tongue and a stepping stone.
Tonguefish has tender, fresh, and high-yield meat with a smooth texture. The fish meat remains tender even after prolonged cooking and has little fishy taste, making it delicious when pan-fried.
Jiang Xia decided to take a few tonguefish and one bigeye snapper home to eat.
Zhou Fu estimated that this catch could sell for fifty yuan; not bad at all!
Whenever Prosperity God's hand touched the net, the catch was never less than thirty yuan.
The sun had risen early, and Zhou Chenglei sailed the boat to the area where they had dived the other day.
In the early morning, Zhou Chenglei was concerned about Jiang Xia diving so early, especially since it was a cavern, and they didn't know what might be hiding within.
Zhou Chenglei decided to go and check first for any dangerous or venomous marine life.
Jiang Xia wasn't in a hurry either; diving carried risks, so safety was paramount.
She could always dive after midday if needed.
So, Jiang Xia stayed on the boat to sort the fish, while Zhou Fu and his two sons warmed up and put on their diving gear to raid the abalone nest!
John and Jill had taught everyone how to use this diving equipment the other day, and Zhou Chenglei already knew how to use it, so he instructed them again today.
Jiang Xia sorted the fish on the boat, and every ten minutes or so, she went to receive a net bag full of abalone passed up by Zhou Chenglei and his father and son.
Each net bag was filled to the brim, and every abalone was large, some even larger than Jiang Xia's face, she thought!
The three of them dove in and out of the water five or six times, prying out eleven bags of abalone. Zhou Fu was the first to tire and returned to the boat.
Then, Zhou Chengxin also climbed back onto the boat.
Zhou Chenglei made three more dives before returning to the boat to rest.
By this time, five large bags of abalone had already been loaded onto the boat!
After Zhou Chenglei removed his diving gear, Jiang Xia handed him a water bottle, chocolate, boiled eggs, and other items to replenish his energy.
She had done the same for Zhou Fu and Zhou Chengxin, but for Zhou Chenglei, she had already unscrewed the water bottle cap, peeled the chocolate wrapper, and shelled the eggs.
(End of Chapter 128)
Zhou Chenglei took a bite of the chocolate but didn't finish it; it was too sweet. If it weren't for Jiang Xia feeding it to him, he wouldn't have eaten a single bite.
Jiang Xia fed him the egg, and she ate the remaining chocolate herself.
"Are there still abalones at the bottom of the sea?" Jiang Xia asked.
Zhou Chenglei replied, "Yes."
Zhou Fu excitedly said, "There are many more. There's a cavern below the seabed, and the walls are covered with them. I estimate we won't be able to pry them all out tomorrow."
Although these abalones were of the Heteropoma variety and didn't have the texture of Awabi, they were still abalones, and size matters when it comes to abalones. Having grown this big, they were already quite valuable. The largest ones, when dried and properly processed, could be sold to restaurants during the Spring Festival for around seven or eight yuan each.
They had caught many large ones, probably over a hundred. They could earn over a thousand yuan today.
Zhou Chengxin exclaimed, "There are too many. I've never seen so many abalones before."
Jiang Xia smiled and said, "Then let's come here for the next few days to pry out the abalones."
Zhou Chenglei nodded.
After a short rest, Zhou Chenglei was about to help Jiang Xia put on her diving gear and take her underwater. At that moment, a boat approached from a distance, and Zhou Chenglei said, "Brother, move the boat away."
Zhou Chengxin was also preparing to dive again but glanced at the approaching boat and quickly went to start the boat.
Jiang Xia asked, "Are you afraid others will discover that cavern?"
Zhou Chenglei nodded. "Yes, the cavern isn't very deep, but experienced swimmers can still dive down. It's an ideal habitat for abalones. As long as it remains undiscovered, we can continue to harvest them in the future. Let's drag a net of fish first, and I'll take you down there later, okay?"
Jiang Xia had no objections. "Okay."
So, they started dragging the net again.
The people on the approaching boat had noticed that Zhou's boat had been stationary for over half an hour and were curious about what they were doing. They sailed over to take a look.
Now, seeing Zhou's boat dragging the net, they sailed to the spot where Zhou's boat had been earlier but didn't find anything and left.
After dragging a net of fish, Zhou Chenglei sailed the boat back to that area of the sea.
This time, Zhou Fu stayed on the boat while Jiang Xia, Zhou Chenglei, and Zhou Chengxin dove into the water.
Before entering the water, Zhou Chenglei patiently and repeatedly instructed Jiang Xia for half an hour, confirming multiple times before taking her underwater.
Jiang Xia's first dive into the sea was like stepping into a blue gemstone, with sunlight penetrating the water, creating a dreamy and beautiful scene.
Zhou Chenglei oriented himself and led Jiang Xia in a certain direction. This time, the boat was parked a bit further away, and it was challenging to pinpoint the location in the vast ocean.
However, it didn't matter; it was a good opportunity for Jiang Xia to explore the underwater world.
Moreover, she wasn't very familiar with the diving equipment yet.
Because there was an island not too far away, the depth of the seabed wasn't too great, and the light was sufficient. Jiang Xia could see small schools of fish swimming past her.
Soon, the three of them reached the cavern, and Jiang Xia finally understood what an abalone nest meant.
The inside of the cavern was pitch-black and deep, and she couldn't see the bottom, which was a bit scary.
It was said that abalones were nocturnal, and this cavern was so dark that they likely hid here due to the darkness.
Everyone was curious about the depth of the cavern and what was inside, but for now, they didn't have the heart to explore.
Jiang Xia, following Zhou Chenglei's instructions, quickly hooked the abalones into the net.
Once the net was full, she swam up to hand it to Zhou Fu, who emptied the abalones onto the boat, freeing up the net for Jiang Xia to continue diving.
After three trips, Jiang Xia couldn't take it anymore and returned to the boat.
Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Chengxin continued to gather abalones.
Soon after they dove, the same boat that had passed by earlier noticed Zhou's stationary boat and sailed towards them again.
(End of Chapter)
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