As the fishing boat returned to the village dock, it was already dark all around. Chen Zhiyao had just stepped out of the cabin when she saw the beautiful sunset on the horizon.

The reef island wasn't far away, and the group returned relatively early; the village's pier was still quite deserted at this time.

Most of the villagers who go out to sea first go to the town's dock to sell their catch, and many of them haven't returned yet.

The main issue is the upcoming four-month fishing ban, which is about to begin.

These days, the villagers are going out early and returning late every day, hoping to catch as many fish as possible before the fishing ban ends.

After all, once the fishing ban begins, there will be no way to go out to sea to fish.

This year's fishing ban period is the same as usual, from March 1st to June 31st, and today is already February 26th.

Chen Zhiyao signed up for driving lessons early, hoping to get her driver's license during this time.

Fishing is not prohibited during the closed season. The main problem is that many sea anglers come back empty-handed, and most of their trips to sea are just to bait and feed the fish.

Not only will it not have any negative impact on the fish in the sea, it can also help feed them.

But I'm different; I'm practically cheating. To put it narcissistically, when she goes out to sea, she's just going to buy goods.

The fishing ban period is mainly to allow the fish in the sea to reproduce and multiply in the spring, so that more small fish fry can be born.

Chen Zhiyao felt that this was a good opportunity to rest more. Besides taking her driver's license test, she also wanted to take her family to other places for fun.

She wants to visit many places, including the mountains and rivers of Guilin and the beautiful scenery of Yunnan.

She had a little money, so she decided to take her family on a trip.

However, she doesn't stay out at sea completely; she occasionally goes out to sea to fish for tuna and other large fish weighing over 100 pounds.

Just as Chen Zhiyao was thinking about tuna fishing, she received some good news during dinner that evening.

Halfway through dinner, my older cousin Chen Feng rushed over carrying a bucket of small mixed fish.

Yan Shuting invited him to join her for dinner, but Chen Feng put down his things, shook his head, and quickly said:

"No, I'm in a hurry. I came here mainly to tell you some good news."

"What good news?" Seeing that he wasn't eating, Chen Zhiyao quickly filled a bowl of soup for him.

"Old Wang and his crew, who often charter boats to go out to sea, just received news that someone saw bluefin tuna near Wanyu Island, and there were more than 30 of them."

"It is said that these tuna have not been caught yet. Old Wang and his friends have chartered my boat and plan to go to Wanyu Island to fish for tuna overnight."

The people at the table's eyes lit up when they heard about bluefin tuna.

Chen Zhiyao, in particular, only caught a bluefin tuna weighing over 70 pounds last time, and this time she's hoping to catch one weighing over 100 pounds.

"Brother, are there any extra seats on the boat? Can we buy tickets and go tuna fishing like before?"

Chen Feng shook his head. "No, it won't work. Old Wang has other people going with him, so we can't reserve seats for you."

Seeing that his little cousin's smile had faded, he quickly added:

“I don’t have any seats left, but Tangtang, you can take your own boat there. Wanyu Island is in China, and there’s no danger along the way. Your fishing boat can easily get there.”

It was only then that Chen Zhiyao belatedly realized that her family also owned a fishing boat.

"Oh right, we also have a fishing boat at home. I almost forgot about that. We can sail to Wanyu Island ourselves, it's the same thing."

Before leaving, Chen Feng specifically instructed that the news of bluefin tuna sightings on Wanyu Island must not be told to anyone else.

There are only so many fish. If everyone goes to fish for tuna, there won't be enough to go around.

Although he earns money from boat tickets, these fishermen aren't catching any fish, so they might stop chartering his boat in the future.

He wouldn't have made this special trip if we weren't close.

Chen Zhiyao quickly said, "Don't worry, big brother, we definitely won't tell anyone about this exclusive news."

"That's right, don't worry, we won't tell anyone about this," Chen Weiqiang assured, patting his chest.

"Okay, I'll head back now if there's nothing else. This voyage is a bit rushed, and there's still a lot to prepare."

After saying that, Chen Feng grabbed his water bucket and jogged home.

When asked to prepare something, Chen Weiqiang quickly shoveled the rice in his bowl into his mouth and then hurriedly grabbed his car keys.

Seeing that he had taken the keys and was about to leave, Yan Shuting quickly asked:

Where are you going so late at night?

"To catch a giant like a tuna, ordinary fishing hooks and lines won't do. I don't have much left from the ones I used when I went out to sea before, so I'll go to the store and get some more."

"Then take more, I'll go with you tomorrow too." Yan Shuting was also very excited at the thought of going tuna fishing.

At this moment, Grandpa Chen, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up:

"Although Wanyu Island is the farthest island from here, it only takes half a day to get there. This sea trip will only take two days."

“Except for your grandma who stays at home to look after the house, the four of us will all go out together. You can prepare whatever you need.”

"Okay, you guys take a shower and rest for a bit. I'll be back soon, and we'll head to Wanyu Island right away."

Now many people must know that there are tuna on Wanyu Island. If it's too late, the fish might have already been caught. Chen Weiqiang can't wait to fly there.

After Chen Weiqiang left, the rest of the family members were also busy.

Grandma Chen and Yan Shuting, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, were busy preparing essential daily necessities for the next two days.

Besides food and drinks, they also packed some commonly used medicines, as well as some thick and light coats.

Meanwhile, Chen Zhiyao and her grandfather went to the shrimp pond with flashlights and scooped up a whole bucket of fresh, live shrimp.

Although these prawns are too small for tuna, they are still very effective for catching other fish, and can also be used as bait if all else fails.

Wanyu Island got its name because the surrounding waters are exceptionally rich in marine resources; someone once caught tens of thousands of kilograms of fish in a single day.

Although the marine resources around Wanyu Island have depleted significantly, they are still much richer than those in the nearshore areas.

Before the fishing ban begins, it's a good time to catch more fish.

Just as everything was ready at home, Chen Weiqiang returned with a lot of fishing gear.

It's too late to go squid fishing at the dock now, so Chen Weiqiang bought several hundred yuan worth of large squid at the village's purchasing station.