Chapter 500: Rare Leisure Time

Saying this is a bit presumptuous, being stared at so directly really is unpleasant.

"Alright, alright, you talk too much—hurry up and set the fish traps."

"To be honest, today's luck value of 40 is genuinely good."

I've set eight fish traps, but haven't seen a single crab or shrimp—just some small sea snails and such.

Xiao Hu got fed up, put down his hook, looked at Ye Cheng and said, "Brother, why don't you take over? My luck's just not today."

Ye Cheng leisurely sat on a small stool on the deck, heard Xiao Hu want to switch, and firmly shook his head to refuse.

I already told him there'd be no catch today, but he wouldn't believe me and insisted on trying.

Let him go—sitting on the deck working is so much easier; even with eight traps, I couldn't pull out a single basket.

When the tenth fish trap came up, Xiao Hu's eyes lit up, and he pulled out a black sea cucumber from inside,

"Brother, look, we've got a sea cucumber."

Ye Cheng stuck out his middle finger, disdainfully saying, "You call this a sea cucumber? It's not even as thick as my finger."

Xiao Hu's face stalled at the words, a bit embarrassed he said, "What's wrong with that? It's still a sea cucumber—shows our luck is improving."

Our luck really has improved a bit.

When Duan Chunsheng pulled the fish traps, several blue-spotted crabs came out—already the most valuable catch of the day from the traps.

Duan Chunsheng looked at the mere three baskets of harvest, sighed, and glanced at Ye Cheng,

"'Did you forget to check the almanac before going out? Something feels off—this is way too little.'"

Ye Cheng chuckled upon hearing that, "Uncle, if the almanac worked, everyone would be rich—let's check the fishing lines instead."

The fishing line group's haul was also poor: a 20% hook rate yielded five sea bream and eight sea bass, the rest worthless.

Finally, the three pinned their hopes on two spiked‑net lines; the nets came through, bringing up a tiger‑grouper over a catty—today's top‑grade catch.

With nothing to show, all three felt listless, not even wanting to set the traps.

To boost morale, Ye Cheng pointed to the nearby island and said, "How about we go over there to rest, whip up some seafood for lunch, then head back?"

Upon hearing that, Xiao Hu's interest sparked—daily commuting life is indeed a bit dull; a picnic may not be as fun as gaming, but it's still play.

Duan Chunsheng gave a noncommittal reply; as a middle‑aged man, he truly didn't care.

Since two of them wanted to go, the three headed toward the small island.

After mooring the boat, the three took some gear to the beach, found a relatively flat stone, and began cooking outdoors.

For outdoor cooking, convenience is key—boiling food is too much trouble, so a direct iron‑plate grill is easiest.

Today's catch was scant; those thin, almost‑threadlike sea cucumbers were picked out, along with two blue‑spotted crabs, and fearing it wouldn't be enough, they also killed that sea bass.

Duan Chunsheng made the fire, Xiao Hu went to the beach to gather some clams and such, ending up with a full large plate.

The sun wasn't big or hot today, so the three simply sat there grilling, feeling warm and cozy.

Duan Chunsheng slowly gnawed a crab leg, sighing repeatedly, "Ah, when I retire I'll live like this—so comfortable."

Xiao Hu chuckled, looked at Duan Chunsheng and said, "Uncle, you're just saying that—someone as worrisome as you would never actually retire, I don't believe it."

Duan Chunsheng's face stalled, he turned to Xiao Hu and snapped, "You just love speaking the truth—can't you let me fantasize a little?"

Ye Cheng shook his head and added, "Just enjoy yourselves secretly—life's already good enough; in a few years, you'll be worked to death."

Upon hearing that, Duan Chunsheng blinked, "What does 'juan' mean? What does 'juan si' mean?"

Before Ye Cheng could respond, Xiao Hu pursed his lips, indifferent, "Uncle, don't mind him—my brother just likes spouting weird words that are basically useless."

Having said that, Ye Cheng was about to retort, but then thought better of it—indeed, it's pointless.

They're just words coined by helpless, unfortunate people forced by capitalism.

"'Put‑put‑put——'"

We were happily eating when a mechanical roar came from the sea surface.

The three looked up; a fishing boat appeared in view, heading toward the main shipping lane.

Xiao Hu smacked his lips, a bit curious, "Why another ship?"

"'Having a ship isn't abnormal—this sea isn't yours.' Ye Cheng retorted habitually, then lowered his head to pick at the sea snails."

Though rebuked, Xiao Hu didn't mind; he just pointed at the passing ship and said, "Brother, look at them—I bet their luck's worse than ours; their deck just has an empty, clean basket."

"'Oh.' Ye Cheng gave a casual reply; today's grilled sea snails were a bit tough, hard to bite."

"'Hey——'"

A huge, harsh noise burst into Ye Cheng's ears; his whole body jolted and he quickly clapped his hands over his ears.

Looking up, I saw Xiao Hu, that idiot, cupping his hands like a megaphone and shouting at the other ship.

Duan Chunsheng frowned, looked at Xiao Hu, and said, "Don't shout so loud—it's awful."

"'Hahaha, Uncle, shouting like this feels great!' Xiao Hu let loose a loud yell."

Meanwhile, that ship suddenly sped up, leaving a white line on the sea before vanishing at the horizon.

Ye Cheng smirked, looked at Xiao Hu, and said, "See? You scared them off."

Upon hearing that, Duan Chunsheng gave a faint smile, "Right, right—with that voice of yours, even someone who was about to rescue people got scared off by you."

Someone who was supposed to rescue people?

A strange flicker crossed Ye Cheng's face—how come this feels a bit off?

Just then, Xiao Hu suddenly plopped down beside Ye Cheng and struck his ear,

"'Ah!!!!'"

"'Fuck!!!!'"

"'Demonic sound pierces the brain!'"

Ye Cheng felt his skull about to explode; without hesitation he pressed Xiao Hu to the ground and bent his head backward.

"'An eye for an eye!'"

Ah!!! Ah!!! Ah!!!

Xiao Hu's face instantly donned a mask of pain, and he loudly begged for mercy, "Brother, I was wrong, I was wrong!"

Seeing this kid finally submit, Ye Cheng then got up, proudly clapping his hands,

"Now it's fair, one each."

Duan Chunsheng sat to the side, shaking his head slightly; young people just have vitality.

At noon, this wild meal wasn't filling enough, so the three of them made another two packs of instant noodles before leisurely heading back.

Just as they turned back to the dock, Lao He ran over, looking eagerly at Ye Cheng, "How is it, any big haul?"

Ye Cheng shook his head, gave a dry laugh, "No, my luck's bad today, just a little something—you can have it."

Lao He was a bit doubtful, but after going aboard and taking a look, it really was.