The eve of the storm
One black sea bream after another was caught, and Chen Zhiyao was completely absorbed in the joy of fishing, not noticing at all that it was getting darker.
Grandpa Chen, with his extensive experience, was the first to sense that something was wrong.
The old man looked up and saw that the sky was already covered with dark clouds, and it felt like it was about to rain.
Grandpa Chen's expression changed, and he immediately urged anxiously:
"It's going to rain, hurry up, pack your things and go back immediately."
Upon hearing the old man's voice, the three who were engrossed in fishing finally noticed the dark clouds overhead and the increasingly damp sea breeze.
Going out to sea during storms is the most dangerous time, and many experienced fishermen in the village have lost their lives in such weather.
Without saying a word, everyone quickly packed their things.
Chen Weiqiang had a big fish that had taken the bait. It was quite strong and weighed about 10 or 8 jin.
But the fish had just taken the bait, and there wasn't enough time to reel it in, so I had to painfully cut the fishing line.
In less than two minutes, the four of them, each carrying a bucket of their catch, hurriedly ran towards the fishing boat.
Back on the fishing boat, Grandpa Chen looked up at the dark clouds in the sky and felt that it probably wouldn't rain anytime soon.
So they hurriedly set off in their fishing boat and retrieved all the fishing nets and traps they had set that morning.
Fortunately, the fish I encountered in the morning were all together, and these things weren't far apart either.
The four of them sped up and retrieved everything in less than 10 minutes.
As the sky grew darker and the sea breeze picked up, Grandpa Chen increased the speed of the fishing boat to its maximum.
At this moment, Chen Zhiyao and her parents were under the small shed on the fishing boat, tidying up the fishing nets and traps they had just brought up.
It looks like it's about to rain. Today's catch was pretty good; there were even eight groupers weighing over 10 pounds each and six small green dragonfish in the fish trap.
But the three of them had no smiles on their faces, only worry as they looked at the waves in the distance, each one higher than the last.
waves
The sea breeze was damp, and Chen Zhiyao felt sticky and uncomfortable all over.
None of the three spoke; they simply quickened their pace, freeing the fish one by one from the fishing net.
The three of them worked for half an hour, and just as they had moved all sorts of fish into the hold, it started to rain.
Although the rain wasn't heavy, thick dark clouds completely blocked out the sun, making it look like nighttime.
There's a feeling that a storm is about to break.
When he returned from a sea voyage, the old man would simply sail the boat to the dock in town.
But it had already started raining, and it was getting heavier and heavier, so Grandpa Chen immediately changed his route and prepared to take the fishing boat to the village dock.
Windmill Island is located to the left front of Baisha Village, while the town's pier is to the right rear of the village.
The fishing boat can go directly back to the village, saving 20 minutes.
The rain got heavier and heavier, turning from a drizzle into a downpour of rain the size of soybeans.
To make matters worse, in addition to the heavy rain, strong winds also began to blow.
The fishing boats began to rock as the waves pounded against them.
The fishing boat beneath their feet rocked violently again, and Yan Shuting quickly pulled out the life jackets from the boat and made everyone put them on.
The rented fishing boat was only 7.8 meters long, as small as a leaf.
As the waves crashed against the shore, Chen Zhiyao felt as if the fishing boat was about to be torn to shreds at any moment.
Looking at the ever-growing waves outside, Grandpa Chen, who was in charge of steering the boat, felt a sense of unease.
Fortunately, we were already quite close to the dock, and we could see the village lighthouse just by looking up.
The fishing boat was moving forward at full speed, but its speed slowed down due to the typhoon and huge waves.
What should have been a 10-minute journey took the fishing boat a full 20 minutes.
The moment the fishing boat docked at the pier, all four people on board breathed a sigh of relief, and their tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed.
Stepping out of the wheelhouse, Chen Zhiyao discovered that the deck was covered in seawater.
But that's not the main point. The most important thing is that there are many sea fish that have been washed ashore by the waves on the deck.
Looking at the fish of all sizes still jumping around, Chen Zhiyao was incredibly excited:
"So many fish! Mom, Dad, Grandpa, there are so many fish that have been washed ashore by the waves. Come out and collect them!"
The group put on raincoats, each carrying a bucket, and happily began picking up fish on the deck.
As soon as Chen Zhiyao came out, she spotted a manta ray weighing over 20 pounds at the bow of the boat. Then, looking up, she saw seven or eight black sea bream weighing over a pound each on her right.
As you continue walking, you'll find red sea bream, yellowtail, turbot, and golden pomfret scattered all over the deck.
"I'm rich!"
Looking at these valuable sea fish, Chen Zhiyao's eyes lit up, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up wildly.
Suddenly, a grayish-black object that looked like a sewer cover caught her eye.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a giant manta ray.
"This stingray is huge! It must weigh at least forty or fifty pounds."
Chen Zhiyao happily picked up the fish, not expecting an unexpected surprise below.
Hidden beneath this manta ray was a large yellow croaker weighing over a pound.
She was just about to tell her parents when she noticed several fishing boats returning from fishing nearby, so she quickly swallowed back what she was about to say.
She also hid the large yellow croaker in her hand at the bottom of the bucket.
The price of large yellow croaker depends on its size; for every additional kilogram, the price increases significantly.
The one she's holding, which weighs over a pound, could probably sell for several hundred yuan.
"Boom..."
A sudden clap of thunder on the horizon startled Chen Zhiyao.
Then the rain intensified, almost as if water was being poured directly from the sky.
The sea breeze carried a lot of rain, and the raincoat gradually became useless.
The group of people who were picking up fish on the deck were soon soaked through.
They picked up the fish from the deck and, braving the wind and rain, carried all kinds of fish to the dock.
Although it suddenly rained, today's harvest was still quite good.
Especially the various fish that are swept up by the waves, they're practically given away for free.
The joy of the harvest overshadowed everyone's fear of the storm.
My second uncle's purchasing station was right next to the dock. Most of the returning fishing boats carried baskets of their catch into the purchasing station.
The group of thrifty people realized that the price offered by the village's purchasing station was too low, and that such a large quantity of fish would likely cost them several hundred yuan less.
Moreover, Grandpa Chen was also worried that if the villagers knew they had a good catch, they would follow him around when they went out to sea in the future.
So everyone decided to go home first to change into clean clothes, and then take the catch to the dock in town.
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