Chapter 517: Returning Early
Chapter 517: Returning Early
The couple arrived at the wharf and saw a large ship gradually approaching in the distance. It was their fishing vessel.
Jiang Xia exclaimed, "It's Dad returning. Next time, take me to see the fish cage. We won't go out to sea today. Dad must have brought back a batch of dried fish."
Zhao Cheng Lei nodded, "Yeah, I'll accompany you home first, and then I'll drive the tractor over."
His father would take the opportunity to bring back a batch of dried fish, at least ten thousand pounds, and he wouldn't have time to go out to sea while unloading the cargo.
"Okay."
It wouldn't be quick for the large ship to dock either.
Zhao Cheng Lei had driven Jiang Xia on his motorcycle, and it would be just as fast to send her back the same way.
Jiang Xia, with Zhao Cheng Lei's support, got onto the motorcycle and watched as the ship on the sea gradually approached.
The fisherman's wharf in their village was not as big as the one in the city. According to the book, in a few years, the wharf would be expanded.
With the rapid economic development, those who owned ships were getting richer. Small boats were replaced by larger ones, and then by ocean liners. When it was time to purchase cargo, even those without money would take out loans to buy ships. More and more people were buying fishing vessels, and now this wharf could no longer meet the demands of the fishermen from over a dozen villages in the production team.
After all, large ships couldn't dock just anywhere like small wooden boats.
The container ship that Jiang Xia and the others had booked couldn't dock at this wharf either. It had to dock at a designated wharf.
Zhao Cheng Lei sent Jiang Xia home.
Zhou Mu was surprised to see them back, "Weren't you going out to see the fish cage? Why are you back?"
Jiang Xia, holding Zhao Cheng Lei's arm, carefully got off the motorcycle and laughed, "Dad's back."
Zhou Mu was taken aback, "Your father's back so soon? Didn't he say he'd be gone for a longer time and wouldn't return until mid-to-late June?"
Could something have happened? When Zhou Fu set out to sea, he mentioned that he'd be gone for a longer period and wouldn't return until the end of June because it was summer, and there were more typhoons. He wasn't sure how much time they'd have for fishing.
Moreover, Jiang Xia was due in July, and with three grandchildren to take care of, Zhou Fu was worried that the family wouldn't be able to handle everything. So, he planned not to go out to sea in July.
Therefore, this time, he intended to be away for over two months, returning only in mid-June to await the birth of his grandchild.
Jiang Xia smiled, "I don't know, but I guess he made some money!"
Zhou Mu laughed, "That must be it."
Zhao Cheng Lei went to the backyard to start the tractor and headed for the wharf.
When Zhao Cheng Lei arrived at the wharf, the ship had just docked.
He boarded the ship, and Zhou Fu greeted him with a smile, "How did you know I was back?"
Zhao Cheng Lei replied, "I was just about to go out to sea to check on the fish cage when I saw the ship returning."
Zhou Fu laughed, "Perfect timing! Come and see what good things I've brought back!"
Zhou Fu opened the live cabin, "Take a look inside and see what's in there."
Zhao Cheng Lei crouched down and peered in. The light was a bit dim, but he could vaguely see that the live cabin was filled with pearl oysters. He looked up at Zhou Fu, "Where did you get them? Are they all alive?"
"Of course they're alive! Why would I bring back dead ones? Go home and get some fishing nets and tools, then take the small boat out to sea. Let's put these things in the sea to raise them first."
These were the people Zhou Fu had rescued at sea, and they sold them to him at a low price.
The people on that ship had gone out to sea to a certain island's waters to catch and sell these things, but on their return journey, their ship broke down, and they encountered rainy weather. The sea was stormy, and they drifted for several hours before encountering Zhou Fu's ship. They almost thought they wouldn't make it back, but it was Zhou Fu and his crew who braved the storm to rescue them and towed their ship back to the wharf, preventing them from losing both their lives and their cargo.
The rescue operation was quite dangerous, especially given the size difference between the two ships in the stormy sea. The danger of climbing from the small boat to the larger ship could only be understood by the tugboat operator. A slight misstep could result in falling into the sea or being crushed between the two vessels.
Without bringing them onto the large ship, they directly towed their small boat back, as it was prone to capsizing.
At that moment, Zhou Fu and his group were rescuing the people with trembling hearts, fearing an accident.
Fortunately, in the end, they safely rescued them.
Good deeds bring good rewards, and the men said that they would sell all the pearl oysters they found in the sea to him.
These pearl oysters were originally intended to be given to Zhou Fu, but since they risked their lives to retrieve them, Zhou Fu couldn't bear to take them, so he paid them instead.
Zhou Chenglei looked at the dried fish on the boat, noticing that there were even more than the last time. He said, "Dad, go and hire a few people to help unload the dried fish from the boat and transport it home. I'll go to the live cabin first to collect the pearl oysters."
Zhou Fu nodded in agreement, "Alright, after you've collected all the pearl oysters, I'll go and hire people."
No one knew they had been raising pearl oysters, and when the time came to hire people to unload the dried fish from the boat, if they were seen, the secret would be out.
Zhou Fu and Zhou Yongguo started by unloading the dried fish from the boat.
Zhou Chenglei went to the live cabin to collect all the pearl oysters.
Most of these pearl oysters were still young and small.
There were also some mature ones, but whether they had pearls inside was unknown.
The newest, smallest, and most exciting news is that I'm writing a book!
Zhou Chenglei collected them all, placing them in a burlap sack, which was almost half full, probably containing over a hundred or two hundred oysters.
After Zhou Chenglei finished collecting the pearl oysters, Zhou Fu went to hire people.
Zhou Chenglei, along with Zhou Yongguo, continued unloading the dried fish from the boat. Once the tractor was full, he drove it back, also taking the seafood that Zhou Fu had brought back.
When he returned home, he told Jiang Xia and Zhou Mu, "I went out to sea once, and Dad brought back half a sack of pearl oysters. I'm going to raise them."
Jiang Xia was taken aback for a moment, "You should find one or two more people to go out to sea together, right?"
"Yeah, I'll go out to sea with Yongguo."
"Alright then! Be careful. If you can't finish today, just put the pearl oysters in the water and continue tomorrow. Don't come back so late, come home early for dinner." Jiang Xia instructed with concern.
"Okay," Zhou Chenglei replied.
After unloading the dried fish from the tractor, he took the fishing nets that Zhou Mu had woven earlier and drove the tractor to the wharf.
The entire afternoon was spent busy unloading the dried fish. Jiang Xia couldn't help, so she went upstairs to read and do some translation work.
She worked until around 4:30 pm, then went downstairs to start cooking with Zhou Mu.
At a little past 5 pm, Zhou Chengsen returned with Zhou Ying.
Zhou Mu asked, "Where's Xiaoxuan? Isn't it May Day tomorrow? Why isn't she back? Did she go back to the Li family?"
"No, she said she had to prepare lessons, and her colleagues invited her to go shopping and watch movies in the city, so she's not coming back," Zhou Chengsen replied as he parked his bicycle and began helping with the dried fish.
Zhou Mu thought about how her second daughter-in-law hadn't returned with her second son in a long time. Her son often brought her granddaughter back after work, but her second daughter-in-law never came.
Every time she asked her second son, he would say, "She's back, back at the Li family's."
"Did you and Xiaoxuan have a fight? She hasn't come back since after Qingming."
"No, she's an adult and can go wherever she wants."
Zhou Mu wanted to say something more, but she wasn't sure if it would be right.
Forget it! Let the couple handle their own affairs!
Thank you to all the partners who voted and rewarded me!
(End of Chapter)
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