The Sea Queen of 1985

However, the thought of the catch in the fish hold made Han Xiaorui feel that her longing for home was bearable.

There was a seasonal ban on fishing in coastal waters. It was unavoidable, given how rapidly coastal marine resources were being depleted. Without a closed season, the ecological damage would be catastrophic.

However, deep-sea fishing was a different story. The open ocean was vast, allowing them to venture further out where marine resources were far more abundant. In the past, for various reasons, Hua Country didn’t have many deep-sea vessels. Now, with the rapid economic development, an increasing number of people were buying ships to harvest the open sea. In truth, a thriving deep-sea fishing industry was also a symbol of a nation’s industrial strength.

Han Xiaorui took out her camcorder to record their life at sea. Naturally, she also filmed the crew and the captains. All this footage would be preserved as the company’s audio-visual archives.

On their tenth day at sea, Han Xiaorui told Captain Xu to change course. “Let’s head home.”

Captain Xu was utterly convinced of Han Xiaorui’s abilities. Not only could she locate massive schools of fish, but she also expertly navigated them away from storms and whirlpools.

Currently, their fish hold was two-thirds full. If the return trip went as smoothly as their outbound journey, the remaining third would easily be filled. Returning with maximum capacity in just half a month meant they would rake in massive profits. As an experienced captain, he did a rough mental calculation and estimated this single trip would bring in several million. Two ships meant over ten million. Such an income was considered astronomical anywhere in Hua Country.

No wonder everyone was so envious when they heard he was working for the Jinshan Bay Seafood Catching Company. He did another quick mental calculation. For every trip, he received a commission of two-tenths of a percent. Even if the catch only sold for five million, his cut would still be ten thousand. They could make at least three trips every two months, amounting to thirty thousand in commission alone. Coupled with his annual salary, his income was incredibly substantial.

On their way back, they encountered another massive school of fish. By the time they were only halfway home, both ships were already filled to the brim. Since they stopped trawling for the remainder of the journey, their speed increased significantly. However, because the cargo holds were packed tight, the vessels were incredibly heavy. The two captains proceeded with caution, opting not to sail at full speed. Even so, on their fourteenth day at sea, they finally returned.

They made the necessary reports, submitted their docking applications, and finally moored at the designated port.

Chen Yupeng had been keeping a close eye on Han Xiaorui’s vessels, especially since he was the one who processed their deep-sea fishing licenses. When he heard they had returned, he was quite surprised. “Director Wu, President Han’s ships are back after only half a month? It seems they must have had a bountiful harvest.”

Director Wu smiled. “Yes, some vessels are out for a month, sometimes even two. But President Han is different. She returned with completely full cargo holds in just half a month. Hers are the first deep-sea fishing vessels to return during the coastal fishing ban.”

Hearing this, Chen Yupeng was extremely pleased. “That’s fantastic. If we don’t harvest the open sea, other countries will. At the same time, we’re strictly enforcing the fishing ban in coastal waters to protect the marine ecosystem.”

Director Wu nodded. “Indeed. Our efforts are finally showing results.”

After Director Wu left, Chen Yupeng immediately called Ye Feng to let him know that Han Xiaorui had safely arrived at the port. Meanwhile, Han Xiaorui had also sent a telegram home and a message to Zhang Guangnan, informing him that their deep-sea expedition had yielded an exceptionally good catch.

Without missing a beat, Zhang Guangnan rented twenty fifteen-ton refrigerated trucks and personally led his men to pick up the goods. When he saw Han Xiaorui, he greeted her as warmly as if she were family. “President Han, you’re an absolute lifesaver! The stock of wild-caught seafood I hoarded earlier is just about to run out.”

Han Xiaorui smiled. “I did a rough calculation. We have about seven or eight hundred tons of catch!”

She handed the inventory list to Zhang Guangnan, allowing him to take his pick before opening the rest of the supply to the buyers from the Jinshan Bay Seafood Wholesale Market.

Zhang Guangnan currently ran ten seafood restaurants. Assuming a twenty-day supply, he needed at least twenty tons a day, which meant a total of four hundred tons.

“I’ll take four hundred tons!” Zhang Guangnan declared, gritting his teeth. Summer was always their most profitable season, and he absolutely refused to miss out on the peak period.

Previously, he had to scramble to source wild-caught seafood from other regions, which came with steep prices and subpar quality. He had just inspected Han Xiaorui’s catch, and the quality was outstanding.

“Deal! In a moment, Sister-in-law Xiao Yu will come over. Just fill out the varieties and quantities you need, and we’ll load your trucks first,” Han Xiaorui said.

Zhang Guangnan beamed. “Thank you so much!”

Since this was Han Xiaorui’s first time docking at this port, she wasn’t familiar with the procedures. However, Captain Xu knew his way around and took her to sit down with the local official in charge. It was an opportunity to build connections for future dealings.

They had docked at nine in the morning and worked non-stop until seven in the evening to completely clear out their inventory. Liang Xiaoyu read off the final figures while the accountant rapidly punched numbers into the calculator.

The Harvest, the ship Han Xiaorui was on, brought in 6.94 million in seafood sales. The other vessel, the Hope, brought in 6.37 million. Their total revenue amounted to 13.31 million. After deducting various operational expenses, their net profit was an astounding 11.83 million.

The two captains exchanged a look of pure disbelief. Back when they signed on, they had primarily been drawn in by the generous annual salary; the commission rate of two-tenths of a percent hadn’t seemed particularly high. But looking at the final figures, they realized they would each be making over ten thousand from this single trip alone. It was an unbelievable windfall.

The crew members were also doing their own math. Based on their commission rate of one-tenth of a percent, their payout for this single excursion was over five thousand. In an instant, all the grueling hardships they had endured at sea were completely cast to the back of their minds.

Cao Yun was practically buzzing with excitement. “This really is a promising career! When I get back, I’m definitely going to study hard.” With this commission, he would finally have enough to buy a house.

He thought to himself, “President Han was right—housing prices are rising every single year, so buying early means profiting early. Aside from fishing, I don’t have any other skills. I couldn’t even bring myself to consider outside jobs anymore; nothing could possibly compare to the kind of money I can make working here.

“If I were a captain, my commission for this trip would be over ten thousand. Plus, I’d have a much higher base salary and additional bonuses. Over the course of a year, I could easily make several hundred thousand. Raking in over a million wouldn’t even be impossible!”

Cao Yun wasn’t the only one who felt this way; the rest of the crew shared his sentiments.

Everyone pitched in to scrub the cabins until they were spotless. The mechanics and safety officers conducted thorough inspections before anyone was allowed to disembark. Since the crew consisted entirely of fishermen from the Jinshan Bay area, Han Xiaorui chartered a company bus to take them home. Along the route, the men were dropped off as the bus passed near their respective homes. Eventually, the vehicle came to a stop in Jinshan Bay. After a long and arduous journey, Han Xiaorui, Liang Xiaoyu, and the rest of the core team had finally returned.

When Han Xiaorui arrived, Ye Feng and the children were already waiting to welcome her.

Han Xiaoqing looked at her sister with absolute admiration. “Sis, you’re amazing! It must have been incredibly exhausting, right?”

Han Xiaorui smiled. “It was exhausting, yes, but the rewards were more than worth it. The ocean is truly vast. Once the kids are on their summer vacation, I’m going to take them out to sea so they can experience its magic for themselves.”

Ye Feng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Does that mean I won’t get to see my wife and children for an extended period of time?”

“It’ll give you a bit of personal space to enjoy some peace and quiet,” Han Xiaorui teased with a smile. “That way, you won’t have us chattering and bothering you all day long!”

“You’re never a bother!” Ye Feng laughed. “But let’s not just stand out here. Hurry inside, get washed up, and change into some comfortable clothes. I have some good news to tell you in a bit.”

Han Xiaorui was pleasantly surprised. “What good news?”