Old Jiang was taken aback. Borrowing five thousand was still a bit too much. Yu Qiang and Guan Lin's salaries were higher than the Fu brothers', but they only earned around seven or eight thousand a month. Each trip to sea would only bring in a little over two thousand. Borrowing five thousand in the current off-season, when the fishing catch was much less than in the peak season, would require at least three trips to earn the money. He immediately began to ponder.
Yu Qiang was about to hum in response when his second uncle entered, saying in a deep voice, "Stop playing around, it's already past six in the morning. Go get some sleep and recharge. We should reach our destination around two in the afternoon. Sleep for eight hours, catch some fish after you finish your work, and you can play as much as you want when we get back."
Old Jiang readily stopped, chuckling, "Go to sleep, everyone. Brother Yu is right, a good night's sleep makes for a good workday, so you can gamble to your heart's content when you get back."
Yu Qiang had no choice but to get up dejectedly, while the others were all delighted, especially the three Fu brothers and Lao Jiang. It was a rare treat to win money, especially Fu Gui, who won the most.
However, Fu Gui was still grateful to Zhou Xuan for winning so much money. If it weren't for Zhou Xuan's persuasion, he might not have won so much money. He thought that after returning from this voyage, he would really treat Zhou Xuan to a fast food meal. He had won seven or eight thousand, so spending a few hundred yuan was no big deal.
Zhou Xuan returned to his room, took off his coat and trousers, covered himself with a blanket and went to sleep. The blankets on the ship were very thick because the temperature on the sea was slightly colder than on land. It was only February, and the weather was not warm.
After lying down, Zhou Xuan began to train his supernatural abilities again. However, while he was training, he overheard Uncle Yu and Old Jiang's conversation.
"Old Jiang, it's getting harder and harder to catch fish these days. The dry season is even worse, and even during peak season, the catch from several big fishing runs has been much smaller than before. You can see it in the ocean; the fish are getting fewer and fewer."
Old Jiang also said with great concern, "Yes, since this winter, every voyage has yielded very little. In previous years, one voyage was equivalent to five voyages now, or even more."
Uncle Yu sighed again, "Nowadays, ships are traveling farther and farther, but even after going so far, it's still hard to catch fish. The East China Sea has always been the sea area with the most abundant fish since ancient times, but I never thought that the past glory would never return."
"Sigh... Time to sleep. It's tough, but we still have to fight. What else can we do?"
Zhou Xuan also sighed. Making a living is becoming increasingly difficult. Earth's resources, not just fish, but all other species, are becoming increasingly scarce.
Outside the glass window, the sky gradually brightened, revealing an endless blue sea. Zhou Xuan withdrew his gaze, closed his eyes, and thought he should get some sleep, but it was really hard to fall asleep right away.
My mind wandered, and I kept thinking about Fu Ying. I wondered how she was doing. It would be a lie to say I wasn't worried or concerned.
I still only practice martial arts, without any books around. If I had books, I could fall asleep faster while lying down and reading, but practicing martial arts would be slower, though still better than doing anything else.
However, when he practiced his skills, his supernatural abilities unconsciously probed outwards, and he actually reached the bottom of the sea below the ship. It was only about 10 meters deep. In some deeper places, such as some ditches and low-lying areas, it was only about 100 meters deep. It seems that the average depth of the East China Sea is not very deep.
At this point, they were probably about two hundred nautical miles from the shore. There weren't many fish in the sea, and under Zhou Xuan's special ability to detect them, they couldn't hide anywhere. There were many fish that he had never seen before.
However, he didn't see any large fish such as sharks or whales. The mystery of the ocean was no longer a big deal for Zhou Xuan. Besides, the East China Sea wasn't deep enough, far less than the underground rivers he had visited. Even in terms of depth, the East China Sea wasn't that deep.
While practicing his martial arts, Zhou Xuan also enjoyed the underwater world of the East China Sea, observing the strange sea creatures. Gradually, he fell asleep.
I was startled awake by a bell ringing on the boat. It was Old Jiang who rang the bell, and everyone got up. At this time, Uncle Yu was still the one steering the boat. Three hours after Zhou Xuan and the others went to sleep, Uncle Yu replaced Guan Lin. Basically, they took turns on duty every three hours. Usually, Uncle Yu would take a little longer to steer the boat, but he was in control when it mattered most.
They had arrived at their destination, which was now seven or eight hundred nautical miles from the shore in the deep sea. Zhou Xuan used his special ability to probe the depth of the seabed, which was over two hundred meters deep. However, in some places it was still less than two hundred meters deep, and he could still detect it. But judging from the terrain, the depth of this area of the sea was not very deep. The deepest place was estimated to be only three or four hundred meters deep. He could dive to the bottom with his bare hands.
Inside the ship's hold, Zhoukou Xuan detected several spearguns and four diving suits, but they were all ordinary and probably rarely used. Fishermen only go into the water when necessary, mainly for repairs and net mending, and they don't need to dive to fish.
A rubber boat was also suspended over the stern for use in case of disaster.
Uncle Yu had already stopped the boat and hoisted the sail on the mast. The sail's main function is to use the wind, but it is also sometimes used as a tool to measure the wind direction. The direction of the sea flow is related to the wind direction, so it is also important to observe the direction of the sea flow. Fish sometimes live in warm water currents.
However, the currents in the ocean are very complex and cannot be observed from the surface. Observing from the wind direction is only partial, so it is not easy to find the real schools of fish.
The boat came to a near standstill. Uncle Yu observed the sails for a while, then looked at the direction of the waves. He then clasped his hands together in a gesture of blessing, chanting, "May the sea god bless me with a bountiful harvest this time, and may I catch many fish. I will surely offer a generous sacrifice when I return."
The relationship between fishing boats and choosing good fishing spots is very important. Generally, each time a net is cast and hauled in, it takes a lot of time. Several times, it can take half a day. If there is no catch, then you have to return. If you are far from the shore, you can't keep up with the supply. Whether you catch fish or not, you have to return.
Therefore, Uncle Yu is particularly careful in choosing the sea area where he sets his nets. If the first three nets are all in vain, then this fishing trip will almost be a waste of time.
On the boat, only Uncle Yu was the most experienced, followed by Lao Jiang. The others were just following orders and could operate the boat's machinery, but they couldn't offer any experience in fishing or finding fish.
Uncle Yu observed for more than ten minutes, then lowered the sails, stopped the engine, and let the boat drift on the sea for a few minutes. After confirming the direction of the sea current, he pointed to the direction of the current and said, "Yu Qiang, you take..." He glanced at everyone, his gaze falling on Zhou Xuan, and added, "You take Hu Yun to prepare to cast the net. Hu Yun will assist you."
Uncle Yu didn't value Zhou Xuan; he just made Zhou Xuan do odd jobs, like casting the net, all under his orders. Yu Qiang simply pressed the switch and sent Zhou Xuan with him so that Yu Qiang would have company and be able to do whatever he wanted.
After the nets were pulled up, the others collected the fish on the deck. At that time, Zhou Xuan still had to come over to help. The fish had to be sorted and not all put together. Some fish could not be put together. Ordinary sea fish were packed into boxes. Since the weather was not hot, ice was not needed for refrigeration. Some precious fish needed to be kept alive. If a particularly large fish was caught, it would even be hauled in the seawater with a trawl net and brought back to the shore. When it reached the shore, it would be loaded onto the ship and taken away.
At this point, Zhou Xuan was like a brick, ready to be moved wherever needed, not to mention the arrangements made by Captain Yu Jinshan.
From the control room at the bow, you can see the nets being cast through the transparent glass.
Yu Qiang walked ahead, with Zhou Xuan following behind. They entered the control room, which was electrically controlled. Yu Qiang held a walkie-talkie and was talking to his second uncle.
Uncle Yu was driving towards the end of the stream, about five or six hundred meters, when he commanded, "Yu Qiang, cast the net."
Yu Qiang slammed the switch on, and Zhou Xuan immediately saw the large net being cast out to both sides from the stern. The boat was fast enough that the net covered a thousand square meters of sea surface. After the net sank into the sea, Uncle Yu quickly slowed down and stopped the boat. Then, he waited for the fishing net to sink completely to a deep enough depth.
This net can reach depths of seven or eight hundred meters, while the sea here is only three or four hundred meters deep, so naturally it doesn't need such a long line to reach the bottom.
After Uncle Yu cast his net, Zhou Xuan casually remarked, "There aren't many fish here."
Yu Qiang immediately retorted angrily, "What do you know? What do you even know?" He muttered a few more words under his breath, then took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lit it with a flick of his lighter.
Just then, the boat tilted with a large wave, and Yu Qiang lost his balance, his forehead hitting the side wall with a "thud," breaking his forehead and drawing blood.
Yu Qiang kept crying out "Ouch, ouch," but the injury wasn't actually that serious; it was just a scrape that broke the skin, and the blood on his face looked scary.
Zhou Xuan found it amusing. Even if the impact had been harder, he wouldn't have minded; this guy was full of mischief.
Yu Qiang quickly handed the walkie-talkie to Zhou Xuan, then said urgently, "Hu Yun, see those two guillotines? The one I pushed is for casting the net, the other is for pulling it in. When Second Uncle gives the order, push whichever one he tells you to push. I'm going out to get my wound bandaged."
The operation is so simple it's beyond words, why would they need technicians? Clearly, they got the job through connections.
Zhou Xuan took the walkie-talkie and responded meekly. Yu Qiang quickly covered his head and ran out, muttering annoyance as he ran.
Uncle Yu, of course, was unaware of the trouble that had occurred. After the fishing net sank to the bottom, about fifteen minutes later, he ordered, "Hold in the net."
Zhou Xuan immediately pushed up the other guillotine. Through the glass window, he could see the thick nylon rope, as thick as a child's arm, being pulled back one loop after another on the steel winch, followed by the net, which gradually thickened until the entire net was pulled onto the deck. Only then did Zhou Xuan turn off the guillotine.
The harvest from this net was exactly what Zhou Xuan had anticipated. His supernatural abilities had detected it long ago: there weren't many fish in the sea where the net was cast, but after pulling it in, there were only two or three hundred catties of fish in the net.
Zhou Xuan naturally went out to help, but there wasn't much to do with these fish; they were all filled in two baskets. Old Jiang and Uncle Yu both shook their heads.