"Dad, let's not go to the island. We can just wander around and use our fishing lines along the coast."
Mingjing explained this behavior to the two of them, and Ming Dahai understood.
"Then let's just take a look around."
After setting the hook, Mingjing looked up and saw a brand new island, in the opposite direction from the island she had seen before.
The island was only about two acres in size. Sure enough, the boats were still following closely, but they didn't dare to go any closer and could only watch from a distance.
There were many puddles on the island. Mingjing picked up a twig and stuck it into a puddle, which was about half a meter deep.
"Let me try out this new gadget and see if it works." Ming Dahai picked the biggest puddle and started to pump water.
The red water pump made a rumbling sound, and soon water gushed out.
Since there was only one water pump, Mingjing could only place fish traps in other water pits. When there were no water pits available, she would carry a bucket and go beachcombing on the island.
I didn't see any great treasures, but I did collect a bunch of triton shells, which are shaped like the brim of a hat. The taste is so-so, but because of their pretty shells, many people use them as decorations.
Mingliang did manage to collect quite a few sea urchins and sea cucumbers.
"This island is too poor. It has nothing. Even the abalone and sea cucumber are only as thick as a thumb. They don't even cost a hundred yuan."
Mingjing, on the other hand, was full of confidence. With a luck value of over 300 today, she didn't believe there wouldn't be a big shipment.
After taking a stroll around the island, Mingjing returned to the edge of the puddle.
The pumping of water from the puddles is basically complete, and the harvest includes two wild bass, three black sea bream, and a bucket of flower crabs.
"So many flower crabs, and they're quite big. They look really plump," Mingliang said, licking his lips, his mouth watering.
As October approaches, crabs reach their fattest stage, and a bucket of flower crabs weighs at least ten kilograms, easily fetching two hundred yuan.
The pit was filled with rocks, and there were many flower crabs hiding inside. Mingjing wore rubber shoes and went down to catch crabs that came up empty-handed. Besides flower crabs, there were swimming crabs.
"That's great, so many crabs are worth more than fish."
For crabs, quantity is more important than variety. Even if a crab is not very valuable, the price will naturally go up if there is a large quantity of it.
After finishing one pit, Ming Dahai carried the water pump to another pit and continued pumping water.
This puddle wasn't as big as the last one, but Mingjing poked it with a branch, and the meter-long branch didn't reach the bottom, so it must be quite deep.
There was only one water pump. Mingjing, having nothing to do, sat on a rock eating the eggs he had brought with him and observing his surroundings.
There were many footprints on the ground, of varying sizes and depths, and even in places they hadn't walked before.
"No wonder this island is so clean, it turns out it has been cleaned up."
"That's normal. This island is too obvious. Every passing ship can see it. We were just lucky to find something."
Ming Dahai took out his pipe, sat on a rock, and started smoking.
"Dad, the waiting time for a multi-hook rig is long, and the fish are likely to die if not retrieved in time. Is there a less strenuous way to catch fish?"
Ming Dahai exhaled a smoke ring and nodded. "Yes."
"Use a trawl net, it's the most suitable for those big ships."
A trawl net only needs to be fixed to the stern of the boat. It can catch fish in the upper and middle layers of the water. As the boat moves, it causes the net to float in the water and keep moving, allowing the fish to enter the net and become unable to get out.
However, if the ship anchors or stops operating, the trawl net will sink due to gravity, and the losses will be substantial.
This type of trawl net can be placed not only at the stern of the boat but also at the bottom. However, besides some marine debris, it mainly contains rocks and seaweed, with crabs and small fish being the most abundant.
Add in the cost of fuel and trawl fees, and it's time-consuming and laborious, but you don't catch any big fish, so it's not very cost-effective.
"Let's use the multi-hook rig for now; we're not making much money right now."
Mingjing thought that he had made a lot of money with the last multi-hook rig, but he lost a lot because of the large catch. He would have to make up for it when he got back, and it would be best to change to a multi-hook rig that is not easy to break the net.
"Yeah, a lot of hooks fell off the last time we used a multi-hook rig. I'll have to get some more when I get back. The fishing net is also torn, so I'll have to buy a new one."
"I'll buy it. You still have to tend to the fruit trees, you definitely won't have time."
"Alright, you go buy it. I need to go to the mountain to fertilize the fruit trees when I have time, and I'll also ask Xie Jun'an's aunt how to take care of those things."
"Dad, let me make the hooks. I can never help you with anything."
Mingliang felt very embarrassed.
He's the eldest son in his family, but now he's treated like a younger brother, with no presence at all.
He made a lot of mistakes in the past due to his muddled thinking. Now his parents have forgiven him on the surface, but they still care to some extent. He doesn't want to be marginalized.
Mingjing saw through Mingliang's thoughts and simply tossed him a large crab, saying, "Here, tie this up if you're bored, and don't overthink it."
I brought a lot of strips of cloth with me when I came, just in case I encountered big crabs and couldn't put them down. I didn't expect them to actually come in handy.
"You'll be busy when we get back, so get to work."
"OK!"
Mingliang picked up the crab, deftly wrapped the claws around his neck, and tossed it into the bucket.
Before long, the water pump made a sporadic sound. Mingjing turned around and saw that the water in the puddle had been pumped out.
Mingjing stopped the pump and looked into the puddle. This puddle was different from the last one; there weren't many rocks, but there was quite a lot of seaweed.
Mingjing jumped in, splashing a wave in the water. Parting the seaweed, she saw a small green garment, thirty centimeters long.
Upon seeing the woman in green, Ming Dahai's eyes lit up, and he jumped down excitedly.
“There’s definitely something big here, look carefully,” Ming Dahai said, crouching down and starting to feel for stones.
The three men bent over and began their work in the small puddle.
Mingliang saw something hiding in the corner of the puddle and bent down to dig it out, while Mingdahai stood in the middle, groping around.
He clearly felt something bump into his leg just now, but now he can't touch it anymore.
"Hey, fish!" Mingjing said, pointing to the fish that were faintly visible in the water.
Ming Dahai turned around and pounced, catching a ten-centimeter-long mackerel. These things are very cheap locally, only five or six yuan per kilogram.
It's generally used for sea fishing or as fertilizer, and rarely for cooking because it doesn't taste good.
In this pit, Ming Dahai actually caught three mackerel in a row, which made him somewhat disheartened.
Mingjing was looking down and touching the stone when suddenly something bit her glove, startling her so much that she threw it away.
Upon closer inspection, a bright yellow crab was lying on the shore.
"Holy crap! It's a butter crab?" Mingliang exclaimed.
Upon hearing about the butter crab, Ming Dahai immediately climbed ashore to collect some, and confirmed that it was indeed a butter crab.
Butter crabs are a variant of mud crabs, with only two or three out of ten thousand being this species. The crab shell is yellow, and the joints of the crab legs are covered in yellow oil.
In later generations, this stuff would sell for 800 yuan per catty (500 grams). I wonder what the price is now.
"Mingjing, look again and see if there are any more," Ming Dahai said with delight, his smile wide and he couldn't stop.
Mingjing secretly rejoiced that she had worn gloves, otherwise her fingers would have been pinched and broken by that thing.
Parting the rocks, Mingjing saw movement on the bottom of the water, vaguely resembling a crab. Upon picking it up, he realized it was indeed a yellow croaker, even larger than before.
The butter crabs are all female crabs, and they are at their fattest and most delicious at this time of year, weighing about four ounces.
After catching them for a while, Mingjing caught a total of five yellow croakers, and the rest were mackerel, red snapper, and a small moray eel about the thickness of a finger.
"How about we call this island Butter Island from now on?" Ming Dahai asked excitedly.
He had only heard of this mutated crab before and knew it was expensive, but he never thought he would actually come across it. Now, the market price is five hundred yuan for one.
A pound of yellow oil crab can cost several thousand yuan. Although he has caught many large catches, Ming Dahai is still immersed in the joy of making a fortune.
These five yellow crabs weigh at least two and a half pounds and cost around two or three thousand yuan. Just thinking about it makes me excited.
"There might be fresh water on this island," Mingjing guessed.
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