Chapter 1736: Setting Sail Again

Ye Yaodong pondered the coral issue as he walked, but eventually decided against it. He was already wealthy enough; if he had only one boat like Xiao Xiao or A Zheng, he might have taken the gamble with everyone. But that wasn't the case anymore. He now owned dozens of boats, with a steady income of millions every year.

Going after coral carried too much risk. He now had hundreds, even thousands, of families depending on him.

When he was penniless, he could afford to gamble to get rich, but he was no longer suited to be a gambler.

If he went under, all those families would be back to square one.

He was now better suited for steady, incremental progress rather than radical risks.

Having figured that out, he stopped dwelling on it. There were plenty of ways to get rich; he'd leave that path for others.

When he returned to the factory, the news had already spread. The gatekeeper saw him and was exceptionally enthusiastic, grabbing his arm.

"Boss! Boss! My god, you're back! A hero! Damn, you're really something..."

Ye Yaodong felt his arm sagging from the grip. "Alright, alright, let go. Of course I'm something; when have I ever not been?"

"Did you beat those people black and blue? Did you make them cry for their mothers? You should've tied them up and paraded them through the streets..."

"Cut the crap. I used the excuse of a rescue mission to detain them and drag them back. I've already handed them over to the Navy at the pier. Now we just wait for our reward and to be named an advanced civilized unit."

"You're the man!" The gatekeeper gave him a thumbs up.

"I've got things to do. Go back to your post."

"Oh, right, right..."

Ye Yaodong wanted to take advantage of the unloading queue to take a shower, eat a hot meal, and rest, as unloading a dozen boats wouldn't be quick.

Just as he finished his shower and his hair was still damp, his father blocked the doorway.

"How did you manage to pull off something so big without a word?"

"Huh?"

Ye Fu sighed. "Give me the details of how it went down."

"Sure." Ye Yaodong walked toward the dormitory building while recounting the process to his father.

"... That's about it. I reported one extra person when counting heads, so you could get an award too? Though they didn't record names this time, just the headcount per boat..."

Ye Fu waved his hand. "Don't mess with that fake stuff. If I wasn't there, I wasn't there. It's better to be honest. Otherwise, even if you get it, you'll be laughed at. You wouldn't even be able to open your mouth to brag about it, so what's the point?"

Ye Yaodong nodded.

That was true. The experience was what mattered, not a certificate.

Even without an award, he could still brag about this for half a lifetime back in the village. Getting something fake would just make him feel insecure; what was the point?

"The boats are still at the pier, why did you come back?"

"There are so many boats, they're queuing to unload. It won't be fast, so I came back to shower and rest."

Counting it up, he hadn't showered in nearly a week. After the shower, he felt like he'd lost five pounds.

"Then get some rest. If anyone calls for you, I'll come get you."

"Alright."

Ye Yaodong lay back in his soft, fragrant bed and fell straight asleep.

It wasn't until nightfall that his father came to wake him, saying the boats had called to report that half of them were finished unloading and asking if they should wait for the rest or leave in batches.

Ye Yaodong naturally got up to reply, telling them to just leave.

This trip out had barely started before they were back, and aside from dragging that boat back, they hadn't actually done any work. The compensation and rewards hadn't even arrived yet.

As he was putting on his clothes, he asked his father, who was standing at the door, "Are you coming?"

Ye Fu turned and walked away.

"What's with him?" Ye Yaodong looked at his father's retreating back, confused.

At the pier, the fishing boats were all prepared and waiting.

Once on board, Ye Yaodong asked the captain, "How many boats have finished unloading?"

"About six. There isn't much cargo left; the collection boats have already done one round."

He picked up the walkie-talkie and called out, "Report, all boats that have finished unloading, which ones are ready to depart?"

"Dongyu No. 1..."

"Ocean-Going No. 8..."

The boats reported in one after another.

Ye Yaodong said, "Those finished unloading, depart with me. The rest follow as you finish, following the original route. Vanguard No. 1, return and rest; depart in two days to stagger the schedule."

"Received..."

After everyone acknowledged, he put down the walkie-talkie and notified the crew, "Everyone check your stations, prepare to leave port."

"Received."

By the time he boarded, the resting crew had already woken up and started their shift according to the rotation.

The fishing boats set sail again. The northwest wind whipped up layers of white-capped waves. This time, everyone was full of fighting spirit.

Halfway there, they encountered a pod of spinner dolphins racing alongside the boats, leaping from time to time.

Now, before industrial pollution and overfishing, marine life was truly abundant; sharks and dolphins were everywhere.

At dawn, the stern was followed by albatrosses, egrets, and other seabirds whose names he didn't know.

"Dongzi, what if the Navy notifies us to collect our awards while we're still at sea?" Ye Yaohua's voice suddenly popped up on the walkie-talkie.

"What are you worried about? It won't be that fast. It'll take at least half a month, probably a month. The collection boats come to port every two or three days; they'll pass the news along. We're at sea, not in prison."

"Oh, oh, oh..."

"Stop thinking nonsense. We'll reach the target area in another day."

"Alright."

Not long after, the boats that had departed later also made contact; they were all trailing behind.

Ye Yaodong calculated: he had about ten fishing boats of his own, plus one Vanguard No. 2 collection boat, then his older brothers' two boats, and his three friends' three boats. In total, 15 fishing boats were currently fishing near the Diaoyu Islands.

Even at 10,000 yuan per boat per day, excluding costs, his own boats' earnings were all his, and he took half of the others'. His collection boat was making a solid 120,000 to 130,000 a day.

After deducting fuel, labor, and other expenses, even if it wasn't 100,000, 80,000 or 90,000 was a safe bet. Calculating that, he really hadn't made little money.

And that was just the fishing boats; the processing plant's output hadn't even been counted yet.

If he was making 3 million a month just from the boats, how could he not be making over ten million a year?

Ye Yaodong's heart suddenly raced. At this rate, wouldn't his assets exceed 100 million next year?

And that wasn't even counting his real estate assets.

It was only 1993 next year. My god, without realizing it, he had amassed such a fortune?

You don't know until you calculate it; it's shocking!

Money begetting money was truly fast. Two years ago, it was a few million; last year, over ten million; this year, it could roll up to tens of millions, and next year, his assets could exceed 100 million!

"I'm really damn awesome!"

The key was that he had no other expenses...

Aside from buying houses, land, boats, and cars, he hadn't spent any big money. He only knew how to earn and not how to spend; he truly was the perfect man.

Ye Yaodong felt smug for a long time. When the captain came to take over, he was still grinning as he walked into the rest cabin, leaving the captain looking puzzled.

As long as he didn't do anything stupid, he had enough to live on for a lifetime. As long as his sons weren't spendthrifts, the whole family could be wealthy for three generations.

Lying in bed, thinking of this, he felt incredibly relaxed. From now on, he just needed to play it steady.

The next day, before dawn had fully broken, the morning mist clung to the sea like a thin veil. Ye Yaodong stood in the collection boat's wheelhouse, tapping his finger on the radar screen.

They were now only about 20 nautical miles from the target area.

"Go get some rest, Lao Zhang, I'll keep watch."

"Alright, I'll go check if breakfast is ready. I'll bring you a portion later."

Ye Yaodong nodded. He pressed the walkie-talkie button, his voice raspy from just waking up: "Calling all boats, attention. We are about 20 nautical miles from the target area. Spread out according to the pre-set grid, longitude 123 degrees east, latitude 25 degrees north. Safety first. You can also head to 120 or 121 degrees east, depending on the situation and the fish schools. Scout on your own."

"Received."

A series of responses came over the walkie-talkie, and the fishing boats scattered from both sides of the collection boat like a flock of geese being awakened.

Everyone on the boat, from the oldest to the youngest, was convinced by him. After all, following him meant eating meat, and his commands had never been wrong. Even the newcomers knew his various exploits.

His prestige was such that no one cared about his age anymore.

This was the result of Ye Yaodong's accumulation over the past ten years, from age 25 to 35, silencing all voices of doubt.

With the boats scattered, his surroundings suddenly felt empty. After thinking about it, he notified the whole ship to rest. Since there were no accidents, there was nothing for them to do but wait for the boats to transfer their catch over the next two days to be shipped home.

The crew cheered as they returned to their rest cabins.

The captain brought breakfast up, smiling, "The crew on this boat is truly the most relaxed compared to the others. We just arrived and we're already resting, watching the others fish."

"Besides being a collection boat, we're also the command center. We're important."

"That's true. We're the only ones who can contact the shore station and relay feedback."

"Go get some rest, I'll keep watch. There's nothing going on anyway."

"Alright."

Ye Yaodong sat with one leg on a stool, peeling a hard-boiled egg and dipping it in soy sauce. Besides pickles and preserved vegetables, there was century egg with tofu and salted duck eggs...

"Damn it, did the chef get obsessed with eggs today? It's all eggs?"

He complained, but he ate it all anyway.

Ten years ago, an average family wouldn't have been able to afford a fried egg whenever they wanted.

After breakfast, having nothing to do, he leaned against the wheelhouse railing and looked into the distance. Fifteen black dots were spread out across the sea.

Each boat dragged a white wake, like silver threads embroidered on the blue sea, clearly visible even without binoculars.

He steered in a random direction, following behind a fishing boat, watching them cast their nets.

Under the scorching sun, net after net of cargo was hoisted by the mast. In the gaps of the netting, seawater dripped, filled with lively mackerel—silver-gray bodies with dark blue stripes, some still twitching their tails in the net.

There were also nets full of small yellow croakers, their golden bodies shining dazzlingly in the sun, mixed with quite a few squid and hairtail fish.

The squid's tentacles were still slightly wriggling, stretching out from the net and tangling.

Because of the water pressure, many hairtail fish burst their bellies as soon as they left the water, exposing their internal organs, making them look less appealing.

That's why they say hairtail should be caught with radar nets; the quality of hairtail from radar nets is the best, or they are caught by line fishing.

Ye Yaodong didn't stay idle, using the walkie-talkie to chat and discuss the catch with them.

Just then, the voice of Captain Lao Zhou of Ocean-Going No. 8 came over the walkie-talkie, sounding a bit urgent: "Boss, we're about to haul the net, but something feels wrong! It's stuck halfway!"

He immediately grabbed his binoculars. The 40-meter-long Ocean-Going No. 8 was listing on the sea surface in the distance, the steel cable of the trawl net pulled taut, as if grabbed by something.

He pressed the walkie-talkie: "Wait a moment, I'll be there immediately. Don't move, don't pull hard."

"Understood."

"I'll be there in ten minutes. Aside from the feeling of the net being stuck, are there any other issues?"

"No."

"I'll be there in ten minutes. Slacken the throttle by half a notch; don't pull hard! Have the crew go to the stern and check if it's hooked on a reef."

Three minutes later, Lao Zhou's voice came again: "It's a reef! The corner of the net is hooked. The crew is cutting it with a knife, but we're afraid of tearing the net."

Ye Yaodong frowned. He pointed his finger at the No. 8's position on the chart: "I passed through this area a few days ago. The reef is only two meters below the water surface. Didn't you check the sonar carefully when casting the net? Don't panic, cut it carefully. Check the net again after hauling it in."

"Okay, okay, understood. I didn't sleep all night, so I was a bit dazed when casting the net."

"Then switch shifts later. Don't push yourself. You need to keep your head clear to steer a fishing boat. You can't be dazed. There's strong tea on the boat, or use some wind oil if you have to. You're an experienced captain; you know the stakes."

"Okay."

Half an hour later, the No. 8's walkie-talkie finally sounded relieved: "Boss, we got it! We just hauled the net up, and it's full of big sea bream, bright red, each one over three pounds!"

Ye Yaodong laughed, "I see it. I see your net being hauled up at the stern, and it's full of bright red sea bream. Beautiful."

"Hey, arranging to hoist it on board immediately."

"Mm, check for any damage after hoisting the cargo, and repair it in time."

"Received."

Ye Yaodong wandered around like this, running over whenever something was mentioned on the walkie-talkie. It wasn't boring at all.

He had been running around for three or four places, and it was already dark.

Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of the sky outside the wheelhouse window. Large dark clouds drifted over just as it was getting dark.

The gray clouds pressed incredibly low, the salty, fishy sea breeze suddenly intensified, and the boat began to sway uncontrollably.

He immediately switched channels to listen to the broadcast, which carried a warning: "All members, please pay attention! Please pay attention! A short-term strong convective weather system will appear in the eastern sea area of the Diaoyu Islands, accompanied by force 8 gusts and showers, lasting 1.5 hours. Please take precautions! All fishing boats, please take precautions!"

At this moment, others on the walkie-talkie also heard the broadcast and hurriedly notified each other.