"Look, what's that glowing?"
Ye Lin was drawn to the commotion not far away; in the deep blue waves, he seemed to see something moving.
Fu Wan also noticed the commotion and hurriedly shouted to Fu Laoda.
"Father, steer the boat that way!"
Their boat wasn't going very fast, and although there was the sound of the engine, Boss Fu could still faintly hear Fu Wan's voice.
"What? What did you say?"
Upon seeing this, Fu Shi quickly ran over and said, "Uncle, A-Wan wants you to steer the boat that way."
Only then did Boss Fu understand, and he hurriedly grabbed the rudder and turned it, gradually changing the direction of the large ship.
Fu Wan stood by the boat, watching the waves crash one after another, and the seabirds boldly rushed into the sea.
"There are schools of fish!"
"Still pomfret!"
Fu Wan saw the fish in the seabird's claws and quickly turned to find a hand-thrown net.
The fish is right in front of us; it would be a shame not to cast a couple of nets and give away this unexpected stroke of good luck!
Upon hearing this, Ye Lin rushed to the place where the fishing nets were set out, carrying a large bundle of hand-thrown nets.
"Ah Wan, here!"
After saying that, he picked up a hand-thrown net and cast it out at a distance not far away.
As the ships approached, many seabirds, timid as they were, flew further away.
Fu Shi and Fang Min weren't idle either, but the area covered by the fish was only so big, so they simply dragged the fish basket over.
Soon, Fu Wan's first net was pulled up.
"Why is this pomfret this color?"
Upon seeing the fish in the fishing net, Fang Min couldn't help but ask a question.
Fu Wan burst into laughter upon seeing it.
"This is a grey pomfret, also known as a swallowtail pomfret."
Fu Qing picked up a gray pomfret and patted its thick flesh.
"Is this tasty?"
"It's absolutely delicious whether used for stewing or braising."
Fu Qing understood, and immediately used both hands to pick the gray pomfret from the fishing net into the fish basket.
The grey pomfret looks somewhat similar to the silver pomfret, but its tail is particularly beautiful, just like a swallow's tail.
Therefore, it also has another name: Swallowtail Pomfret.
The "grey" in "grey pomfret" comes from its appearance. Its back is grayish-black with a bluish tinge, while its belly is grayish-white, gleaming silvery in sunlight. [Image caption: Gray pomfret net image, [unclear text] Fu Shi shook the pomfret out of the net, muttering to himself.]
"Strange, gray pomfret are usually found in the East China Sea or the South China Sea, how come there are some in our area?"
Not to mention anything else, this kind of fish is rarely seen at the dock; most of them are golden pomfret or silver pomfret.
Fu Wan didn't know the science behind this, but she guessed it might be related to seasonal fish migration.
There weren't many gray pomfret this time; Fu Wan and Ye Lin each cast two nets and there weren't many fish left.
The seabirds chased the school of fish into the distance, and many of the bolder ones even landed on the boat to stare at the fish in Fu Qing and his companions' hands.
Seeing that no one was chasing them away, a few of them wandered over, grabbed some fish, and ran away.
Birds aren't stupid; they can tell the difference between strong and weak. Seeing that Fu Qing and Fang Min seemed to have weaker attack power, they all headed towards them.
Fu Wan casually shouted, which startled them, and they all flew away.
Just a few minutes later, it landed on the deck not far away.
"We're the ones who stole their food, so if we have any small pomfret, we should just give them some!"
Hearing Fu Wan's words, Fu Qing was arguably the happiest.
She doesn't have many friends; birds and other animals are her favorites.
So she found a lot of pomfret smaller than the palm of her hand. If they were alive, she threw them back into the sea, and if they were dead, she left them on the deck for the seabirds to eat at will.
After cleaning the pomfret, Fang Min rinsed the deck with water as usual, and Fu Shi and Ye Lin carried the pomfret into the cold storage.
After catching four nets of gray pomfret, only three baskets of pomfret were found that were marketable.
Fu Wan picked out a few large and plump ones, and prepared them for lunch.
After everyone finished sorting through the gray pomfret, they rested for a while before Boss Fu called for the net to be set up.
"You guys go first, I'll start steaming the rice and then come back."
Fu Wan glanced at the time; it was already eleven o'clock. Once the net of fish was cleaned up, everyone could have lunch and rest.
Fu Shi and Ye Lin nodded in agreement, and the two grown men became increasingly skilled at winding the hemp rope.
When Fu Wan plugged in the rice cooker, she saw that the fish from the large net bag had already spilled onto the deck.
"Huh, another pomfret?"
Fu Shi nodded repeatedly, his face beaming with excitement as he showed Fu Wan the fish he had in his hands.
"Ah Wan, look, these are pomfret! They're really good, each one weighs over a pound."
Swallowtail pomfret is a hot commodity at the docks lately; so many of these are sure to fetch a good price!
After saying that, he carefully placed the pomfret in his hand into the fish basket. Although there were many fish caught in the trawl, not many would survive. Fu Wan glanced over and saw that only a few pomfret were still moving.
Today I've really stirred up a hornet's nest; first it was gray pomfret, and now it's swallow pomfret.
She mentioned a swallow-shaped pomfret, which was the first time she had ever caught one. It was different from the gray pomfret; this pomfret looked clumsy and its body was dark in color.
Furthermore, its tail isn't as sharply defined as a swallowtail, and its fins on both sides are quite wide. (Image of a swallowtail pomfret) It's an edible ornamental fish, but I wonder if it tastes good.
Hearing the commotion behind him, Boss Fu slowed down the boat and came over to clean the trawl net.
Seeing the deck full of pomfret, he couldn't stop smiling.
"Ah Wan, let's stew two pomfret for lunch!"
Fu Wan nodded in agreement, but still asked a question.
"Dad, is this tasty?"
"Delicious, how could it not be delicious? In terms of texture, it's no different from white pomfret and silver pomfret. Although the price isn't as high as white pomfret and silver pomfret, the taste isn't much different!"
Boss Fu estimated that the pomfret on the deck should weigh at least five or six hundred catties in this net.
If we calculate it at one yuan per kilogram, it would be five or six hundred yuan.
Fu Laoda was chuckling, but then suddenly thought for a moment and went to take another look at the cold storage.
Oh dear, there really isn't much space in the cold storage. He'll have to organize it properly so that the pomfret can fit.
Fu Wan didn't notice Fu Laoda's movements. She picked up a few small pomfret at her feet. She had to admit, these little creatures were quite unique in appearance.
Even after being tossed into a bucket of seawater, it was still lively and energetic.
"These fish look pretty good. I'll keep a few for my daughters to raise as pets."
Fu Wan muttered something, and Fu Shi suddenly slapped his thigh.
"Oh dear, you've reminded me! These swamp bream can also be kept as ornamental fish. Everyone, quickly check if you can find any lively ones to put in the live water tank; we can sell them for a higher price later!"
Having worked for Fu San for so long, Fu Shi naturally knew that Fu San's old customers in the county occasionally wanted to admire fish.
Business people are often superstitious, and raising fish is considered a feng shui practice. Furthermore, keeping various types of sea fish in restaurant aquariums can attract customers.
After listening to Fu Shi's explanation, Fu Wan couldn't help but give herself a thumbs up.
Luckily, she brought the rune stones to work for her, otherwise she really wouldn't know the intricacies involved.
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