Chapter 159 Navigation
Chapter 159 Return
Li Changle hurriedly increased the speed of pulling the trap and told Chen Yongwei to quickly sort the fish. "Ah Wei, the weather is not right. Just tie up the crabs. Pour the other catches into the bamboo basket and sort them slowly after we get ashore."
"Oh oh!" Chen Yongwei quickened his movements. "God, this is a joke. The catch in the last row was getting better, but the wind started to blow."
Brother Li, who was at the helm, also looked at the sea in the distance and saw a black cloud sweeping towards the southeast.
He frowned as he looked at the clouds that were rapidly sweeping towards them. He judged that a storm was coming and he had to drive the fishing boat into the fishing port to take shelter before the storm came. Otherwise, Ale's small wooden boat would most likely be torn to pieces by the storm.
While starting the machine, he shouted to Li Changle, "Ah Le, a big storm is coming, quickly pull the traps onto the deck, quick! Don't worry about the catch."
"Got it." Li Changle also felt the wind getting stronger, and hurriedly called Chen Yongwei. The two of them worked together to drag the remaining two traps onto the boat.
He didn't care about the catch in the trap and just threw it onto the deck. He then gestured to Brother Li Er to rush back as fast as he could.
Li Changle's hand hadn't been lowered yet, but he had already stepped on the gas and was heading towards the dock.
"Ah Wei, quickly lift up the rubber bucket containing the rice fish in the live tank, and scoop up all the fish in the live tank and put them in it. It may be too late to do it when we get to the dock."
He was worried that the strong wind would last for several hours and the catch on the boat would not be delivered ashore in time to be sold or preserved with ice, which would mean all the work for the day would be in vain.
"Okay!" The two of them quickly ran to the cargo hold, lifted up the rubber bucket inside, scooped up all the catch and poured it into the bucket.
Then the catch in the cargo hold is put into bamboo baskets, placed together with crab baskets and rubber buckets, and quickly delivered to the shore when the ship docks.
"Ah~" Chen Yongwei exclaimed, pointing to the dark clouds in the southeast and shouted: "Brother, look over there!"
Before he finished speaking, the originally calm sea suddenly became turbulent. Waves as high as mountains became higher and higher. Dark clouds surged over like a huge black curtain, covering their fishing boat.
The boat was swaying on the sea like grains in a sieve, and the people standing on the boat felt like they were doing weightlessness training.
"Shit! How come the storm came so quickly?" Chen Yongwei was staggering as he walked and almost fell on the deck. Li Changle steadied himself, grabbed him, and pulled him to sit down against the side of the ship.
"Brother, the wind is blowing. Looks like we'll have to rest for a few more days."
"Then we can take advantage of the rain and sail the boat to Zhangjia Wharf to load the net-lifting machine and the slideway."
Even though they can earn hundreds of yuan for several days in a row, the weather in coastal areas is changeable. They may not be able to go out to sea for half a month in a month, and not being able to go out to sea means losing income.
Li Changle hooked the trap net with his foot and saw that the fish and crabs were still struggling in the fishing net, and there were two conger eels coiled in the fish bag.
Just as he was about to untie the noose, a thunderclap exploded in the sky, and the dark clouds seemed to be torn open by a white light, followed by another deafening thunderclap overhead.
The sea in the distance was already pitch black. In the strong wind, the waves rolled and the rain poured down, hitting the boat like nails, making a crackling sound.
The heavy rain formed curtains of rain that covered the sea. The Yantou Mountain, which was usually clearly visible, was now invisible except for the white rain curtain.
The heavy rain was as hard as nails, making it impossible to open one's eyes. In just a moment, Li Changle and A Wei were soaked through.
He wiped the rain off his face and through the rain, he saw Brother Li standing in the driving seat, firmly controlling the direction of the boat and speeding towards the dock.
Fishing boats were speeding towards the dock like arrows, and everyone was anxious to get back to the dock to take shelter before the eye of the storm hit.
Their fishing boat soon overtook a rowboat. Looking at the fishermen rowing desperately on the boat, Li Changle was glad that he had converted his fishing boat into a motorized one.
Otherwise, in weather like today, even if the three of them rowed and paddled, they might not be able to make it back to the dock even if they risked their lives.
Seeing the storm was approaching, the anxious Brother Li saw the lights at the dock. His heart, which had been in his throat, suddenly dropped and he quickly steered the fishing boat into the temporary shelter at the dock.
Brother Li, who was standing at the dock waiting, felt relieved when he saw the fishing boat coming into the port.
Without caring whether they could hear him or not, he waved at them excitedly, "A Le, A An, I'm here!" While shouting, he pushed the tricycle towards them quickly.
The relatives who came to pick up the boat were happy to get on board to help when they saw their men and children safely reach the shore.
At this point, the amount of fish caught is no longer important; returning home safely is the most important thing.
Li Changle quickly dropped the anchor, picked up the rope and threw it to Brother Li, then ran to pick up the bamboo basket. He saw Chen Yongwei holding a rubber bucket in one hand and jumping onto the shore in one leap.
He looked at his own face, which was cold and soaked by the rain, and felt a little hot.
Brother Li picked up a bamboo basket and did not forget to bring the backpack containing fishing gear. This was their livelihood, and if he lost it, he would have to spend money to buy a new one.
At this time, Brother Li also jumped onto the shore and helped carry the last bamboo basket ashore.
The four of them piled their catch on the tricycle. Chen Yongwei got on and pedaled quickly, while Li Changle and his two brothers pushed the tricycle from behind and quickly headed towards Chen's Seafood Store.
Fishermen carrying bamboo baskets and rubber buckets were constantly walking around the dock, and they greeted everyone they knew happily.
Now everyone's attention was focused on their own family, and they had no time to look at the bamboo baskets piled high on the tricycle. Li Changle looked back and smiled when he saw the rowing boat entering the shelter.
"I'm back!"
"I'm back now. I never dreamed that the storm would come so quickly!"
"Yes, after rushing so hard, I finally got there."
"A'an, have you seen my A'tai?" an elderly couple asked anxiously.
Li Changan turned around and pointed at the safe haven, "It's in the back, they're still moving things on the boat!"
"Oh!" The old couple who asked the question immediately smiled and ran towards A Tai's fishing boat.
When Li Changle and three other companions pushed the tricycle and ran to the outside of Chen's Seafood Shop, a storm landed and the dust and gravel on the ground were blown all over the sky by the strong winds coming from all directions.
The doors and windows were creaking in the wind, and the large wooden basin at the door of the shop was picked up by the wind and hit the wall with a bang, then fell to the ground and broke into pieces.
"Come in quickly, I'll insert a few more seams of the door panel." Chen Dong called out to them loudly, and together with Lao Chen, they quickly inserted the door panel into the groove.
Just as a few people pushed the tricycle into the shop, three or four villagers were already waiting inside. Then more than a dozen villagers came in carrying bamboo baskets and their catches.
After entering the house, everyone said that today's storm came too suddenly, and if they were a little slow in action or reaction, they might not be able to get back in time.
The family standing behind the Li family saw the bamboo basket on the tricycle and walked forward to take a look in surprise, "Ah Le, where did you see the crabs moving again?"
Another person also exclaimed, "Fuck! Why are there so many blue crabs? Did you destroy the crab nest?"
"With such strong winds and waves, where can I find crabs to move and destroy crab nests? They are all caught with ground traps and nets."
Li Changle was reluctant to come to the seafood store to sell his catch, firstly because the price was not as high as in the restaurant, and secondly, he was worried that the villagers would see him and become jealous.
If it weren't for the storm, he really wouldn't want to come here to sell fish because he was worried that his work today would be in vain.
At this time, more villagers came in to sell their catches. When they saw several people surrounding the Li family's tricycle, they put down their bamboo baskets and buckets and went over.
"Look, these two yellowfin eels must weigh about 7-8 kilograms each, right?"
"Mom, why did you get so many tiger fish?"
"Be careful. If I poke you, you might end up having to hold a banquet."
Amid everyone's envious and jealous gazes, it was Li Changle's turn to weigh the goods, and the four brothers carried the bamboo baskets off the tricycle.
When Chen Dong saw the big blue crabs in the bamboo basket, he was so happy that he couldn't close his mouth. "Brother Ale, you can catch so many blue crabs with a ground trap net. I think you are the only one among the nearby fishing villages!"
This guy, with his shabby little wooden boat, caught more fish than other people's iron boats that were more than ten meters long.
Li Changle smiled, put his arm around him and walked towards the corner, "Adong, today's good stuff is not just those big blue crabs. Let's agree on the price of the blue crabs first, and then we can talk about other good stuff."
Chen Dong knew that he was cooperating with the Phoenix Restaurant. After thinking for a while, he didn't dare to lower the price too much. "How about this, if it's over one pound, I'll charge you one dollar and four cents, and if it's less than one pound, I'll charge you one dollar. What do you think?"
Li Changle smiled and shook his head. "More than one catty costs one dollar and five cents, less than one catty costs one dollar and one cent. You can make money by reselling it."
"Brother, we can't do this. You know, the wind outside is so strong, and we don't know when it will stop. If a few of them die tonight, I will suffer a great loss."
Li Changle thought about it and agreed. If he hadn't encountered a storm, he wouldn't have sent his catch here. "Okay, I'll sell it to you as you said."
Chen Dong nodded happily, "Brother, you just said there are other good stuff, what are they? Let me see them first."
"A few tiger fish, two red groupers weighing four or five kilograms, and a rice fish weighing fifty or sixty kilograms..."
"What?" Chen Dong thought he had misheard. He turned his head and looked at him, his voice unconsciously rising by two points. "You said you caught another 50-60 kilogram rice fish?"
Li Changle smiled and patted his shoulder, "Young man, calm down, calm down! You don't have the spirit of the young master of Chen's like this!"
"Brother, please stop teasing me." Chen Dong looked at him with shining eyes, "I, a small boss, earn less in a day than you, who carries a bucket to scoop up the sea."
"Your brother is an honest man, he speaks the truth!"
Chen Dong chuckled and didn't agree, "You'd better tell me first, did you really get the rice fish?" He felt that it was impossible for a person to be so lucky to get good stuff one after another.
(End of this chapter)