It was almost seven o'clock when the Rising Sun docked.
At this time, there was no light in the sky; it was completely dark.
All the ships, big and small, have returned, and even the few purchasing points have closed down, leaving the docks deserted.
Only the beams of two flashlights flickered in the darkness, like guardians of the night.
"You two are finally back! We were so worried about you!"
"Don't you guys even look at the time? It's already dark, and you should have come back sooner..."
The two people with flashlights were Feng Jiaqing and Feng Jialing. As soon as they saw the Xuri ship dock, they rushed over to greet it.
The beam of the flashlight danced on their faces, reflecting their anxious and impatient expressions.
"Father, Uncle Ling, I'm so sorry to have worried you."
Feng Ye pulled himself off the boat using the rope, looking somewhat tired and apologetic.
"Why are you so late coming back?"
Feng Jiaqing frowned, his tone carrying a hint of reproach.
"We collected the nets too late. By the time we finished, it was past 4:30. Plus the time it took to get back, it was naturally a bit late."
Feng Ye explained, his voice tinged with helplessness.
"You didn't finish hauling in until 4:30? Why didn't you start hauling in the nets earlier?"
"I didn't have any experience the first time, and I didn't calculate the time well. I won't come back this late tomorrow."
Feng Jialing chimed in, "Never mind, it's good that you're back. Safety first. How was your day?"
“Very good, they’re all on the deck, see for yourselves.”
A smile appeared on Feng Ye's face.
The beam of the flashlight illuminated the deck, which was piled high with baskets, each filled with fish.
Feng Jiaqing and Feng Jialing's attention was instantly drawn to the sight, their eyes filled with surprise.
"So many fish, that's wonderful!" Feng Jiaqing exclaimed.
"Yes, it seems like we're having good luck today."
Feng Jialing chimed in, "It's a pity most of them are toadfish; it would be better if they were other more valuable fish."
"Toadfish is also good, it's perfect for drying."
Feng Ye turned to Feng Jiaqing and said, "Dad, go to Uncle Fa's house and ask him to come and collect the goods."
Feng Jiaqing nodded: "Okay, I'll go right away."
"I'll go instead."
Feng Jialing took the lead and ran into the village with a flashlight.
Seeing this, Feng Jiaqing had no choice but to work with Feng Ye and A Can to carry baskets of fish off the boat.
The cargo on the ship had been sorted into different categories, and the toadfish had been sorted by size.
The larger ones were sold to Feng Jiafa, while the smaller ones were kept to dry as fish.
All we need to do now is unload it, take it to Feng Jiafa's shop, and wait for it to be weighed.
Not long after, Feng Jialing arrived in a hurry with Feng Jiafa.
At this point, they had only managed to unload about half of the cargo onto the shore.
Even before they were far away, Feng Jiafa complained, "You guys came back way too late. I was just about to go to bed when you dragged me back."
"You're not happy that I'm giving you money to make? Then I won't bother you. Go back to sleep. I'll go find Lao Lin or Lao Zhu to come and collect it. They'll be more than happy to do so."
Feng Ye retorted directly.
Feng Jiafa quickly waved his hand: "No, I was just joking, don't mind it."
"Then don't just stand there, come and help us."
"Wow, so many fish! Looks like today's a bumper harvest!"
As soon as he got closer, Feng Jiafa's eyes lit up.
He excitedly stepped forward, shone his flashlight on the fish in the basket, and nodded in satisfaction.
"I was really lucky today, and I had a great time."
"Tsk tsk, you guys have caught so much seafood in just one day. Everyone else would be ecstatic if they could get half of your catch."
"Oh, it's all luck."
Feng Ye smiled modestly, then said, "Uncle Fa, why did you close so early today? You didn't even wait for us to come back?"
"It got dark and you still hadn't come back. I thought you weren't coming back today, so I went back to eat and sleep."
"How could we not come back? With our ship, it's not easy to spend the night at sea."
“Your ship is not small. Smaller ships like yours all spend the night at sea.”
"Who's so bold?"
"you do not know?"
Feng Jiafa looked at Feng Ye with surprise, seemingly not expecting that he didn't even know this.
Should I know?
Feng Ye was a little confused. "They have them in our village too?"
"Yes, of course."
Feng Jiafa recounted the stories with great familiarity, "Zhao Si's boat often spends the night at sea, as do Li Jinshui and Zhang Shuisheng. There are quite a few others from other villages as well."
“Every autumn and winter, when the weather gets cool, they take a lot of ice with them and go out for two or three days before they come back.”
"Oh, that would be too tiring, and with the cold weather, I wouldn't be able to sleep well at night."
"A well-fed person doesn't know the hunger of a starving person."
Feng Jiafa shook his head. "It would be good if we could make money. In the dead of winter, there are very few days when we can go out to sea. If we don't take advantage of the good weather to catch more fish, how can we make money?"
"You little rascal, don't take your good fortune for granted. You have such a good fishing boat and such good luck, you should cherish it."
"That's because they're bold. I wouldn't dare. I value my life very much."
Feng Ye shook his head, expressing reservations about spending the night at sea.
With extra fresh water, food, and diesel fuel, the Rising Sun could indeed stay at sea for several days.
However, doing so is too risky.
The weather at sea is unpredictable. If there are storms, he can handle it during the day, though it's alright.
But if it were nighttime, he would be powerless, and the consequences would be unimaginable.
Because the Rising Sun ship did not have a lighting system, they relied on headlamps or flashlights for illumination when sailing at night.
If there are storms at night, this amount of lighting is insufficient to observe the direction and size of the waves, making it impossible to take timely and appropriate action.
"That's true, there's really no need for you to take such a risk."
Feng Jiafa laughed and said, "Who can be as lucky as you? A day's harvest is enough for you to earn."
He was well aware of the dangers of spending the night at sea in a small boat.
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