Yu Yao glanced in the direction Su Meihua pointed and saw Qin Lamei and the others.
"Ignore them, let's fish. The patrol boat is so big, we'll stay away from them once we're on board."
Sun Yu, unaware of the reason, asked in confusion, "What happened between you and Qin Lamei?"
Su Meihua said, "Sister-in-law Sun Yu, you don't know, we ran into them when we went to the cliff cave behind the family compound to go beachcombing. That Qin Lamei held a grudge against Yu Yao because someone said she wasn't as good as her, and she bullied Yu Yao when she was alone..."
“I see. We’d better be careful not to run into them.” Sun Yu glanced at Qin Lamei and the others and said in a low voice, “I heard that the side business group has been suspended. Now the division commander and Sister Dan are planning to find a new person in charge, and Yu Yao is a popular candidate.”
Su Meihua slapped her thigh, "Oh dear, this is terrible! With Qin Lamei's petty and narrow-minded nature, she'll definitely think that you resigned to replace her, Yu Yao. This time, Yu Yao, you absolutely must come with us or Commander Lu to avoid being bullied."
“Plum Blossom is right. We’ll go together later. If she dares to cause you trouble, we’ll teach her a lesson for you.”
Yu Yao was touched by their protectiveness. "Sister-in-law Meihua, Sister-in-law Sunyu, don't worry too much. I'm not so easy to bully."
Su Meihua chuckled, "That's true. Sister Yu Yao can even handle wolves. It's just that you look delicate, so I always forget that."
"Sisters, it's time to board the ship!" A young soldier with a tanned face called out to his family members.
Yu Yao and her two companions, carrying their fishing gear, followed the rest of the family compound onto the deck.
This time, they were on an old-fashioned patrol boat. This boat patrols along a fixed route near the coast, stopping to resupply at islands along the way, at which point the family members can go ashore to enjoy the sea.
When the ship stops midway at sea, the family compound can not only rest but also fish.
Most of the family members who boarded the boat were there to go beachcombing on the small island; only a few had fishing rods to fish.
After all, a sea fishing rod isn't cheap these days; a decent one costs over a hundred yuan, enough to buy a watch.
The patrol trip lasted two days and two nights, so each family member on board brought their own simple bedding and daily necessities for their use at sea.
The patrol boat patrolled along a fixed route in the near sea. The sea was calm and the sky was blue with white clouds in the distance, and a few seabirds flew by.
Before boarding the ship, she brought a lot of tamarind with her, but surprisingly, she didn't experience much morning sickness after boarding.
It seems that a month of care has had some effect; it was worth all the time Wu Wanying spent cooking this and that for her every day.
Yu Yao, Su Meihua, and Sun Yu were looking at the sea view on the deck. Occasionally, seabirds would fly by on the sea breeze, and they could touch the soft bellies of the seabirds with just a slight reach.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out on the deck. A family member pointed into the distance and exclaimed, "Look over there! There are so many seabirds!"
Yu Yao looked in the direction the other person was pointing and was completely stunned.
She had never seen so many seabirds before.
It can be described as overwhelming and densely packed.
Flocks of blue and white seabirds flew along the sea surface in the southeast direction, and every now and then you could see seabirds falling like dumplings into a pot.
The other family members were very excited and gripped the railing tightly.
Sun Yu also reminded Yu Yao: "Yu Yao, hold on tight to the railing, the patrol boat is about to speed up."
As soon as she finished speaking, Yu Yao felt the patrol boat gradually increase in speed. She gripped the railing and asked Sun Yu, "Sister-in-law Sun Yu, how did you know the patrol boat was going to speed up?"
Su Meihua also looked bewildered.
Sun Yu smiled and said to the two of them, "When you see these seabirds at sea, it means there are definitely schools of fish there. At this time, the patrol boat can go over and catch a net. No matter what kind of fish it is, it's a good deal."
"If you're lucky, you might catch a net full of valuable fish, and the money earned from that one net could cover the postage for several patrols. This can be considered a way to subsidize military spending."
Yu Yao had heard Lu Ze mention this before.
Troops stationed on islands often face limited funding and have to rely on their own resources to make ends meet.
This year, the border has been frequently harassed, and Commander Zheng is eager to allocate more military funds to equip the troops with more advanced weapons.
Previously, Commander Zheng wanted to open a military factory in order to raise more military funds, but he did not expect to encounter difficulties in the initial stage of this side business.
Fishing with nets is now likely a way to subsidize military spending. Catching a school of fish is a low-cost, high-return activity compared to a regular netting.
The ship chased after the flock of birds, but slowed down as it got closer to avoid disturbing the fish.
Standing on the deck, Yu Yao could clearly see the seabird grab a fish with its claws and fly into the sky.
Thousands of similar scenes are happening simultaneously on the sea not far away.
Yu Yao also recognized the fish under the seabird's claws.
At some point, Lu Ze and Song Yiming emerged from the cabin and stood beside Yu Yao, gazing at the school of fish not far away.
A young soldier looked at the school of fish in the distance with some disappointment: "What a pity, it's just a school of sardines. These things are about to enter their peak feeding season, so they're not worth much."
Song Yiming patted the young soldier on the shoulder: "The sardine school is pretty good. With such a dense school of fish, a few scoops will cover the fuel costs for this patrol. Right, Commander?"
Lu Ze did not answer. He looked seriously at the direction the fish were moving and instructed, "Song Yiming, tell Niu Dali to speed up. We need to catch what's in front of the sardine school."
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