Chapter 571

It was 6:30 in the morning.

Wu An was called awake by Lao Fu Tou.

"Lao Fu, what time is it?"

"Six thirty." Lao Fu Tou directly asked: "How are we going today?"

"Or should we continue heading northeast?"

Wu An thought for a moment: "Let's go back."

"Go toward the trench."

"Let's just wander around here for this trip."

Lao Fu Tou nodded.

If we continue in the original direction, the water will get deeper.

Once they reach 200 meters, their trawling will be very strenuous.

Actually, trawling can be done at any depth; the larger the fishing vessel, the more it tends to go into deeper waters.

On the contrary.

The smaller the fishing boat, the more it is limited to shallow waters; theirs is a 25‑meter trawler, with an optimal net‑depth of about 100 to 200 meters.

Many factors affect this, such as the vessel's horsepower, the length of the tow line—that is, the trawl rope—and so on.

The current depth where the boat is located is about 150 meters; heading back would raise the water level.

However, there is a small trench over there with a depth of roughly 180‑190 meters, and the catch from there consists of valuable poisonous creatures.

If we go back and trawl again, the haul should be just as good.

Of course, there is another important reason: he is waiting for Hu Zi to come over.

If we went elsewhere, the fox tribe might have to spend extra effort to find him.

As a friend, one should consider the friend more.

Lao Fu Tou nodded and said: "Alright, I'll head back now to adjust the rudder."

Wu An called the others to get up.

"Let's get the nets down first," Fu Yongning called out; he had stayed up all night, his eyes were a bit red, and his dark circles were very noticeable.

Wu An glanced at him and said: "No rush, let's make food first."

"Last night we simmered half a pot of rice and turned it into seafood porridge."

"Hurry up."

Mei Wu and A Qing hurried off to work, and Wu An again told Lao Fu Tou: "Don't drink tea."

"After breakfast, go get some sleep."

"Leave the other things to them."

Fu Yongning nodded.

Wu An made this arrangement out of consideration for him; since he is not an ungrateful person, he naturally had no objections.

The seafood porridge cooked quickly; the ingredients were ready, and they added plenty of greens.

Green vegetables on the boat are far more precious than seafood—eat a little, have a little less; seafood, on the other hand, can be obtained anytime one wants.

They ate and drank their fill.

Everyone was in good condition.

After all, yesterday was their first day at sea; they had rested well beforehand, and last night they had slept quite comfortably.

Although it was only a little over five hours, they had basically recovered.

"Let's get to work."

"Keep pulling the nets."

"May Mazu bless us."

Not long after.

The first net of the second day's sea operation went smoothly into the water; Fu Yongning was sleeping in the rest room, and nobody went there for fear of disturbing him.

Mei Wu was in the wheelhouse following Lao Fu Tou; now he was steering, while Lao Fu Tou watched from the side.

A Qing looked for Wu An to go fishing.

Wu An did not agree.

A Qing then sought out the Fan brothers together; seeing A Qing's call, the Fan brothers did not refuse.

Fan Dali asked: "A An, aren't you playing?"

Wu An shook his head.

Today's luck value is low, so we have to conserve it.

If fishing is done without a luck boost, it relies purely on luck, and the catch is expected to be mediocre.

With that effort, he might as well play on his phone for a while.

As the sun rose, the morning damp chill gradually dissipated, and the sea took on an exceptionally clear blue, quite beautiful.

Yesterday there were still some sizable waves, but today it is already calm and flat.

They moved a lounge chair from the rest room to a shady spot, lay down, and it was incredibly comfortable.

There were snacks nearby, and also a pot of tea.

Although conditions on the boat are limited, Wu An still tried to create as enjoyable an environment as possible.

A Qing fished for a while, and though it wasn't without a catch, he actually hauled up a section of adhesive net.

Two fighting pomfrets were still hanging on the net.

Upon pulling it up, the fighting pomfret appeared to have been hooked not long ago, just dead, and was still fairly fresh.

Fished for half an hour.

Of the three, only A Qing hauled it up, and there was a catch on the adhesive net.

A Qing simply stopped fishing, pulled over a chair, and sat beside Wu An.

Seeing this, the Fan brothers hastily packed up their fishing gear.

Wu An, seeing this, said: "There's not that much to do on our boat."

"Now is break time; feel free to arrange yourselves."

"If you want to fish, fish a while; it's fine."

Fan Dali and Fan Xiao Zhu exchanged a hehe laugh, then happily resumed fishing.

Wu An rested while also monitoring the decline of the Luck Value.

The decline was relatively slow.

The catch from this net probably isn't much.

An hour passed.

Lao Fu Tou came over and asked: "A An, want to haul the net?" Wu An shook his head: "Wait another one and a half hours."

Lao Fu Tou was somewhat surprised: "That long?"

Wu An laughed helplessly: "Old Fu, I heard that normally pulling the next net takes three to four hours."

"Pulling the net every two and a half hours for us is relatively early."

Lao Fu Tou: "That's others."

"If we drag it that long, what if the net bursts?"

Wu An shook his head: "It won't."

Lao Fu Tou muttered a couple of sentences; A Qing threw him a cigarette and shouted: "Old Fu, my brother says it won't burst, so it won't—why are you nagging?"

Wu An tapped A Qing.

A Qing shouted: "Brother, I'm just speaking up for you."

Wu An said: "I don't need your help; we're all our own people."

A Qing objected: "Even though we're all our own, it's still different."

"'I'm that... the elite among the elite, the entourage beside an ancient general, called…… called……'"

Wu An laughed in exasperation: "Enough, why make things hard for yourself?"

"'That's called the direct line.'"

A Qing nodded vigorously, face full of pride: "Exactly, exactly, I'm the direct line among the direct line."

"'Old Fu is at most a dog-headed strategist.'"

"\"…\" Lao Fu Tou took two hard puffs, glanced at A Qing, thinking, 'What a little brat—believe it or not, I'll smash your dog head.'"

Wu An laughed helplessly: "Fine, fine, fine, you're right."

Lao Fu Tou finished his cigarette, drank a cup of tea, and walked away.

The Fan brothers, heads drenched in sweat, walked over and sat directly against the cabin.

Wu An asked: "How is it?"

Fan Dali said: "Without you leading, it just won't work."

Fan Xiao Zhu held on for ten minutes, then couldn't take it, came over and downed a pot of tea.

In the morning, when the sun had just risen and it wasn't hot yet, it's now past nine a. m., and the temperature suddenly spiked.

Around ten o'clock.

Wu An saw the Luck Value cleared, got up and went to the helm: "Old Fu, we can haul the net now."

"Don't call Yongning Brother."

"Let them try."

Lao Fu Tou nodded.

Soon, everyone took their positions and began hauling the net in an orderly manner.

It went very smoothly.

No problems arose.

Not long after.

The first net surfaced, the net bag not very full; everyone looked at each other, nobody daring to step forward to open it, for fear the catch would be scant—although Wu An and the others said nothing aloud, they felt uneasy inside.

Even when opening mystery boxes, everyone prefers those that are plump and full.

Wu An walked over himself.

Whatever the catch turned out to be, good or bad, it all counts as his.