On the deck, Wang Mazi glanced at Xu Laobie, who was surrounded by smoke, and couldn't help but secretly curl his lip.
"Ahem, boss, we still have some time. Are we just going to wait here like this?"
Xu Laobie didn't even lift his eyelids, exhaling a thick cloud of white smoke.
"What else can we do but wait?"
Wang Mazi, emboldened by some unknown source, threw down his fishing net and ran over to Xu Laobie in a few quick movements.
"Boss, we lost several thousand dollars because the sperm whale and the sea monster were released earlier."
"Since we still have some time, why don't we look around the area and catch a couple more whales?"
That's several thousand yuan! If he sells it, Wang Mazi could easily pocket several hundred yuan.
Xu Laobie rolled his eyes and took another deep drag on his cigarette.
"You think I don't want to catch them? Do you think those whales are like cabbages in the sea, that you can just catch them whenever you want?"
Wang Mazi was inhaling the smell of cigarette smoke with a look of utter delight. Xu Laobie, seeing his pathetic state, simply tossed him the cigarette butt he still had in his hand.
"Hurry up and pull the net to the stern, so that passing fishing boats don't notice."
"Things are getting tense lately. After I finish this deal, I'll have to go back and lie low for a while."
At this point, Xu Laobie cursed under his breath.
Wang Mazi was right about one thing: if he hadn't run into Fu Wan and Bai Qianzhou, he could have made several thousand yuan just from the baby sperm whale and the sea monster.
These fishermen, like his father's generation, considered themselves the maritime police and interfered in other people's business by preventing them from hunting whales.
In his opinion, they are all seafood from the sea. Those whales, sharks, and sea turtles are just larger and longer-lived seafood, right?
If ordinary fish and shrimp can be caught, why can't these big ones be caught?
Fu Family Village, Boss Fu, when he gets back, he'll definitely have to find out who these people are!
Old Turtle Xu kicked the empty tank next to him indignantly. He hadn't checked the almanac before coming out, and the sperm whale and sea monster he had gone to so much trouble to catch had just been released.
Not only were they released, but he was also threatened with a knife and chained to the side. Shorty and Wang Mazi saw him like this, and he lost all his authority as the big brother.
Most importantly, after Fu Wan and the other person left, Xu Laobie thought about it over and over again, and finally suddenly realized something.
While the woman surnamed Fu was talking to him on the deck, the man went into the cargo hold.
He ran to the cargo hold and saw that the boxes were not opened, but there were many messy footprints on the ground.
I wonder if that man noticed that the wooden box he had placed on the far side was full of gold and silver jewelry and cultural relics.
If they found out, why didn't that man touch those gold and silver jewelry? Is it possible that anyone these days can resist the temptation of gold and silver?
Xu Laobie was completely baffled. Even the short man who was piloting the ship didn't know what was in the cargo hold, and Wang Mazi didn't dare to go in and peek. Only Zhang Fugui, who was very bold, went and opened the wooden box that looked just like the usual cargo box.
If it weren't for the fear that the man might not keep a tight mouth and was a bit clever, Xu Laobie wouldn't have wanted to throw him into the sea to feed the sharks.
But if Fu Wan and the others hadn't discovered the box, Xu Laobie always felt a void in his heart, as if he had a time bomb inside him, and he always had a premonition that something bad was going to happen.
Wang Mazi had no idea that Xu Laobie was carrying so many secrets. He was knocked unconscious by Fu Wan the moment he discovered her.
When he regained consciousness, the whale had run away, the sea monster was gone, and his once energetic older brother was now like a mouse caught in a cat's clutches, constantly looking around as if someone might swim up from the sea.
Forget it, he'll just keep pulling the net. There's some seafood in the sea around now. Even if there aren't any whales, it would be good to pull up some crabs so he can have a meal later.
Wang Mazi consoled himself for a moment, then returned to his original spot and continued casting his fishing net.
Their fishing boat was also a second-hand purchase; it couldn't be used for trawling, only for simple drift nets.
A drift net is a fishing net that is laid out vertically and then placed vertically in the water.
In layman's terms, it involves setting up a net-like barrier in the sea. When fish, shrimp, and crabs pass through this barrier, their gill covers or fins get caught in the net, allowing them to be caught by fishermen.
Compared to trawling nets, this type of net does not require a net-raising machine, and is lower in cost and easier to operate.
However, drift nets can't catch big fish; at most, they can catch things like swimming crabs and small pomfret.
Furthermore, once the net is pulled back, it's easy to damage it when trying to remove the fish tangled in it.
Getting the fish off the ground takes time, but that's not a difficult task for Wang Mazi.
Because his sea transport was extremely poor, usually when he put down the entire net, let alone when it was full of fish, if he could even get a bucket of crabs, it would be a blessing from the Goddess Mazu.
Otherwise, Wang Mazi wouldn't have given up his fishing career and started smuggling with Xu Laobie.
But since he had nothing better to do, he simply cast his fishing net down and decided to try his luck.
As time ticked by, the closer it got to the transaction, the more nervous Xu Laobie became, and he couldn't stop smoking.
It's only because they smuggled a lot of cheap cigarettes that they could afford to smoke them; otherwise, even Xu Laobie would feel the pinch, let alone Wang Mazi.
"Hey Ma Zi, take a look through your binoculars. Isn't there a ship up ahead?"
While smoking, Xu Laobie kept an eye on his surroundings, especially the sea near his boat, fearing that Fu Wan might suddenly appear from somewhere again.
Wang Mazi had just pulled his net back in, and unsurprisingly, he only caught a dozen or so crabs.
Nearly half of these crabs were still carrying their young. Wang Mazi didn't throw them away. Although it was unethical, he figured they at least had some meat, and he could take them home, steam them, and have a meal.
When Xu Laobie said there was a boat ahead, Wang Mazi thought it was there to make a deal. He picked up his binoculars and looked in the direction Xu Laobie was pointing, only to find that it wasn't.
"Boss, it's a fishing boat, they're casting their nets!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Laobie's tightly furrowed brows remained unchanged.
It's normal to see fishing boats at this time; in the past, fishing boats have been operating nearby when they were trading.
In fact, they all used these fishing boats operating normally as cover. It was because of these fishing boats that they were able to deceive the coast guard.
With less than ten minutes left before the transaction time, Xu Laobie mustered his courage, gritted his teeth, and, as usual, had the dwarf steer the boat forward a bit, stopping it at the usual trading spot.
Meanwhile, on the high seas, a ship was already visible to the naked eye, slowly sailing towards them. As the ship drew closer, not only did Xu Laobie's heart beat faster and faster, but Fu Wan and the others, who were intently observing the situation, were also excited.
After waiting for almost half the night, the ship finally arrived.
Wang Desheng and Xu An were even more excited. In their eyes, the ship not far away was full of walking medals of honor. As long as they caught someone red-handed, their commendation this year was a sure thing!
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