Chapter 209: Have some ideas again

Because of returning early, after the boat docked at the pier, it was only noon 12 o'clock.

There were not many ships on the shore, after all, today was clear and cloudless, without wind and waves, very suitable for going to sea.

If they

Ye Mu did not know they would return early and did not come out. The father and son loaded the cargo themselves, and Acai also came over to help.

He was stunned to see the boat full of small yellow croakers.

"Aren't you guys doing longline fishing? How come you have so many small yellow croakers?"

"See those electric rays in the corner? That's right, just as you thought. The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. We got a huge bargain for nothing."

Only after being reminded by him did Acai see the twenty or so electric rays in the corner of the boat, and he was completely dumbfounded.

"So these small yellow croakers were all electrocuted?"

"That's right, picked up for free. We had just arrived at that patch of sea when we saw the small yellow croakers floating up more and more; we couldn't even scoop them up fast enough."

This is possible?

What kind of dumb luck is this?

"Stop standing there like a fool, come help with the work."

"You really have a way; every time you go out to sea, you run into good things."

"Don't even mention it. See those three baskets of mackerel in the corner? Those are my real spoils for today. I'm going to lose so much money I'll be bankrupt; I can't even earn back the fuel money."

"It's not that bad, it's not that bad. You still have other cargo."

"Don't you want to keep some for yourself to eat!"

Ye Fu glanced at him. No matter how mature he becomes, he's still a spendthrift. Every time, he keeps a good amount of cargo, and always picks the best ones.

On the return trip, he watched him load squid, prawns, and small yellow croakers into his own bucket. It made his old father's eyes ache, but he knew it was useless to say anything, so he could only pretend not to see.

"Dad, keep whatever you want to eat for yourself. Don't be polite, don't feel bad. If you don't eat it, Grandma, Mom, and my sister will want to eat it too."

Ye Fu couldn't be bothered to pay him any mind. A while ago, they had eaten quite a bit of the catch from the ground cages, and the whole family felt terrible about it. If he took more back to squander, he would definitely be scolded.

After working for nearly an hour, they finished loading all the small yellow croakers, totaling 26 baskets. After lifting them off the boat, they continued to lift the other cargo.

At noon today, there weren't many people on the shore, otherwise, the villagers would have been envious again. Just a casual trip to sea and he could pick up one or two thousand jin of fish; it would surely make people jealous again.

After all the small yellow croakers were weighed, they totaled 1632 jin. The purchase price was twelve cents, lower than he expected.

He wasn't an unreasonable person either; he wouldn't force people to raise prices for every single item. He would just give a little nudge occasionally. As long as it was roughly in line with the market price, that was fine. Market prices were bound to fluctuate anyway.

Electric rays were only slightly more expensive than ordinary rays; large ones were 45 cents, and small ones were 20 cents. The largest one weighed 22 jin, and the smaller ones combined weighed 132 jin. There were also dozens of jin of small fish, shrimp, mantis shrimp, and miscellaneous fish. After sorting those out, they only sold for 11 yuan.

For the five and a half jin of prawns he caught, he kept one jin for himself. Prawns had a higher price, at 1.2 yuan per jin. Other squid and fish cargo also sold for about 10 yuan.

Overall, the harvest for half a day today was quite significant, with the bulk being that boatload of small yellow croakers picked up for free.

"I reckon you sold the most cargo among the fishing boats at the pier today. Others only sell thirty or forty a day, and forty or fifty is considered good luck. Only occasionally does a fishing boat strike it rich. How come your luck is so good every day?"

"That's because I know how to find the right spots, they don't. Look at the cargo I drag in; which time isn't it because there's a school of fish or big fish? Others mostly drag in miscellaneous goods."

"You lucky dog, ever since you turned over a new leaf, even the heavens have been looking after you."

Ye Yaodong put away the receipt with some pride, "Many thanks."

He weighed the three baskets of mackerel he kept for himself, which came to 165 jin. Taking them back, he could dry several dozen jin. After moving them onto the flatbed cart, he headed home.

Lin Xiuqing was surprised to see him return so early and even stood on tiptoe to look at the distant sea surface.

"There aren't any waves at sea, right? Why are you back so early?"

Ye Yaodong handed her the receipt and happily told her about what happened at sea. The two sisters-in-law weaving nets at the entrance were envious again.

Lin Xiuqing didn't know if she should be happy, happy, or happy. Looking at the flatbed cart in the open space nearby, she couldn't help but say, "I feel like I've killed a lifetime's worth of fish during this period."

"Hahaha~ Where are we even at? You'll have many more fish to kill in the future."

She gave him a reproachful glare, "Every time I go back to my maiden home, my mother says that since I've lived by the sea for so long, my body smells like fish."

"That's not it, it must be because you bring fish cargo every time you go back."

"It's good to be back early. You couldn't get up at night and didn't sleep much. Go take a bath, I'll cook you some noodles. After you eat, go rest for a while."

"Cook some 'guizi' to eat? I brought back two squids."

"Alright, it just so happens I bought a piece of lean meat this morning."

'Guizi' is a translation from their local dialect. In reality, it is another form of Minnan lake. The ingredients inside are exactly the same as Minnan lake, but Minnan lake is stir-fried, while 'guizi' is in a soup.

Lin Xiuqing went to the vegetable patch at the back door to cut a head of cabbage, then picked a handful of celery and scallions, and then went into the house to make it for him.

She cut half the cabbage, then cut it into small pieces, roughly just a little larger than a thumbprint. Then she cut the celery into pieces as short as a fingernail, cut the meat into thin strips, and took one of the squids she brought back, washed it, and cut it into cubes.

After all the ingredients were prepared, she put them all into a basin, added seasonings, and then added the sweet potato starch they made themselves, adding a little water to stir it into a paste-like consistency; it couldn't be too thin.

After Ye Yaodong finished washing his hair and taking a bath, he came out just in time to see her holding a spoon, scooping the paste, and preparing to put it into the pot.

"It would be even better if there were some fried peanuts to put in."

Lin Xiuqing rolled her eyes at him, "You're the only one who knows how to eat."

"Let's plant some peanuts in our backyard next year, shall we?"

"Don't just talk. If you want to plant them and eat them, take a hoe and go clear the land yourself."

"Alright, didn't I clear all that land? When have I ever just talked? Planting more next year will also satisfy the children's cravings."

"Hmm, by the way, the younger sister's marriage has been set. Mother came over this morning to talk about the date before the New Year. Engagement on the second day of the twelfth lunar month, wedding on the twelfth. I've agreed with the two sisters-in-law to go to town tomorrow morning to buy things and prepare in advance."

Ye Yaodong frowned, "Don't you need me to accompany you? Can you carry the things?"

"The two sisters-in-law will help. You go out to sea; you don't need to worry about me."

"How about I just let Lin Jishang keep them? Save you from running back and forth."

"No need, it's just a few pieces of fabric, not anything valuable or hard to handle. Don't trouble others; we'll just go to town and buy them ourselves."

Lin Xiuqing stirred the bottom of the pot with a spatula as she spoke to prevent sticking. She only scooped fifteen spoonfuls, enough for him to eat. There was still half a basin of paste left, which she planned to keep to cook a bowl for a late-night snack.

Ye Yaodong actually wanted to find Lin Jishang himself. Ever since his sinker got stuck on a reef and he discovered he couldn't sink down, a thought had sprouted in his mind.

He wanted to buy a set of diving equipment!

The abundance of marine products in the sea made him drool...

Today, seeing the large sea snails and abalone on the reef, he really wanted to go pick them, but the conditions didn't allow it.

Actually, he had vaguely had the idea back when the sardine storm happened.

But there was no domestic production at this time. Just after the reform and opening up, materials were scarce, and the economy was still very backward. He just didn't know if it would be easy for Lin Jishang to get his hands on it, and how much it would cost to buy a set...

Perhaps he could buy a pair of goggles, a snorkel, and fins first; that should be enough for now. For now, as long as it allowed him to dive to about ten meters, it would be fine.

After Lin Xiuqing put the 'guizi' on the table, she saw Ye Yaodong didn't know what he was thinking about, actually standing foolishly by the stove, not knowing to come over.

She spread her five fingers and waved them in front of him, "What are you thinking about?"

"I'll go with you tomorrow. I want to go to the town's imported goods store to take a look."

"Look at what? You want to spend money again?" Lin Xiuqing frowned, wondering what he wanted to buy now.

Ye Yaodong helplessly flicked her forehead, "How much money do I spend day by day? Isn't all the money in your hands?"

Lin Xiuqing gave a light hmph, "Even without money in your hands, you could still buy a sewing machine without consulting me first. Of course I have to be on guard."

"Wasn't that because I wanted to make you happy? It's not like we can't afford it."

"You're just the type who, as soon as you have money, thinks about buying this and that. There are still many places in the house that need money..." Lin Xiuqing muttered a few words and then stopped, "Come eat quickly, go to sleep after you finish."

Ye Yaodong nodded and walked to the table to eat, but forgot that it had just come out of the pot, and burned his mouth directly, "Sss~"

"Why are you so careless? What are you thinking about, always being so absent-minded."

"Isn't it because you've been there blabbering on and on without stopping."

Lin Xiuqing glared at him angrily. He could even blame her for this?

Seeing her look like she was about to start scolding, Ye Yaodong directly cupped the back of her head and kissed her, blocking her mouth to save her from nagging...

Lin Xiuqing was caught off guard. After being stunned for a moment, she hurriedly pushed him away and looked toward the door with a guilty conscience. Only after seeing no one was there did she feel relieved.

"What are you doing? In broad daylight, the front door is still open. Aren't you afraid of being seen?"

The soft, coquettish tone sounded pleasant, and the expression in her eyes was different now. A woman must be tamed like this!

Let her nag on and on!

Ye Yaodong licked his lips, feeling a bit smug, "I was listening to you talk, my attention shifted, and that's why my mouth got burned. Don't you have to take responsibility?"

"Acting like a hooligan in broad daylight, aren't you afraid of being seen."

"What's there to be afraid of? We're a legal couple. How is kissing called acting like a hooligan? And what if it is broad daylight?"

Seeing him look so righteous, Lin Xiuqing felt a bit embarrassed. Afraid of being heard, she hurriedly looked toward the door. Eek!

"Mom, why are you here..." Lin Xiuqing stood up instantly, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Ye Mu gave Ye Yaodong a look, "I came to help kill the fish."

Ye Yaodong felt his mother appeared at the wrong time.