Chapter 1340: Setting Out

"Granny… let me pound your back…"

The aunties all grinned from ear to ear.

"No need, no need, this child is really so good…"

Ye Yaodong walked over and tugged the little braid on her head. "Why didn't I see you offering to pound my back?"

"Huh? Daddy? So tired, hug me, my feet are sore…"

Ye Ye Xiaoxi spotted him and went straight for it, hugging his leg and trying to climb up.

Ye Yaodong quickly grabbed his waistband; the enamel cup in his other hand shook so hard the tea sloshed over.

"Let go, let go, I'll carry you, I'll carry you, alright? Don't pull my pants down."

She obediently let go, then spread her arms wide, waiting for him to pick her up.

Ye Yaodong held the enamel cup in one hand and, with the other, struggled to lift her up.

Luckily, his arm strength had grown quite a bit from years of labor; otherwise, single-handedly lifting a chubby little girl really would have been a chore.

"I'm going home. Do you want to come home with me?"

"Yes."

"Alright, then go home and help cook. Your mother has no time, and your great-grandmother is too old. From now on, cooking will be your job."

She clapped her hands happily. "Okay, okay!"

Ye Yaodong was feeling pleased with himself now, but when it came time for the old lady to make dinner, he got a headache.

No matter how much they chased her away, she refused to leave, insisting on sitting in front of the stove to help tend the fire. She even dragged over a stool to stand on, then grabbed the spatula to stir-fry.

The old lady was worried she might fall in and end up cooked herself.

"Dongzi, Dongzi…"

Ye Yaodong was lying in his room with his feet propped up, resting his eyes, and thinking about anything he might have left unarranged—after all, he was setting out to sea at dawn tomorrow.

"What?"

Hearing the old lady calling him urgently, he rushed out in a panic.

"Take your daughter away. She's causing trouble here, insisting on stealing the work. Out of nowhere she suddenly wants to help cook? This little ancestor—who needs her to cook…"

Ye Ye Xiaoxi stood on the stool, one hand braced on the stove, the other gripping the spatula. When she turned to look at him, both her cheeks were smudged with ash.

"Hurry up and take her away. These old arms and legs of mine can't lift her, and I'm afraid I'll throw out my back. Get on with it—don't let her get scalded."

By the time the old lady finished saying this, Ye Yaodong had already lifted the child down. The little girl was uncooperative, squirming and twisting in protest.

"You don't have the experience to cook. Go find your little friends and play house first, practice a bit."

"Play house?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

Ye Ye Xiaoxi stopped squirming, obediently handed the spatula back to the old lady, and ran outside to play.

"Isn't that a simple thing? Shame on you for not knowing how to coax a child. She's so easy to fool, and yet you complain about her every day."

"If you're so good at it, you do it."

"If I stayed home every day, that wouldn't be impossible either."

"Easy for you to say, standing there. Go on, go on, you're not needed here. Go lie down in your room. I'll call you when it's time to eat."

Ye Yaodong glanced at the dishes on the table, casually pinched off a shrimp whisker, and walked toward his room, peeling and eating as he went.

These past few days, the village boats had been setting out one after another, though they all went out and came back the same day. These two days, seafood had also become more plentiful.

Of course, not all the boats set out this late; some diligent ones had cast their nets right after the seventh day of the New Year and hauled them in the next day.

During the New Year period, there was no worry about going without seafood. Every household had some dried goods or other. For these seaside people, the table could go without vegetables, but never without seafood.

When he lay down in bed that night, Lin Lin Xiuqing kept telling him all sorts of things about staying safe. She was also thinking that for this trip, she might as well have his father go with him—that would be a bit more secure.

For the fresh-catch boat, they could just hire someone else to drive it. After all, they only needed to go out to sea, pick up the cargo, and once ashore hand it over to Ah Cai. Whatever couldn't be sold for cash, give it to Wang Wang Guangliang, then bring back a cargo list for her.

She could then go to Ah Cai every few days to settle the accounts.

Ye Yaodong only comforted her, telling her not to worry. Only he knew how good the new boat was. As long as they didn't run into a typhoon or heavy winds and waves, there generally wouldn't be any problem.

These days, the accident rate was high. Apart from the weather, the main reason was that shipbuilding technology was poor—boats couldn't withstand heavy winds and waves, and couldn't go very far.

And he had looked into it: Zhao Zhao Chengzhou and the others' boat probably hadn't reached the open sea, only the usual deep-sea area, at most a bit farther than the Dong Sheng Hao had gone.

The Far Ocean No. 1 could handle fishing near Diaoyu Island with plenty to spare, and it was no worse than boats from thirty or forty years later.

One could say that, apart from maintenance every few years, the boat he bought would be a massive money-maker even in the future. At most, some machinery would need upgrading and replacing; its appreciation potential was no less than a house.

It had to be said that some foreign technology was indeed decades ahead at this point in time, but for us to overtake them was only a matter of time.

Anyway, for this trip he only wanted to test the waters; he wouldn't be staying out at sea for months on end like Zhao Zhao Chengzhou and the others.

Lin Lin Xiuqing actually understood all this, but as the departure drew near she grew worried again, so she wanted to give him a few more reminders.

"From now on, don't go out to sea anymore. It just makes people worry for nothing. Train a few more people now, then be the boss on shore yourself. At most, occasionally take the fresh-catch boat out to pick up a load, and you can come right back."

"We have plenty of boats. The fresh-catch boat doesn't need to drift around at sea all the time either—just wait to collect cargo from other fishing boats, and everything can be arranged right at home."

"You keep telling me to find more people to share the load, telling me not to be so busy, not to work so hard, yet you yourself still go out to sea every day…"

"Calling me so capable, yet you don't think things through yourself."

Ye Yaodong put his arm around her shoulder and patted it. "I want to rest even more than you do, want to stay on shore even more, don't have to go out to sea and take risks. But everything has to be on track before I can stay on shore."

"Our family has money now, so ordering a few boats is a relatively simple matter, but we also need the manpower."

"Training people up doesn't happen that fast. You have to get involved slowly, train them slowly, then match people to boats accordingly—only then can I safely retreat to shore and enjoy life."

"Right now, of course, I have to lead the crew out to sea myself. Only after we're well-practiced can we arrange for others to do it. We definitely can't just hand the boat over to anyone casually."

Which company didn't start with the boss leading the charge and working like crazy? Only once things stabilize can you enjoy life.

Of course he didn't want to go out to sea and take risks either, but at the very beginning, he definitely had to do everything himself first.

For the current development, he basically takes the same approach with every boat — once he's familiarized the crew, he picks a boat captain, then switches to another boat and starts training a new crew all over again.

Anyway, this arrangement already has a rough framework in place.

Now the shore-side receiving work has all been agreed upon in advance to be sold to A-Cai, and there's no need for workers to take it over — it doesn't touch money at all, so there's no need to worry. Once his few boats here are on track, he can retreat behind the scenes and just collect money at the appointed times.

Then later on, he can even arrange people specifically to collect payments, set up a corporate account, and all he'll have to do is lie back and watch the money roll in.

Just thinking about it feels wonderful...

But for now, he still has to go out to sea himself — he has to get all the people trained up first.

In a few years when the 90s arrive, navigation technology will surely have a qualitative leap, and by then he can order several more advanced fishing boats.

And after he works a few more years, he can also get all the boatmen trained up. The most important thing is actually the helmsman — ordinary boatmen just need a little sea-going experience, and that's easy enough.

Only by then will he be able to let go and truly enjoy life.

Speaking of which, his father's sea-going experience is actually still not as good as his, so he'll let his father keep running the fresh-fish collection boat to and fro, keeping an eye on those six boats.

Besides, his father is getting on in years too — Old Pei has already retired at home to hold his grandchild — so he can't exploit his father too harshly.

Then by that time, once he has multiple boats of twenty or thirty meters, or even thirty or forty meters, the small trawlers will be rather useless to him. He can do some favors and let the current renters, or future renters, buy them back at a discount.

He'd have made money and earned a reputation.

So yeah, he still has to keep at it for now. And although having a few hundred thousand on hand sounds like a lot, in the future it won't amount to much at all.

These few years he still has to earn and accumulate at the same time, then continue ordering several more big boats. The boatmen following him will also have something to look forward to — a chance to take over a fishing boat and earn a big share of the profits.

"I know what I'm doing, I have a plan. You just don't need to oppose me doing things, and once we're on track in a few years, I can naturally come ashore."

"When have I ever opposed you doing things? You even wanted to partner up with someone to open a fish cannery, and I didn't stop you. The reason I lectured you when you came back was because you took out a loan of 200,000 — that sounds scary. If you'd just said you used the money you'd earned to buy boats, I wouldn't have been so worked up."

"Not much difference."

"How is that not much difference? One is using your own money, the other is owing the state's money."

"Ah, let bygones be bygones, let's not talk about it anymore."

Lin Lin Xiuqing also held her tongue and stopped talking about it.

Ye Yaodong continued, "Once we get those five boats from the Zhoushi market at the end of the year, our family foundation will definitely double next year, and paying back the loan will be a piece of cake. It was never really a big deal to begin with."

"Then once the money's in hand, I'll plan to keep ordering boats. If we're ordering again, we'll definitely have to look at 40-meter boats — those don't come cheap."

"But after running things ourselves for a year this year, we'll definitely know how the harvests are. If we can make money, we'll keep at it. The people we've trained can all be put to use now."

"A few years of hard work, and our good days are still ahead."

Lin Lin Xiuqing reached out and touched his face. "Mm, then you'll just have to work hard for a few more years."

"It's a few years of working hard together."

"Let's sleep early — we still have to go out to sea tomorrow morning."

"It's fine, anyway we leave in the morning, no need to get up in the middle of the night..."

Ye Yaodong rolled over. Going out to sea tomorrow — if nothing unexpected happens, he won't be back until the beginning of next month.

Lin Lin Xiuqing knew this too, and felt for him.

The next morning, when he got up, everyone in the family was already there except the children.

His father didn't need to go out to sea today, but he came over with his mother anyway to have a look.

After breakfast, they first went to the Goddess Mazu temple to burn some incense, and during that time they ran into quite a few people.

Originally today was the day set for Ocean-Going No. 1 to head out first, but later he figured he might as well gather everyone to discuss it and shift all the boats to depart today too — set off together, since it was an auspicious day anyway.

With his current status and standing, he had plenty of authority. As long as what he said was reasonable, everyone would generally agree.

After the workers arrived, they all waited at the workshop to set off, and basically everyone had already gone to the Goddess Mazu temple to burn incense and pay their respects.

When the time came, Ye Yaodong led them onto their respective boats, and gave them a few extra reminders.

Ye's father worried that Ye Yaodong was young and couldn't handle the ceremonial side of things, so he followed him onto the boat. Then, carrying a bundle of yellow paper, he wandered back and forth in a mystical manner, tossing the prepared offerings into the sea in turn along the fishing boats.

Ye Yaodong had brought Ocean-Going No. 1 back out to sea the day before because of transporting supplies, but because of its deep draft, it had to anchor quite far out — right in the middle of the sea.

You couldn't see it at all from the doorstep; you had to get out to the dock to catch a glimpse of it.

He let his father arrange the departure ceremony for him, while he first took people to inspect everything — unlocking whatever needed unlocking.

After his father finished his business, they went together to the small enshrined statue of Goddess Mazu to burn some incense, and only then did they carry the small Goddess Mazu statue back into the cabin.

"Dongzi, I'm not going with you this time — can you handle it? Otherwise how about we swap?"

"No need, I can handle it. This boat is advanced, you don't need to worry. Just go back to shore. Once I'm done with the busywork, I should set off — I can't keep Uncle Zhao waiting too long."

"Then be careful. It's good that you've improved a lot these past few years, and you won't be gone too long this trip either. If anything feels off, just come straight back. I've also spoken with Old Zhao and asked him to look after you a bit more — if you have anything going on or any questions, ask him."

"I know."

His father had been spending a lot of time with Zhao Zhao Chengzhou lately — every couple of days he'd have Uncle Lin Jingye invite him in for drinks to build the relationship, and he'd even specially sent him a New Year's gift.

"Seeing you like this, I'm a little more at ease. So I'll get off the boat then?"

"Mm."

Ye's father took one step and looked back three times, then hesitated again as he was about to step off the boat. "You really don't need me?"

Ye Yaodong was already about to head up to the wheelhouse, but at his father's question he could only shake his head. "I don't need you. Just stay home — go out the day after tomorrow to collect a load of goods, then dock at the city and weigh the goods off to A-Cai."

"Alright."

Only then did Ye's father climb down off the boat and back onto the small boat.

But he didn't immediately start the boat and leave — he stayed on the boat and waited, watching until his son's boat got moving.

The other six boats also weighed anchor one after another, slowly heading out toward the open sea.

When the six boats were moving forward, Ocean-Going No. 1 also turned its bow and headed out toward the open sea.

In no time it overtook the six boats and surged to the very front.

The six boats behind also began to accelerate.

Ye's father stood on the small boat, watching several long boats charge toward the sea together, and let out a sigh of emotion.

"These kids have really grown up—they can hold their own now…"

"Old, old…"

"Gotta let the young ones take over…"

Only after all the boats vanished from sight did Ye's father set sail toward another vessel out at sea—Pei's father's boat.

The Harvest had been handed over to Guang since the New Year; today, Pei's father came out to see them off.

Ye's father had no complaints about Pei's father; besides, they weren't just in-laws—they'd been old acquaintances for years.

He felt that even for his son-in-law's sake, he ought to spend more time with Pei's father, lest he be swayed by his wife's whispers.

After all, he wouldn't be out on the sea daily anymore, and Old Pei wouldn't be going out either—they could meet up often for drinks and chats.

And it would be perfectly legitimate; his wife couldn't scold him for drinking every few days—this was alcohol with a clear purpose!

He was watching over his son-in-law's father, making sure he didn't do anything foolish.

Even Ye's mother would have to support him, and scold him less.

"Aren't you going out to sea either? That huge boat—just let Adong sail it alone?" Pei's father asked, puzzled.

Ye's father smiled. "Yes, the kids have grown up—they can make their own decisions now. They're better at everything than I ever was. No need for me to watch over them anymore."

"Adong's capable enough, but that's a big boat, and it's going far—can you really be at ease?"

"No need to worry. I know that boat less well than he does—he's long since graduated. I've also asked my friends to look out for him. These old bones of mine won't be much use anymore; all I can do now is keep an eye on things at home for him."

"You've got a good attitude."

"What's there not to accept? These past few years, he's been the one pushing forward, fighting through it all. I just lent a hand when needed. The real credit goes to his boldness and drive."

Old Pei nodded and said nothing more.

"You've got it easy now—just retire at home, no more sea, just holding the kids and counting money. What a comfortable life."

"Haha, counting money? Still gotta work—the fields are full of chores, and I still have to go out daily to collect the catch. Just as busy."

"Still better than being out on the sea. Now the sea belongs to the kids—we're old. The future is theirs."

"Yes, the future belongs to the young. We're old."

"Haha, you're still vigorous in your old age…"

"Heh, let's chat when we get back. The sea isn't the place for long talks."

"Let's head back first, then come over to my place later…"

Ye's father and Pei's father each steered their own boats back to the dock first.

Meanwhile, Ye Yaodong sailed the big boat at the front, full of pride, occasionally glancing back at the six boats behind him.

He'd even slowed down on purpose—if he'd gone full speed, those boats couldn't have kept up.

And on the small channel, they were all yelling "Holy shit, holy shit…"

"Dongzi, your boat is so cool…"

"When you just surged ahead, the white spray on both sides split open like a path—couldn't close back up."

"When you passed right beside me just now, the contrast was like a dwarf next to a giant."

"When will we ever get a boat this big, hahaha…"

"Don't dream. It costs over a hundred thousand—you'd have to sell your whole family and still not have enough."

"Not even close—sell your whole family together and you still wouldn't make it."

That kind of remark had to come from a good-for-nothing friend.

Ye Yaodong laughed. "Your new boat just hit the water, and you're already thinking about swapping it?"

"Haha, dreams are necessary."

"It's fine to dream—maybe this year we'll strike it rich. If we keep getting lucky for a few years, we might scrape together enough. Can't match you, but we can dream, right?"

"Hahaha, everyone's got hope. May we all make big money every year."

"Dongzi, how far out are you taking your boat?"

"Deep sea—just a bit farther than yours. Haven't gone into international waters yet. Other boats are maybe thirty meters, none as big as mine."

"Then you're the one we all follow, right?"

"Pfft. They're all old hands—they're just glad I don't get mocked for being a greenhorn. Follow me? Don't even think about it."

"Who knows? Your reputation might already be all over the fishing town. At your age, owning a boat this big—everyone's gotta take notice."

"Who knows? Besides, you've got to meet them to see. Recently I met two captains—their boats are complicated, seven or eight men pooling together, all relatives."

"That's exactly your strength—just hearing that this boat is yours alone, they'd salute you."

"Don't flatter me…"

As they sailed toward town, everyone chattered away.

It was their first trip out after the New Year—everyone was thrilled.

Ah Zheng and Xiao Xiao were on their new boat's very first outing; they were eager to make a big haul, talking nonstop, the most excitable of them all.

When they neared town, Ye Yaodong slowed down. The other six boats kept going without stopping, but notified him over the channel that they were splitting ways.

The six boats headed one direction, while Ye Yaodong had to find Zhao Zhao Chengzhou and join them.

He arrived ahead of schedule and waited on the sea for Zhao Zhao Chengzhou's boat.

The Ocean One still had a big red flower tied to it—very noticeable and easy to spot.

He'd barely anchored when a large boat approached and hailed him.

"Adong, you're here! Hahaha, your boat's truly impressive! I heard about it from your dad earlier, but seeing it in person—he didn't even exaggerate."

"Uncle Zhao, heh, the boats were all docked in the sheltered harbor before, so I couldn't show it to you sooner."

"Better late than never—I've learned something new today. Amazing! When I sold you that little boat, who could've imagined that just a few years later, you'd buy one this big? Your boat could sail freely into international waters."

"Just lucky. I made a bit these past few years, but I owe it all to Uncle Zhao's help back then—selling me that boat. Without you, I wouldn't be here today. That boat brought me great fortune."

"Haha, but that boat of mine was the one that made your fortune, right?"

"Wasn't it just? I owe it all to Uncle Zhao's good fortune. Going forward, I'll still have to trouble Uncle Zhao to keep an eye on things. I'm young and don't have as much experience as you. I'll have to keep leaning on you, my senior. My father also told me to listen to you more."

Ye Yaodong laughed and chatted, flattering the other man.

"Where's your father? Why don't I see him?"

"He didn't come. The fresh-fish collecting boat at home still needs him to skipper."

"Your father really has some nerve, letting you go out on a boat all by yourself. But you are impressive—it's only been a few short years and you've already built up such a big business. Who knows, maybe in the second half of the year we'll go out and try our luck with you too, see if we can strike it rich."

"Hahaha, I can't just casually promise we'll strike it rich. I'm just lucky. Let's first get through this first half of the year, earn the money for the first half, and then think about the second half."

"Right, right…" Zhao Zhao Chengzhou looked at him with a smile, sighed a couple of times, then said, "Impressive, truly impressive… I can count myself as having done one good deed, hahaha."

"Absolutely. I only got rich by taking over your boat. Uncle Zhao must have made a killing on that boat too, which is why you went and got this current one."

"That's true enough. I did make a bit, so I dared to switch to a bigger boat."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Ye Yaodong asked him again, "What about the other boat? Is it ready?"

"Almost. Today was the first day going out to sea, so everyone was busy a bit longer. Let's wait here a while. Once they're ready, they'll naturally come out."

"Alright. So in total there are just our three boats?"

"Right. Including you, that's three boats. You've met the skipper of that boat at your father's house too—he's an old friend of mine for many years. I saw him make more money buying a big boat, then he egged me on to buy one, so I followed him and went into it together."

"Alright, let's wait slowly then. No rush. It's only just dawn."

Zhao Zhao Chengzhou asked, "Have you burned incense for Goddess Mazu? Speaking of which, the small Goddess Mazu statue on my boat was actually invited aboard from your village. I don't know who came up with such a thoughtful idea, carving out a batch of small Goddess Mazu statues for worship."

"Our fishing boats going out to sea need a Goddess Mazu on board to keep watch. That way, even on the sea, we can worship and burn incense every day. Just seeing Goddess Mazu there puts your heart at ease."

The workers on the boat, hearing this, couldn't wait to show off: "Hehe, Uncle, you praised the right person. This was our Adong's suggestion."

"He figured that our fishing boats out on the sea could worship Goddess Mazu every day, and better pray for Goddess Mazu's protection."

"And that's not all. The reason that Goddess Mazu temple in our village was built so big is because Adong salvaged a great cauldron from the sea and donated it to the museum. Then the state put up money to support it, and the newspaper got the boat captains to donate. That's how it got built."

Zhao Zhao Chengzhou was surprised. "So it was you. I had heard someone donated something extraordinary, and then the government supported the building. We were out at sea at the time, so we didn't go over. We only heard later that we could invite small Goddess Mazu statues aboard, and that's when we went and donated 100 yuan in incense money."

Ye Yaodong said with a smile, "That was several years ago. These past few years, the village's Goddess Mazu birthday celebrations have been very lively. Have you been to see, Uncle?"

"I'd like to, but every single time I'm out at sea. You know how it is—once our boat goes out, it's for almost half a year."

He nodded; he could understand. Making money was important, and besides, being able to buy such a big boat had probably drained his savings.

The two chatted back and forth on their two boats side by side. Before long, another boat, also about thirty-something meters long, came over.

He had met this skipper before too. His name was Ding Daming. His father had invited him over a few days ago, and they had drinks back in the old hometown.

"Late, haha. The younger generation doesn't work efficiently enough, held us up a bit."

"No worries. We only waited a little while."

"Whoa… your new boat is something else, huh? Forty-something meters, right?"

Ye Yaodong said politely, "44 meters, Uncle Ding."

"Something else, alright…" He turned and started scolding the younger ones on his boat.

"Look at you all, then look at him… You're all about the same age, and he's already captaining a 44-meter boat. What about you…"

Zhao Zhao Chengzhou said with a smile, "Don't pick on the youngsters. Aren't the two of us also outclassed? The two old fogeys have been shown up."

"Right? Truly unimaginable. Such an impressive young man…"

"Since we're all ready, let's set off. We can chat as we go, switch to the small channel. It'll still be several hours before we reach the fishing grounds."

"Alright, let's get going…"