Chapter 233: Calm Sea, No Fish?
Chapter 233: Calm Sea, No Fish?
The vast ocean was serene, its surface as smooth as a blue mirror, undisturbed by any wind or waves.
The boat's engine rumbled, breaking the tranquility as it moved forward.
White foam blossomed at the stern, leaving a trail behind.
Just as Jiang Xia and her companions set out, a fishing boat returning from its night's work crossed their path.
The fishermen on board, upon seeing their intent to venture out, called out, "There's not a hint of wind or waves out there today. I've been trawling since last night and only managed to catch a few dozen pounds of mixed fish, not even worth ten bucks. I'm losing money on fuel costs. I advise you not to go out there!"
This was one of the most frustrating aspects of fishing or angling at sea—high winds and waves meant abundant fish, but also danger; calm seas meant safety, but few fish to catch.
Like the charcoal seller in the poem, they wished for colder weather to increase the value of their catch! The fishermen hoped for some wind and waves to bring more fish, but not so much that it would endanger their lives and prevent them from setting out.
Zhou Chengxin glanced at the meager catch on the other boat's deck and sympathized, "It's true that calm seas mean fewer fish. It seems we won't have much luck today, but we still have to go and feed the fish. We can't just not go!"
The man had no more to say after hearing this.
Feed the fish?
What a waste of time!
They soon encountered several more boats, each conveying a similar message.
Zhou Chengxin responded with similar words.
Jiang Xia observed that these boats indeed had little catch.
Zhou Chengxin was at the helm, and as he steered, he said, "Looks like we won't be netting much fish today."
It was too calm.
High waves were dangerous, but without them, there were few fish.
Zhou Chenglei didn't respond to his brother's words. After the boat had traveled some distance, he lowered the net and then asked Jiang Xia, "Want to fish?"
Jiang Xia nodded, "Sure!"
She had planned to review some materials, but she could do that while fishing.
Zhou Chengxin immediately exclaimed, "Fish! You steer, and I'll fish!"
He loved fishing with Jiang Xia the most!
Zhou Chenglei shot his brother a look, "Big brother, I wasn't asking you. I was asking my wife."
His tone was respectful, but his words were asking for a beating!
Zhou Chengxin: "..."
Wait, how did he end up as the designated boat driver?
He had decided last night that he wouldn't be driving the boat today!
He had been tricked!
Now he understood why Zhou Chenglei had been so busy earlier, rummaging through the boat's supplies when they boarded. He had been waiting for this moment!
That rascal was deliberately avoiding driving the boat!
And so, Zhou Chengxin experienced what Zhou Father had gone through earlier.
Zhou Chenglei treated him like a kerosene lamp.
Zhou Chenglei baited the hook, and Jiang Xia cast the line.
Not wanting to waste time, she handed the rod to Zhou Chenglei after casting, letting him wait for a bite.
She took out a stack of basic information on various ships from the boat factory and began studying it.
The Suai Trade Fair was approaching, and she had already reviewed these materials once.
But her habit was to go over all the materials three times before any battle.
Usually, she could memorize ninety percent of the content after three readings.
She had already read through the product information from several factories once, and now she was preparing for a second reading. Two days before the Suai Trade Fair, she would read it again, completing her preparations.
The morning sunlight was gentle, but reading in it could still strain the eyes.
And because the sun shone at an angle, half of Jiang Xia's face was exposed, even with her hat on.
Zhou Chenglei stood by her side, holding a straw hat to shield her face from the sun, ensuring she was fully protected as they studied the materials together.
Zhou Chengxin: "..."
Despite no overt displays of intimacy, with Zhou Chenglei holding the hat in one hand and the fishing rod in the other, Zhou Chengxin couldn't help but feel an intense bond and affection between the two, making him embarrassed to look any longer, fearing he might disturb them.
Jiang Xia was a fast reader, and even more so with a book she had read before. Within about ten minutes, she had finished reading the materials on the three types of boats. Just then, Zhou Chenglei's fishing rod, which he had been holding, had a bite.
The boat had grooves where the fishing rod could be placed, but holding it by hand gave a better fishing experience.
Zhou Chenglei alerted, "There's a bite!"
Zhou Chenglei began to carefully reel in the line.
Jiang Xia quickly put away the materials and picked up the landing net to help.
As the line shortened, Jiang Xia spotted a large fish, black with a hint of red, swimming in circles in the seawater.
Jiang Xia exclaimed with widened eyes, "Is that a Moonlight Fish?"
Zhou Chenglei glanced at Jiang Xia, surprised that she knew, "Yes."
Moonlight Fish were not native to China's waters, making them a rare sight in the country's seas.
However, all oceans were connected, so it wasn't unusual to occasionally encounter one or two.
This Moonlight Fish was likely blown over by a typhoon or chased by prey, losing its way home and swimming all the way here.
Jiang Xia recognized the fish because it was famous in the island nation for its delicious sashimi, which she had tried once in her previous life.
Zhou Chengxin, who had never heard of it, asked curiously, "What's a Moonlight Fish?"
The fish was quite large, and Zhou Chenglei, fearing the rod might break, gripped the line with his hand, pulling it up and down to tire the fish.
Zhou Chenglei replied, "It's a big fish."
Zhou Chengxin: "..."
Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia worked together to scoop the fish into a large net.
Indeed, it was a massive fish, weighing about forty pounds!
Zhou Chengxin laughed and asked, "Is this fish expensive?"
Zhou Chenglei: "Expensive! It's from the outer sea."
Zhou Chengxin's eyes lit up. Even on a calm sea with no waves, they had caught an expensive fish from the outer sea! Just as his father had said, Xia could indeed catch fish just by touching the rod!
"Ah Lei, you take the helm, and let me do the fishing."
Zhou Chenglei chose to ignore him, as he often did.
He unhooked the fish, rebaited the hook, and handed the rod to Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia, unconcerned with the brothers' conversation, took the rod, cast the bait, and returned it to Zhou Chenglei, then resumed reading the materials.
A nearby fishing boat, manned by a villager, approached after seeing them catch a fish. He couldn't help but comment, "Ah Xin, Ah Lei, are you two overflowing with fish again? I've been out since four in the morning, dragged two nets, and caught nothing! Only a dozen pounds of fish! Damn, the nets weigh more than the fish!"
Zhou Chengxin humbly replied, "Uncle Dong, we haven't even started hauling yet! We've been out for half a day and only caught one fish. There really aren't many fish today!"
Zhou Chengxin felt sympathetic towards Uncle Dong, as his fishing luck was notoriously bad in the village! Even worse than his own.
Others could sell thirty to forty yuan worth of fish daily, while he only managed ten yuan or a few yuan.
Uncle Dong glanced at their boat, confirming that there were no fish except for the Moonlight Fish, which Zhou Chenglei had placed in the live cargo hold. The entire deck was empty.
He sighed, "It seems there really aren't many fish today. I'll pull one more net and head back."
Even Zhou Chenglei, known for his excellent fishing skills, hadn't caught any fish. With the village's worst fishing luck, it was best to head back to avoid losing money on fuel.
But just as he spoke, Zhou Chenglei's rod had another bite.
The fish bit hard and fast.
Zhou Chenglei gripped the rod and pulled the line with his hand, beginning a new round of battle with the fish.
Jiang Xia quickly put away the materials and grabbed the landing net, ready for action.
Seeing the situation, Zhou Chengxin's heart raced, "Ah Lei, what kind of fish is it?"
Uncle Dong exclaimed, "Damn! Even this can be caught!"
(End of Chapter)
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