"Open an internet cafe, Xiao Hu," Ye Cheng ordered, then pulled Widow Zhang back a little.
This isn't just a couple hundred pounds; it's measured in tons.
Don't let yourself get caught fishing and end up getting crushed by crabs.
Little Tiger carefully went up, grabbed the end of the thread, and then pulled hard.
Splash—
Suddenly, the bottom of the net opened, and all the catch was poured onto the deck, piling up into a small mountain in the center of the deck.
This small hill is mostly covered with swimming crabs, along with some bottom-dwelling sea fish and some unfortunate mud crabs.
The crabs on the ground began to wave their legs and claws everywhere, most of them flipped over, their movements were futile and useless.
Some of them were at least upright, but falling from such a height still left them dizzy and disoriented, unable to move on the deck for a while.
"Damn! This net probably weighs over a ton, I can't even tell how much it is." Duan Chunsheng stood aside. He usually worked with small nets, so he really couldn't estimate how much it was when he switched to such a large one.
"Stop looking, everyone, let's get started. The mission is very important." Ye Cheng looked at the small mountain in front of him and suddenly felt that he had brought too few people again.
He should have brought ten or eight; just thinking about tying up so many crabs gave him a headache.
All four were experienced fishermen. They each took a basket, turned it upside down, sat down, and began sorting.
The first step is to sort out the trash, which is usually thrown back into the sea.
However, Ye Cheng prepared a separate trash can, showing that as a person from a later era, he still valued the marine environment.
Furthermore, the garbage sorting of his later life taught him a lot about garbage. Putting aside the harm these plastic bags and glass bottles cause, they take hundreds of years to decompose. Just imagine if the seabed in his later life was full of this stuff, how could he catch any fish?
They should just rename it the Garbage Catcher Ship.
They just threw the fish into the basket, not caring whether they lived or died.
Originally, swimming crabs were divided into different sizes, but Ye Cheng looked at these mountain-sized crabs and figured that if four people tried to do it this way, they probably wouldn't be able to finish it in one night.
Right now, all we can do is tie them up and arrange them, which is already a huge amount of work.
The net was started at 11:30. The four of them worked for an hour and only managed to finish about half of it.
Although they enjoyed the work, everyone ended up with aches and pains in their backs.
Ye Cheng checked the time; it was already 12:30. He couldn't just focus on this one job tonight.
"Uncle Duan, you tie them up first. Xiao Hu and I will lower the net and continue pulling it in."
“Alright, since pulling the net will take two hours anyway, your Aunt Zhang and I will get started.”
The four men moved the swimming crabs on the deck to a corner, making room for them to set up their nets.
After Ye Cheng and Xiao Hu tidied up the net, they threw it directly into the sea from behind the deck and quickly lowered it into the water.
Then Ye Cheng returned to the cockpit and began to accelerate and pull the net, while Xiao Hu helped tie up the crabs.
It wasn't until 1:30 a.m. that the three of them finished catching the first batch of crabs, a total of 60 baskets of swimming crabs, which, at 200 yuan per jin, would weigh about 1.2 tons.
Duan Chunsheng stood up and stretched.
"Second brother, this one net is equivalent to two days of our work."
Ye Cheng looked back and said with a smile,
"Uncle, there'll be more later, don't rush."
Upon hearing that there was more, all three of them couldn't help but shudder. Damn it, doing repetitive work for too long is exhausting.
There was still an hour before the nets were hauled in. The three of them first moved 60 baskets of swimming crabs into the water tank, and then they began to rest.
"Auntie, let's just steam a few blue crabs and have one for everyone," Xiao Hu suggested.
"Alright, it all depends on whether Boss Ye agrees or not." Widow Zhang looked at Ye Cheng.
"What's there to disagree with? If you can eat this late at night, you can eat a whole basketful if you want."
With Ye Cheng's words, Widow Zhang selected six large swimming crabs, washed them in the kitchen, and then steamed them.
High-end ingredients often require only simple cooking methods.
That's so well said.
Just a simple steaming, then a touch of fresh soy sauce, and one bite is so incredibly delicious it'll make your eyebrows fall off.
Widow Zhang heated up the three roujiamo (Chinese hamburgers) and gave them to the three men, while she herself made herself some instant noodles.
"Second brother, look at this life! We're even willing to treat ourselves to seafood now, hahaha." Duan Chunsheng ate with a beaming smile.
"Thinking back to the past, when I finally managed to catch a little bit, I couldn't bear to eat it and had to sell it for money. Now, there's so much. Eating a whole basket won't affect the money I make. Life is so much better now." Duan Chunsheng suddenly became a little sentimental.
"Uncle Duan, why are you sighing like this? Are you getting old?" Xiao Hu teased.
"Go away, what does a little brat know? This is a good day, we should cherish it," Duan Chunsheng said softly.
"Think back to those days, you and Ye Cheng were just petty thieves, and now you're sailing big ships. My Duan Yong is even raising crayfish. We can't even finish all the seafood. It's just... you know what I mean."
As he spoke, Duan Chunsheng shed a few tears.
The older generation has endured hardship, so they always feel a special connection when life gets a little better.
However, Ye Cheng felt that if there were good days to live, then there was no need to be sad about the past.
"Xiao Hu, quickly grab my phone and take a picture of him. We'll post it on the village bulletin board when we get back, so everyone can see that even this tough guy can shed tears," Ye Cheng joked with a laugh.
"Go away, who's crying? It's just the sea breeze." Duan Chunsheng quickly wiped away his tears. How could a man cry?
But after he finished his lament, Widow Zhang surprisingly continued.
"Yes, Brother Duan, think about how hard I used to live alone. I had trouble even getting food and had to beg people everywhere. Now I have a little money, and my child has gained weight. I'm thinking, when my Xiao Liang grows up, he'll be tall and strong, and then he'll get married. Ah, life will be wonderful!"
"Alright, alright, you two stop!" Ye Cheng quickly shouted. It's not like we're moved by Donghai's story; there's no need to be so sentimental.
"Well, the net is almost ready. Get ready, we'll be getting to work soon."
When it came time to haul in the nets, Duan Chunsheng and Widow Zhang stopped their lamentations and quickly tidied up their cooking utensils, clearing the deck to prepare for the nets to be hauled in.
Ye Cheng pressed the launch button heavily, feeling as if a pilot had pressed the launch button.
The net was slowly pulled out of the water, and several people stared intently, wondering if it would burst.
"I've got it! I've got it!" Little Tiger was the first to shout excitedly.
The net had already surfaced, teeming with crabs, instantly lifting the spirits of anyone who saw it.
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