Chapter 38: Encounter with the Mackerel’s Hunt

Ye Yaodong swam in the sea, gradually getting used to the pressure of the water.

It was only the moment he jumped in that he had felt overwhelmed with panic. Thankfully, he had informed his friends ahead of time, so they hadn’t let him sink.

Finding the rhythm of swimming again, the fear in his heart gradually faded, and he felt much more relaxed, moving his arms and legs toward the shore.

Initially, they had planned to race to see who could reach the other side first, but Ye Yaodong’s earlier antics had startled everyone. Now, nobody dared to swim too far away from him.

They slowly swam toward the shore, and once their feet touched land, they waded through the water toward the rocks, as the tide was still going out.

Ah Guang maneuvered the boat behind them, and when they were close enough, he jumped into the water, secured the boat, and shouted to Ye Yaodong, “Dongzi, what was that all about? You almost scared me to death! I thought you knew how to swim!”

“I jumped in too hard, and my leg cramped up, which is why I sank. I’m fine now, see? I’m all good!”

That jump had certainly been eventful, and he counted himself lucky it had ended well.

Ah Guang rolled his eyes. “You think you’re still growing?”

“Oh, come on! I was just exhausted from working out too much the night before. You wouldn’t understand that, single guy,” Ye Yaodong replied with a shrug.

Xiao Xiao giggled in agreement, “Makes sense!”

Ah Guang sighed, “Who are you trying to fool? Just because you have a wife, you think you’re special? Let’s go grab the tools from the boat. The rocks are showing now, so let’s find something to dig up!”

Just as they got ashore and hadn’t even had a moment to rest, they waded back into the water toward the boat. As soon as Ye Yaodong climbed aboard, his eyes widened.

“Over there… over there! It’s a school of mackerel hunting!”

The others turned their gaze to the east side of the shore, where a group of mackerel was chasing prey in the shallow water. Their long, flattened bodies were streamlined and fast, with sharp teeth resembling cheetahs chasing their prey, while frightened small fish darted in all directions.

Everyone was instantly excited. “It’s a mackerel school feeding!”

“It’s Spanish mackerel!”

Mackerel, known for their ferocity, typically swam in the shallow waters from June to October, hunting for food.

As the saying goes: “Mountains feed partridges, while seas feed mackerel.”

During this era, the ocean was rich in resources, and there seemed to be thousands of mackerel feeding right before their eyes.

They had never seen such a spectacular scene before, and they were all momentarily dumbfounded!

“Do we have a fishing net?!” Ye Yaodong exclaimed excitedly. With thousands of mackerel, even at the price of two dimes per pound, if he caught half of them, he would make a fortune.

Spanish mackerel usually measured between 40 to 50 centimeters in length, weighing around 6-7 pounds each. Thousands of them… just think about that!

“Crap, we don’t have a net!”

“Only brought tools for digging in the sand!”

“Who would think to bring a fishing net?”

Everyone expressed their disappointment, their excitement dashed like cold water poured over them. Without a net, how could they catch the fish? Were they supposed to dive in and scoop them up?

Just moments ago, they were elated; now, their spirits plummeted as they watched the shiny silver fish swim tantalizingly close but out of reach.

“Let’s check the cabin of the boat! Ah Guang’s uncle does drag-net fishing; surely there’s a net onboard!”

At his reminder, everyone snapped back to reality and rushed to search the cabin for any fishing nets.

“Yes, yes, yes, the fishing net is here, it’s in this compartment!” A Guang exclaimed excitedly.

Ye Yaodong was overjoyed; with the fishing net, they could start their catch.

“Quick, lower the ropes! Let’s set the net while we sail, heading straight for that school of mackerel!”

Everyone was already aware of what to do. Without needing further instructions, they began to untie ropes and prepare the equipment.

A Guang steered the boat toward the mackerel. Earlier, they had landed from a different direction and had almost missed seeing the school of fish.

The four of them, some excited and some anxious, kept their eyes on the fish school. As they got closer, Ye Yaodong’s eyes grew more fervent. He had initially only planned to come to the uninhabited island to forage for seafood, but he didn’t expect to strike it rich.

It seemed that all his bad luck had already been spent, and now it was time for a turnaround, with fortune smiling down on him!

As they neared the fish school, the mackerel panicked and scattered, but they couldn’t escape the net that was cast beforehand.

The boat didn’t stop; they sailed a little further before hauling up the net. When they saw a lively haul of mackerel, smiles spread across everyone’s faces.

A Zheng’s eyes widened, “Wow, this net must weigh hundreds of pounds!”

“Wow, that’s a lot!”

Everyone was stunned, their eyes wide open.

“Quick, quick, don’t waste time! Throw them into the live well! Keep casting the net! They’re still nearby, haven’t gone far. This is a rare opportunity, let’s catch a few more nets!”

They were all so uneducated they could only express their excitement with exclamations of “Wow.”

Ye Yaodong shouted, “Keep going, keep going! Pour them into the live well and cast the net again!”

As soon as the first net was emptied into the live well, it filled up immediately, and the fish began flopping all over the deck. They ignored the commotion and quickly started casting a second net.

This time, they didn’t haul it up right away but let it drift around the surrounding waters for a couple of laps before pulling it in. The mackerel that had just escaped hadn’t gone far, and this haul was quite bountiful as well.

A Guang shouted excitedly, “Damn it, we’ve got hundreds of pounds again! Hurry up and help! The live well can’t hold any more—throw them into the cabin, dead or alive, as long as they’re fresh, they’ll sell!”

If they could cast a few more nets and catch a few thousand pounds, he wouldn’t need to work tomorrow!

Mackerel are coastal fish that thrive in warmer waters. April to June is their peak fishing season, and they mainly feed on fish and shrimp. They were lucky to encounter the mackerel while they were hunting today.

“Keep going, keep going…”

The boat was filled with the excited shouts of the four of them.

Each of them was shirtless, wearing only shorts, and didn’t mind the sun at all; their faces radiated joy.

After casting five or six nets, the nets stayed in the water for longer, and the number of mackerel gradually decreased.

However, everyone was very satisfied; such good luck was hard to come by.

Looking at the live well and cabin filled to the brim with mackerel, excitement sparkled in their eyes.

“I’ve only seen this many mackerel at the fishing dock; hahaha—turns out it was wise to come out with Dongzi. His luck has been good these past few days; we’ve also benefitted! Good thing Fatty and A Wei didn’t come yesterday, or they would have lost out big time.” A Guang said excitedly.

He knew himself well; he usually had bad luck, while Dongzi seemed to have hit the jackpot these past few days!

“Right, right, Dongzi’s luck really seems to be on the rise.”

“We’ve hit the jackpot today thanks to Dongzi!”

“Did you pray to Mazu before you came out?”