Chapter 317 - 290: A Bursting Net
The salty, humid sea breeze swept across the deck. Zhang Chongshan’s gaze was locked on the towline at the stern, which was growing steadily tauter.
"Don’t feel pressured. As long as the boat doesn’t sink, just do what you normally do," Yuan Dajun said quietly, patting Zhang Chongshan’s shoulder in reassurance.
"Captain, aren’t you nervous?" Zhang Chongshan turned his head and was surprised to see Yuan Dajun’s calm expression.
"What do I have to worry about?" Yuan Dajun replied naturally. After all, he was only a temporary captain, just there to make up the numbers.
Before they set out, Chairman Qin had instructed him to stay on the boat, observe Zhang Chongshan’s performance, and not do anything rash.
He had no reason to be anxious.
Zhang Chongshan fell silent at his words. He was different. He had been suddenly promoted to this high-profile position.
Thrust into this role so abruptly, with all eyes on him, Zhang Chongshan was under immense pressure. He was afraid of making a mistake.
’What if I mess up or something goes wrong?’
That was why he had been so actively involved in casting the net just now, hoping to use the work to ease his inner anxiety.
The cable sank deep into the sea, plowing a white, V-shaped wake behind the stern as the boat moved slowly forward, carried by the wind.
Time seemed to stretch as they waited. The only sounds were the flapping of the full sails and the slap of waves against the hull.
Suddenly,
the towline at the stern began to sink!
The taut hemp rope let out a teeth-grinding CREAK.
Someone cried out, "We’ve caught something!"
Zhang Chongshan froze. The color drained from his face, and his eyes filled with apprehension.
He wasn’t sure if they had caught a school of fish or something big.
’What if it’s a Giant Beast or a Sea Beast...’
The boat’s speed slowed noticeably, as if it were being held back by an invisible hand.
The pull from behind grew heavier and more substantial.
"Row the sculls! Put your backs into it and stabilize the boat!" Yuan Dajun’s voice rang out.
Chanting came from the lower deck cabins.
The boat made a wide circle in place.
"You decide when we can pull in the net," Yuan Dajun said, clapping Zhang Chongshan on the shoulder.
Zhang Chongshan snapped back to his senses. After the boat completed another circle, he quickly shouted, "Haul in the net! We can haul it in now!"
The boat slowed down, and the crew began to drag the large net upward.
On the surface of the sea, the waves churned.
A vast, dazzling expanse of fragmented silver light erupted.
Gleaming fish scales tumbled and collided on the water’s surface.
The school of fish had been disturbed.
Zhang Chongshan’s breath caught, followed by an indescribable euphoria.
A huge haul on the very first try!
This was a good sign!
"Quick! Speed up the hauling!"
At the sight of the fish, the crew members pulling the net were re-energized. The group rallied, letting out spirited shouts.
The winch moved, and the fishing net slowly rose to the surface.
A massive school of fish thrashed about, their scales creating a blinding, shimmering light.
The winch turned with a creaking groan.
The hemp rope tightened, coiling around the roller. Everyone’s eyes were glued to the churning silver patch of sea.
The edge of the net broke the surface first. Then, between the mesh, silver light exploded as countless fish, caught and compressed, struggled and were lifted from the sea!
SPLASH.
Seawater poured from the gaps in the net like a waterfall.
Thousands upon thousands of fish frantically leaped and thrashed in the net, their bodies reflecting a blinding mix of silvery-white and bluish-green in the sunlight.
The thick, fishy smell of the sea instantly spread across the entire deck.
"It’s a huge catch," Yuan Dajun said, his face alight with joy. He laughed heartily and hurried forward to help.
"My God..." a crewman said in shock. His mouth hung open, and he almost forgot to keep pulling the rope in his hands.
"Quick! Pull it up! Don’t let the fish escape!" Zhang Chongshan’s voice was filled with excitement.
The crew snapped out of their daze and sped up, hauling the net upward.
The large net was slowly dragged onto the deck. On the deck, the fish frantically slapped their tails, making a loud THWACKING sound.
"Hurry, hurry, sort them out and put them in the fish hold."
The group scrambled to help with the sorting.
Laughter and cheers filled the boat.
The deafening sound traveled far.
Even the people on the island reef could hear it.
"There’s a noise coming from the boat."
"Looks like they’ve brought in a haul."
At the edge of the reef, everyone was watching with eager anticipation.
Upstairs, Zou Jianghe watched the fishing boat returning in the distance, his expression complicated.
Huang Tao said from the side, "Chairman, with their fishing boat back, the food prices in the Gated Community are going to fall."
Zou Jianghe was silent for a moment, then said, "It’s the Qin Alliance’s food prices that will fall."
Huang Tao sighed softly. "I thought if they got to eat the meat, we could at least drink the broth. But from the looks of it, the Qin Alliance wants to put the whole fish on their table."
"Zhang Bo has been in frequent contact with them. He most likely wants to go over to their side. Why don’t you?" Zou Jianghe suddenly asked.
Huang Tao smiled. "What about you, Chairman? What are you still holding out for?"
"Me? What am I still holding out for?" Zou Jianghe muttered, as if asking himself.
He suddenly laughed. "I never said I was holding out. If others in the Alliance Association want to leave, I’ve never stopped them. Everyone is free to choose."
Zou Jianghe gave Huang Tao a deep look. "You, on the other hand... you have some complex thoughts, don’t you."
Zou Jianghe watched the fishing boat disappear from the sea through the Node, then he stood up and went downstairs.
When he arrived at the bottom of Building Eight, the hallway was packed with people lining up. Many of them were there because of the fishing boat.
Some people saw Zou Jianghe, but they all averted their gaze. The once-glorious chairman of the Alliance Association now stood alone to the side.
After the main crowd had gone up, Zou Jianghe went to the fifth floor.
"Well, what a rare guest. Please, come in." Liu San walked over, smiling, and led Zou Jianghe into the adjacent living room, pouring him a cup of tea.
"Are Chairman Qin and Mr. Jia in?"
"I don’t know about Chairman Qin," Liu San said, shaking his head. "Mr. Jia is probably busy right now. As you know, the fishing boat just got back, and they’re tallying the catch. With something this big, Mr. Jia is definitely over there."
"You’re here for fish, right? You might have to wait a bit. We have to wait for them to finish up over there." Liu San guessed Zou Jianghe’s purpose for visiting.
"Yes. That’s fine, I’ll just wait for them here," Zou Jianghe said as he sat down, waiting quietly.
On the other side, at the Ghost Ship Dock, buckets of fresh fish were being lifted off the returned fishing boat, mixed with a few other types of seafood like octopus and shrimp.
After being weighed, the final tally was confirmed: the first haul from the sea trip had brought in over four thousand pounds of seafood.
Nearly two metric tons!
The news swept through the dock, and a look of joy appeared on the face of everyone who heard it.
"Congratulations, my lord." Jia Liangcai walked with a brisk, energetic stride into a nearby wooden house to report the good news to Qin Ziwen.
Inside, Qin Ziwen had already heard the commotion from outside.
’Two tons... that’s enough food for one or two thousand people for a day,’ Qin Ziwen estimated internally. ’Of course, that’s just a rough figure.’
He also had to consider factors like the increased appetites of manual laborers and the different ways of preparing and processing the seafood.
"You’ve all worked hard. At this rate, about how many hauls can you manage in a day?" Qin Ziwen asked, looking at Zhang Chongshan beside him.
"If we work hard, three to four hauls should be possible, but the crew will get tired," Zhang Chongshan said honestly. "Casting the net, hauling it in, and loading the fish are all manual labor. It’s exhausting. And rowing the sculls, unfurling the sails, and steering aren’t easy either. If we do three hauls a day, the crew should be able to maintain their condition."
Qin Ziwen pondered for a moment. "What if we split them into two teams? One team works while the other rests and rotates in as substitutes? It would be a good opportunity for the new recruits to get used to the sea and practice their skills. That way, when the new boats are launched, we’ll have people ready to step up immediately."
Zhang Chongshan thought about it carefully. "With a substitute crew, we could manage four hauls a day. The two teams could work in rotation."
"Alright, let’s go with that plan," Qin Ziwen decided, making the final call.
...
...