"Master, where in this sea area is a good place to cast nets?"
After standing aside and watching for a while, Feng Ye suddenly asked a question.
He wasn't familiar with the seabed conditions in the area, so he had to ask the experienced craftsman.
"Are you in such a hurry to disconnect? Should we drive a little further out?"
"We can only drive for another half hour at most. We're pressed for time and need to get back before 1 p.m.
They really don't have much time today; they have to get home before the banquet.
Although banquets in the countryside usually start a little later, they won't go past 1:30, so as not to keep so many guests waiting.
It's about nine o'clock now, which means they have a maximum of three and a half hours left.
The journey back takes an hour and a half, leaving only two hours.
Therefore, it cannot be driven too far, at most an hour away from the shore, plus more than half an hour for trawling, and time is also needed for hauling in and casting the net.
Their time was really tight; they couldn't afford to waste too much time on the voyage.
Anyway, it's just a test of how well the equipment works; I don't care about the catch.
“Okay, drive about 20 minutes more in a direction 30 degrees east of south. The seabed there is sandy, which is suitable for netting.”
The experienced navigator glanced at the nautical chart and satellite navigation system, then pointed in the direction and said...
Feng Xuan, who was steering the ship, nodded and adjusted the course according to the master's instructions, steer the Ziqi Ship toward that sea area, cutting through the waves.
"Don't stay here any longer, go down to the deck and get ready to set the nets. We'll let you have your fun when we get back."
Feng Ye gave a shout, turned and left the cockpit, going down the stairs to the deck.
The trawl net was readily available; it was a free gift from the shipyard.
The baskets and buckets for the catch were also brought and placed on the deck.
"They're here, they're here..."
"No rush to set sail, we can go back and do it later. Let's cast the nets first..."
"Let's go, let's go offline..."
Ah Can, Ye Chenliang, Xiao Guowen, and Xiao Guowu excitedly followed them down, while only Feng Xuan, who was steering the boat, remained in the wheelhouse.
As soon as everyone got onto the deck, they ran to the stern to tidy up the trawl nets.
The shipyard simply piled the trawl nets at the stern of the ship; they had to sort them out themselves.
With everyone working together, the trawl net was gradually unfolded, straightened, and laid on the aft deck.
After finishing the preparations, Feng Ye checked the time and estimated that they were almost at the location the master craftsman had mentioned.
Sure enough, after a while, the fishing boat began to slow down.
"Ready to log off!"
Feng Ye shouted.
Everyone sprang into action and together lifted the tail end of the trawl net.
At this moment, another experienced craftsman who had boarded the boat stood to the side and struck a small gong.
At the same time, the popular "net-casting song," which had been sung by generations of fishermen, also came from his mouth.
"One-stop gold trading"
"Hey!"
"Second online banking~"
"Hey!"
"Three nets cast a treasure bowl, four nets cast a bronze basket, five nets haul in clams and snails, six nets fill the hold with shrimp and crabs, every net fills the boats, the boats are never empty, they return home laden with fruit, may the Goddess bless us with a good harvest, next year we will build a temple for the Goddess and gild her statue..."
With each line the old master sang, everyone shouted "Hey yo!" in unison.
There's a ceremony for launching a new ship, and there's also a ceremony for the first trial catch.
Especially in rural areas, whether it's superstition or custom, this sense of ritual is always indispensable.
The net-casting song is a fishing song sung by fishermen while they are working. It is also a representative type of "fishermen's work song". The lyrics express their prayers for a good harvest.
After singing the net-casting song, the old master shouted again, "Fishing net enters the water, great fortune and prosperity!"
"Fishing nets entering the water, great fortune!"
Everyone chanted slogans as they lowered the fishing nets into the sea through the tail slide.
The experienced craftsman continued: "You're going to make a fortune!"
"Get rich!"
After putting the fishing nets into the sea, everyone put their hands together and bowed three times to the sea.
It's full of ritual.
As the Purple Aura vessel slowly moved forward, its trawl net gradually unfolded in the sea, beginning its maiden fishing journey.
All that's left is to wait.
"We've only sailed for about an hour, not even as far as the Rising Sun used to go. We don't know how much cargo we'll catch, or what kind of cargo it will be."
Ah-Can looked at the trawl floats drifting on the sea behind him, feeling somewhat anxious and uncertain.
"This is just a trial catch, mainly to test the equipment; the quantity of catch is not important."
"Exactly, whatever it is, as long as we have it."
"Even if we don't find anything online, it doesn't really matter, right?"
"You're right, my foot."
Feng Ye said irritably, "You jinx, if you can't speak properly, then don't speak. My new ship's first net will definitely be a huge success."
Xiao Guowu realized he had misspoke and quickly corrected himself, saying, "Yes, yes, yes, it will definitely be a bumper harvest, and we'll make a fortune..."
The waiting process was tedious, but fortunately the homework time was short, and everyone laughed and joked, and it passed quickly.
"It's almost time, get ready to set up the net."
Feng Ye glanced at his watch, flicked the cigarette butt he had just finished smoking, and the cigarette butt flew through the air in an arc before falling into the sea.
Everyone perked up, immediately stopped chatting, threw away their cigarettes, and ran to the aft deck.
Under the guidance of the experienced craftsman, the winch started operating, and the towing line was gradually pulled back onto the boat. The fishing net also tightened slowly under the pull.
Once the tow rope was fully retrieved, the front end of the fishing net emerged from the water.
They then switched to a wire winding machine to continue winding, and once it was almost done, they started hoisting it onto the crane.
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