Chapter 571

Ye Fu put down the load he was carrying on his shoulders and gave a long, earnest speech, just wanting to make him give up the idea of buying a big boat.

Ye Yaodong actually wasn't in a great rush to do it right now; technology wasn't that advanced, and the technique wasn't there.

He had even less of an intention to go to the deep ocean—at least not yet. In this day and age, going to the deep ocean, you didn't know if you'd be able to come back. No matter how much money you earned, if you didn't have a life to spend it, what was the point of earning so much?

Besides, going to the deep ocean meant being gone for several months, or a year or two. Did he not want his wife and children anymore?

He was just pondering getting a slightly bigger one that could go out for about three, five, seven, or eight days and come back. This way, the risk was smaller, and he could come home often.

The boat at home didn't have the ability to survive at sea for three, five, seven, or eight days. It didn't have enough horsepower, the hull was relatively small, there were no storage and freezing facilities, the ability to store daily necessities was small, and the ability to store fuel and fresh water was also small. It didn't have the ability to sail for a long time.

Seeing that he had spoken so earnestly but his son hadn't made a sound, Ye Fu frowned, "Dongzi? Did you listen to what I said?"

"I listened, I listened to it. But Father, we have to have a long-term vision. The number of boats fishing in the nearshore will definitely increase more and more. In a few years, there definitely won't be much cargo left after fishing."

"I didn't say I wanted to run very far all of a sudden, nor did I think about going out for a month like those who run boats. We'll just go a bit further from the nearshore to sea areas with deeper water levels. That's still nearshore; we won't go to the deep sea, and even less to the high seas. As long as we have the conditions to stay outside for a few more days, the cargo outside will definitely be more."

The sea area they fished in was the East China Sea, which is the marginal sea with the widest continental shelf in China. The East China Sea is located to the east of Shanghai, Zhejiang Province, and Fujian Province, and to the west of Taiwan Island and the Ryukyu Islands. The average water depth is 370 meters, and the maximum water depth is in the Ryukyu Trench, which is 2,719 meters.

Coastal tidal flats (intertidal zone): beaches that are submerged at high tide and exposed at low tide.

Shallow sea area: the nearshore coastal area where the water depth generally does not exceed twenty meters. It is the main breeding ground for plankton, such as the oysters and mussels attached to rocks, which are all generated by the attachment of plankton.

Nearshore area: the place extending from the nearshore continental shelf to the ocean. The depth is generally within two hundred meters. It is a light-transmitting water area where sunlight can shine, and it is a prosperous sea area for various marine life, with various shallow-sea fish.

The sea area depth where they used to go for nearshore fishing was basically only thirty or forty meters, and it was even shallower near the coast. Ye Yaodong had dived down before and also had the memories of his previous life, so he roughly knew how deep the nearshore area around them was.

They could verbally call the further nearshore "deep sea," but in reality, deep sea internationally refers to a water depth of about one thousand meters, and a broader range refers to between 600 meters and two thousand meters.

"I don't intend to be like those big boats, going out for a month at a time. I can just go for three, five, seven, or eight days. I heard that the boat belonging to Ah Guang's aunt's family also earned quite a bit of money this year. They earned back their capital after fishing for only a year, and they earned quite a bit in the second half of the year."

"They just go to the deep-water area of the nearshore that's a bit further away. Their boat isn't big either—only 20 meters—but the hold is big enough for people to sleep in and can store materials. Although the freezing and fresh-keeping technology on the boat isn't good, they can sell directly to fresh-collecting boats at sea, or use ice to keep it fresh simply and go near the shore to sell it in about a day or two. By the way, they can also replenish fresh water, materials, and ice, and then continue fishing."

"Staying outside for a few days is actually quite good. If the wind direction and weather aren't right, you can go near the shore to rest, or come back directly. You can do this for a few days and rest for a few days—it's quite cool! And you can also carry out fishing operations day and night at sea without wasting any time."

Ye Fu hesitated after hearing this and asked uncertainly, "Just return in a few days? Not going for a month?"

"Why go for a month? Aren't you afraid of wind and waves? It's impossible for the weather to be good every day. We'll just go for a few days, then return to the city to sell the goods. After selling, we'll go home to repair and adjust. When the weather is good, we'll go again. The cargo that can be caught in the further sea area will definitely be better."

"You should think about it carefully. You're already earning quite well now, and it's fine to earn money steadily like this. If you order another big boat, you'll have to invest a large sum of money again. This is several times more expensive than buying another boat like the one you have now, and communication outside isn't convenient, and it's even less convenient on the boat."

"I didn't say I'd order it immediately right now. I only said I'd go and learn about it first. Besides, this custom-made boat definitely won't be ready that quickly, and I don't know how the technology is. We can't just say we'll order it and order it; we definitely have to learn about it first before we can discuss and make a decision. This is a big deal, and I don't even know if the money is enough."

Ye Fu nodded hurriedly, "Right, you can't spend all your money on it. You have to keep some money on hand for turnover or something."

"That kind of big boat is very expensive, not to mention it's new and custom-made. It might even cost all your family assets and still not be enough. That was something only the fishery department had in the past. And you're still thinking about some freezing and fresh-keeping technology. A refrigerator now costs over a thousand yuan, not to mention what's used on a boat."

"It's best not to toss and turn. That boat of yours is already enough to use and has earned quite a bit. It's already enough; there's no need to toss and turn to change boats or anything. You just bought it last year, and it won't be a problem to operate it for another ten years or so. At most, you just need to repair the machinery."

"Father, if everyone thought like you, no one would change to a big boat, and everyone's small boat would be enough to use until they were old."

"Isn't that how it is? Just like these clothes, you bought them last year, and you can still wear them this year. You can't just throw them away and not want them after wearing them last year, and then buy new and better ones, right? If they're broken, you have to mend them and continue wearing them and using them without spending money."

Ye Yaodong was speechless for a moment. Why use anything else as a metaphor? Why use clothes?

These clothes—now resources are scarce and everyone is frugal. In the future, people will change to new ones every year. Don't talk about them being broken; they won't want them after wearing them for one season. No, that's not right—some women don't want to wear a piece of clothing after wearing it two or three times.

"I didn't say I didn't want the current boat. Even if I buy a bigger boat in the future, the current boat can be rented out or found someone to partner with like Ah Guang. If you're worried, you can go with me to the shipyard in a few days to take a look and learn about it. It's not a loss to know a little more about the current shipbuilding technology. Let's look at it first."

"Hmm, it's fine to go and take a look together when the time comes. Just take a look first, don't be anxious, and don't you be anxious either."

"I'm not anxious."

Ye Yaodong shook his head helplessly. If his father had choked him with beatings or scoldings like before, he could have ignored him. Now that he was being so earnest, he could only soothe him properly.

He couldn't directly say that he had been running boats for more than ten years and had plenty of experience. It was fine to take his father to see it first anyway. No matter what, he had to see it first.

"Hurry back, walk faster, it's about to get dark." Ye Fu picked up the load again.

It was rare that they caught quite a few rays today, and they sold them all directly to the pier. In contrast, there were much fewer toadfish—only over 700 jin. It only needed one cart to be pushed back, and he just needed to carry one load.

It was hard to say which fish was expensive now. After all, toadfish were dried into dried fish, and their value had doubled.

The father and son reached a consensus: don't be anxious. Wait until they've seen it and learned about it before talking. There's no need to rush to take it out for discussion now.

When they pushed the flatbed cart to the door, Ye Mu immediately ran out to open the door and said, "I was planning to go to the pier to take a look after I finished turning the fish over. I didn't expect you to come back so early today. How much money did you sell it for today? I'll go call your aunts to come over and slaughter the fish."

Neither the father nor the son answered; they pushed the flatbed cart into the courtyard first.

They were quite tired. On the way back, the two of them had spoken a basketful of heart-to-heart words, and they had no desire to speak at all right now. Don't look at his mother standing at the door ready to go out; if you answer her, she can talk for a long time before going out.

Seeing that neither the father nor the son answered, Ye Mu knew they were tired and just muttered a few words.

"Is it just this cart? It doesn't look like much. I'll go call people now and call your two aunts over to help slaughter. Your eldest brother and second brother are a bit late today; they haven't come back yet..."

She looked at the cargo a few times and walked out while talking, not expecting the father and son to answer.

Lin Xiuqing also walked out wearing an apron at this time, with both hands still grabbing the apron and wiping it there.

"Ah Dong, the courtyard in the front is almost full of drying fish. You push it to the back door to slaughter it, and we'll dry it directly at the back door after slaughtering. Otherwise, there's no place to dry it."

"Okay."

Dried fish were hanging overhead, leaving only a middle aisle. It was possible to put them on the ground, but it would be too crowded.

Ye Yaodong let his father sit down and rest first. He pushed the flatbed cart to the back door first and washed his hands at the back door before entering the house.

At this time, Ye Chengyang ran over with an orange in his hand, "Father, eat an orange!"

"Hmm, good boy!"

"Mother gave it to me, I'll give it to you!"

This kid might have had enough to eat and drink at home for the past two years since he had memories, and he often bought them snacks, so he wasn't that greedy and was quite generous.

Ye Chenghu was sitting at the table doing his homework. He glanced over and muttered in a low voice, "Sycophant!"

Ye Yaodong's ears were very sharp. He went over and gave him a rap on the head, "Who are you calling a sycophant all day long? You get scolded every day, so you can't stand your younger brother being praised, right?"

"Hmph!"

"The sun came out from the west today. It's not dark yet, and you've actually started doing your homework?"

"Mother won't give me an orange to eat. She said I have to finish my homework before I can eat it. Damn it, Yangyang can eat it!"

"Oh, is that so? Then hurry up and write; I'll supervise you." As he said this, Ye Yaodong sat down beside him and began to peel the orange.

He poked his thumb into the bottom of the orange and tore the skin hard. Instantly, the juice of the orange peel splashed directly onto Ye Chenghu's face, and the unique, fragrant, and sour smell of the orange also instantly filled his nasal cavity.

Ye Chenghu widened his eyes, looking at the orange in his father's hand. His mouth had already started to feel sour, and he couldn't help but swallow his saliva.

"Can you not eat it here?"

Ye Yaodong gave a wicked smile, "No, I'm a good father. Your mother won't let you eat it, but I can let you smell it."

Ye Chenghu looked at his father's expression and knew he was doing it on purpose. He glared at him angrily.

"I hate you so much!"

"This orange is big and the skin is thin; it must be sour and sweet and delicious."

Watching his father peeling the orange peel there non-stop, the smell drifted into his nose. He sniffed it passively and felt the smell was even stronger.

This was so uncomfortable for him—he could smell it, he could see it, but he couldn't eat it.

He bit the pen holder and watched eagerly.

Ye Yaodong shook the peeled orange in front of him, "Hurry up and write!"

Then he handed it to Ye Chengyang, who was watching from the side. This almost made him angry again. The pen he was holding tightly in his hand drew heavily on the notebook, and as a result, *whoosh*, he poked a hole in the notebook, tore a big opening, and pressed the pencil tip until it broke.

Now he knew he was in trouble. He hurriedly pressed both hands on the notebook and looked at his father and mother in a panic.

Ye Yaodong raised his eyebrows, "Ah Qing~"

"Father!"

Ye Chenghu was afraid that his father would call his mother to get the whip, so he hurriedly shouted, and then said ingratiatingly, "Father, do you want an orange? Don't call Mother; Mother has to cook, and Yangyang is busy eating the orange. I'll help you get it!"

Good boy!

He was quite clever at this time!