The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 170: Chapter 170: Raw Scallops, Oyster Omelette

The fish holds were filled to the brim. Out of the water, the scallops would only survive for two hours.

So, they had to quickly scrub the mud and sand off the scallops, shuck the meat, then boil it in a pot with salt.

Afterward, they would be taken out to air-dry. This was the best way to preserve their freshness and keep them from spoiling.

Once the other boat’s holds were full, they would have to head back overnight. Everyone immediately agreed to skip washing up for the day and use the conserved freshwater to boil the scallops instead.

Everyone bustled about, shucking the scallops and laying the meat out on the deck to dry.

They divided the labor and worked together with swift, efficient movements.

To save time, they skipped a proper lunch, making do with snacks and soup.

Liu Huamei, the cook, was in charge of boiling the scallops.

Seeing how hard everyone was working, Han Xiaorui felt a little guilty. ”We shouldn’t have been so greedy. Everyone’s so busy they can’t even eat properly.”

Liang Xiaoyu smiled. ”Xiao Rui, don’t you worry needlessly. None of us feel hungry or tired. All we’re thinking about is working more to earn more.”

Sister Lan chimed in, ”Exactly. Besides, we’re deckhands, and this is what deckhands do. When we’re out on a trip, we should get as much as we possibly can.”

Chen Yishui’s basket was full of scallop shells. She emptied it into the ocean, tossing the entrails and other unwanted parts in along with them.

What came from the sea returned to the sea, completing the cycle.

Han Xiaorui laughed at their comments. ”I was just worried you’d all go hungry and think I’m some kind of slave-driving boss.”

Liang Xiaoyu covered her mouth as she laughed. ”If you’re a slave driver, then there are no good bosses left in the world. Time is of the essence. The sooner we finish, the longer they can dry, and the better the quality will be.”

”Otherwise, they’ll still be wet when night falls. Even if they don’t spoil, the quality will take a major hit.”

Wu Mengyue nodded. ”Exactly. Once the scallop meat is shucked and dried, it becomes dried scallops! They’re a delicacy among dried seafood—delicious and expensive.”

Hearing how motivated her crew was, Han Xiaorui immediately announced, ”When we get back to shore, I’ll give each of you two pounds of scallop meat to take home for your kids to try.”

Liang Xiaoyu’s face lit up. ”We don’t need two pounds, one is plenty! Just enough for a taste. This stuff is valuable; it should be sold.”

Everyone agreed with Liang Xiaoyu, thinking Han Xiaorui was being too generous.

Han Xiaorui didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at being scolded by her entire crew. She dropped the subject, deciding she would just give it to them later without any more discussion.

Han Xiaorui stood on the bow with a pair of binoculars, watching the reef shrink as the tide came in. She took out a small flag and began signaling to the other boat, urging them to hurry.

A male crewman named Cao Jun, who was busy cracking open oysters and gathering scallops, called out, ”Uncle Qi, take a look! It looks like Captain Xiao Han is signaling us.”

Hearing this, Captain Qi raised his binoculars and saw that Han Xiaorui was indeed warning them. He immediately signaled back that he had already noticed the reef shrinking.

”Everyone, pick up the pace! This reef is about to be submerged. We’ve got about half an hour left, so let’s move it!”

”Got it, Uncle Qi!” Cao Jun and the others replied. ”There’s so much good stuff here, it’s like finding free money.”

”Yeah, I can’t believe Captain Xiao Han found such a great spot. There’s still so much left. We won’t get it all this time, but we can come back again.”

Captain Qi worked furiously, trying to fill every last basket before the reef was completely underwater.

Everyone redoubled their efforts, no longer daring to waste time with idle chatter.

They rushed to the very last second, but to their regret, there were still two baskets left unfilled. Even so, their haul was enormous.

Nearly half the space in the fish holds was now taken up by scallops, oysters, and sea cucumbers.

Captain Qi took the helm himself, carefully navigating away from the reef. He made sure to memorize the location so they could return.

Once back on his boat, Captain Qi radioed over. ”Everyone’s aboard. Our holds are full. We’re heading back overnight. We’ll probably reach the port around midnight.”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”No more casting nets, then. Full speed ahead. The weather’s good, but the sooner we make it to shore, the better.”

”Roger that!” Captain Qi replied, ordering his crew to open up the throttle and head for port.

Everyone was planning to just grab a quick bite for dinner, but Han Xiaorui stopped them. ”Sister Mei, why don’t you make some seafood noodles for everyone?”

”This work isn’t going to finish itself in a second. We already skipped a proper lunch. If we don’t eat well again tonight, you all might be able to take it, but I certainly can’t!”

’I work this hard so I can live a good life, don’t I? If I can’t even stop for a decent meal, what’s the point of it all?’

Hearing Han Xiaorui, Liu Huamei smiled. ”With these freshly-boiled scallops, I can make a big pot of seafood noodles! And I just checked—the oyster meat is incredibly fresh with almost no grit. I’ll make you all some oyster omelets, too.”

(Oyster omelets are absolutely delicious!)

Han Xiaorui nodded, a smile finally spreading across her face. ”Now that’s more like it! There’s no need to be stingy with ingredients we gathered ourselves. Sister Mei, I’ll be your assistant!”

Liu Huamei waved her off. ”No need, I can handle it myself!”

She stopped boiling the scallops and swapped in a large pot for the noodles.

She got the pre-chopped scallions and ginger from the fridge. She heated the wok, then added the oil.

She chopped up a few tomatoes and tossed them in to stir-fry.

Once the tomatoes had softened slightly, she poured in cold water and started on the seafood noodle soup.

In another pan, she started frying the oyster omelets.

The crew took turns coming over to eat. Delicious food was the best comfort, and it swept away their earlier exhaustion.

After eating, they went back to work, finally finishing up around six in the evening.

They immediately scrubbed the deck clean and left it to dry. Before long, the sea breeze had wicked away the surface moisture.

The first batch of scallops they had laid out was already nearly dry. They collected them to make room for the more recently processed, wetter scallop and oyster meat.

The boat’s freshwater supply was now only enough for drinking.

Everyone was covered in the grime and smell of their work, with not even enough water to wash their faces. They could only rinse their hands.

They were all in the same boat, so no one was in a position to complain about anyone else.

Worried about dirtying the cabins, they didn’t go inside to rest. Instead, they put on old jackets and stayed on deck.

As they watched the stars and chatted about their lives back home, they felt that even though life was tough, it was also filled with warmth.

Back in their homes on shore, people were waiting for them.

On the other boat, not far away, Captain Qi was eating with his crew.

Their meal was simple as well: seafood noodles, seafood congee, along with some fried snacks, pickles, and pastries they had brought from shore.

Cao Jun’s eyes were filled with envy. ”Uncle Qi, we’re heading back after just three days again, and with full holds! I did some quick math—this trip should earn us no less than the last one, probably around 200,000. Our luck is amazing.”

Uncle Qi shot Cao Jun a look. ”Kid, don’t get any funny ideas. Just do your job honestly. The boss said she’s giving you all an extra half-percent commission from now on.”

”The wages on this boat are already high. You just work hard, and I guarantee you’ll make good money. But if you start getting any tricky ideas, don’t say I didn’t warn you. On the open sea, good luck means big profits; bad luck means losing everything.”

Cao Jun laughed sheepishly. ”Uncle Qi, I was just saying.”

’Was I that obvious? Did Uncle Qi see right through me?’