Chapter 270

Pomfret swim fast, have great strength and strong impact; when the school entered, they collided left and right, this time pulling down the fishing boat's speed.

Pomfret vary greatly in size; usually about 50 cm long, they can reach up to 1 m, and the largest recorded pomfret king measured 2.64 m and weighed 260 jin.

Most of the pomfret in Ye Cheng's net this time were under one meter, but a few were clearly larger, estimated to be about one meter long and weighing around ten jin.

Although pomfret are not expensive, this haul definitely exceeds 300 jin, which is still a decent amount of money.

The two didn't dare dump all the fish out, fearing they couldn't hold them; this creature is strong and fierce, and if they dumped everything, on such a small deck, about half would likely jump back into the sea.

They just pulled the trawl net's tail, heaved up a portion, then hurriedly stowed it in the hold; even cheap stuff doesn't need to be especially treasured.

When they had processed about a third, that big fish was pulled out; its one‑meter body, as soon as it came out it flicked its tail trying to jump back into the sea, but Xiao Hu was quick‑eyed and quick‑handed, he pounced on it and pressed it down firmly.

"Not bad, Xiao Hu, you've more than made up for your mistake," Ye Cheng said with a smile.

"Brother, don't just watch the fun, hurry over and help me get it in."

Even though Xiao Hu was holding the one‑meter‑long big fish, it was still hard to handle; Ye Cheng came up, the two grabbed it head and tail, and only then did they throw it into the hold.

The two didn't know exactly how many they had moved, they just felt tired.

Damn, hauling this net felt like pulling seven or eight nets.

After dealing with these rough pomfret, only then did the original small fry underneath appear.

The poor plumchild fish were squeezed so hard they were almost suffocating, and the octopus, with its soft body, was pressed until its arms straightened.

Ye Cheng pulled it off, looked at its straight body, shook his head, and said, "Brother, you've worked hard; I caught you to eat, and in your next life you'll have to be reborn as a shark to come back and take revenge on them."

Xiao Hu gave Ye Cheng a sideways glance, "Brother, you really can spin a tale—eating them and still telling them not to hold a grudge."

"I'm just giving it a clear path; otherwise, would you have it come looking for you?"

"If it comes looking for me, I'll just slice it and blanche it." Speaking of guts, Xiao Hu truly lives up to the 'tiger' in his name.

The two dumped all the remaining little fish and shrimp out, leaving the deck still full.

Among them, plumchild fish were the most numerous, with some white maiden fish as well; the two picked out dozens more plumchild fish, this time the larger ones were more common, and Ye Cheng saw several that were over two taels.

After finishing, it was already 2 p. m.; Ye Cheng glanced at the full fish hold, the water tanks were nearly full too—if another net came, they probably couldn't fit it.

Xiao Hu also realized it and suggested heading back.

Ye Cheng grabbed the radio and contacted Duan Chunsheng,

"Uncle, we've hauled a net of pomfret; do you want to come over and give it a try? I feel we haven't finished scooping them all."

"What? A pomfret school? Your luck is that good?" Duan Chunsheng said in surprise.

"What luck is there with pomfret? We yesterday..." he stopped midsentence when Ye Cheng suddenly remembered that Duan Chunsheng still didn't know he had hauled a net of big yellow fish the previous night, and he quickly cut himself off.

"Uncle, come over; we can't fit any more, we're planning to head back."

Hearing that Ye Cheng and company were leaving, and that there was another pomfret school, Duan Chunsheng didn't hesitate, immediately agreeing, "Alright, I'll be right over, wait for me."

The two waited boredly on the sea for about half an hour, then saw Duan Chunsheng's boat approach and slowly draw near.

"Lao Er, is your fish hold full?" Duan Chunsheng shouted from his boat.

"Full, any more would overflow." Ye Cheng replied loudly.

"Uncle, I just trawled this line; you can try pulling the net around here later—looks like there are seabirds over there." Ye Cheng gestured the route.

"Alright, thanks." Duan Chunsheng said, adding that this was only because they were fellow villagers; otherwise, he wouldn't have told anyone.

Ye Cheng was about to leave when Duan Chunsheng suddenly stepped out again and shouted loudly, "Lao Er, there are a few islands over there; anyway, you still have time today—you can go have a look, familiarize yourself with the route; you guys often go out gathering, don't you?"

Ye Cheng looked at the direction Duan Chunsheng pointed; it was the other side of the fishing ground, and one could return from there, only it would require a big detour.

"Alright, let's go have a look; uncle, I hope you also pull a net of pomfret soon."

After saying goodbye to each other, Ye Cheng set off in the direction Duan Chunsheng had indicated.

Behind him, Duan Chunsheng was already adjusting his position, preparing to drop the net.

The island Duan Chunsheng mentioned took Ye Cheng a full twenty minutes to reach by boat; the sea island looked small, somewhat like the coconut crab island.

"Brother, could there also be coconut crabs and bird's nests up here?" Xiao Hu stood at the bow, letting his imagination run.

"Where would all those coconut crabs come from? Look, there are no coconut trees here—just low shrubs."

Although the island does have quite a few trees, you can't see any tall coconut trees, and I don't know whether the other side might be different.

This trip was just to scout the route; Ye Cheng didn't intend to linger, so he circled the small island once.

The island's backside is much the same—no coconut trees either—dispelling Xiao Hu's notion of going to catch coconut crabs.

As for whether there are bird's nests, Ye Cheng planned to go ashore and have a look.

On the contrary, the reef stones on the island's back are numerous, densely packed, giving the sense that something is there; Ye Cheng pointed,

"Xiao Hu, what do you think those things on the reef are? They don't look like stone, especially in the crevices."

Xiao Hu stared for a while, shook his head, and said, "Feels like seashells, or maybe the shells of spicy snails."

Ye Cheng suddenly had a hunch; he steered the boat closer to the island, and things became much clearer.

"This... this is a Buddha's Hand Snail?" Ye Cheng exclaimed in surprise.

"Looks like it, and there are lots of them." Xiao Hu also recognized them; these growing in the reef crevices are indeed Buddha's Hand Snails.

Buddha's Hand Snail is a barnacle shell—yes, it's the barnacle that constantly harms sea turtles and various marine babies; its scientific name is turtle foot, also called dog‑claw snail, sea chicken leg, or Buddha's Hand shell.

Buddha's Hand Snail gets its name from its distinctive shape; its shell bears five elongated, wrist‑like projections that resemble a Buddha's hand holding something. This unique appearance makes it a popular collectible.

Buddha's Hand Snail is generally small, with a shell length of about 5–10 cm, conical in shape. The outer surface of the shell is smooth, usually white or yellowish‑brown. Its foot muscles are well developed, allowing it to crawl quickly and burrow into sand.

Buddha's Hand Snail lives in dense clusters, usually gathering in reef crevices where wave impact is strong, feeding on plankton and organic detritus.