Fu Wan dragged her fish basket and small stool to sit down next to the pile of fish.
She casually grabbed a small rake and shoveled around, finding only yellow shrimp about two fingers wide.
"Yellow shrimp" is actually the local name; it refers to a type of shrimp native to the area, one of the most common shrimp species found in offshore trawling. This one is a bit small. While this species is also called Chinese shrimp, the common term refers to the type of shrimp, not its size.
These giants in front of Fu Wan right now, any two of them would probably weigh about a pound each.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the king of shrimp.
"Mom, look at these shrimp!"
Fu Wan picked out two large ones to show Ye Xiaocui. Ye Xiaocui was immediately shocked and exclaimed upon seeing them.
"My goodness, this shrimp is huge!"
Jiang Chunlan, who was standing next to her, was also surprised when she saw this.
"May Goddess Mazu bless us! How come these shrimp are so big? Ah Wan, are these the only two?"
Fu Wan gestured with her lips, indicating that they should look at the pile of fish in front of them. "Look, there are still quite a few here!"
Ye Xiaocui and Jiang Chunlan looked over and were surprised to find that they had been so captivated by the mantis shrimp that they hadn't noticed the large yellow shrimp.
"So many yellow shrimp, still alive! Quickly pick them out and keep them in seawater!"
While they were busy here, Fu Ming was also carrying a fish basket and catching octopuses all over the ground. This net didn't have any big sea fish, mostly octopuses, squid, cuttlefish, and various kinds of shrimp.
There are large yellow prawns discovered by Fu Wan and mantis shrimp being picked by Ye Xiaocui.
Besides these, there were some smaller oyster shrimp.
Oyster shrimp, also known locally as red shrimp, is called "eagle claw shrimp" in hotels in Fusan. These shrimp have red heads and claws, and most importantly, even simply boiled, they are incredibly delicious. "It's strange today; both trawls only yielded shrimp."
These words sounded like a complaint, but Ye Xiaocui didn't actually mean it that way.
Shrimp are priced no lower than fish, and their weight is similar to that of regular fish, so the profit will only increase.
Especially the yellow shrimp in Fu Wan's hands, the mantis shrimp in Ye Xiaocui's basket, plus the hundreds of kilograms of mantis shrimp they picked out in the previous net.
These are all expensive.
As they were talking, Fu Liang also took over from Boss Fu and came to the deck.
"Wow, that's a good day!"
As Fu Liang walked, he stretched his aching limbs. He had been keeping an eye on the sea from the cockpit, and even though he was sitting most of the time, it was still very tiring.
"Brother Liang, you take a break first, we can handle the fish here."
Seeing that Fu Liang was going to help, Fu Wan quickly advised against it. Picking fish was no easy task; one could sit on a small stool for an hour or two at a time.
Because of his bad back, Boss Fu never participated in picking out the fish.
Fu Liang had just stepped down from his job as a ship captain, and Fu Wan was not an exploitative capitalist.
Fu Liang shook his head upon hearing this. Everyone was busy, so how could he stay idle?
"No need, just looking at all this fish gives me energy."
After saying that, he rolled up his sleeves and joined Fu Wan and the others.
"Holy crap, this shrimp is huge!"
Upon seeing the shrimp in Fu Wan's fish basket, Fu Liang immediately swore.
"Right? These shrimp must be very sweet. I'll get a couple to eat when I get home for lunch."
Fu Wan whispered, and Fu Liang felt a pang of regret upon hearing this, but he was also happy to see such a good item.
They didn't even notice when the squid in their hand sprayed ink all over their hands.
By the time he discovered it, the gloves were already soaked in ink and turned black.
Cuttlefish, squid, and octopus are all fish that tend to squirt ink when threatened or stimulated, so when you're picking out the fish, the basket is often quite dirty as well.
However, Fu Ming and Ye Lin didn't mind. Fishermen are like that; they're never clean when they're working.
Just rinse it with water later.
Besides these shrimp, there were actually quite a few other sea fish, but they were all cheap and common filefish and yellowfin tuna, so Fu Ming put them all into two fish baskets.
"Hey, there are two more boss fish here!"
After picking out the prawns, Fu Wan unexpectedly discovered two large fish under the pile of prawns. She grabbed the long tails and pulled the two half-dead fish out, then threw them directly into Fu Liang's fish basket.
The jackfish, also known as the manta ray, is somewhat like a miniature version of a stingray, with its fins spread out like wings. However, its tail is curved and soft, unlike the stingray's straight tail spines. (Image of jackfish from the internet, please delete if infringing copyright). The flesh of the jackfish is tender and delicious, and it doesn't require a particularly complicated cooking process. Simply stew it with some tofu, scallions, ginger, and garlic, and the aroma will make even the neighbor's kids drool.
"Mom, let's keep one of these fish for ourselves!"
Thinking of the taste of stewed tofu and flounder, Fu Ming couldn't help but swallow his saliva, and Ye Xiaocui didn't object.
"Eat, eat, eat! Boss, keep some of the fish and shrimp for yourself."
She felt a pang of regret after saying this, but as soon as she finished speaking, not only Fu Ming, but also Fu Wan, Fu Liang, and Ye Lin had a glimmer of light in their eyes.
Sigh, making money is all for the sake of giving our family a better life. Now that we're living a good life, what's a little fish and shrimp to us? Ye Xiaocui is quite open-minded about it.
That's what she thought, and she still felt sorry for her. Jiang Chunlan could understand her old friend's feelings to some extent, so she patted her hand.
"It's alright, there are plenty of fish and shrimp on this boat, keeping some for ourselves is no big deal."
"Other families eat well during holidays, but now that we're living well, it's like celebrating every day!"
At this point, Jiang Chunlan remembered something else. She looked around and, seeing her son busy, whispered to Ye Xiaocui:
"Xiao Cui, I haven't told you yet, A Liang has fallen for someone."
These last words immediately shattered Ye Xiaocui's heartache.
"What?! You said you've taken a liking to someone?!"
The two men spoke softly, and with the strong wind on the deck, Fu Ming and the others didn't hear anything coming from there.
But Fu Wan heard it all clearly.
Wow, Brother Liang actually managed to go on a blind date secretly, and he didn't even tell them!
While Fu Wan listened intently to Jiang Chunlan recounting Fu Liang's wedding, Fu Liang remained completely unaware, even somewhat bewildered.
Awan looked at him with a gossipy gaze, which made him feel uneasy.
Fu Liang's blind date was a girl from a village in the town. She was the second child in her family. Although she had only attended primary school, she was said to be very capable at home.
Fu Wan and the others weren't there when they went to meet, but Jiang Chunlan was there; she seemed to be a straightforward and generous girl.
Most importantly, it suits Fu Liang's eye.
"Chunlan, it seems your good news isn't far off!"
Ye Xiaocui joked, and Jiang Chunlan couldn't stop smiling. "Oh, isn't that right? If I go down there in the future, I'll be doing right by his deceased father."
"Pah, pah, pah, what are you talking about, dying or something?"
The two old friends were still chatting, and Fu Wan was happy to listen to their gossip. She could see that the fish on the deck had been sorted out almost completely, and Yanwo Island was just around the corner.
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