Chapter 555: Too Alike, I Was Mistaken
Chapter 555: Chapter 555: Too Alike, I Was Mistaken
Everyone’s eyes fell on the fishing net that had just been pulled from the water.
It was bulging, and through the gaps in the mesh, something dark was visible.
"It’s dark, and it looks a bit spotty. Could it be humpback grouper?" everyone exclaimed.
Humpback grouper was the most expensive—and tastiest—type of grouper.
Among seafood, only fish that were both beautiful and delicious commanded high prices.
Fish that weren’t as attractive but tasted exceptional could also be very expensive.
Clearly, the humpback grouper was one such fish.
Chen Yishui smiled. "Xiao Rui, you open the net."
Han Xiaorui didn’t stand on ceremony. "Alright. They might not be the best fish, but the net filled up so quickly that it was definitely time to haul it in."
"Humpback grouper isn’t good enough for you?" Liang Xiaoyu retorted. "A single netful could be worth nearly a hundred thousand yuan."
"It’s not humpback grouper." With that, Han Xiaorui untied the codend of the net, and a cascade of dark-colored sea fish came tumbling out with a clatter.
Everyone had been hoping for humpback grouper, so they were disappointed when it turned out not to be.
"Oh, it’s spotted knifejaw! These are rare around here, but not unheard of." Chen Yishui was a little disappointed, but the catch weighed a full five thousand jin and was still worth a lot of money.
After all, while spotted knifejaw wasn’t as expensive as humpback grouper, it was pricier than other types of grouper.
*(Pictured above is a spotted knifejaw, and below is a humpback grouper. Note the differences in their shape and spots.)*
Liang Xiaoyu grinned. "This is a great fish, Xiao Rui. Can we have one for lunch?"
Han Xiaorui chuckled. "What’s one? If we’re going to eat, let’s eat our fill. We’ll cook two. Pick the best, biggest ones."
Liang Xiaoyu laughed. "I can’t listen to you on that. We’ll save the ones in good condition to sell. We can eat the ones that are a bit banged up and won’t fetch a good price."
Even though Han Xiaorui said that, the crew automatically practiced thrift, not letting her be so indulgent.
Everyone quickly sorted the fish, grading them by size and placing them in different, numbered baskets.
A new net was cast into the water.
The fishing boat sailed across the sea, dragging the net behind it.
After everyone finished sorting the fish, they began to clean the net.
Han Xiaorui didn’t help, because she had spotted Xiao Dai approaching.
Just like the first time they met, the creature was covered in barnacles again.
"Sister Shui, can you bring me the small fishing net?" Han Xiaorui requested, her eyes fixed on the water. "Where have you been running off to? You’re covered in so many barnacles."
Chen Yishui brought over the net and heard Han Xiaorui’s words, shaking her head with a laugh. "We saw it earlier and wanted to clean it off, but Xiao Dai doesn’t trust us. When it saw you weren’t here, it refused to come aboard no matter what."
Han Xiaorui didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but inwardly she felt quite proud. ’Xiao Dai only trusts me.’
"But it’s good that it’s so wary. At least it won’t be tricked by anyone else," Han Xiaorui said with a smile as she cast the net.
She and Chen Yishui worked together to haul Xiao Dai aboard.
Han Xiaorui felt it was unusually heavy. "What else is in here?"
Han Xiaorui peered into the sea and once again didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "So Xiao Dai’s introverted little wife is down there too!"
With great effort, Chen Yishui and Han Xiaorui lifted Xiao Dai and its wife out of the sea.
Xiao Dai’s wife had even more barnacles on her and was lying there obediently, looking extremely nervous.
Xiao Dai kept nudging its wife with its head, as if comforting her and telling her not to be nervous.
Han Xiaorui quickly grabbed some tools and, along with Chen Yishui, began to scrape the barnacles off Xiao Dai and its wife.
Once they were cleaned off, they both instantly seemed much more comfortable. Feeling better, even Xiao Dai’s wife became more lively, nudging Han Xiaorui’s hand with her head.
Han Xiaorui sent them some of her superpower, enhancing their physical abilities to give them better survival skills in the ocean.
Xiao Dai was so happy that it started moving around on the deck as if it were dancing.
At Xiao Dai’s prompting, its shy wife also started to dance.
If she had known, Han Xiaorui would have brought her big boombox from home to play some upbeat dance music for them.
They played for a while, and Han Xiaorui picked out some small fish for them to eat. After their "super spa treatment," their appetites were wide open.
Once the pair had eaten their fill, Han Xiaorui and Chen Yishui lifted them up and tossed them back into the sea.
"Herd some more fish for us," Han Xiaorui said, leaning over the side of the boat to look at Xiao Dai in the water.
Xiao Dai nodded, as if it understood.
After swimming a few laps on the surface, Xiao Dai led its wife down to the seabed and began cheerfully herding fish.
With Han Xiaorui’s arrival, it wasn’t long before the little dolphins appeared too.
They circled the fishing boat, leaping joyfully.
Liang Xiaoyu gasped. "How long has it been since we’ve seen this many dolphins?"
"The last time was about a year ago. We haven’t seen this many dolphins gather since Xiao Rui was on the boat over three years ago."
"People used to doubt it when they said Xiao Rui was Mazu’s goddaughter and the Sea Dragon King’s own child. Seeing this, who would dare not believe it?"
"Exactly! We’re so lucky to have a boat owner like her. Not only do we make more money, but it’s also very safe."
Chen Yishui sighed wistfully. "That’s right. Last year, the weather forecast was clear, but Xiao Rui told us not to go out. A typhoon hit that very night. I heard a lot of fishing boats were lost that time."
"All twenty of our company’s boats were completely unscathed. That made us famous throughout Shencheng. Now, whenever other captains want to set sail, they first ask if we’re going out."
Jinshan Bay was a place blessed by Mazu and treated kindly by the Dragon King.
Therefore, not only did every crew member worship Mazu and the Dragon King, but the company did as well.
Just now, when the fishing season began, the offerings they prepared had grown more abundant and the rituals more solemn.
Han Xiaorui reveled in the aura of the sea. After the fishing moratorium ended, the ocean was teeming with fish again.
Thankfully, the government had this policy. Otherwise, unregulated fishing would cause irreparable damage to marine resources.
The fishermen now understood the benefits of the national policy and supported the government’s actions.
Relying on the fishermen’s self-discipline alone was not enough to resist the lure of money. They would only fish to extinction, driving the populations to collapse.
At lunch, Han Xiaorui made a point of tasting the spotted knifejaw. It was tender and delicious.
She decided to take a few back with her when they docked to let her family have a taste.
After lunch and a half-hour rest, the trawl had been going for exactly two hours.
The net was now full and ready to be hauled in.
Thanks to the efforts of Xiao Dai and its wife, it was a net full of silver pomfret.
Silver pomfret was a fish of extremely high economic value, especially the larger ones.
Most of the fish in this catch were over two jin and fairly uniform in size. They must have run into a school.
Silver pomfret usually die as soon as they’re brought out of the water and are sold chilled, but they taste exceptional.
Seeing all the silver pomfret, everyone’s faces lit up with joy.
"Another full net! This is just bliss," the crew laughed, their hands moving even faster as they sorted the fish.
"Our luck has turned for the better with Xiao Rui on board," everyone remarked, noting that all the fish were the kind that fetched a good price.
Everyone was so full of praise, knowing their commissions were bound to increase significantly this time.