Chapter 496: Setting Sail
Chapter 496: Setting Sail
At noon, Zhou Chenglei returned from the mountain and informed Jiang Xia, "The beehive we placed on the mountain has attracted more bees than the one in the backyard, and it has already formed comb."
The beehive in the backyard had been moved to the roof of the new house when they built the stove.
To prevent the bees from flying away, they didn't open the hive when they relocated it.
Zhou Chenglei felt it had gained about two catties in weight when he lifted it, indicating that it had attracted a considerable number of bees.
Zhou Mu had also checked, and the bees had formed comb.
Zhou Zhou excitedly said, "There are four combs, they're white with a hint of yellow. Two are larger, almost as big as my face, and two are smaller, about the size of my palm."
Zhou Wenzu was also thrilled, "Uncle said there's already a little honey in there, but it's too little to harvest. We should wait until the bees produce more honey, and then we'll harvest the comb when it's larger. Otherwise, the bees will all fly away."
Jiang Xia smiled and said, "Yes, we can't harvest it yet. We'll wait until they produce a bit more honey."
Zhou Ying really wanted to drink honey water, so she asked, "How long will it take?"
Jiang Xia replied, "I don't know either. We'll have to wait at least a few months. Let's see how many combs they build by the end of summer. If there aren't enough, we'll have to wait until next year. We need to leave the honey for the bees to survive the winter, as there won't be any flower nectar for them to collect, and they'll starve without food."
The children were especially eager for summer to pass quickly, hoping the bees would collect more honey.
They really wanted to drink honey water.
Although Uncle had bought honey, and they had honey water at home, they wanted to drink honey from their own bees.
Jiang Xia was also a little excited.
Zhou Wenzu asked, "Can we feed the bees with our honey and drink theirs?"
Jiang Xia: "..."
How clever this child is, thinking of this!
"We can, but since it's our first time raising bees, we lack experience and might scare them away. Let's wait for them to feed on the honey they collect themselves!"
Zhou Wenzu thought this made perfect sense.
Uncle had mentioned that once the bees were well-established, they could drink honey water every day.
---
The morning after the Qingming Festival, Zhou Fu wanted to see the fish cages they had built.
Having sailed far and wide, Zhou Fu had some experience, and indeed, in some places, people were already successfully using fish cages to farm fish.
Zhou Chenglei said, "It's only been a few days since we built them, so there's not much to see."
Zhou Fu: "There's not much to see, so let's go fishing!"
Jiang Xia nodded, "Yes! With such good weather, I'd love to go out to sea and watch the sunrise."
Jiang Xia hadn't been out to sea in a while and wanted to join them.
Zhou Chenglei said, "Then let's set sail at 5:30 tomorrow morning, and get some sleep early tonight."
However, the next day, Jiang Xia overslept and didn't wake up until 6:00.
Zhou Chenglei didn't have the heart to wake her.
Recently, she had been busy making small squid, and he guessed she was tired.
Even though she was just helping with the fire, sitting for long periods could be exhausting.
He decided to go for a run and then set sail.
At 7:00 am, the boat headed out to sea, with Zhou Kangping at the helm.
Zhou Yongguo and Tian Caifen's sixth brother also joined them on another boat.
The sky was bright, with clouds, but the sun was still hidden. Still, it had undoubtedly risen.
There was a gentle breeze at sea, so Zhou Chenglei took out a thin jacket of Jiang Xia's and put it on her.
"No need, the wind isn't strong, and I'm not cold," Jiang Xia refused.
Since Mr. Yu and his team left, there hadn't been any rain for the past few days, and the weather had become much warmer. Jiang Xia wore a thin long-sleeved shirt at home.
By noon, she even had to change into short sleeves.
I don't know if it's because she's gained weight, but Jiang Xia is very sensitive to heat. Even when she's stoking the fire in the stove, she only wears short sleeves.
Zhou Chenglei noticed, "It's cool in the morning, you'll want to take it off later when it gets hot."
Jiang Xia reached out, and Zhou Chenglei helped her put on her shirt.
Zhou Fu glanced at them, feeling elated, and prepared to take out his fishing rod to catch a big one.
Such a sweet moment between them; it's definitely worth a big catch, right?
As the boat swayed slightly, Jiang Xia held onto Zhou Chenglei's arm, allowing him to button up her shirt.
Suddenly, the sun emerged, casting its golden rays onto the sea.
After several days of clear skies, the ocean finally regained its blue hue.
Under the sun, the stars shone brightly.
A perfect scene, a moment to cherish!
Jiang Xia admired the vast sea in the early morning, and as she gazed, she suddenly spotted purple ripples on the surface.
They vanished in a flash!
"There's a school of fish! Over there!" Jiang Xia, who was almost like an experienced fisherman, excitedly grabbed Zhou Chenglei's arm and pointed into the distance.
Zhou Fu had just taken out his fishing rod, but he immediately dropped it and grabbed the fishing net, asking, "Where? Where's the school of fish?"
He looked in the direction Jiang Xia pointed, and in the distance, the sea surface was adorned with purple ripples, undulating in the waves, appearing and disappearing, as if chasing the tides.
"Kangping, steer the boat over there! Hurry up and intercept them!"
Another fishing boat had also spotted the fish.
Zhou Yongguo quickly maneuvered his boat to join the chase.
Zhou Chenglei took a glance and realized the school was heading in their direction. Given the distance, they must be a massive group. He shouted to Zhou Yongguo, "Yongguo, let's pull the encircling nets together with both our boats! Come closer!"
Zhou Yongguo swiftly maneuvered his boat closer, and as the boats drew near, Zhou Chenglei threw the rope of the encircling net to him.
Tian Caifen's brother caught it and quickly secured it.
Zhou Yongguo shouted, "Is it secured?"
"Yes!" Tian Caifen's brother responded loudly.
Zhou Yongguo hurriedly steered the boat to spread out the net.
The two fishing boats worked in perfect harmony, casting their nets simultaneously to surround the school of fish.
Zhou Fu watched the sea surface with excitement.
Venturing into the open sea meant more money, but without Wang Cai, they relied more on fish finders, and unexpected surprises were rare! It's always more exciting to go out to sea with Wang Cai.
Unfortunately, it wasn't a large ship; if it were, he would have climbed to the top of the mast to get a better view.
The school of fish was heading in their direction, and Zhou Kangping and Zhou Yongguo skillfully maneuvered their boats, trying to spread the net wider for a better encirclement.
Before long, Jiang Xia spotted the school, led by spearhead-like fish, riding the waves, but they were unaware of the net already set, waiting for them to walk right into it.
"Are those Walu fish?" Jiang Xia asked.
Zhou Fu laughed and replied, "Yes! I've encountered mostly Walu fish on this trip."
Walu fish have streamlined bodies, with bluish-black backs and silver-white bellies. They prefer to swim in large schools in the middle layer of the sea. Using lights to lure and capture them, they can net thousands of kilograms at a time, and sometimes even tens of thousands.
Although Walu fish are inexpensive, selling for about 10 cents per kilogram, and at most 12 or 13 cents, they usually appear in large schools. Encountering one means a significant profit.
Zhou Kangping was skilled at steering the boat, and Zhou Yongguo, with his extensive deep-sea experience, had learned from observing others' net-casting techniques, making him an excellent partner for Zhou Kangping.
Soon, Zhou Fu estimated the timing and shouted, "Haul in the nets! We can start hauling! Alai, pull in the nets!"
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(End of Chapter)
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