At half past four in the afternoon, he returned to Wuzhou Island. The fish finder showed very few creatures, but it didn't matter. There were enough fish for the banquet, and Li Haochen didn't plan to stay overnight; he had to continue his journey.
Having played the role of a scourge of sin that morning, he hadn't eaten anything since and was starving.
He washed rice and cooked it, then took out a red snapper for a two-way preparation and made a pot of enoki mushrooms and dried bean curd with an egg.
Li Haochen ate slowly, savoring the delicacies. He had been too tense for the past two days and needed to relax. After the meal, Li Haochen didn't set sail immediately. Instead, he came out and sat on the deck.
With nothing else to do, he simply sat there. About half an hour later, Li Haochen stood up, stretched, and walked into the captain's seat. "Let's keep moving."
The sky, unaware, donned its black attire, adorned with countless brilliant stars.
Night sailing was indeed arduous. The dark sea always evoked a sense of unease and anxiety. Even though the satellite map indicated complete safety, people tend to overthink when they lose one of their senses.
Checking the time, it was already late. Li Haochen decided to spend the night there, as he was truly exhausted, having not rested from morning till night.
Despite his fatigue, he still had to set the traps, otherwise, a whole night would be wasted with little to no gain.
He took out some mussels from his spatial storage, prepared them, and put them into the traps, leaving them be. The results would be known the next morning. After a quick shower, he dived into bed to dream.
The next day, before dawn broke, Li Haochen got out of bed. After washing up, he put on his gloves and went out, pulling the traps up with anticipation.
As he was halfway through pulling the first fish cage, he saw two dark green, hard, elongated shapes piercing through the mesh. "What are those?"
Li Haochen sped up, and their true form was soon revealed. "King crabs? I didn't expect to catch these."
"King crab" is a local name. Their real name is horseshoe crab, a creature that has survived for hundreds of millions of years, predating dinosaurs by two hundred million years. They are known as living fossils, fascinating creatures. Usually, when they are caught, they are in pairs, with the female resting on the male, hence the nicknames "couple fish" and "husband and wife fish." In the past, spotting a line of white bubbles on the shore usually meant these creatures were around.
Their taste is quite sweet and fresh. They are usually used in winter melon soup or braised dishes. They are also called "men's gas station," but they are now a protected species, and it is forbidden to catch, sell, or consume them. However, due to the "gas station" moniker, their prices are not low, driving many to take risks. It's a long road ahead to prevent their extinction.
Li Haochen pulled the entire fish cage up, looking left and right with a panicked expression. He brought the cage into the cabin and released the pair into the sea in his spatial storage.
His heart was pounding faster when he came out, feeling a bit like a thief.
"I'm contributing to the protection of world-renowned animals, what's there to fear?" Li Haochen found a justifiable excuse to comfort himself, but it was indeed true. In the spatial sea, as long as he didn't exterminate them, they could reproduce and live peacefully. Outside, countless chopsticks awaited them.
The remaining three fish cages were unremarkable, with over ten stone bream, and not even large ones. They were thrown into the spatial sea to be bred.
Fortunately, the four crab pots that followed erased the disappointment from the fish cages. There were seven large blue crabs and over ten lobsters. The eel traps were also satisfactory, yielding four eels weighing over two pounds each.
Overall, the catch was quite bountiful, especially considering the minimal effort involved, just a few pounds of inexpensive mussels and some physical exertion.
With the joy of a good harvest early in the morning, his mood was naturally excellent. Therefore, breakfast today was a bit more lavish, with two lobsters and one blue crab cooked into a pot of seafood porridge. If he had more time, Li Haochen would have made a pot of seafood tangyuan.
The mention of tangyuan reminded him of the delicacy of sand worms. Though unassuming in appearance, they are undoubtedly among the top-tier seafood. However, the season for digging them up had passed. To eat them, one would have to wait for April, May, and June. They are available in other seasons too, but they are not as plump and tasty.
After breakfast, there was still quite a bit left. He put it in the rice cooker to keep warm, saving time for cooking at noon.
He went out, tidied up the traps, cleaned them, and returned to the captain's seat to start the engine. "The wedding is the day after tomorrow, I need to hurry back."
Eager to return, he reached maximum speed within minutes. A speed of 35 knots was rarely matched by fishing boats or angling boats, except for the larger ones.
At noon, Li Haochen slowed down, went down, and brought the entire inner pot of the rice cooker up. He ate while steering, not bothering to wash dishes or clean up, leaving them aside to be dealt with upon arrival.
In the afternoon, as the sun began to set, the sky darkened considerably, but Li Haochen felt a surge of happiness because he had entered the territory of Xinning City.
Strangely, upon entering the city's jurisdiction, Li Haochen's entire being felt different, indescribable. Perhaps it was the true sense of home, or perhaps the subtle influence of his bloodline.
Beyond the boat, continuous mountain ranges could be seen. He checked the GPS map and realized he was still quite a distance from the outer beach of Li Family Village. He endured his hunger and continued his journey.
"Almost there..."
Li Haochen looked in the direction of his home, his heart filled with excitement.
Three hours later, the Xingchen Hao stopped two nautical miles off Moon Bay. Li Haochen rushed out and shouted towards his home, "Mom, Dad, I... am... home!"
In the sky, a shooting star flashed by, seemingly responding to Li Haochen.
At this moment, Li Haochen was filled with emotion, wanting to rush back without any restraint. However, he ultimately suppressed his eagerness to return home, as it was already late at night, and in the darkness, no one would witness his glorious return. If that were the case, his intention to bring honor to the Li Family Village would be lost.
There's a saying: seeing is believing, hearing is deceiving. If the neighboring villages didn't see it with their own eyes, how could they believe it? If he had been better prepared, Li Haochen would have even brought firecrackers and celebratory lion and dragon dances.
He had eaten porridge for both breakfast and lunch, and hadn't eaten in the afternoon. He was now starving. However, after searching the refrigerator, there were no more vegetables, only rice. Cooking it would likely make him faint from hunger.
Rummaging through, he finally found a pack of White Elephant instant noodles. He poured hot water over it, and before it could fully soften, Li Haochen eagerly started eating. Unfortunately, the portion was too small, and after just a few slurps, it was gone. He had no choice but to drink the MSG water left in the bowl.
It served some purpose, at least lessening the hunger. Only then did Li Haochen proceed to wash rice and cook it. With no dishes, he spooned out two spoonfuls of shrimp paste, added some peanut oil, and put it in the rice cooker to steam.
"I can't touch the live wells anymore. It's really not normal not to have some meat. I'll go fishing for a couple of them."