Chapter 10: Joint Voyage

As Grandfather became angry, Jing Tian’s voice became quieter and she murmured, “I never said I was going alone. This is really frustrating.”

“Then who are you going with?” Grandpa asked.

“Ah, isn’t Brother Xiaolong also interested in going out to sea? The two of us young people are stronger than you,” Jing Tian replied.

After listening, Grandpa Jing took a puff of his tobacco pipe and furrowed his brows in thought.

After a moment, he asked, “Xiao Yang, have you been out to sea before?”

“Yeah, I have. I even went out a few days ago,” Xiao Yang replied.

“Hmm, then do you think Jing Tian’s idea is feasible?” Grandpa Jing asked as Jing Tian stared at him with her big eyes wide open, like two copper bells.

Jing Tian stared at him with her big eyes wide open, like two copper bells.

“Okay, I have no problem with it,” Grandpa Jing agreed.

Xiao Yang couldn’t disagree, especially since he had Blue Ring Octopus backing him up. The risk of losing money was low, and he was currently unemployed and looking for opportunities. Grandpa Jing nodded in admiration at Yang Xiaolong’sdecisiveness.

After finalizing the plans, Grandpa Jing gave some tips on what to be careful of when going out to sea. Although they would be splitting the fuel costs, there were still techniques to be learned when casting the nets.

After dinner, Jing Tian went to sort out the fishing nets while Xiao Yang followed Grandpa Jing’s advice and went to the supermarket in town to buy some daily necessities. They would be out at sea for a week, which could either feel long or short.

At the supermarket, Xiao Yang first went to the grocery store to buy a rice cooker, an essential item for life on the sea. It could be used to cook rice or anything else.

When going out to sea, it’s important to be fully prepared with water. Although there were mobile supermarkets on the sea, their goods were too expensive due to high transportation costs. Thus, it was better to prepare everything in advance and calculate how much they would consume.

After buying everything they needed, Xiao Yang loaded everything onto a tricycle and headed back. The largest purchase was probably the instant noodles, which he bought two boxes of, fearing that they wouldn’t be enough to eat.
At dusk, Jing Tian and her fishing nets were almost ready. There were a total of five households going out to sea this time, and each household could only bring five nets and ten crab cages. Otherwise, the weight would be too heavy and the fuel consumption too great.

There was no talk throughout the night. Early the next morning, Jing Tian got up and went to town. She would be gone for a week, and she couldn’t leave her grandfather alone at home. So, she bought groceries in town for several days before leaving.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was time to go out to sea. Each household loaded their prepared nets onto their vehicles and headed to the designated pier.

“Jing Tian, the sea is not like home. Don’t try to be strong if you can’t handle it.”

“I know.”

Jing’s grandfather leaned on his cane, looking worried, and followed the car, reminding her.

“Xiao Yang, please take care of Jing Tian and be sure to pay attention to safety.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it.”

Yang XiaoLong patted his chest and, after a greeting, revved his engine and followed the fleet to the pier.

Fifteen minutes later, several families who were going out to sea together had arrived at the pier. Jing Tian’s third uncle first went to the security booth on the side and got a ticket, registering that every large boat going out to sea must be recorded in case of emergencies and to ensure timely rescue.

“Listen up everyone, our boat is the third Ocean No.1 on the west side. Each household should bring their own fishing nets and tools. Once we set off, we can’t turn back,” he said.

“Uncle San, don’t worry. Even if we have to leave our wives behind, we won’t leave behind our food,” Jing Tian’s second brother said jokingly.

“Jing, can you be serious? Do you even have a wife?” his third uncle retorted.

“Hahaha!”

Everyone laughed and began to load their belongings onto the boat.

It was Yang Xiaolong’s first time on a large boat. The boat was about two stories high, with a length of at least thirty meters. The equipment on the boat was also quite complete, with many things he didn’t recognize.

This was only his second time going out to sea. If Grandfather Jing knew, would he hit him with his crutch?

“Jing Tian, you take the daily necessities up, I’ll take the fishing net.”

“Okay.”

Today, Jing Tian was dressed in casual sportswear, with long, slender legs and a well-proportioned figure, exuding vitality.

There weren’t many restrooms on the ship, besides the cockpit, there was only a live fish tank and a refrigerated room for ice. The restrooms were separated by wooden boards into three small rooms.

Because Jing Tian was a girl, they gave her one room and the other two rooms were rotated for the others to take turns to rest.

Since Yang Xiaolong didn’t know how to drive the ship, he could only do some easy chores when they were at sea.

After all the items were loaded, Yang Xiaolong locked up the electric bike and went to the security office to say hello and buy some cigarettes. There were many people on the dock, and it was best to be careful, as a set of batteries could cost several hundred dollars.

“Beep~”

The sound of the large ship’s horn echoed as the propellers beneath the hull began to turn. The roaring sound of the powerful engine made Yang Xiaolong, who was standing on the deck, even more excited and thrilled, despite not being his first time at sea.

“Young man, while we’re still sailing, why don’t you take some rest? What are you looking for?” Uncle Jing walked over with a cigarette in his mouth.

“I’m just wondering, where are we heading this time?” He boarded the ship in a daze and now realized he didn’t even know where they were going.

“You’ll know when we get there.” Uncle Jing teased.

Later, Yang Xiaolong learned that every fisherman had their own secret sea area, and they wouldn’t casually reveal the location where they found big hauls. Without accurate coordinates and navigation, even if you had been there before, it would be useless.

Back in the rest area, Jing Tian was tidying up the bedding, which was actually just a wooden board fixed with iron frames, without even a footrest.

“Brother Long, you can sleep on top later,” Jing Tian said as she took a cardboard box and laid it on the aisle.

“It’s okay, I’m tough enough to sleep anywhere, and it’s even cooler on the floor.”

Yang Xiaolong helped take the cardboard box and quickly flattened it. When he lay down, he was surprised to find that it was quite comfortable to sleep on the big boat, unlike on a small boat where it would sway a lot.

He had planned to play with his phone for a while, but the signal at sea wasn’t very good, so he decided to take a nap.

“Ah ~ ha.”

Yang Xiaolong woke up and couldn’t see anything in the dark. He checked his phone and it was already after eleven at night. Moonlight shone on the sea, reflecting little glimmers of light.

He sat up, and Jing Tian was cooking with an electric rice cooker beside him.

“Wake up!”

“Yeah, I slept too much.”

“The food is ready, I boiled two eggs for you.”

“Thank you.”

The boat seemed to have slowed down, not as fast as during the day. According to the time, they had been sailing for five or six hours and were probably close to the designated sea area.

After finishing their meal, they played cards in the control room. They didn’t seem to be in a hurry and were all old hands at this.

“Are you going to pass on two?”

“Pair of kings.”

“Haha, hurry up and pay up. No reneging on thirty from each player,” Bald Jing’s second brother grinned, revealing his yellow teeth.

The other three players grumbled and reluctantly handed over their money. It was strange today. Jing’s second brother usually had terrible luck and lost nine out of ten times, but tonight he won continuously all evening. No one knew what stroke of luck he had.

While Jing’s second brother was collecting the money, he saw Yang Xiaolong approaching and asked, “Do you want to play a few rounds?”

“No, you guys continue to play.”