Chapter 44: The Rocky Shores of the Isolated Island are Packed with Goods

They planned to drag the nets a few times in the nearby waters in the morning, hoping to hit another big catch like yesterday. Then, in the afternoon, when the tide was lower, they would head to the isolated island to scavenge the shores.

They didn’t want to venture too far; it wasn’t like they were doing a full day of serious netting. For professional netting, they’d have to head out by one or two in the morning, or by three at the latest. It took over an hour just to reach the fishing grounds, and hauling in one net alone took an hour.

If they went too far, they’d barely get a few rounds in during the day, only wasting diesel on the trip back and forth.

They were simply hoping for a stroke of luck like yesterday. If nothing came up, they could at least comb the shores on the island. With so many people, each picking up a bit would ensure they didn’t return empty-handed.

The boat sailed off the coast, and today, Ye Yao Dong no longer felt the fear he once had, his expression relaxed. Once they reached open waters, he shouted boldly into the ocean, “Ocean, I, Ye Yao Dong, am back!”

“Haha, Dongzi’s way too excited!”

“So am I! Ocean, it’s me, Pei Guang! Send us a bounty of seafood!”

“Come on, better not say your name, or the sea god might take offense and keep the seafood away!”

“Shut up!”

“Oh, stop talking and cast the net already! How do we do it? I have no clue!” Fatty urged, thrilled.

“No rush; we’re still in shallow waters, too close to the shore. There won’t be much here. We’ll sail out a bit further first,” Ah Guang advised with seasoned experience.

His father worked the big boats, and his aunt’s family also owned a small boat. A few years back, when his younger cousins were too young, his aunt would call him along to help out at sea. He knew the ropes well.

Ye Yao Dong was familiar too but kept it to himself for now. Grinning, he said, “Let’s see how our luck is today. If we catch a big haul, we’ll all be happy splitting it. If not, we’ll at least have something to snack on with some drinks.”

“As long as we don’t come out here for nothing!”

“If we don’t catch much with the nets, there’s always stuff on the rocks. We won’t go home empty-handed. In our village, those without boats can’t reach the island. And those with boats are all out netting for serious catches. Who would waste time sailing out just to scavenge? That would be a total waste. There’s bound to be plenty of shellfish on the rocks.”

The families with boats in the village wished every day for calm seas to head out and earn by netting.

Ah Guang sailed the boat to a spot not far from the isolated island, near where they’d caught so many mackerel yesterday. He was hopeful, imagining there might be another big catch here.

“Haha, let’s stay here then! Time to get to work!”

“Let me help!”

“Me too!”

Everyone eagerly scrambled to help cast the net.

As the boat moved, the net, weighted down by sinkers, sank to the ocean floor. Fatty couldn’t help but ask, “How long do we have to wait to pull up the net?”

He was the only novice here; the others had at least some idea.

“Let’s wait an hour. I’ll circle around a few times to see if we can catch more,” said Ah Guang.

“Let me steer the boat; I want to try!” Ye Yao Dong said, excited.

Ah Guang looked at him doubtfully. “Are you sure you can handle it?”

“Never doubt a man’s ability! Don’t underestimate me.”

Ah Zheng chuckled and teased, “Haha, Dongzi’s got two sons already. None of you can match him there, so he’s definitely up to the task!”

“What, like having two sons is such a big deal?”

“It’s still better than you not even finding a wife yet!”

“Damn it!”

Ah Guang was hit hard by that remark, looking dejected.

In this rural area, having sons to carry on the family line was a big deal. Having two sons was certainly something to be proud of. And now, with the one-child policy, a second child was only allowed if the firstborn was a girl, and even then, only after a five-year gap.

Unless you hid it and had a child in secret, but even then, you’d face a fine to register them.

With so many people around, jokes were inevitable. Everyone laughed and joked on the boat, waiting for some time until Ye Yao Dong figured it was about time to reel in the net and told Ah Guang to pull it up.

As expected, there was no jackpot catch; after all, big hauls didn’t happen every day. It was just luck.

This haul only had some mantis shrimp, swimming crabs, rock crabs, shrimp, and various small fish, barely a few kilos in total. Everyone felt a bit disappointed.

Ye Yao Dong consoled them, saying, “This area is too close to shore, so it’s normal not to have much. At least we got enough to take back for a meal.”

Fatty, feeling reluctant, said, “Then should we head a bit further out?”

“Sure, one more net, then we’ll head back as the tide begins to go out. Let’s sail a bit farther, make a loop, and then pull it up.”

The engine hummed with a steady chugging sound as they idly sat on the deck, somewhat bored.

Ah Wei sighed, “If I’d known, I would’ve brought a deck of cards.”

“All you think about is playing cards! Aren’t you tired of it yet? And in this blazing sun, you’d still be up for it?” Ye Yao Dong rolled his eyes.

“Eh, it’s better than just sitting here baking in the sun!”

“Instead of cards, we should’ve brought a pot. Then we could cook right when we get off the boat.”

Ah Zheng’s eyes lit up. “Good idea! We should’ve brought one.”

Too bad gas stoves weren’t common yet. Otherwise, a small gas tank on the boat would let them cook and eat fresh seafood right there.

“Well, too late to think of that now. Maybe next time.”

After waiting another hour and a bit, they had no sense of direction out at sea. When they pulled up the net again, they realized they’d circled back to their original spot.

The second haul wasn’t much better. It had the same types of things but in slightly larger quantities.

“It’s still just this little bit! Not enough to cover the fuel.”

“Sigh, I really stuck my neck out to tag along, and now today’s just not our lucky day,” Fatty said, disappointed.

“It’s normal! If these shallow waters had more, who would sail out far? It’s not like fuel’s free!”

After netting so many mackerel yesterday, Ye Yao Dong and the others were satisfied. They didn’t expect to strike it rich today; they were just hoping to try their luck again.

If there was a haul, great. If not, no big deal—they could at least gather some food from the sea.

“Alright, no haul this time; that’s fine. The tide’s already starting to go out, so I’ll pull us closer to shore.”

They anchored the boat at the rocky shore of the island. One by one, they jumped off, tools and buckets in hand, helping secure the boat to the rocks.

“Whoa! Look at all this stuff on the rocks!”

“Dongzi was right! The rocky shores on this island are loaded.”

Ye Yao Dong grinned, “Of course! The rocks outside our pier are constantly picked over. How much could be left? But here, no one’s around, so it’s just overgrown.”

Everywhere he looked, there were clusters of seaweed and large clams, countless small scallops, and various types of snails clinging to the rocks.

“Whoa, there’s a whole patch of ‘cow eyes’ here!”

“I’ve got loads of ‘Buddha hands’ over here!”

“Damn, wild abalone…”