As the Rising Sun cuts through the waves, it leaves a long trail of water, as if telling the story of fishermen and the sea.
As the sun gradually sets, the sky is draped in a colorful robe, making people feel the endless gentleness of this world.
The afterglow of the setting sun spills onto the shimmering sea, the golden light reflecting off the water, creating a beautiful scene.
The sky also turned into a kaleidoscope of colors, like a master-level watercolor painting.
On the deck, Feng Ye and A Can finally finished sorting all the fish.
Despite feeling exhausted, both of them beamed with the joy of a bountiful harvest.
Meanwhile, the Rising Sun was not far from the dock.
Because they returned late, just as the tide was receding, none of the boats except the small wooden boats could dock and had to remain in deep water.
Many fishing boats were already moored in the deep water outside the dock, resembling a sea of ships dotted with stars.
The fishermen were busy on the deck; some were tidying up their nets, some were sorting out their catch, and some were exchanging information about their day's harvest and experiences.
On the sea, there are also many small wooden boats and bamboo rafts shuttling back and forth, helping to transfer the catch from the fishing boats to the dock.
Hiring someone else's small wooden boat costs money; a single trip usually costs between 50 cents and one dollar, depending on the catch.
Bamboo rafts are made by some fishermen to save money, and they are carried on the boat.
Feng Xuan steered the Rising Sun slowly toward the deep waters where the ship was moored, while Feng Ye and A Can waited at the bow to lower the anchor.
"Ah Ye, you've finally decided to come back?"
The speaker was Chen Fusheng, who was using a small wooden boat to help the boat next to him transfer its catch.
Since his boat ran aground, he hasn't bought a new one and has been using his father's small wooden boat to fish with longlines and traps in the coastal waters.
Yesterday, one of the strings of firecrackers in Feng Ye's house was a gift from him.
"Uncle Fusheng, are you making extra money?"
Feng Ye greeted him with a smile, his gaze falling on Chen Fusheng's busy figure.
"Haha, yeah, anyway, I'm just killing time, so I can help transfer the catch and earn a dollar or two."
Chen Fusheng laughed heartily, but his hands didn't stop moving.
"That's good too, better than staying at home doing nothing."
Feng Ye nodded, indicating his understanding.
However, he had never done this before, mainly because it didn't earn much money and was quite hard work.
"Yes, it's better than being idle." Chen Fusheng said with deep feeling, then chuckled and said, "You guys are quite ambitious, changing to a bigger ship in just a few days."
Feng Ye said modestly, "Not at all, it's all luck. A-Can's uncle helped find the boat, and we bought it as soon as the price was right."
"Ah Can's uncle-in-law? Lin Qiaosheng?"
"Um."
“You guys are really capable, buying right away.” Chen Fusheng shook his head. “Even if there was a boat in front of me, I still couldn’t afford it right now.”
"Take your time, one day you'll be able to afford it."
As soon as Feng Ye finished speaking, the Rising Sun was already at a stop, and he and A-Can threw the anchor into the sea together.
"That's true, but I don't know how long it will take," Chen Fusheng sighed. "It's a pity we don't have your luck, brothers. You caught big yellow croaker, big manta ray, yellow croaker, and other rare and large catches. I've been fishing for decades and haven't caught anything rare."
"Who can guarantee they'll have luck forever?"
After Feng Xuan moored the boat and turned off the engine, he came out and said, "It's our duty as fishermen to be hardworking. Who can predict what will happen at sea? The risks are huge."
"It's precisely because the risks are high that luck becomes so important! Otherwise, why do some people catch more fish and others less, and some even lose their lives, when they all go out to sea and use the same fishing methods?"
In the end, Chen Fusheng recalled the scene of being stranded on a deserted island and almost losing his life, and couldn't help but sigh.
What he said was true, and Feng Xuan couldn't refute it, so he could only nod in agreement: "Uncle Fusheng is right, luck is indeed important."
Chen Fusheng smiled and said, "You guys must have had a lot of luck today, right? How many fish did you catch this time?"
"Well, not bad, I was lucky."
Feng Ye smiled modestly.
Feng Xuan smiled with satisfaction: "We encountered a school of ribbonfish, and they must have hauled around three thousand catties of ribbonfish..."
Before Feng Xuan could finish speaking, Chen Fusheng exclaimed in disbelief, "A school of ribbonfish? Three thousand catties? Such a huge harvest!"
"That's not all, we also caught three yellow croakers, several large mackerel, and even a seven-pound blue grouper on the longline..."
Ah-chan proudly recounted what he had accomplished that day.
Feng Ye didn't stop them. He did want to keep a low profile, but unfortunately, the sea and the docks were bustling with people, and their gains couldn't be kept secret.
"Blue melon seed spots? And seven catties? What kind of luck do you have to catch such a rare catch? Hurry up and show it to me, I've never seen anything like it before."
What blue melon seed spots?
Their voices attracted the attention of people on nearby fishing boats, who all asked them questions.
Other fish are one thing, they might just surprise you, but the blue-spotted grouper is different.
Many fishermen never see it in their entire lives, let alone catch it, or even recognize it.
Unlike in later generations, when blue-spotted blue cucumbers were common and not very expensive, but those were farmed, wild ones were still rare and high-end.
In those days, there were no farmed blue-spotted goby ...
Ah-Can excitedly picked up the net and scooped up the blue-spotted fish from the live water tank, showing it off to everyone.
Immediately, a chorus of exclamations rang out.
"My goodness, this fish is so beautiful!"
"Is this what blue melon seed spots look like? This is the first time I've ever seen them."
"Tsk tsk, they've struck it rich again. I heard that blue melon seed spots are very expensive, and only the rich can afford them."
...
The crowd discussed the matter amongst themselves.
After a while, he continued with his work.
"It's true what they say, comparisons are odious! Your luck is just unbelievable."
As Chen Fusheng spoke enviously, he took the bamboo basket full of fish that was handed down from the fishing boat and stacked it on the small wooden boat.
"Uncle Fusheng, do me a favor, I'd like to ride your boat to the dock."
Seeing that Chen Fusheng's small wooden boat was almost full and ready to set sail, Feng Ye said.
"You want to row your boat over to unload the cargo, right?" Chen Fusheng laughed. "Then you don't need to come ashore."
Everyone was puzzled.
Feng Ye asked, "What do you mean?"
“Your dad and A-Can’s dad are waiting at the dock. They’ve been waiting for over an hour. Let them know when I get ashore.”
The pier is quite far from the area where the fishing boats are moored, and since the boats are all similar in shape, it's impossible to tell whose boat is returning just by looking at it.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Uncle Fusheng."
"What's the trouble? It's just a matter of saying a few words."
After watching Chen Fusheng row away in his small boat, the three of them started working.
They needed to carry baskets of fish to the stern deck so they could be easily loaded onto the small wooden boat later.
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