https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-470-Who-Cares-Where-They-Came-From/13080708/
Chapter 469: The First Sea Expedition After the New Year
Chapter 469: The First Sea Expedition After the New Year
Jiang Xia hadn't been out to sea for two months.
The pier was unusually quiet at 3 AM.
Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei arrived at the pier and unexpectedly ran into Li Xiuxian's older brothers, Li Qingmin and Li Qingjie.
Li Xiuxian's father hadn't gone out to sea since the New Year; instead, Li Qingjie had taken his place.
Everyone exchanged greetings.
Jiang Xia asked, "You two are here so early?"
Li Qingmin hastily replied, "We're just a bit earlier today; we don't usually come this early."
Li Qingjie also quickly added, "Yes, we're only early today because we woke up early."
Of course, they had to be early. Their brother-in-law mentioned that their fishing time was from 5 AM to 4:30 PM, so if they set off at 3 AM, the fish they caught between 3 AM and 5 AM would be theirs.
They could earn over ten yuan per net, sometimes even twenty or thirty yuan. The least they made was seven or eight yuan, and that was after accounting for labor costs and the money from the fish they caught.
They could earn thirty to forty yuan daily, with their highest earnings being over ten yuan. Naturally, they were happy to start early.
After all, they didn't have to worry about costs, and their little sister provided the fuel.
Of course, despite saying this, the two brothers didn't want the Zhou family to know about this arrangement.
Jiang Xia glanced at the two who were eager to explain but didn't say anything.
Li Qingmin, eager to set off, said, "Alright, let's go, Ah Lei!"
Zhou Chenglei responded without much expression, "Okay."
They waited for Zhou Kangping to buy diesel before heading out to sea.
Li Qingmin couldn't wait and started the boat, leaving immediately.
Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei waited on the boat for Zhou Guoping to return with diesel, and then they saw Zhou Guodong and his two brothers approaching.
Their boat was docked right next to Jiang Xia's this time.
The three brothers greeted them enthusiastically.
Jiang Xia smiled and responded, "You're here early too?"
Zhou Xingguo said, "We're trying to catch more fish by starting earlier."
Recently, they had been setting off over an hour earlier each day, and in the evenings, they returned half an hour later, aiming to catch more fish.
Zhou Chenglei said, "Take care of yourselves. Don't worry about the money; there's no rush to repay it."
Zhou Guodong replied, "Don't worry, brother. By the way, which area are you fishing in these days? It seems like we haven't seen your boat in a while."
Zhou Chenglei answered, "We don't have a fixed area; sometimes we go to more distant waters."
People tend to stay within their comfort zones, and the villagers rarely ventured to other fishing grounds.
But Zhou Chenglei wasn't like that.
Jiang Xia added, "During the cold weather before the New Year, there were no fish in the nearby waters, so we went further out. Since the New Year, we haven't gone out much, and when we did, we didn't fish; we just checked on the collection of young mussels and fed the fish. That's probably why you haven't seen us."
"Are there more fish further out?"
Jiang Xia felt that the catch was similar whether they went near or far; she never encountered a lack of fish whenever she went out to sea.
Zhou Chenglei said, "There might be more fish in colder weather, but it's also a matter of luck."
Zhou Guodong also knew that fishing relied on luck and experience. "Then let's try going further out today."
Zhou Chenglei suggested, "Let's go together. I'll take you to the reef island where the mussels grow. You can collect young mussels there yourselves in the future."
"Great! Thank you, brother!" Zhou Guodong and his brothers were thrilled.
Zhou Kangping soon arrived with a bucket of diesel, which Zhou Chenglei took and carried onto the boat, pouring it into the fuel tank.
After that, Zhou Kangping started the boat, ready to set off.
Zhou Guodong asked Zhou Chenglei, "Are we fishing later?"
Zhou Chenglei replied, "No, I want to try squid fishing."
Zhou Guoxing chimed in, "We tried last night, but there weren't many squids. You should try again in a few days!"
Zhou Guodong agreed, "Yes, many people have tried these past few nights, but there haven't been many squids."
Everyone said it would probably take a few more days."
Zhou Chenglei wasn't easily swayed by others' words, "Let's give it a try! I've already prepared all the tools anyway."
He planned to test if using light to attract squid would be effective, and if it was, he'd start going out to sea earlier at midnight to fish for squid with lights.
Zhou Guodong spoke to his older brother and second brother, "Brother, I'm going to join Chenglei on his boat to fish. I'll come back later."
Zhou Guoxing and Zhou Guoye didn't understand why he wanted to fish on someone else's boat instead of their own.
However, two people were enough on the boat, and they had never experienced a situation where the net was so full that it couldn't be pulled.
"Alright."
"Go ahead!"
Zhou Guodong went to Jiang Xia's boat and joined Zhou Chenglei for fishing.
The boat sailed a considerable distance before they started using lights to attract squid.
Zhou Chenglei said to Jiang Xia, "You can go back to the cabin and sleep some more."
Jiang Xia shook her head, "No need, I want to see how the squid fishing works."
Zhou Chenglei agreed, and started preparing the tools and setting up the lighting.
Jiang Xia didn't plan to fish, so she sat by the side and watched as Zhou Chenglei took out a storage battery, bamboo pole, and light bulb.
He first connected the bulb to the power source and then tied it to the bamboo pole.
Next, he lowered a large net, suspended by a long bamboo pole, into the sea.
He extended the bulb tied to the bamboo pole to illuminate a patch of the sea surface.
Zhou Chenglei shook the bamboo pole up and down to attract squid.
Zhou Guodong asked, "Can't we just fix it in place? Why do you need to shake it?"
"Hmm," Zhou Chenglei replied, and the reason was simple, he didn't need to explain.
"I'll do it." Zhou Guodong took the initiative to hold the bamboo pole and shook it up and down.
Zhou Chenglei asked Jiang Xia, "Do you want to try fishing for squid?"
"Sure!"
The small squid didn't require a fishing rod; they could be caught by tying the hook directly to the fishing line.
Zhou Chenglei threw the hook into the sea and shook it up and down, "Just like this, it increases the chances of catching something. Don't shake it too fast, and keep the movements small... Also, don't let the hook surface, it's best to maintain this amplitude."
Jiang Xia imitated Zhou Chenglei's movements, shaking the fishing line up and down.
After about a dozen shakes, she felt something bite the hook.
The line felt slightly heavy, but only a little, giving a very light sensation.
Jiang Xia reeled it in, and indeed, she had caught a small squid.
Under the light, the small squid's pink body glowed with starlight.
Here they come! Here they come! The famous scene of fishing until their arms were tired had arrived again! Zhou Guodong exclaimed excitedly, "Sister-in-law, you're so lucky! A squid has already bitten so quickly."
Zhou Chenglei took the squid, removed it from the hook, and threw it into a bucket.
Jiang Xia continued fishing.
"You can fix it now," Zhou Chenglei said to Zhou Guodong and took the bamboo pole from him, securing it in place.
Jiang Xia's quick success in catching a squid indicated that a school of squid was approaching.
Zhou Guodong, eager to join in, took a hook and started fishing as well.
On Jiang Xia's side, another squid had bitten the hook! Zhou Chenglei took it and removed it.
Jiang Xia took a glance at it.
It was also small, slightly thicker than Zhou Chenglei's thumb, and about the length of his middle finger.
Zhou Guodong also felt a squid on his hook and exclaimed excitedly, "I've got one too!"
He pulled it up and held it tightly, but the squid squirted a jet of ink.
Fortunately, he was experienced and didn't get sprayed.
"It's because I'm fishing with you that we're getting bites so quickly," Zhou Guodong smiled widely.
The most thrilling part of fishing was the continuous bites.
Jiang Xia smiled and continued with the hook, but before she could cast it into the sea, a sight on the water's surface caught her attention, and she froze! Excitedly, she tugged at Zhou Chenglei's clothes, "Look!"
Zhou Guodong also looked and became excited, "My goodness!"
Here they come! This was from last night.
Thank you to all the readers who voted and rewarded me.
(End of Chapter)
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