There are several theories about the origin of the name "squid".
One theory is that it was transformed from a counting bag, hence it is also called the counting bag fish.
The book *Youyang Zazu* records: "Cuttlefish... Sea people say that when the King of Qin traveled east, he abandoned his abacus bag in the sea, which transformed into this fish, shaped like a bag, with two extremely long straps."
Secondly, it is said that squid are cunning and deceitful, and that they feign death to lure and capture crows.
The Records of Nanyue states: "The cuttlefish, also known as the River God, serves as a minor official. It often floats on the water. When a crow sees it, it thinks it is dead and goes to peck at it, thus capturing the crow. Hence, it is called the cuttlefish."
The interesting nickname "River God's Assistant" first appeared in the "Ancient and Modern Notes - Fish and Insects": "Cuttlefish, also known as River God's Assistant."
(According to the Materia Medica, it is "from a minor official.")
The "Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang: Scales and Shells" also records: "Cuttlefish, according to old stories, was called Hebo. When he served as a minor official, he would release ink, several feet square, into the body of a large fish to cover himself."
Other creatures with similar names to squid include turtle, soft-shelled turtle, alligator (tuó, Yangtze alligator), and ? (què).
Turtles and soft-shelled turtles are "servants of the River God";
The Yangtze alligator is the "messenger of the River God";
The question mark indicates "the brave son of the River God".
The third explanation is that it was because wicked people used squid ink to write contracts and commit fraud.
The "Continuation of Miscellaneous Records of Guixin" also states: "The ink in his belly can be used to write fake contracts, which look brand new, but after half a year the ink will fade to the point of being blank. Therefore, the best people use this as a trick to cheat, hence the posthumous title of thief."
It refers to writing with squid ink, which was initially clear and "as good as new," but disappeared after six months.
Therefore, it was better used for fraud, hence the squid was given the posthumous title of "thief".
In other words, "thief" is a posthumous title or nickname for "cuttlefish".
Just like our nicknames, this person is called "Big Tiger" and that person is called "Flowery Monk".
It is a term that is spontaneously used by ordinary people in daily life, and it is a very common cultural phenomenon.
A more reliable explanation is that its original name was "鲗".
The Shuowen Jiezi (说文解字) states: "It is composed of the radical 'fish' (鱼) and the phonetic component 'ze' (则)."
The Song Dynasty text *Yingchuan Yuxiao* states: "People saw that it could spit out ink foam, and that the pronunciation of 'zei' was similar to 'zei,' so they called it 'cuttlefish.'"
These alternative names and legends about squid not only reveal its unique biological characteristics, but also reflect how ancient societies explained natural phenomena.
"How come there are so many squid in this net? Is it the flood season?"
Ah-Can, looking at the squid among the fish, also realized this.
"If this net can drag so many people down, it's probably pretty much a done deal."
Cuttlefish typically lay their eggs between afternoon and dusk.
"Haha, we just finished catching yellow croakers and came back to catch squid. We're so lucky."
As someone who lives by the sea, I know all too well about the squid season.
Every year at this time, it's a season of celebration for fishermen.
Catching squid couldn't be easier.
Of the four major fishing seasons, the small yellow croaker season, the large yellow croaker season, and the ribbonfish season all require venturing deep into the sea, using either purse seines or trawling nets...
However, catching squid doesn't require much; all you need is a small wooden boat and a hand-thrown net.
"Here's what we'll do: you take the boat to the vicinity of Treasure Island, and I'll go into the water to see if there are any squid eggs on the seaweed, or if there are any squid in the water."
"Okay, I'll go start the boat."
Ah-chan threw down the half-finished trawl net and excitedly ran off to set sail.
Not long after, the Rising Sun arrived at the waters outside Treasure Island.
"Don't get too close, about 50 meters from the shore is fine."
After Feng Ye finished speaking, he ignored the catch on the deck, went into the cabin, and dug out his diving equipment that he hadn't used in a long time.
"I see."
Ah-chan eased off the throttle, and the Rising Sun slowly came to a stop, drifting on the sea.
Feng Ye put on his diving gear, checked it one last time, and then jumped into the sea, heading straight for the seabed.
The seawater was quite clear today, and sunlight filtered through the surface, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow.
The seawater here is very shallow, only about five or six meters deep.
As soon as he dived into the sea, he saw several scallops.
Perhaps startled, several scallops were squirting seawater and fleeing in a panic.
Feng Ye had no interest in catching them and let them escape.
He spotted a patch of seaweed and swam over.
However, no squid eggs were seen on this seaweed.
He could only continue searching, and as he passed a coral reef, he suddenly saw bunches of grape-like things hanging on the coral.
The corals on this reef look a bit like tree branches and are colorful.
However, none of them are very thick; some are quite thin.
With the slightest seawater movement, it sways and dances with the waves, seemingly about to break at any moment.
It also caused the grape-like things hanging on it to sway.
Feng Ye swam closer and examined it carefully.
These bunches of grape-like things are indeed squid eggs, commonly known as "sea grapes".
If you look closely, you can vaguely see tiny, unhatched squid inside each of the transparent spheres.
Coral reefs are beautiful, but they should not be touched carelessly.
Coral is a very fragile marine organism; even the slightest touch can damage it or even cause its complete death.
In addition, some corals are toxic, and touching them may cause adverse reactions such as skin allergies and ulceration.
Therefore, Feng Ye did not touch them; he was content as long as he confirmed that they were squid eggs.
As for the squid eggs, of course they will continue to incubate here.
He turned around and quickly floated to the surface of the sea.
As soon as Ah-Can saw him surface, he couldn't wait to ask, "Brother Ye, how's it going? Did you see any squid eggs?"
Feng Ye swam to the side of the boat, took off his breathing mask and handed it over. As he climbed onto the boat using both hands and feet, he said, "I see it. The squid season has indeed arrived."
"Really? That's wonderful!"
Ah-chan said excitedly, "After we go back, we'll go up the mountain and cut more branches to bring out tomorrow."
Every spring and summer, schools of squid migrate from deep water to shallow bays to spawn; this is known as reproductive migration.
They like to lay their eggs on seaweed or wood chips, hanging them like bunches of grapes.
Therefore, fishermen often tie branches and other similar things into bundles and throw them into the sea to lure squid to spawn. When groups of squid swim to spawn, they then cast nets to catch them, making a considerable profit.
Of course, you can also use wire, bamboo strips, plastic branches, etc. to make an egg attachment device.
Among them, the lemon-yellow light bamboo is the best.
Most people living by the sea, even if they aren't fishermen, know this traditional method.
Feng Ye certainly knew this, and he had even used this method to catch squid in his previous life.
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