Chapter 385: Medium-sized Fishing Boat (Meter)

Indeed, this time it was still a burst net, even more than the previous net.

The two sat on a small stool with the lights on, starting to tie up the crabs; damn it, this work shouldn't be done by me, it should be done by Zhang Guafu.

Just as we were getting into the swing of things, suddenly a point of light appeared in the distance.

"Brother, look, it seems a boat is coming over." Xiao Hu pointed.

Ye Cheng also saw it; it looked like another fishing boat, not sure if it was heading back or just happened to be trawling by.

To avoid being hit, Ye Cheng rushed to the bow and pressed the horn a few times, then turned the light to its brightest.

Soon, a few horn blasts came from the opposite side, telling Ye Cheng they knew someone was there.

Ye Cheng originally wanted to see whose boat it was, but unexpectedly Xiao Hu started shouting,

"Brother, don't look, come back quickly, you've let a lot run away over there."

Xiao Hu shouted, Ye Cheng hurried back and picked up the few Chinese mitten crabs that hadn't escaped.

"No, brother, what's there to see when a boat comes? This isn't normal."

"No, I heard this boat's horn sounds a bit different, possibly unlike our boat; maybe it's not a fishing boat."

"In the middle of the night, what else could it be if not a fishing boat? Brother, you're not thinking of something like Da Liu again, are you? Besides, Da Liu's is also a fishing boat."

What Xiao Hu said actually made sense; after all, there shouldn't be other boats out late at night, and this isn't a domestic shipping route.

But soon Ye Cheng understood why he was doubtful.

Only see a tall and mighty fishing boat coming from behind, its imposing presence making Ye Cheng's boat look like a tiny shrimp by comparison.

"Holy shit!" Ye Cheng blurted out a curse.

At this moment, the 24-meter medium-sized fishing boat was far superior to their 12-meter one, even equipped with a lounge, capable of going out to the open sea for a turn.

Many things become inferior through comparison; originally Ye Cheng thought his boat was fine, but seeing the other's big boat glide past, he instantly felt his boat was a bit small.

This medium-sized fishing boat also used trawl nets; it seemed to have noticed Ye Cheng and the others sorting crabs, deliberately edging closer, then slowing down, and actually began hauling in its net right alongside them.

For such medium-sized fishing boats, the net is hauled by machinery; humans can't pull it.

Like Ye Cheng's 12-meter fishing boat, its trawl net is under 50 meters long, whereas the 24-meter one can reach 120 meters.

So when they deploy the net, it must be neatly arranged at the boat's side, then pulled and lowered layer by layer; unlike their 50-meter net, which can be handled rather casually.

Moreover, because the net lengths differ, the 24-meter trawl boat can operate at depths of up to 500 meters, while Ye Cheng's is only about 100-plus meters.

The bigger the boat, the bigger the net, naturally the catch is greater.

The 24-meter trawl boat's catch can be 5–10 tons, far stronger than Ye Cheng's limit of 2 tons.

When they hauled in the net, Ye Cheng and Xiao Hu could only watch.

With a few shouts, a bulging big net was seen hoisted up on the aft deck.

Without even looking, you could tell it would be more than double their own.

When the big net opened, the Chinese mitten crabs fell like rain, instantly piling up on the deck into a small hill, making Ye Cheng's eyes burn with envy.

This damn thing, this one net must be about a ton, equivalent to Ye Cheng's three nets.

"Brother, hurry up and work, if you keep looking the crabs will all run away." Xiao Hu's complaining voice came from beside him.

Ye Cheng lowered his head and saw it was true; having been busy watching the other's big boat, his crabs had escaped in numbers.

"Xiao Hu, don't worry, when I have money we'll buy a big boat like that to go out fishing; I'll definitely let you enjoy it too." Ye Cheng said confidently.

Xiao Hu rolled his eyes and glanced at him,

"Brother, I'm not envious of them; it's you who's envious. Our small boat has low expenses and doesn't need many people—how great is that."

"What's good about that? We can't spend our whole lives in coastal waters; if we get the chance we'll go to Alaska, go to the North Pole, and bring back some big haul."

Coastal waters are after all coastal waters; there are many things they don't have.

Terrible sea monsters exist only in the deep sea, and deep-sea resources are far richer; without considering risk, the deep sea definitely yields more profit.

"Hey, buddy, not a bad haul." A rough voice came from the neighboring boat.

Ye Cheng turned his head and saw a middle-aged uncle standing on the boat, about the same age as Duan Chunsheng, leisurely watching them; this should be the helmsman, while the one in back handles the seafood, and at this moment he could just rest.

"Not bad!" Ye Cheng held up a Chinese mitten crab, "We also had a burst net."

The uncle gave a thumbs-up, "Awesome! Just that the net is a bit small; a burst net yields only a few hundred jin, hahaha."

The man spoke bluntly and cheerfully, Ye Cheng didn't get angry either.

"Big brother, are you also from Shilin Township? I haven't seen you before." Ye Cheng asked casually.

"We're from the city, not your township; anyway, we're out at sea, so we came to catch some mitten crabs."

"Big brother, is this boat yours? How much does it cost?" Ye Cheng gazed enviously at their big boat.

The uncle tapped the hull, making a clanging sound,

"What's up, little brother, you also want to buy one?"

"Big boats earn more; who wouldn't want to switch to a bigger one, right?"

"Hehe." The uncle smiled lightly, "Young man, your idea is good, but reality is harsh; you can't afford this big boat."

Ye Cheng pointed at him indignantly,

"Big brother, you can afford it, so why can't I?"

The uncle chuckled,

"Little brother, this boat costs 800,000; I can't afford it either—we belong to the Fishery Company, it's a unit-owned boat."

Fishery Company, what a familiar name.

This should be the collective economy of that era; only they would say it's a unit's.

But never mind the Fishery Company for now; just hearing the price of this boat made Ye Cheng frown a little.

800,000.

Damn!

I still felt that my over 200,000 was more than enough to spend not long ago, but this boat costs 800,000—it's way too expensive.

No wonder that uncle said they couldn't afford it—they really can't.

Even if he makes 10,000 each time he goes out to sea, he'd still need three months.

Forget it, let's just focus on making money first; once my small lobster farm is up and running and I have more money, getting a 24-meter fishing boat won't be impossible.

80

80

80

Ye Cheng's mind was filled with the number 80.

"Brother, brother! Don't pull the crab legs!" a voice called, waking Ye Cheng.

He looked down and—oh dear!

Brother, sorry about that.

I wasn't paying attention and pulled off three of your crab legs.

But you still seem to have five legs left—why not put you back in the sea to see if you can survive?

Ye Cheng gently tossed that disabled crab back.

Although the two boats don't carry the same amount of cargo, their manpower also differs greatly.

In the end, they finished at about the same time.