Feng Ye was holding the net-reeling machine, not wanting to pick up the fish and shrimp, but a golden fish was jumping around less than a meter away from him.
That's a large yellow croaker, and not a small one at that, weighing about 4 pounds.
He had no choice but to step to the side, bend down, and accept it with a smile.
He held the large yellow croaker in his hand, which was still struggling, its scales shimmering with golden light in the rain.
After putting the large yellow croaker into the bucket next to him, he continued to keep an eye on his surroundings and actually found another good catch.
This is a three-knife fish.
Its zebra-colored color makes it stand out among the other fish. It's not very big, only about two pounds, but it's expensive.
Feng Ye naturally walked over and unceremoniously pocketed it.
In the following twenty minutes, he picked up a number of good fish, including a grouper and a red snapper.
Groupers mostly inhabit the seabed, and it is estimated that the churning waves swept them to the upper layers and then onto the deck.
That's why they say the bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish.
In contrast, the six boatmen did not pick and choose like him, but grabbed whatever they could find.
Whether it's fish or shrimp, as long as it can be sold for money, they'll stuff it all into their baskets.
Everyone was extremely busy.
Feng Ye stopped everyone from collecting fish only after the trawl net surfaced.
"Stop picking them up, it's time to haul in the nets..."
"Okay!"
The boatmen stopped at the sound of the signal. Although they were all reluctant to stop, they had no choice but to give up for the time being and turn around to get back to the work of hauling in the nets.
The fish and shrimp kept dangling in front of them, making them itch with desire, wishing they could take them all in their pockets.
However, everyone also understands that closing the net is the important thing, and we can't lose sight of the bigger picture for the sake of small gains.
The boat rocked and the waves remained turbulent, posing a significant challenge to the net-hauling operation.
Feng Ye stood to the side, watching the fishing net slowly being hoisted up, a slight smile playing on his lips, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
I had long anticipated that this net would yield a considerable harvest, but I never expected it to be so bountiful.
It's not light just by its weight; it must weigh at least 15,000 kilograms.
The key point is that he saw a lot of bright red fish in the net.
In any case, red fish look festive and bring joy to people.
Moreover, most red sea fish are not cheap, with only a few types being inexpensive, such as red snapper and rockfish.
After the fish were poured out, it was discovered that there were many rare red snapper, as well as red snapper, red snapper, red snapper, and red-eyed carp.
Feng Ye was overjoyed and grabbed a basket to start sorting, naturally prioritizing the expensive fish and shrimp.
The waves were still quite large, and waves kept crashing against the bow, washing the fish on the foredeck towards the stern.
He didn't want to see these valuable fish and shrimp washed away by the sea.
The six boatmen split into two groups: four stayed on the foredeck to help him sort the cargo, while the other two took baskets to the aft deck.
Feng Ye initially wanted to ignore the fish and shrimp on the aft deck, but then he thought that there were quite a few valuable ones among the fish and shrimp that were swept up by the waves, so he didn't say anything to stop them.
After the trawl net was brought up, it was not put back down.
With such severe weather, no one knows how things will change.
If the nets are lowered further, and if the wind and rain intensify and the vessel needs to escape, retrieving the nets will cause significant delays and may even endanger the safety of the ship.
It would be better to wait until the wind and rain subside and the sea calms down before casting the nets.
After all, safety is the most important thing.
The sorting work proceeded in an orderly manner, while the rain continued to fall incessantly.
It wasn't until after 2 p.m. that everyone finally finished sorting the fish and shrimp that filled the boat.
The boat was rocking constantly, and it was raining, so the work wasn't as efficient as usual, which naturally took much longer.
Otherwise, given their efficiency, they should have finished it an hour ago.
After the sorting was finished, Feng Ye told everyone to hurry up and change their clothes.
As for the unwanted seafood, seaweed, silt, and other garbage left on the deck, just leave them there; the waves will wash them away clean.
With rain and waves crashing on them, even though they were wearing raincoats, their clothes still inevitably got wet.
Feng Ye also changed out of his slightly damp shirt and into a dry set of clothes.
He tossed a cigarette to Du Yulin, who was steering the boat, and lit one for himself as well.
Amidst the swirling smoke, he asked, "What did the weather forecast say?"
Du Yulin took a deep drag on his cigarette, his brow furrowing slightly: "This isn't good. The weather forecast says it will rain for the next two or three days, and the waves won't be small either."
"That seems to be a bit troublesome."
Feng Ye also frowned.
"Yes, if this continues, we definitely won't be able to work anymore. Should we consider going back, or finding a safe haven to rest for a while, and continuing our work when the weather gets better?"
"Actually, we can still work under these conditions, but the fear is that the wind and waves will get stronger."
"I'm worried about that too. Who knows what this awful weather will get like?"
Du Yulin looked at the sea and sighed, "I think it's better to be safe and head back to find a safe place to avoid the storm. If the waves get bigger, there are no islands around here, so we'll have nowhere to hide."
Feng Ye nodded: "You're right, safety first. Let's head back then."
Du Yulin grunted in agreement and immediately increased the throttle to raise the boat's speed.
In fact, after the net was set up, the Purple Aura was already moving in the direction of return, but its speed was relatively slow at first.
Feng Ye leaned against the window of the driver's cab, smoking a cigarette while gazing at the surging sea outside.
The seawater was murky and no longer had its former azure blue color; it looked like a pot of boiling ink, churning with white foam.
The waves surged one after another, showing no sign of stopping.
In the distance, where the sea meets the sky, the dark clouds press even lower, as if they might collapse at any moment.
Silence fell over the cab for a moment, with only the roar of the engine and the howling of the wind and rain mingling together.
After a while, Du Yulin suddenly spoke up: "I wonder how the three boats that went back yesterday are doing? Logically speaking, they should have come out a day ago, but they haven't contacted us at all."
Feng Ye stubbed out his cigarette and said in a deep voice, "They're probably anchored somewhere to take shelter from the wind. The waves were so big this morning, and the ship was empty. It would be too risky to sail rashly."
"Maybe. I hope nothing bad happened to them."
A hint of worry flashed across Du Yulin's face.
"It shouldn't be that bad."
Feng Ye shook his head. "Here's what you do: call them every now and then and see if you can get in touch with them."
"good."
...
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