Squid that have just laid their eggs do not die immediately; some are still alive and rolling around in the sea.
Cui Zhizhou stopped the boat, and Wu Huaiqing said excitedly, "Zhizhi, hand me the fishing net."
"Brother, wait a moment, the fishing net is in the box." Yu Yao opened the box and took out the fishing net that she had specially bought from the supply and marketing cooperative.
This net is the most commonly used fishing net on fishing boats. It's not a large size, but it's made of good materials. This net alone cost Yu Yao more than thirty yuan.
Yu Yao handed the fishing net to Wu Huaiqing, who, along with Cui Zhizhou, quickly untangled it and cast it towards the squid on the sea surface. Then they simply waited.
After waiting a few minutes, the two began to close the net.
The wooden boat has pulleys for hauling in the nets. Two people hang the fishing nets on the pulleys and use them to pull the nets onto the boat.
The deck was covered in black ink, and the squid in the fishing nets were also stained black.
Yu Yao happily helped Wu Wanying remove the squid from the fishing net, saying as she did so, "This net was worth buying; it's so much more efficient."
Even Wu Wanying, who previously thought it was a waste for Yu Yao to buy fishing nets, couldn't help but agree, saying, "It's really good."
This net caught about fifty or sixty kilograms of squid. After that, Cui and Wu Huaiqing cast two more nets. There weren't many squid left on the surface of the sea, so they set sail towards the shore.
Once they reached the shore, Yu Yao and the others first used fertilizer bags to collect the squid that had been brought ashore by the receding tide. The four of them collected squid in less than half an hour, filling two bags.
Much less than last time.
Wu Wanying said with some regret, "The squid fishing season is about to end. We must come earlier next year. Let's go collect the branches now."
Cui Zhizhou and Wu Huaiqing each put a bag of squid back on the boat, and then sailed to the place where the branches with the eggs were placed.
Having found the mark they had left earlier, the two began to pull on the hemp rope tied to the tree branch.
Yu Yao and Wu Wanying weren't idle on the boat either; they took knives and began processing the squid.
Wu Wanying was the main one who was busy. Her mother didn't want her to be too tired, so she just assisted by helping out and handing things over.
The number of squid this time was about half that of the previous few days, and the squid were of varying sizes. This was even after they used branches with attached eggs to attract a large number of squid to lay their eggs.
If we hadn't cast the nets several times, the harvest would have been much less.
No wonder squid prices have been rising every day lately. With so much less available each day, of course prices have to go up!
Yu Yao sat on the boat, helping Wu Wanying while watching Cui Zhizhou and Wu Huaiqing collect the tree branches.
As the hemp ropes binding the tree branches were pulled up, bundles of branches that had sunk into the sea were also brought to the surface.
There were bunches of squid eggs hanging from the branches, looking quite appetizing.
Yu Yao quickly grabbed a bucket and picked the squid eggs off the branches one by one, gathering a small pile from each branch. After picking all the eggs from all the branches, she filled half a bucket.
The group was quite pleased. They had thought the squid fishing season was coming to an end and they wouldn't catch many, but they hadn't expected to have such a large harvest, which far exceeded their expectations.
Including the squid caught in the net and those collected earlier, this trip can be described as a full catch.
Wu Huaiqing picked up a string of squid eggs, looked at them, and said with a smile, "Most of the squid here are cuttlefish. If we were to buy these eggs, they wouldn't be any worse than cuttlefish, given the current market prices."
"That's pretty good too, a great harvest." Yu Yao happily threw the branch back into the sea.
These branches are useless now. The squid fishing season is over this year, and we'll have to wait until next year to get this many squid again.
She noticed this when she was collecting the eggs: the further she went, the fewer squid eggs were on the branches, and towards the end, some branches were even empty.
However, this year's harvest is already quite good, so we shouldn't be too greedy.
After cleaning up the squid eggs, the group first sailed the boat to the beach behind the mountain. Yu Yao and Cui Zhizhou went to return the boat first, and then came to the beach to meet up with everyone.
On the way back, Yu Yao asked Cui Zhizhou to teach her how to drive a diesel boat, which felt similar to the tractors she used to drive in the countryside.
Cui Zhizhou taught her a few times, and Yu Yao remembered it. However, remembering it was one thing, but truly mastering it was another.
Cuttlefish eggs offer numerous benefits to pregnant women. In addition to being rich in nutrients, they can strengthen the spleen and stomach, helping pregnant women absorb nutrients better and conceive more effectively.
It can also clear heat and reduce internal fire.
Recently, Wu Wanying has been stewing things for her every few days, giving her bird's nest twice a day, which has made her feel a bit hot and bothered.
Pregnant women are prone to heatiness during pregnancy, and cuttlefish eggs are cooling in nature, so eating some can help clear heat and reduce internal fire.
Yu Yao didn't catch many squid eggs today, and she plans to keep them all for herself.
Since it's about recuperating, of course we should keep whatever's good for our health. I've heard that pregnancy is a chance for a woman to grow again; if she takes good care of herself, she can not only grow taller but also make up for any deficiencies in her body.
Back home, Cui Zhizhou took out a scale and weighed the squid eggs. The squid eggs weighed more than 20 jin (10 kg) in total, and the squid weighed about 300 jin (150 kg) more than last time.
There were too many squid to eat, so Yu Yao planned to dry them, sell half of them, and keep the rest for herself.
By next year's squid fishing season, there will be enough time to eat them all.
The sun has already set; I'll probably have to work overtime tonight.
There were too many squid for just a few of them to handle, so Yu Yao thought for a moment and went to ask Su Meihua and Sun Yu for help.
When Aunt Miao and Ge Jinhua heard that they needed help, they also clamored to help.
“We old folks don’t need to sleep so early. We’re here to help you with the chores so we can get some rest later.”
Su Meihua and Sun Yu had no objections, so Yu Yao naturally wouldn't refuse.
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