Feng Ye sat in the driver's seat, steering the boat while gazing out at the torrential rain.
Raindrops pounded violently against the porthole glass, making a crackling sound, as if venting nature's anger.
His brows were furrowed, and his heart was filled with worry.
It is unclear how long this severe weather will last, which not only affects the progress of operations but also exposes the vessels to greater risks.
Hopefully, this storm won't last too long.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning ripped across the sky, illuminating the entire sea surface before plunging it back into darkness.
However, that moment of light allowed him to see the silver glint amidst the rolling waves—a sight of fish struggling in the storm.
There are fish of all sizes, rising and falling with the waves, swept along by the surging tides.
Moreover, they are everywhere, not just in one place.
As the saying goes, big fish swim in big waves.
This severe weather isn't entirely without its advantages; at the very least, the fishing catch is much larger than usual.
However, it is indeed dangerous.
The churning waves caused the fishing boat to rock constantly, with spray from the bow crashing onto the boat and scattering the fish on the deck.
Many even rushed along the passageways on both sides of the ship's deck to the aft deck, and then fell into the sea from the stern, disappearing into the vast rain.
Everyone could only watch helplessly.
The ship was rocking so badly that no one dared to go out, especially since it was raining heavily outside and the deck was slippery; a slight misstep could send them being swept into the sea.
Feng Ye also thought that when they went to collect the nets later, they should have everyone tie a rope around their waists to ensure safety.
The rain could subside or stop at any time, but the sea conditions are unlikely to calm down immediately.
He could feel the ship rocking even while sitting in the wheelhouse; it must have been even more difficult to stand on the deck.
Moreover, closing the net doesn't involve standing still in one place; it requires moving around, which makes it even more dangerous.
While tying a rope around your waist is a bit inconvenient and restricts your range of motion, it adds an extra layer of safety and can be a lifesaver in a critical moment.
Time passed second by second...
Nearly four hours later, the rain finally subsided, but it was still drizzling, and the waves remained turbulent.
Feng Ye glanced at his watch; it was almost 11 a.m.
After waiting a while longer and finding no sign that the rain was intensifying, they decided to notify everyone to prepare to close the net.
He put on his raincoat, handed the boat over to Du Yulin, who was already awake, to steer, and then went down into the cabin.
"The rain has lessened, so we're getting ready to haul in the nets. Everyone should tie a rope around their waist and be careful."
The boatmen responded immediately, quickly put on their raincoats, found ropes to tie themselves up, and then went out of the cabin to the aft deck to retrieve the nets.
Feng Ye followed them out.
Fish of all sizes were scattered in the passageway and on the aft deck, some washed ashore by the waves and others rushed over from the foredeck.
The boat was rocking quite violently, and everyone was staggering as they moved cautiously, afraid of falling.
Especially with the deck full of fish, you have to be careful where you step to avoid slipping on a slippery fish and losing your balance.
Just as the winch was started, a huge wave suddenly crashed onto the ship, causing it to shake violently.
Everyone was caught off guard and splashed with seawater. Some people even slipped and fell, being swept up by the seawater and slammed against the deck, letting out a cry of pain.
Feng Ye almost fell as well, but luckily he managed to grab the nearby spinning machine in time.
Once he regained his balance, he looked around and discovered that there were even more fish and shrimp on the deck.
Just now, a huge wave washed a large number of fish and shrimp onto the deck.
Black, white, yellow, red...
Fish and shrimp of various colors are intertwined together, numbering no less than a hundred.
They jumped and struggled on the deck, tumbling back and forth with the rocking of the fishing boat.
"Damn, what kind of mess is this?"
Feng Ye was both amused and exasperated.
In this situation, no matter how many fish are washed ashore, they can't catch them; they can only watch them be washed back into the sea with the tide.
The boatmen, upon seeing this, were both surprised and delighted, yet also somewhat flustered.
What was alarming was that the sudden giant wave was so dangerous that it almost injured everyone;
The good news is that so many fish and shrimp washed ashore means that this haul will definitely be a bountiful harvest.
The panic stemmed from the fact that there were already quite a few fish and shrimp on the aft deck, and now there were even more, making it practically impossible to find a place to step.
Fish and shrimp were jumping around their feet; if they weren't careful, they would fall flat on their backs.
Although there's a safety net around the waist, ensuring the safety of one's life, a fall can still hurt quite a bit.
However, seeing so many fish and shrimp, everyone thought that it would take about half an hour to haul in the nets, so they figured they might as well pick them up while they had the time.
They all bent over, frantically picking up the fish and shrimp, occasionally letting out excited exclamations.
Feng Ye originally wanted to tell them to ignore the fish and shrimp on the deck for the time being and to bring the net up first.
Seeing how excited they were, he didn't say anything and kept his thoughts to himself, only reminding them, "Be careful, don't just focus on picking them up, watch your step."
Anyway, they all had ropes tied around their waists, so there was no chance of anything serious happening. At most, they might accidentally fall and hurt themselves.
Let them catch it for a while and have some fun.
The boat rocked back and forth, and he didn't have the energy to see what kind of fish they had picked up. He could only hear their excited shouts rising and falling, occasionally mixed with a few cries of pain and curses.
Suddenly, he heard a furious roar of resentment: "Damn it! There was a huge rat-like creature, weighing over ten pounds. Unfortunately, I didn't hold on tight and slipped, and the rat-like creature slipped from my grasp. I don't know where it went!"
"Oh dear, what a pity that a spotted rat got away..."
The deck erupted in chaos as everyone stared wide-eyed, searching for the missing spotted rat.
Feng Ye couldn't help but frown, secretly regretting that it was such a valuable fish.
A grouper weighing over ten kilograms can easily fetch two or three thousand yuan.
Just then, the ship lurched violently, and another huge wave crashed onto it.
The fish and shrimp on the deck were instantly scattered by the waves, and everyone's attention was forced to shift. They could only try to steady themselves to avoid being swept into the sea by the waves.
The traces of the rat-spotted creature were nowhere to be found.
As the giant wave surged aboard, a new wave of fish and shrimp was washed ashore.
Before they could even lament the loss of the grouper, everyone bent down again to pick up the newly arrived fish and shrimp.
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