When Chen Zhiyao returned, she looked very unhappy.
When Chen Weiqiang, who was assembling fishing rods in the yard, saw this, he went up to her and patted her on the shoulder with a cheeky grin:
"What's wrong? Why do you look so heartbroken? Tell me and make your dad happy."
Grandpa Chen, who was tidying up his fishing gear nearby, glared at his son with annoyance, his face full of disdain.
"Get out, get out, what kind of father are you?"
Then she turned to her granddaughter with a loving expression, "Tangtang, what's wrong? Didn't you go to set the trap? Why are you back so soon?"
Speaking of the fish trap, Chen Zhiyao got angry and pouted as she recounted what had just happened.
It was only then that Chen Weiqiang and his grandfather remembered that when they went fishing at the rocky beach last night, they seemed to have seen several fish traps there.
However, at the time, the father and son were only focused on fishing and didn't think much about it.
The father and son failed again that night, and the father was so angry that he completely forgot about the incident.
If their spouses found out they knew but didn't report it, they'd definitely get scolded again.
The father and son looked guilty, exchanged a knowing glance, and then silently kept the matter to themselves.
Hearing the conversation of the three people outside, Grandma Chen and Yan Shuting came out one after another.
Chen Zhiyao looked dejected and let out a long sigh:
"I placed the trap at the junction of the white sand beach and the rocky beach. I'll see how it goes tomorrow. If it doesn't work, I'll have to find a new spot."
Grandma Chen thought for a moment, then suddenly said softly, "Actually, the best place to put the traps is still over in the mangroves."
Chen Zhiyao looked puzzled and quickly asked, "Mangroves? But there are no mangroves in our village?"
She grew up in the village and had never heard of mangroves in the village.
Grandpa Chen suddenly slapped his thigh excitedly, "There aren't any in the village, but there are on nearby Seagull Island, where there's a large mangrove forest."
“In recent years, many young people from the nearby villages have left, and fewer people go there now. I heard there are a lot of blue crabs and orchid crabs now, and they are all very fat.”
Speaking of Seagull Island, Chen Zhiyao remembered where it was.
This is the largest island in the vicinity, more than 20 kilometers away from the village. It takes about half an hour to get there by boat.
Chen Zhiyao was initially quite happy, but then she remembered that their family's fishing boat had been sold, and she became dejected.
"But we don't have a fishing boat at home."
At this moment, Yan Shuting, who was well-informed, found her opportunity and said cheerfully:
“You can rent a boat. Several families in the village have idle fishing boats. I heard Sister Hehua say a few days ago that her family’s small fishing boat is available for rent.”
Grandma Chen also became interested at this moment, and said with a smile:
"I remember Lotus's family has two boats. The big one is over twenty meters long, and the other one is an old fiberglass fishing boat, which seems to be quite small, about seven or eight meters long."
Grandpa Chen looked at his granddaughter with a big smile, "Seagull Island isn't far away, seven or eight meters is enough."
"And Tangtang has been having good luck lately. She went out to sea to a deserted island to go beachcombing and fishing, and she'll probably have a good catch."
Chen Zhiyao has been back for less than half a month, and she has already earned tens of thousands of yuan by going beachcombing and fishing. Grandpa Chen has a lot of confidence in her.
Moreover, the old man had his own little scheme: he wanted to go fishing at sea with his granddaughter.
His granddaughter is lucky; maybe he can even get some of her good fortune.
We went fishing together at the breakwater last time, and we had a pretty good catch.
Grandma Chen saw through the old man's little scheme at a glance, but she was too lazy to expose him.
Chen Zhiyao thought that the village was so small, and the nearby marine resources had long been exploited.
Even if she has X-ray vision glasses, there's nothing she can do if there's nothing on the beach.
Instead of fighting over this small plot of land, why not rent a small boat and go fishing on an island?
Thinking about the haul from yesterday's sea voyage, Chen Zhiyao immediately became excited, and the more she thought about it, the more feasible the method seemed.
Seeing that his daughter was interested, Chen Weiqiang thought about it seriously and decided that it would be a good idea to get a small boat for the grandfather and granddaughter to play with.
Moreover, he hasn't gone fishing at sea in a long time, and he really wants to catch a 28-pound sea bass.
"How much is the rent?" Chen Weiqiang, who was good at doing business, immediately asked the key question.
Yan Shuting recalled, "I heard her say it was 180 yuan a day, or 4,500 yuan a month. But I haven't heard of it being rented out in the past few days, so I guess I can still negotiate the price."
Then, laughing, he added, "This boat isn't very big. I think it can be bought for 150 a day or 4,000 a month."
Chen Zhiyao affectionately linked arms with Yan Shuting, her face beaming with a sweet and adorable smile.
"Mom, could you talk to Aunt Lotus for me? I'd like to rent their boat for a month."
When it comes to bargaining, Mom has to step in.
"Okay, I'll take you there after we eat."
Because of Chen Zhiyao's recent outstanding performance, her family members strongly approve of her renting a boat to go out to sea.
Grandpa Chen and Chen Weiqiang were even more enthusiastic and happy than he was.
Having agreed to rent the boat, Chen Zhiyao excitedly ran into the kitchen.
"Eat, eat. If you're not enthusiastic about eating, there's something wrong with your thinking."
Watching the little girl's cheerful figure disappear into the distance, the others behind her all smiled in unison.
Right after dinner, Chen Zhiyao couldn't wait to drag her mother out the door.
"Good evening, Aunt Lotus and Uncle Shen."
Aunt Lotus's husband's surname is Shen, and the couple are a few years older than her parents.
The Shen family had just finished dinner and were sitting in the living room watching TV.
Knowing that Chen Zhiyao wanted to rent her family's small boat, Aunt Hehua immediately stood up enthusiastically.
"That ship is still there. Although it's not very big, it's well-preserved. It was taken to the shipyard for maintenance in the middle of the year."
As he spoke, he led Chen Zhiyao and her daughter to the village's dock.
The water level at the village's dock is not deep, so larger boats can hardly stop there. In addition, many fishermen have changed professions in recent years, making the place look somewhat desolate and barren.
Before long, the three of them arrived at a small boat that had weathered many storms.
Aunt Lotus's boat is a 7.8-meter fiberglass fishing boat. It has been used for more than 7 years, but it is well maintained and looks about 70% new.
In addition to the bridge, the ship also has a kitchenette and a lounge.
Although the boat is not big, it is quite well-equipped.
A live water tank, a small ice tank, a small crane, and a small fish finder.
It's more than enough to explore the nearby islands.
Although the ship looks old on the outside, the things inside are basically in good condition, and it was just taken to the shipyard for maintenance before the Dragon Boat Festival.
Chen Zhiyao looked at the maintenance records. It had been repaired a few times in the past few years, but there had been no major accidents, so it was well maintained.
After a heated debate with Yan Shuting, Chen Zhiyao finally rented the boat for 4,000 yuan a month.
With a deposit of one month's rent and payment of one month's rent in advance, Chen Zhiyao immediately transferred 8,000 yuan to Aunt Hehua.
The thought that she now owned a fishing boat, even though it was just rented, still excited Chen Zhiyao immensely.
On the way back, she was so happy that she skipped and jumped, and even after being scolded by her mother, she was still all smiles.
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