"My God, does that mean we can collect the traps every day?"
Ye Lin exclaimed in surprise, thinking to himself, "If we put the crab traps down on the first day and come back to collect them the next day, and the crab traps yield a lot, wouldn't that feel like going out to sea to pick up money every day?!"
"Ah Wan, this is much easier than trawling!"
Upon hearing this, Fu Ming, while busy with his work, also took a moment to roll his eyes at him.
"Comrade Ye Lin, you're dreaming! How much seafood can you catch in a crab trap? If you don't use trawling nets and rely solely on the contents of those traps to make a living, you'll soon be starving!"
"Yes, that makes sense."
Fu Wan nodded in agreement, "In the past, we had a lot of seafood in our crab traps and earth traps, which added up to only a few hundred catties. Selling these few hundred catties would only make us enough to cover the cost of diesel fuel and taxes."
"Don't even think about getting rich just by using crab traps and ground cages."
In reality, if the catch is plentiful, there's a risk that the crab traps will be stolen. So, the seafood in the crab traps can only be used as a bonus; relying on them for a living is too risky.
The group chatted and worked at the same time, and soon the crab traps and ground traps on the deck were almost all set.
Next up was the bamboo tube trap, which Robert and Tom had never seen before and were quite curious about.
"Wan, what is this thing used for?"
"I know, it's used to catch octopuses!"
Jack answered first, and then he was a little proud of himself. Back then, he and Robert were both clueless, but now, he had grown up!
"That's amazing! This can catch octopuses?"
Robert exclaimed in surprise, and Fu Wan nodded affirmatively, "Octopus like to crawl into these small jars. There are more octopuses at night, so if you put them in overnight, you're sure to get something."
"Wan, did you come up with this method? It's so clever!"
Tom was very impressed; he thought no one in the entire United States had come up with this method.
"Alright, stop flattering me. And don't just sit there. Once we've finished setting the bamboo traps, it's time to start the trawls."
Fu Ming, suppressing his sourness, urged him on, but Robert had another question.
"Ming, once this net is set down, when will we be able to catch any fish?"
"It will take at least three hours."
"So, are we going to wait here?"
Fu Wan shook her head, "No, I'll go to sleep after setting the net. When it's time to trawle, there will be a bell to remind everyone to come down and haul in the net."
Robert listened, but only vaguely understood. He had thought he would have to wait for the fish to swim into the net. Fishing with a net was indeed quite different from fishing with a rod. Robert felt that he had learned something new.
After setting out the trawl net, Fu Ming and Ye Lin yawned simultaneously.
Fu Wan was the same; she hadn't been to sea for several days and was used to turning off the lights and going to bed at seven or eight o'clock at home. Now that it was almost time, she was actually a little sleepy.
"Everyone, go and rest in the cabins for a while. Come down and set up the nets when it's time."
This "everyone" refers not only to Fu Mingye, Lin Fangmin, and Fu Qing, but also to Fu Haishun and Fu Mancang, who have been busy with longline fishing.
"Ah Wan, let's not go. We can stay here and keep watch. If we get sleepy, there are chairs to lean on."
The four of us will stick to the previous rules. Jinshui and Da Niu will go rest first and then switch shifts with us later.
Fu Haishun put down the longline fishing hook in his hand and looked at Fu Wan.
Fu Wan thought for a moment and nodded in agreement, "Okay, you guys do what you think is best. Don't push yourselves too hard, and if you're sleepy, take a break."
"Lowering the trawl net won't cause any major problems. It's windy on deck, but you can stay in the cargo hold while on watch; that will keep you out of the wind."
"Okay, I got it!"
Fu Haishun and the other three responded in unison. They were touched, as their wages were among the highest in the village and even in the area.
Unlike other ship owners who boss people around, Fu Wan was always kind and gentle to them.
Fu Ming whistled as he walked toward the rest cabin, but Jack and the other two walked even faster than him.
"Hey, that's strange, why aren't the three of them seasick?"
Looking at the spirits of Jack, Robert, and the other two, they were nothing like the disheveled people they had been when they went out to sea.
Logically speaking, once you board a ship and set sail, almost everyone will rush to the side of the ship to make a nest.
Fu Wan laughed upon hearing this, "Brother, you forgot, those three aren't exactly newcomers to the sea."
"Look at their skin color, they must have been out fishing a lot in Los Angeles. Besides, our 'Riding the Waves' is big and stable, so it's normal that they don't get seasick!"
"Oh right, I'd forgotten about it if you hadn't mentioned it. Well, they're lucky; they really got on a good ship!"
Fu Ming looked regretful. Fu Wan fell asleep soon after returning to the rest cabin. Perhaps because she hadn't been out to sea for a long time, she kept dreaming of herself rowing a hand-cranked boat and fishing alone at sea.
The only option for a hand-rowed boat is a hand-thrown net. She threw the net out, and it sank quickly, indicating a good catch.
She gritted her teeth and pulled the fishing net toward the boat with all her might. Just as the net was about to be pulled out of the water, a loud bell rang, pulling her straight back to reality from her dream.
Oh dear, I almost pulled the net up myself!
Fu Wan angrily pounded the bed, took half a minute to calm down, got up to put on some clothes, washed her face, and only after she had sobered up did she go downstairs to the deck.
Well, a dream is just a dream. The fish that you can't catch in a dream might be in the trawl net that's about to be pulled up right now.
Before Fu Wan even stepped onto the deck, she heard the creaking and groaning of the net-lifting machine in operation.
At the same time, Robert's voice could be heard.
"Ming, Lin, let me operate this machine. I've already figured out how to do it."
"What do you understand? This is a net-lifting machine. If you don't operate it properly, you won't be able to pull the fish out of the net."
Fu Ming refused without even thinking, but seeing Robert's disappointed look, he couldn't bear it.
"Alright, this is the first net of the day, we absolutely can't afford to make any mistakes. If you want to learn how to do it, I'll teach you step by step for the next net."
Upon hearing this, Robert instantly perked up again.
When Fu Wan walked over to them, the net bag had already been pulled out of the water.
Robert and Tom were seeing this for the first time and immediately cheered excitedly.
"Oh my God, what a huge ball! Guys, is it full of fish?!"
"Amazing Chinese people, amazing Chinese fishing nets! Is this still the same big net we just cast? My God, it can actually turn into such a big ball!"
Jack was much calmer in comparison, though his eyes were full of excitement; it had been almost a year since his last fishing trip.
Hmph, those two idiots, Robert and Tom, when Wan goes up and unties that magical rope, they'll be so shocked they'll jump up!
"Looks like a good catch, the nets are all round and plump. Awan, this is the first net, why don't you open it?"
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