Chapter 1256: Typhoon

"How many boats' worth of cargo did you collect at sea today? How did it go? Is it alright?"

"Not bad. Once I finish eating, I'll give you the cargo manifest and the money together."

"No rush. It's the same if you give it to me after all the boats return. When will they be back? You guys aren't really planning to give up on salvaging jellyfish, are you?"

"We still have to salvage them. Even if it's hard to salvage them over at the trench, we can still salvage quite a lot just by cruising around the surrounding sea surface. During the peak season, the daily harvest is also quite impressive."

He was just afraid that some people, having witnessed the dense, massive scene in the trench last year, would look down on the scattered ones on the sea surface, creating a psychological gap.

Although they didn't catch them for many days last year, those few days were already worth more than the amount those people would salvage in a month later on.

But no matter what, when the peak season arrives, the quantity on the sea surface will increase. It will be better than nothing, and it will definitely be stronger than trawling. Not to mention the small wooden boats; it's easier to make money.

They definitely won't lose money. It's just that they hired many people and paid high wages, so half the profit has to go, which will be heart-wrenching.

Or perhaps those small boats reached some kind of cooperation agreement with the motorized boats—whether it's a commission or a direct boat fee—he doesn't know if they will lose money or make a big or small profit.

After all, if the small boats want to come over, they have to rely on those motorized boats to tow them; they have to pay some price.

Aguang nodded. "Since we're already here, we have to earn money before we can leave. It looks a bit safer this year. Today, I saw them bring back quite a lot of cargo even though it was scattered. It's still alright; at least it's enough to cover the daily expenses."

"Hmm, I'll go out to sea to collect a batch of cargo again in two days. Recently, I'll just go out for a spin every morning to check the situation on the sea surface. If the quantity increases, I'll call them back when I collect the cargo, depending on the situation."

"I see your small boat is parked at the pier. Tomorrow, let a few workers take it out for a spin. Every little bit counts."

"I have to. When I went out to sea at night, I didn't give them instructions, so they didn't dare to move. It was only parked there today. Tomorrow, it has to be taken out for salvaging. We have to earn enough for a meal; otherwise, with so many mouths to feed every day, the wages will be the death of me."

"That's an exaggeration."

"Don't believe it? Each and every one of them could eat me into bankruptcy."

Everyone laughed and started joking around.

After the meal, Ye Yaodong took the cargo manifest and money from the *Fengshou*'s sales today and gave them to Aguang. Aguang just glanced at the manifest.

"It's all calculated at 60%? That's not a small amount, is it?"

"Hmm, thinking that everyone is familiar and not outsiders, I calculated everything at 60%."

For some cheap fish cargo, usually, the fresh-collecting boats directly cut it in half, collecting at 50%. After all, if too much cheap cargo is collected, it will take up space, but cheap cargo happens to be the majority. More expensive cargo, on the contrary, will be given more.

He gave 60% for everything, which can be considered quite conscientious. The boats were not far from each other, and they were all fishing at the same time, which also saved him fuel money and time.

Aguang just glanced at the manifest and gave the list back to him; he didn't even take the money.

"Keep it and give it to him together when my father returns. He knows how much cargo there is in his heart. If you give it to me, I don't know. You should give it to him directly and tell him; that way it's clearer."

"Alright then."

The next day, Ye Yaodong took people out to sea as usual, paying attention to the sea surface, and incidentally let them salvage a little bit in a scattered way.

However, after returning to sell a batch in the morning, he didn't go again. He just let the boatmen go by themselves, while he squatted on the shore to rest, and incidentally squatted to check the prices of fish cargo at the pier recently.

This continued for two consecutive days.

On the 3rd day, he drove the fresh-collecting boat to deliver ice and fuel to them, resupplied, and collected another batch of cargo.

With him driving the fresh-collecting boat, resupplying at fixed times and locations, and incidentally bringing news from the sea and home, the other boats felt much more at ease. They just needed to fish at sea; they didn't need to worry about anything else.

It felt even easier than fishing at home. They could know about things on the shore even from thousands of miles away, as if they hadn't run very far.

Everyone even said that if there was no situation and the weather was good, they would fish at sea for a few more days. Anyway, as long as he came over to resupply every other day and helped them take the cargo back, they didn't need to worry about anything.

Ye Yaodong naturally said okay; he couldn't ask for more.

As long as he made a trip out, he could earn 2,000 yuan. Who wouldn't do it? This money was easier to earn than anything else.

You are good, I am good, everyone is good. Resupplying and collecting cargo on time—everyone is satisfied.

Anyway, the quantity of jellyfish on the sea surface is not high now. Let those small boats mess around and fish. The big boats will go back during the peak season.

It's just that his thinking was very good, but heaven has unpredictable winds and clouds.

It was only the middle of the month. On the 2nd day after he returned from collecting the 3rd batch of cargo from the sea, he felt a bit chilly as soon as he got up, and there was wind. It was the familiar smell of a typhoon.

"Is a typhoon coming again?"

"Yeah, Brother Dong, we felt like a typhoon was coming as soon as we got up this morning."

Everyone was too familiar with typhoon days.

Smelling the wind, they didn't even need to open their mouths to know if it was a southeast wind or a northwest wind, let alone a typhoon.

Ye Yaodong said, "Alright, now it's great. We can't do anything. All the fishing boats can only return."

"That's a good thing. The locals can't salvage either. Look at how they stay on the boats in the middle of the night, waiting in the trench. It's too disgusting."

"This is called hurting the enemy by a thousand and damaging oneself by eight hundred. Are you stupid? No one can salvage, and they can only stay at home. Then who will pay your wages? Salvaging in such a scattered way recently at least allows you to earn some."

"Uh..." The boatman scratched his head and didn't dare to speak.

Ye Yaodong changed the subject. "But it is indeed disgusting. They don't even want their faces. Anyway, we haven't salvaged much. It's just right that a typhoon is coming. No one should salvage. It's too shameless, still guarding there in the middle of the night."

"That's what I'm saying..."

Everyone was united in their hatred, cursing the locals.

The cause was that in the past few days, the villagers went out to sea earlier and earlier every day, just to occupy a good position in advance and salvage a little more.

But no matter how early the villagers went, they could find quite a few fishing boats in the trench, and they went earlier and earlier every day, and the boats there were increasing every day.

In just two or three days, they discovered that these people hadn't returned at all. It might be that they came out after eating dinner at night and then slept directly on the boats, sleeping on this part of the sea.

Damn it, they don't follow the rules of the game. It's too sleazy, too shameless.

Everyone had been cursing every day recently. Now it's great, a typhoon is coming, and everyone is clapping and cheering.

If I can't earn big money, don't even think about earning big money either.

After Ye Yaodong finished his meal, he took his people and Aguang to the outside of the pier. The wind was obviously stronger, blowing their clothes so tightly against them, and their hair was naturally blown into a slicked-back style.

On the sea surface, one could obviously see the waves getting bigger, and one could see the waves rising and falling. Many fishing boats didn't go out to sea at all today. A pile of large and small fishing boats on the shore were all docked there. In the past, it would have been empty at this time.

And a pile of fishermen on the pier were cursing and discussing the typhoon, saying it was bad luck, and even cursing God.

He pondered that his father and the others should be coming back soon, right? The wind and waves in the open sea would be more obvious.

"Why hasn't our boat returned yet?"

"It should be soon. They're probably thinking they can still withstand the wind and waves."

"A typhoon is coming soon; they'll definitely be affected..."

"I don't know when the typhoon will arrive. It probably just formed not long ago, so at least 48 or 72 hours from now."

Ye Yaodong found a corner of a wall and squatted down, saying, "It's nothing, let's just wait and see. We have nothing to do anyway since the typhoon is coming; being idle is just being idle. They didn't go very far, so it shouldn't take them many hours to return. Once they feel the wind and waves, they should be able to return by the morning."

"Alright then, let's just stay here. We don't have anything to do today anyway."

A large group of people squatted in a circle, smoking and chatting.

If Ye Xiaoxi were here, she would probably take a handkerchief, circle around behind them, and sing a song...

They chatted and passed the time. Sure enough, as it neared noon, they saw four large boats sailing majestically toward the shore.

"They're back!"

"Finally back. I told you, they should be back by the morning."

Everyone took a step ahead and walked to the shore to wait.

The surroundings were already packed with various fishing boats, so the few large boats could only dock at the edge, and they followed the trajectory of the fishing boats to move forward.

"What's that on the deck? Why does it look like something in nylon bags?"

"I think so too. Look, their feet are sinking into it."

"What's piled up on the deck? So much of it? It didn't get into the fish hold... Is it jellyfish?"

"It really seems to be? Where did it come from?"

Everyone stood where they were, discussing it curiously. They just couldn't see clearly from a distance, and they weren't too surprised; it was possible they had dragged them up with the trawling net.

It wasn't until they docked that they realized the deck was densely covered with a huge pile of jelly-like jellyfish, and they were piled up almost higher than the gunwales. And it wasn't just one boat; all four boats were like that. Everyone's eyes went wide.

"Holy crap, this many?"

"I said it looked like jellyfish, why so many? I thought it was just a layer on the deck, but it's almost overflowing?"

"Damn, so they only came back now because they secretly ran to the sea trench to catch a haul? This is too good."

Aguang laughed happily, "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. No one can fish during a typhoon, but we ended up catching them all in one net."

Ye Yaodong was also very surprised that they were able to catch a haul on the way back.

It really was; taking advantage of the typhoon weather when all other boats had returned and didn't dare to linger outside, they managed to get a haul and come back.

Everyone was very happy and all climbed onto the boats actively, asking questions all at once, but the result was a bit beyond their expectations.

"What sea trench? This wasn't caught in a sea trench!"

"We caught this on our way back. You guys don't know, it was everywhere..."

"We felt the waves were a bit big at night, and the wind was strong, but we didn't take it to heart. At most, it was about the same as winter wind and waves. We only thought about returning when we felt it getting stronger in the morning."

"Guess what? We had only been sailing back for an hour or so when..."

"Let me say it, let me say it. We saw the sea surface ahead covered with jellyfish, densely packed, couldn't see the end at a glance, there were just too many..."

"Yeah, the whole sea surface was covered, jellyfish as far as the eye could see. We were almost scared out of our wits with joy."

Ye's father also said with a smile, "So we couldn't bear to leave. Seeing that the waves were still manageable, we rushed up to catch them quickly. That's why we were delayed until now; otherwise, we should have been back at daybreak."

"If the boat wasn't full, we might have stayed a little longer..."

"It's not just that it's full, we don't have anything to kill them with, and we were afraid they'd melt into water, so we hurried back as fast as we could."

"Quick, quick, quick, don't just stand there watching, hurry up and help kill them. There's so much, and we've already been delayed for an hour. Hurry, or they'll melt into water, we won't be able to finish killing them all."

Ye Yaodong also hurriedly ordered people to run back and get more knives and scissors.

He brought many people, so he wasn't worried and could handle it, but the other three boats were worried they wouldn't be able to finish.

He hurriedly reminded them, "You guys hurry ashore and invite the local women to come over and kill them, be quick."

"Right, right, right, inviting local women to come over is faster. Aguang, hurry and arrange for vehicles..."