Jiang Yue couldn't help but feel happy as she looked at the boatload of fish. It was her first time out at sea, and it was great to have such a good catch. Among them were many white pomfret, tuna, and mackerel, all valuable fish known for their delicious taste...
Just relying on this small wooden boat and a small fishing net, Jiang Yue was able to harvest so much. She felt that this trip was worth it!
Uncle Jin didn't expect his luck to be so good today! He got much more than most people!
He thought some of his catch was in the hold, but when he got off the boat and was about to take it back, he felt something was missing. But he didn't know if it was missing at all, and there was no way anyone could have stolen the fish. The nobleman looked pleased, so he didn't say anything.
Jiang Yue: Yes, that’s right. It was me who stole the fish. How could I not be happy?
As soon as they landed, many people came over.
"Wow! Your new boat is really nice!"
"You caught so many fish today! Much more than our boat did!"
"Do you want these hard-shelled fish too? I've lost so many!"
A group of people were exclaiming at the large catch and asking about exchanging food.
Uncle Jin saw the two men frowning, worried that this would displease the noble, so he shouted, "Get out of the way! Don't block the road!"
"Uncle, please ask Aunt to help us collect the fish. I trust you. But let me make it clear, only the good ones are good. I won't be taken advantage of if there's any bad or rotten ones. As for the food, I'll just give it to you: 30 pounds of fish and a liter of beans. You can distribute it to everyone when the time comes."
She felt that her body was full of the salty and wet smell of sea water. The sun was about to set, and she had to go out for another day in the early morning, so she didn't want to go through the trouble.
This sea fish is big in itself, and it is newly caught and weighs a lot with water, so thirty kilograms is not too much.
As for the dried fish, ten pounds can be exchanged for one liter of beans.
Some things should be left to local people to handle, and those who try to take advantage of others should be dealt with by Uncle Jin's family.
As for her family, they didn't dare to cheat or do anything shady. Uncle Jin had given her a guarantee, so she wasn't afraid of not being able to find someone to take responsibility.
When the fishermen heard this, they became excited and made a lot of noise.
Uncle Jin puffed out his chest and shouted, "Did you hear that? Stop making noise! I'll have my wife come to your house to collect the fish later. Don't take any that's bad or smelly. Separate the fish and shrimp!"
His wife, A-Lin, also came out with two wooden barrels from home to help carry the fish. She was very happy and said with a smile, "Everyone go back and prepare the fish. I will go over to collect them in a while."
"Why bother moving them back? Just divide them here so you don't have to move them around and ruin the fish!"
"That... is fine. I'll go borrow a scale from the village chief."
Jiang Yue held her back and said, "Aunt, there's no need to borrow it. I have it in my car. Go back and get it now."
Ah Lin smiled and said, "That saves time. Our house is closer."
She turned around and said to everyone, "I'll go back and get the scale and come back. You guys finish your fish first, and whoever finishes first gets to take theirs."
Several people carried Jiang Yue's fish back to Second Uncle Jin's house. Jiang Yue gave the scale to Second Uncle Jin and his wife. Then, under the pretext of worrying about being robbed, she asked Second Uncle Jin to come along and help. She would give them food when they returned after collecting the fish.
While no one was around, Jiang Yue quickly collected all the catches.
In reality, the fishermen didn't take long to buy and sell their catch; they still had to stock up on food for their families, so they only sold the fish that looked good. The couple returned in about an hour.
Today, in addition to their own catch, the couple had collected nearly 500 kilograms of fresh fish and over 100 kilograms of dried shrimp and small fish for her. She had inspected them and found them to be of good quality, with no water added.
Many people were still waiting outside to pay, so Jiang Yue gave them a load of beans and asked them to divide it among themselves.
After everyone had left, Jiang Yue and the other man took the mule out for a walk, and when they came back they said they had given all the things away.
Alin's wife enthusiastically boiled hot water for them.
How could they not be enthusiastic? The man was paid two liters of beans a day for helping with the fishing, one liter of beans a day for the room, and another liter of beans for her to help with the harvest. In just one day, the noble man gave them four liters of beans! This was something they couldn't even ask for!
For three days in a row, they repeated the same routine: going out to fish in the early morning and returning in the afternoon to collect the fish.
With the experience gained on the first day, the second and third days went particularly smoothly. The small island had become Jiang Yue's secret base, where she collected a lot of shrimp, crabs, and other shellfish.
On her last day, she dug up dozens of seabird eggs. Seabirds come in different sizes, and their eggs vary greatly, ranging from small ones like quails to large ones like ostrich eggs.
She was happily scooping up fish, completely oblivious to the wobbling of the small wooden boat on the other side. Uncle Jin, who was on the boat, was practically terrified.
Seeing the school of yellow croaker coming, they excitedly cast their nets. Unexpectedly, in addition to the yellow croaker, they also caught a shark.
The shark wasn't huge, but it was still over a meter long. It was tugging at the net with all its might. Uncle Jin was about to let go, but then the man beside him leaned forward and punched the fish so hard that its head caved in.
This time, not only the shark didn't dare to move, but Uncle Jin didn't dare to move either. It was so scary!
Jiang Nian didn't think too much about it and set up the Internet himself.
If they let the fish keep biting, not only would the boat capsize, but the fishing net would also be broken. How would they catch fish then?
Jiang Yue didn't know about this episode. She thought that Uncle Jin didn't speak because he was too tired.
The harvest grew bigger day by day. Including what Butler Wang had sent earlier, Jiang Yue now had over 2,500 kilograms of fresh fish and over 500 kilograms of dried fish. Even if she ate every day, it would be enough to last her for most of her life.
On the fourth day, the two of them left gracefully amid the reluctant gazes of the Baisha villagers. As for the boat, she also quietly took it away.
Just after leaving the village, Jiang Yue saw a horse-drawn carriage coming towards them from afar.
The wind and sand were blowing everywhere. Jiang Nian squinted his eyes and said, "It's the Wang family's carriage."
The two carriages approached each other and stopped. It turned out to be the Wang family's.
Steward Wang got out of the car and greeted them with a smile, "You two have caught a lot of fish, right?"
Although Jiang Yue didn't want to exchange pleasantries on the way, since they were partners after all, she got out of the car and responded politely.
"Not too much, not too little, just enough."
"Where are you two planning to go back to?"
"Butler Wang, do you have something to talk to us about?" She avoided answering.
Steward Wang was used to the two men's straightforward communication, and he didn't use official language. "Our master would like to do another business with you two and buy some more fruit."
Jiang Yue didn't mind the money, as she could just clear out the first batch of fruits she'd picked. But she couldn't think of anything to exchange for them. "Okay, but I'll decide how much fruit to give and how much to exchange for."
It's a seller's market now!
Butler Wang narrowed his eyes and said cheerfully, "Of course!"
Since she has good things in her hands, she naturally has the final say.
So Jiang Yue and the others returned to the Wang family's small farm.
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