https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-22-A-Single-Net-Catching-Half-a-Year-s-Worth-of-Earnings/12811704/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-24-Encountering-a-Price-Gouging-Middleman/12831696/
Chapter 23: The Young Bride's Incredible Luck
Chapter 23: The Young Bride's Incredible Luck
"Let Jiang Xia rest on the island for a while."
Mr. Zhou didn't say anything in response and prepared to steer the boat toward the island.
But how could Jiang Xia, who was in high spirits, possibly rest?
"There's no need to go to the island to rest. I'm not tired. I'll help sort the fish on the boat. Let's cast the net again. With our luck, we should catch even more."
Mr. Zhou had the same idea. It was still early, so why rest? He smiled, impressed by his daughter-in-law's diligence. "Alright, let's cast the net one more time. By then, it will be noon, and we can rest during lunch."
"Okay," Jiang Xia responded with a smile and turned to Zhou Chenglei. "Let's cast the net again."
Zhou Chenglei had no choice but to set the net, and then he and Jiang Xia worked together to sort the fish on the deck.
The fish were sorted by size, with fish of similar sizes placed in the same basket. Each basket held about fifty pounds.
Since the fish had been caught with a trawl net, they were already dead, making the sorting process easier.
Zhou Chenglei was experienced and could quickly estimate the weight of each fish, sorting them efficiently and accurately.
However, he was surprised to find that Jiang Xia sorted even faster and more accurately, as if she had done this countless times before.
In her previous life, Jiang Xia had started helping her grandmother sell vegetables when she was just over three years old. Although she couldn't help much at first, by the time she was four or five, she was already able to lend a hand. By middle school, she could estimate the weight of a pound just by holding it.
Speed and accuracy? It was simply a matter of practice.
The mackerel were relatively large, and the two of them worked together for over an hour to fill all the baskets.
Next, they sorted the fish and shrimp, ending up with about ten pounds of tiger prawns and ten pounds of mixed fish. Among the mixed fish were a few small red squids and flower crabs, perfect for dinner.
By the time they finished sorting, over two hours had passed. Mr. Zhou said, "Ailei, it's time to bring in the net."
"Okay."
Mr. Zhou slowed the boat, and father and son worked together to haul in the net.
This time, the net was not as heavy as the previous one, and they pulled it in with ease.
Zhou Chenglei managed to empty the net by himself.
Jiang Xia immediately spotted a spotted grouper with a beautiful pattern.
What a beautiful fish!
More importantly, it was still alive after being caught in the trawl net, which was quite rare.
Mr. Zhou also saw it and quickly picked it up to keep it alive in a bucket. Live fish fetched a higher price.
This time, they caught mostly mixed fish, but there were also a dozen mackerel and large yellow croakers, along with several small red squids.
The catch was smaller in quantity but of better quality.
Mr. Zhou smiled. "This net was good too. Let's sort them quickly."
It was already noon, and Zhou Chenglei said, "Let's eat first."
"Sure," Mr. Zhou agreed.
The food had been prepared by Mrs. Zhou in the morning and packed in lunch boxes for them to take on the boat.
The food was cold, but that wasn't a problem in the summer.
Zhou Chenglei opened the lunch boxes and checked them before handing them to Jiang Xia. This time, the contents of the three lunch boxes were the same, showing that Mrs. Zhou had treated everyone equally.
The dishes were only steamed small fish and pickled vegetables. In the morning, they had been in a hurry and couldn't prepare many dishes. Besides, leafy greens turned yellow and lost their flavor if left for too long, so Mrs. Zhou usually didn't pack them.
In addition to the lunch boxes, Mrs. Zhou had prepared six boiled eggs for the three of them to eat if they got hungry.
The cold food wasn't as tasty, but the pickled vegetables were a good accompaniment. Jiang Xia, who had been busy all morning, was indeed hungry and ate more than half of her lunch box. Zhou Chenglei finished the rest.
After lunch, Mr. Zhou wanted to cast the net again.
He wanted to make the most of their time at sea and earn as much as possible.
However, the sun was too intense, and Zhou Chenglei thought it would be better to take Jiang Xia to the island to rest.
How could Jiang Xia possibly go to rest?
There was still a lot of work to be done on the boat, and she wouldn't feel comfortable until it was all done.
"I don't need to rest. Let's finish sorting these fish." Jiang Xia picked up a large blue crab that was trying to escape and handed it to Zhou Chenglei to tie it up.
She didn't know how to tie it yet.
Zhou Chenglei couldn't stop her, so he took the crab and used a piece of grass to tie its claws, legs, and body tightly in a cross pattern.
Jiang Xia watched his movements carefully, then picked up another crab and tried to tie it herself.
At first, she was a bit clumsy and got her hand pinched by the crab's claw, but with her gloves on, it didn't hurt.
Zhou Chenglei watched her fumble a bit but successfully tie up the crab.
At this moment, he had only one thought: She was incredibly clever and quick to learn!
Jiang Xia tied the crab neatly, even adding a bow for flair. She admired her work for a moment, then held the crab up to show Zhou Chenglei, "Does it look good?"
Zhou Chenglei glanced at it. He thought the bow was unnecessary and a bit bothersome, but he nodded anyway, "Yeah."
Without another word, he went to lay out the net, planning to return to sort the catch once it was in place.
Jiang Xia placed the crab aside and continued her search for more. As she wiped the sweat from her forehead, her eyes swept across the sea, catching a flash of red light that quickly disappeared beneath the waves.
"Fish! There’s a school of fish ahead! They’re red!"
Hearing this, Zhou’s father immediately revved up the engine, and the fishing boat sped forward.
Zhou Chenglei stopped laying the net and looked in the direction she pointed.
It didn’t take long for them to see the red patch Jiang Xia had spotted.
"Seabream! It’s a school of seabream! Quick, get the cast nets ready, Chenglei!"
Zhou’s father, clearly excited, steered the boat toward the school.
What was going on today? Why were there so many schools of fish?
Zhou Chenglei had already grabbed a cast net.
Jiang Xia hesitated for a moment but then picked one up as well.
Watching them cast a few times, she felt confident she could do it too.
As the boat approached the school, Zhou Chenglei cast his net. It spread wide in the air and plunged into the sea, trapping a group of seabream that wriggled fiercely.
Zhou Chenglei hauled the net up!
Jiang Xia mimicked his actions, casting her net forward. It didn’t spread as wide as Zhou Chenglei’s, but it still caught a good number of fish when it hit the water.
More than she could have caught with a hand net!
She pulled hard to drag the net onto the boat.
Zhou’s father joined them, casting his net with practiced ease.
Together, they cast the nets six or seven times before the school of fish dispersed.
The deck was now covered with lively, red seabream, a sight that was both beautiful and promising.
Zhou’s father, his dark face breaking into a wide grin, couldn’t help but laugh.
These were seabream, also known as red sea bream, a highly valuable catch, just like yellow croaker.
Both species were becoming increasingly rare, and their prices were on the rise.
In all his years of fishing, he had only heard of others catching schools of seabream, never experiencing it himself. He had even heard that some were researching artificial breeding of red sea bream, though he wasn’t sure if it was true.
Seeing the size of the seabream, which were about one to two pounds each, his smile grew even wider.
They had hit the jackpot!
His daughter-in-law’s luck at sea was truly remarkable!
Zhou’s father said, "Let’s head back early today. It’s a good day, and we can take the boat to the city’s dock to sell while it’s still early."
The city’s dock offered slightly higher prices for fish compared to the village’s, but usually, the catch wasn’t enough to justify the extra fuel costs. However, today they had a large and valuable haul, so it was worth the trip.
Zhou Chenglei agreed, "I’ll cast the net one more time on the way back."
"Alright." Zhou’s father started the boat.
After Zhou Chenglei cast the net, he and Jiang Xia quickly sorted the fish and loaded them into baskets.
Jiang Xia’s eyes and hands had become even faster and more accurate!
So fast that Zhou Chenglei couldn’t help but glance at her in admiration.
The afternoon sun was scorching, and she wore a straw hat and long sleeves to protect herself from the sun, her nose glistening with a fine layer of sweat.
She was so cautious about sunburn.
He could feel the heat just watching her, but she seemed to bear it without complaint. Her skin, which was naturally fair, looked even more radiant under the sun when she occasionally wiped her forehead.
Two hours later, the fishing boat docked at the city’s pier.
It was still early, around four o’clock, and while there weren’t many boats returning, there were still a few. The pier was already bustling with fish sellers and buyers waiting for the catch.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
