Another day full of energy! I don't know if they used up all their good luck the day before, but for the next two days in a row, Chen Zhiyao's family's catch at sea was not very good.
The several gillnets mostly contained small, inexpensive fish such as mackerel, silver carp, or bighead carp.
Fishing was even worse; almost all the fish I encountered were barracuda.
These sea wolves are practically supernatural; they're incredibly skilled at cleaning their gills, and their teeth are extremely sharp.
All day long, it's either unhooking or cutting the line; it eats its fill, pats its behind, and runs away, making Chen Zhiyao and the others furious.
There seem to be plenty of fish in the sea, but you just can't catch them. Isn't that infuriating?
Fortunately, the daily catch from beachcombing is pretty good, otherwise it wouldn't even cover the fuel costs.
Even with the harvest from beachcombing, the daily income plummeted from tens of thousands of yuan per person to just a few thousand yuan.
Although the income is still good, the huge gap is still unsatisfying.
After being cut off again, Chen Zhiyao simply gave up, steered the fishing boat to another area of the sea, and switched to a small hook to catch small fish.
There are quite a few small fish here, but most of them are worthless fish like mackerel.
Looking at the mackerel in her hand, which weighed only two ounces, Chen Zhiyao couldn't help but sigh:
"Sigh, the marine resources in the nearshore area are still not good. If it were in the high seas, we might have caught a large tuna weighing one or two hundred pounds."
What was said without malice may have been taken to heart by the listener.
Chen Weiqiang, standing nearby, lit up when he heard about fishing in international waters. He grabbed his daughter's arm and excitedly said:
"Tangtang, let's go fishing in international waters. It's so boring feeding the sea wolves here every day."
The crew members on the boat were getting tired of the sea wolves that were lurking nearby, and they were all tempted by the idea.
Seeing everyone's eagerness, Chen Weiqiang booked the ferry tickets for next Monday without saying a word.
Of course, he had to pay for the boat fare himself; he wasn't as good at making money as his daughter.
Moreover, since buying the house, the family's savings have dwindled.
With less money, Chen Weiqiang felt less secure, and he was hoping to earn more money on this voyage.
Monday arrived quickly, the day Chen Zhiyao's family was going fishing in international waters.
"Ring ring ring..."
The crisp, urgent alarm clock suddenly rang out, shattering the quiet morning and Chen Zhiyao's sweet dream.
Although she couldn't remember the details of her dream, she was still in a good mood.
Thinking about going to the high seas to catch big fish, Chen Zhiyao, like a nimble little deer, instantly leaped up from her soft and comfortable bed.
After tidying herself up, she walked down the stairs with light steps.
Just then, Grandpa Chen pushed open the door and walked in, carrying a large bucket full of shrimp in each hand.
The shrimp, no bigger than a finger, were still jumping around, with several on the surface struggling to jump out.
Unfortunately, the cover above them ruthlessly blocked their way, leaving them futilely jumping around on top of the bucket.
Chen Zhiyao was quite excited to see so many large prawns; she wondered how many big fish they could catch!
He even made disrespectful jokes about his own grandfather:
"With so many shrimp, Grandpa, you've probably emptied out the entire shrimp pond at home."
"It's alright, it's alright. You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. These prawns will surely catch a lot of big ones," Grandpa Chen said with a smile.
The grandfather and grandson exchanged a smile, each carrying a bucket of shrimp as they walked back.
Although the fishing boat set off in the evening, Chen Zhiyao's family had no plans to go out to go beachcombing or fishing.
Besides going to the Tanah Lot Temple to offer prayers, everyone was preparing the items needed for this sea voyage.
Apart from a few personal toiletries, most of what everyone packed consisted of various fishing gear and all sorts of bait.
A wide variety of fishing tackle and bait filled the trunks of both cars to the brim, leaving almost no extra space.
When the family of five arrived at the dock, some eager fishermen were already standing on the deck fishing.
The sun had just set below the horizon, and the orange sunlight shone on the sea, as if coating the whole world with a dazzling light.
The sunlight was a bit dazzling, but it made people eager to take out their fishing rods and start fishing immediately.
Meanwhile, Yan Rui, an old acquaintance, was busily shuttling between the boats, carefully checking every detail and replenishing the boats with the necessary fresh water, fuel, and ice for keeping fish fresh.
This wasn't the first time Chen Zhiyao and her companions had boarded Yan Rui's fishing boat for a sea voyage; they were very familiar with everything there.
Without needing any staff to lead the way, the group found their room quite easily.
There were relatively few female anglers, and the three generations of the family still shared a room. After a full night's voyage, the fishing boat finally arrived at the first fishing spot.
At this time, the sky was getting dark, and the horizon was still just a gray expanse. The fiery red sun quietly rose from the sea.
The fishing boat slowly came to a stop, and suddenly a loud announcement came from inside the cabin:
"Dear guest, we have now arrived at the first fishing spot. Below the fishing boat is a large coral reef, where schools of rock bream and grouper are frequently seen."
"Please be careful when fishing, as it's easy to snag your hook here. Have a great fishing trip!"
Just as the second broadcast sounded, people who were still sound asleep were startled awake and rushed out.
These fishermen moved with the agility of well-trained soldiers, sprinting towards the deck at an astonishing speed, like a 100-meter dash.
Chen Zhiyao, who got up early, had already prepared all kinds of bait and fishing gear.
Besides her fishing gear, there was a large box filled with crushed ice at her feet.
This is deep sea; once the fish are brought out of the water, they're basically done for and need to be frozen.
With this, you don't have to keep running into the freezer compartment.
Chen Zhiyao turned on her X-ray glasses and discovered that the water in front of her was filled with small dark shadows. These little creatures were gathered in twos and threes, and there seemed to be quite a lot of them.
Based on her experience, these fish were mostly under 10 pounds.
They're all small creatures of roughly the same size, so the X-ray glasses aren't necessary for now.
After changing to a suitable hook and bait, Chen Zhiyao gently raised her arm and seemingly casually threw the bait she was holding forward.
The bait, like a shooting star imbued with life, traced an extremely beautiful arc in the air.
Then, with a crisp "plop," it landed accurately in the water, splashing up a few small droplets.
The fishing seemed to be exceptionally good today. In less than two minutes, Chen Zhiyao noticed that the fishing rod she was holding was shaking slightly.
At first, it was just a slight tremor, but the next second, the tremor suddenly became stronger, followed by a powerful pull that traveled up the fishing rod to her palm.
With a "whoosh," the slack fishing line was instantly taut, and the fishing rod in my hand was pulled so high that it bent over.
Such obvious movement was enough for even inexperienced bystanders to see at a glance that a fish had taken the bait.
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