Li Haochen didn't use the electric winch. If the fish wasn't unhooked in time, it could get caught in the winch, and then neither the fish nor the gear would be salvageable. So, he had to do it manually.
His hands gripped the rope tightly as he pulled it back, handful by handful. Two minutes later, the first hook emerged from the water, with a spotted grouper weighing three to four pounds still wriggling on it. In shallow waters, there was no need for a steel needle to vent its swim bladder. A single fish like this could fetch several hundred yuan, earning money faster than fishing for tuna.
This money served as his moral support. Just moments ago, he had felt weary, but the first hook brought a significant surprise. Li Haochen's spirits lifted. There were still 99 more hooks. If each one yielded a fish, how much money would that be? Just thinking about it made him happy.
Of course, this was just wishful thinking on Li Haochen's part. As expected, the next seven or eight hooks were empty. Two even snapped, likely victims of some large creature.
The string of empty catches made Li Haochen somewhat disappointed. He pulled a few more hooks, and finally, a squid as big as his two hands gave him some renewed motivation.
This squid was quite large, weighing about seven or eight pounds. At thirty yuan a pound in the market, live ones were more expensive. This single catch, bringing in over two hundred yuan, was still very good income, more than a civil servant's daily base salary.
However, this creature was timid as a mouse and would give you a "gift" if startled. As soon as Li Haochen touched it, the squid spurted a stream of ink all over him.
Li Haochen didn't bother arguing with it. What would he be if he argued with a squid? He considered it a free facial treatment.
To avoid being splattered again, Li Haochen took out scissors, positioned them above its mouth, and snipped the line. He then tossed it into the live well.
The subsequent hooks didn't bring any major surprises. Every now and then, he'd catch a black seabream or a sea bass, common varieties, but in good numbers. If his entire several-kilometer-long longline had caught only common fish, he would still have made a fortune. It was like the American fishing vessel Northern Leader, with its 80-kilometer-long longline and 75,000 hooks – that was a different league.
After coiling the longline and cleaning the deck, he went into his spatial dimension to retrieve some mussels. He smashed them and stuffed them into the bait boxes, placing them into fish cages and eel traps before lowering them into the sea, awaiting tomorrow's harvest.
After a hot shower, it was past one in the morning. The fatigue from his two dives could no longer be suppressed. As soon as Li Haochen lay down, he fell asleep instantly.
He woke up the next day when the sun was high in the sky, disturbed by the sound of a ship's horn. Li Haochen, with sleepy eyes, rubbing them and yawning, walked out, "Who's making such a racket so early in the morning?"
All he saw was the stern of a ship gradually receding, leaving behind a white wake that slowly dissipated.
After washing up, the timing was awkward – neither early nor late. He decided to combine breakfast and lunch. There was no rice, so it was instant noodles again, but today, he opted for a more upscale version.
Li Haochen went to the live well, grabbed two lobsters weighing five to six ounces each, and extracted their meat.
The meat was meager, barely a mouthful. Li Haochen grabbed two more. Looking at the small bowl of shrimp meat, he was quite satisfied. "Now that's more like it."
When it came to eating, Li Haochen never scrimped on himself or his family. As he put it, only what you ate was truly yours. What was the point of making money if you couldn't enjoy it? Money was meant to serve us better.
He chopped the lobster heads in half, and along with the shells, put them into the pot. He added a few drops of cooking wine. Once the water boiled, he skimmed off the floating foam and reduced the heat to medium for half an hour to simmer.
He removed the shells and added the instant noodles, cooking them for thirty seconds. He used chopsticks to separate the noodles, then quickly added the lobster meat into the broth, cooking for only ten seconds to lock in the freshness and prevent overcooking. Finally, he added a few drops of soy sauce and an appropriate amount of salt.
He picked up a piece of lobster meat and put it into his mouth. The texture was tender and smooth, the taste rich and full. Li Haochen was quite pleased with his control over the cooking time.
He slurped down the smooth, chewy noodles and then savored the rich, flavorful broth. It was a super enjoyment for all five senses: taste, smell, sight, sound, and touch.
Li Haochen finished the large bowl of noodles clean, letting out a satisfied burp. "It's a bit expensive, but it's worth the price."
Of course, it was expensive. Four lobsters alone cost three hundred yuan, all to complement a three-yuan packet of noodles. This was reaching the pinnacle of instant noodle luxury.
After resting for a while, he went up to check the fish finder. The fish situation was mediocre, so he decided to change locations. Before that, he still needed to pull up the fish cages and eel traps he had set the previous night.
He untied the fixed ropes and attached them to the winch. With the power on, it began to turn tirelessly and effortlessly. If he had done it manually, his back and legs would have been aching.
In less than a minute, the first fish cage was pulled up. The catch wasn't large: three small groupers, weighing six to seven ounces each, and a drumfish the size of his palm.
Though the fish were small, they were still worth a considerable amount. These three small groupers alone could sell for over a hundred yuan, which was about the same as a day's pay for someone working overtime doing assembly in Dongguan.
As the second fish cage was being pulled halfway up, he heard the sound of thrashing and slapping. Li Haochen already suspected there was a big catch inside.
He went over to look and, sure enough, a Japanese seabream, over forty centimeters long, was going wild inside. As the fish cage was dragged out of the water, the seabream, now out of its element, became even more agitated, its tail wagging violently and its sharp, rigid dorsal fin standing erect.
Li Haochen, of course, wasn't foolish enough to reach in and grab it directly. A prick from its dorsal fin could easily pierce his palm.
He transferred the Japanese seabream into a fish keeper before tossing it into the live well. Otherwise, being naturally fierce and having a varied diet, it would definitely harm the other marine fish inside, and could even gnaw off the exposed tentacles of the lobsters.
This guy liked to travel in groups. Since one cage could catch such a large specimen, others should have them too.
Indeed, the subsequent few fish cages did yield six more. Although they weren't as large as the first one, they still weighed two to three pounds each. This catch had exceeded his expectations.
He had set out eight fish cages, and in one night, he had harvested sea fish worth half a thousand yuan. This kind of income was more substantial than that of larger fishing vessels.
Not long after, the eel traps were also hauled up. The catch was decent: three white eels and a golden leopard eel. Unfortunately, it wasn't large, only weighing a little over a pound.
He didn't keep these eels. He took them into his spatial dimension, the great sea. When he emerged, he chopped down a few coconuts. The coconut water was a great thing – not only delicious but also incredibly nutritious. After strenuous activity, drinking coconut water was a better way to replenish electrolytes than any sports drink.
After tidying up, he raised the anchor and set sail. The Starry Sea, under the scorching sun, sped across the ocean. Its destination, naturally, was Luzhou Island, renowned for its abalone production.