Chapter 1156: Showing off in public

First it was the Jack storm, then the red tide, and then a massive school of fish suffocated due to the lack of oxygen caused by the red tide.

Although they would have to rest again tomorrow, they had earned enough on this trip; resting for a few more days wouldn't be a problem.

Ye Fu smacked his lips and said, "How come I feel like this money is just too easy for you to earn... Look at how much others earn in a day at sea, and look at how much you earn!"

Ye Yaodong glanced at his father. "What kind of boat do they have, and what kind of boat do I have? When I first bought the boat, you all scolded me and nagged me, all opposing me for making such a fuss. Now you know I did the right thing, right? While everyone else didn't even know the red tide had arrived, we had already harvested a huge school of fish because of it."

"Who knew there would be so much seafood out there, making it so easy for you to earn? At the time, we were just thinking about the danger. Everyone has always been fishing in the near seas, but you insisted on getting such a big boat and running so far away. Wasn't it because we were worried? And you were so unreliable—how old were you, and you had no experience. Who could be at ease?"

"Yes, yes, you've eaten more salt than I've eaten rice, but you're old now. It takes young people who dare to fight and dare to venture to make money. Being too conservative won't get you anywhere."

"Just hurry up and eat your food. Stop talking, talking, talking over there..."

Ye Fu knew everything he said was right, so he didn't argue with him.

"Who's the one who keeps talking to me?" Ye Yaodong said impatiently. Ignoring his father's continued nagging, he finished off the remaining food and casually grabbed a tomato as a post-meal fruit.

Just as Ye Fu suddenly leaned in to whisper, he took a big bite of the tomato, and tomato juice sprayed all over his father's face.

Ye Fu squinted his eyes, reached up to wipe his face, and glared at him angrily. "How are you eating!"

Ye Yaodong laughed while eating and said vaguely, "Who told you to lean in so suddenly? There's too much tomato juice. Mmm, delicious. Do you want one?"

Ye Fu suppressed his anger and asked in a low voice, "You gave them red envelopes when you caught big hauls before. Are you not giving any today?"

"When did you become so generous? Did the sun rise from the west?"

"You're the generous one, not me. Haven't you always been like this? That's why I'm asking you."

Ye Yaodong looked toward the door while eating, watching the boat workers going in and out, taking fish to distribute to the neighbors.

"I won't give any. We only went out for one day and already headed back. We have to rest for two days to repair the fishing nets, and I don't know if the red tide will affect going out to sea. If it doesn't, then it doesn't matter. After the locals give up in these two days, we can still go harvest sea urchins."

"If it does have an effect..."

He paused for a moment before reacting. "Uh... the red tide doesn't seem to affect us going into the water to harvest sea urchins. If we can't go out to sea because of repairing the nets, we can borrow a flatbed cart from a neighbor, pull the nets back, and have people repair them in the courtyard. Anyway, we don't need fishing nets to harvest sea urchins."

"Oh my... I've digressed. I said no red envelopes, so no red envelopes. They already have high wages for coming out, and those who go into the water get an extra two yuan subsidy. That's already over 6 yuan. Who the hell can earn that much? The boat crew is even more impressive than skilled workers; they can earn one or two hundred a month."

"These jobs are part of their duties anyway. I wanted to give red envelopes because I have a conscience. If I don't give them, they can't say anything about me."

"The old ones on the Dongsheng were never asked to go into the water to help harvest sea urchins; they just stayed home to cook. Counting it up, they didn't do much work, and they still got such high wages. They're already comfortable enough."

"The few people who went into the water have extra subsidies; 6.5 yuan a day, damn it, why is money so easy to earn? I've already been very conscientious; if I give too much, they'll get spoiled, so I won't give any this time."

"Those with a conscience won't say anything and will definitely be very satisfied. As for those without a conscience, I won't ask them to work in the future anyway. When the time comes to go back, I'll just give them a red envelope of a few yuan each to show my appreciation, and that will be enough."

Ye Fu heard so much, and only then did he ask a question, "Who are you calling 'your father'?"

Ye Yaodong was choked up, "I said so much, and you only heard the 'your father' part?"

Ye Fu kicked the back of his knee, causing him to stagger.

"Speak properly, don't go around saying 'your father' all day long." After he finished speaking, he put his hands behind his back and walked toward the entrance, preparing to go out to enjoy the cool air.

Ye Yaodong was furious; he was just saying it casually, and his father was taking it so seriously.

He took a fierce bite of the tomato in his hand, feeling that his father also had the intention of taking revenge.

After finishing the tomato in his hand, he immediately returned to his room. Having stayed up for a day and a night and only sleeping for about three hours, he couldn't hold on any longer.

The next day, he slept until he woke up naturally. Having been tired for a day yesterday, he slept well today. No one came over early in the morning to make a fuss, and his room didn't face the street, so it was still quite quiet.

When he went out for breakfast, he felt the house was empty, with only his father in the courtyard tidying up the few vegetables in the corner.

"Where are the people?"

"They went out to make phone calls."

"Oh, I was wondering why it was so empty early in the morning; I didn't hear any movement or see anyone. Did two women come over this morning saying they wanted to mend the fishing nets?"

"Yes, they were taken to the boat a little after 7 o'clock, and two people were left on the boat to keep watch as usual."

"Hmm, that's good. Did you see any red tide outside the pier this morning?"

"No, and I haven't heard of any either. There weren't many boats on the shore early in the morning; they all went out to sea."

He nodded and didn't say anything.

After finishing his meal, he also went to the pier at the first opportunity. The two middle-aged women were wearing sun-shading straw hats and clothes full of patches, sitting on the fishing boat. The fishing nets were shaken open by them, covering the entire deck, leaving no place for people to step.

He pushed the fishing nets aside before stepping onto the deck. The two women only looked up at him once, then lowered their heads to repair the nets, whispering to each other a few times.

Ye Yaodong didn't come specifically to watch them mend the nets; anyway, their workers were there on the boat. He came to check on that sawfish from yesterday.

It was still in the fish hold, and the ice covering it hadn't melted yet. The freshness was still very good. After giving instructions to the boatman to keep a good watch, he felt relieved and went out again.

It was already past 9 o'clock, and the Maritime Police Bureau had long since started work. When he went, Zeng Weimin was on the phone.

After waiting for a good while, he saw him hang up the phone.

"Are you here to ask about the couple's matter? Did that family come to your place to make trouble again?"

Ye Yaodong was stunned for a moment before he realized what he was talking about, and he quickly shook his head, "No, no, it's not about that. They only came once yesterday morning and then left dejectedly; they didn't come to the door today. The day before yesterday, you said to have someone go over and warn them, and by the way, tell them about their family members being sentenced; they probably wouldn't dare to make trouble again."

He nodded.

Ye Yaodong continued, "I caught an unusual big fish when I went out to sea yesterday, and I was thinking of donating it to the aquarium to be made into a specimen."

Zeng Weimin was a bit surprised; it was a bit beyond his expectations. He thought there was something else he was asking for.

"What kind of fish?"

"A type of fish called a sawfish. It should be very rare around here. When it was dragged back yesterday, all the fishermen on the shore said they didn't recognize it. It might be a species that drifted in from the high seas or some further sea areas."

Zeng Weimin was a bit confused; he didn't know much about fish.

"Very rare?"

"It is very rare. Actually, it's also because it can't be sold, haha, because everyone doesn't recognize it, doesn't know its value, and no one dares to take it, fearing it will be stuck in their hands. I thought it was a rare big catch, several meters long, and it would be a waste to let it rot. If there is technology, making it into a specimen can also allow future people to admire it. Does our city have an aquarium?"

"There is one..."

"That's right. Donating it to the aquarium to be made into a specimen can be for people to watch, broaden everyone's knowledge, and enrich the aquarium's species. After all, rare fish are hard to come by. A dignified aquarium can't just have ordinary goods; it must have some that can be shown off and attract people."

"You said it's several meters long?"

"3.92 meters, nearly 4 meters. Maybe the measurement isn't accurate, and there might be a little error, but the most special thing is that its snout has a bit over a meter, just like a saw."

"So big? A saw? A saw over a meter long on its mouth?" Zeng Weimin was surprised. It grows so strangely?

Everyone said it was a big fish, and he wasn't surprised that it was three or four meters long, but it was really strange that it had a saw over a meter long on its mouth; he couldn't imagine it.

"I took photos, but the film isn't finished yet, so I didn't take it out to be developed. If I take it to be developed, it won't be that fast. Otherwise, shall I take you to the pier to have a look?"

Ye Yaodong thought of the scorching sun outside and felt it wasn't realistic to have a leader walk a long way to the boat at the pier, so he added, "Or if you don't mind, shall I have someone carry that fish to the entrance? Let everyone have a look? This fish is really rare; not to mention ordinary people, basically no one has seen it."

"Since you say it's so rare, then have someone carry it over for a look. If it's really that rare, I'll help you call people over to have a look and see if it can be made into a specimen. If it's really some incredible fish made into a specimen and hung in the aquarium, that would indeed be a face-saver."

He happily agreed, "Okay, I'll call someone to carry it immediately. Leader, please wait at the unit first; the sun outside is too scorching. Don't come out yet; I'll come call you after it's carried over."

"Fine, you have a heart."

"Hey, this is also to give back to the city. You even wanted to recommend me as the vice president, so it's only right for me to offer a rare fish to our city's aquarium as a return gesture."

"Good, then carry it over first to have a look. I'll also have someone invite the people from the Ocean Bureau over to have a look later."

Ye Yaodong happily went out immediately and ran to the pier again in high spirits, making himself drenched in sweat. But with only three people, it wasn't easy to carry that fish; that fish weighed at least 200 jin.

He had someone run back home to call people over.

Taking advantage of the waiting time, he let himself relax a bit.

After everyone arrived, everyone worked together to carry the fish out of the fish hold.

As soon as it was carried out, the two women on the boat widened their eyes in surprise, stood up, and chattered.

"You mend your nets; we'll be back in a while." After saying this, Ye Yaodong had them carry the fish down first, and he locked the fish hold and the cabin before following.

The nearly 4-meter-long sawfish was carried onto the pier and immediately attracted everyone's attention. Approaching noon, there weren't many people here; except for the early morning and dawn, as well as the evening, the pier was generally very deserted in such hot weather.

There were only some nearby peddlers or people from the acquisition points, all sitting in the shade dozing off listlessly. As soon as they saw the big fish they were carrying, some were stunned and ran over one after another.

Yesterday, this sawfish was covered in fishing nets, and except for a few bosses at the acquisition points, only a few people saw its true face.

Because by the time the fishing nets were completely untied, it was almost dark. After the fishermen saw them finish selling the goods, most of them also hurriedly sold their goods and left. Many didn't know that there was such a big fish at the very bottom, and only a limited number of people who were still watching at the time would know.

At this time, the people surrounding them included those who had seen it yesterday and those who hadn't. Those who had seen it were curious, and those who hadn't were amazed.

"Is this the fish from yesterday evening? It seems even bigger when carried ashore in broad daylight... That tooth really looks like the iron sheet on a saw..."

"Oh my, what kind of fish is this? Why is it so big? Why does it grow so strangely?"

"Was this fish just caught? Oh... such a big fish? Why is it so ugly, and it needs so many people to carry it? How heavy is this fish? Several hundred jin? It's several meters long, can it be sold for a lot of money?"

"Where are you carrying this to?"

"Are you carrying this fish home? Why didn't you carry it back last night? It's almost noon now, such a big sun..."

"Aren't you selling this fish? Where are you carrying it to?"

"How much can this fish be sold for?"

Ye Yaodong was all smiles, "There is still some unmelted ice on this fish, it won't be ruined by the sun after walking a short distance. We are carrying this to the Maritime Police Bureau, not for sale."

After saying this, he shouted for everyone to walk toward the crowded place.

Of course, he had to show off, otherwise how would people know he caught such a big fish?

If you don't show off when you should, isn't that like wearing silk in the dark?

The more people attracted, the better. It would be best to attract everyone on the whole street, surround them tightly, and let everyone show that they find it rare. Only then can the superiors feel it's even more rare and attach more importance to it.

Everyone thinks it's rare, then it must be rare.

"Why are you carrying this to the Maritime Police Bureau?" asked the boss who bought his fish yesterday.

"I am familiar with the leader inside. I mentioned it to him earlier, and he asked me to carry it over for a look."

The onlookers on the side were all surprised.

"Aren't you from out of town? How do you know the leader of our Maritime Police Bureau?"

"Yeah, you are actually familiar with our Maritime Police Bureau leader? Is it true or false? What's your background?"

"Why does the leader want to see this fish?"

Ye Yaodong remained silent, didn't answer, only smiled, leaving some room for imagination for the masses.

The more gimmicks, the more people will be attracted. The more people, of course, it means everyone finds it rare and wants to watch the fun.

Originally, people nowadays are very gossipy, there are too few entertainment activities, and there is nowhere to go in the hot weather. Once there is a little bit of movement, not to mention the whole street, people from several nearby streets all ran over to watch.

They hadn't walked long before a large group of people surrounded them. They didn't mind the heat, three layers inside and three layers outside, all wanting to see what the strange big fish that was showing off looked like.

Those who had seen it followed from a distance, taking the opportunity to walk in the shade of big trees as much as possible, wanting to follow to the destination to see why the leader wanted this fish carried over.

Ye Yaodong looked at the crowd surrounding them on the side and in front. This had seriously hindered their walking, and not far away, many people were coming over in twos and threes after hearing the news.

He shouted, "Everyone, please make way. If you want to watch, walk on the side; don't block the road in front. In this hot weather, the fish will be ruined if it's exposed to the sun for too long. The leader specifically asked to see it, so we must carry it over quickly."

Others also shouted for the people in front to make way.

"It's too hot. If we walk for too long, everyone will be exposed to the sun. If you want to know the situation, you can go to the entrance of the Maritime Police Bureau and wait in advance. This fish is also to be carried to the Maritime Police Bureau."

Ye Yaodong shouted again, and the road ahead could continue to be walked.

"Why does the leader want this fish? Are they preparing to kill it and eat the meat tonight?"

"That can't be. Anyway, just follow and watch, and you'll know. Hurry up and go, occupy a good position in advance. There are people everywhere here; later at the entrance there won't even be a place to stand..."

Everyone rushed over in twos and threes to the Maritime Police Bureau to occupy positions, and the surrounding crowd became a bit empty, but there were still people coming over one after another after hearing the news.

Their group had no choice but to carry the fish while walking and shouting, asking the people in front to make way.

It was just a fish, yet it attracted so many people to watch; even a funeral wouldn't have so many people sending it off.

Ye Yaodong thought so in his heart, but he was too embarrassed to say it out loud; it was too unlucky, so he only dared to mutter in his heart.

Originally, walking from the pier to the Maritime Police Bureau wouldn't take an hour if walking fast, and it would be faster if running. However, there were too many people blocking the road on the street, and it was all one passing to ten, ten passing to a hundred; wherever there was fun, they would gather.

It took them nearly two hours to carry the fish, and Ye Yaodong was worried that the people had already finished work and left. They would have to guard this fish until work started, by which time the fish would be stinking, and they would be dried into human jerky.

However, he underestimated the gossiping heart of the masses. When they arrived at the Maritime Police Bureau, everyone was stunned. When they were still 100 meters away, the road ahead was full of bobbing heads.

And, the gossip passed by the masses had already turned into the leader preparing to set up a pot at the entrance to boil the big fish...

"No, no, what I heard is that they caught a big fish of several dozen meters, and the leader is preparing to share it with the masses, letting everyone have a sip of soup."

"I heard that fish is super big, very rare. Just the mouth of that fish can cut a shark in half... The leader specifically wants to buy it back..."

"I heard that fish is delicious. Although it looks ugly, the meat is very smooth. Even the leader heard about it and wants to buy it back..."

"I heard that too, that fish makes very fresh soup..."

The sweat on Ye Yaodong's body kept dripping down as if it were free. Listening to these rumors, if he weren't a participant, he would have believed them too.

Ye Fu couldn't help but ask: "Didn't you say you wanted to make it into a specimen? Now is the leader going to take it to eat? Then didn't we catch it for nothing?"

"Don't listen to everyone's nonsense. Some words change as they are passed around. The leader just said to carry it over for a look first. Who knew everyone's imagination was so rich."

Before anything happened, they had already thought of 18 ways to eat it.

"No, with so many people surrounding the front, how can we get through?"

"You carry it well."

After Ye Yaodong finished speaking, he let go of the end he was carrying, then walked to the front, gathered his energy, and shouted loudly, "Everyone, please make way, the fish is here, the fish is here..."

"The fish is here, the fish is here..."

He just shouted once, and the people in front spontaneously helped shout, and then without him needing to speak again, the crowd automatically cleared a path.

Actually, there weren't necessarily that many people; it was mainly because the streets were too small now, so it seemed like there were many people.

The ones in front made way and stood on both sides, and the road seemed spacious.

"Ah, so this fish looks like this. It's not ten-plus meters long. Who said ten-plus meters?"

"Yeah, who grew ten-plus meters? But the mouth really looks like a saw. So strange and ugly..."

"The fish is here, the fish is here. Are they going to set up an iron pot and start a fire? Can we have a sip of soup?"

"Dream on, right? Can the fish bought by the leader be shared with you?"

"No, didn't everyone say it's the leader's birthday, and they are preparing to invite all the elderly over 80 in the county to drink fish soup?"

"Really? Then do I have to go home and get a bowl?"

Ye Yaodong felt embarrassed when he passed by and heard this...

Is it too exaggerated to go home and get a bowl?

It was only two hours, can everyone pass it around so much?

By the time they carried the fish to the entrance while listening to various comments, the entrance of the Maritime Police Bureau was already full of people wearing various uniforms. Not only people from the Maritime Police Bureau, but also from other units.

Based on the clothes, he couldn't recognize what units they were, but ordinary people shouldn't be able to stand with them, right?

Ye Yaodong ran forward quickly, wiped his sweat, and said: "Sorry to keep the leader waiting. Originally, we should have come over early, but who knew that after this fish was carried onto the street, it attracted the masses to watch. Everyone has never seen such a big fish, and doesn't recognize what kind of fish it is, and everyone is very curious."

"One passing to ten, ten passing to a hundred, it feels like the whole city's people ran out to watch, so the road was blocked. It delayed us for a long time, and it took double the time to get here, delaying the leader's work."

They were probably very curious too. Seeing that even the masses were so curious, their curiosity must have doubled, so they didn't finish work and waited there.

"It doesn't matter, it's just that everyone passed it around a bit too much. In just this short while, there's all sorts of talk." Zeng Weimin was a bit helpless.

Ye Yaodong was also a bit ashamed. He only said the leader of the Maritime Police Bureau wanted to see this fish. Who knew everyone's imagination was so rich.

"Is this the fish you were talking about? It's indeed something I've never seen before. It looks quite rare. No wonder everyone ran out to watch when they heard about it."

"It doesn't seem as magical as passed around, ten-plus meters big..."

Ye Yaodong said helplessly: "I don't know how everyone passed it around. Now the fish is here, leaders, have a look. I think if it can be made into a specimen, it would be quite good to put it in the aquarium."

"Seeing so many people so curious today, everyone will definitely be willing to run to the aquarium to have a look and see something rare, adding some popularity to our city's aquarium. I heard there are only some turtles and goldfish inside... haha..."

"Strange and rare species can always arouse people's interest. Common ones aren't rare. This fish has really never been seen before. After all, our place is by the sea, so it's good for the aquarium to have more marine life, haha..."

After he finished speaking, he shut his mouth. Looking at them one by one, they were all leaders, so he didn't need to point fingers.

They were whispering to each other one by one.

The masses also saw the true face of this fish. Some who hadn't seen it also squeezed to the front, then pointed and whispered to each other, with constant noise.

Someone in the crowd shouted, "Didn't they say they were going to boil it and share it with the masses? When are they going to start the fire?"

It was just relying on being squeezed in the crowd, with so many people that it couldn't be seen who was making trouble, that someone shouted.

"Are they really going to boil it?"

Zeng Weimin looked at everyone saying one thing after another, all thinking it was going to be boiled and shared with everyone, and hurriedly shouted: "Everyone misunderstood. It's just that this fish was caught yesterday and is a bit rare, so we asked the fisherman comrade to carry it over to discuss how to deal with this fish. We are not going to take it to eat, and I am not going to have a birthday. Everyone misunderstood."

I don't know why Ye Yaodong wanted to laugh when he heard him say he wasn't going to have a birthday...

He felt his laughter point was a bit low.

"Then what is it for?"

"Fish should be taken to eat, right? So big, it's enough for a hundred people to eat, right?"

Ye Yaodong watched the leaders in uniforms whispering to each other. After a while, he saw one say loudly: "Everyone misunderstood, this fish is really not going to be taken to eat. It is this fisherman comrade who wants to donate it to the Ocean Bureau."

"Hmm, we have discussed it. This fish will be taken for research first, not for eating. After all, it's the first time we've seen this marine life, and it has great research value. It's too wasteful to take it to eat."

The people on the side also echoed, "Yes, everyone's words changed as they were passed around. This is not for eating, it's to be sent for research first. If it has value, it will be made into a specimen."

"Yes, if it's really made into a specimen, it will definitely be displayed in the aquarium. Everyone can go to the aquarium to have a look then."

Ye Yaodong thought that taking it for research was also right. Now the country is in a state of waiting to be revived, and the understanding and development of the ocean are very scarce.

Even some academic and technical talents have only been recalled and appeased for a few years. It is normal to take new and unseen species for research to understand more.

"Ah, really? To be taken for research? What's there to research about a fish?"

"Could it be researched into the stomach?"

"So it's not for eating..."

Zeng Weimin also loudly appeased, "Listen to the fisherman comrade, this fish has rough meat quality and is not suitable for consumption, so he intends to donate it to the Ocean Bureau. After all, although such a big fish is not suitable for consumption, it is very rare. He also wants to contribute to marine research and development. Everyone, don't misunderstand, this fish is not delicious."

Ye Yaodong also spoke appropriately, "Yes, this fish was caught by me. I heard it has great research value, so I thought of making a small contribution to our country. Taking it for research can also let everyone know more about the ocean."

"Hey, who is passing around nonsense there?"

"Exactly, saying the leader is having a birthday, saying they are going to invite the elderly to drink fish soup to live a long life, all passing around nonsense."

Zeng Weimin shouted: "Rumors are not credible. Everyone, don't be deceived by rumors. You can disperse. Don't get heatstroke at noon."

"Everyone can go home for lunch. Don't be exposed to the sun here. You've seen the fish, disperse..."

"Oh... disperse, disperse..."

"It's good to have seen it, go, go, go home for dinner..."

Although everyone was a bit disappointed, thinking it was taken for research and not for eating, they felt balanced in their hearts.

Everyone passed on what the leader just said to each other, then dispersed in twos and threes and went home.

Those wearing uniforms also breathed a sigh of relief. With so many people surrounding there, saying it was taken for research could be considered an explanation to the masses, otherwise everyone would be waiting with bowls to scoop soup.