The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 358: Chapter 358: Leave All the Fish Maw Behind

Yang Zhigang smiled and nodded. ”Yes, it’s already been three months! She’s a strong-willed one. Insisted on going out on the boat to get one more big catch before the fishing ban.”

”As an elder, of course I have to look out for her. Making money is important, but family is even more important!”

”I’m sure you’ve heard about my family situation, right? It’s been heartbreaking. The only reason I’m holding up is thanks to Xiao Rui, my nephew, and his wife. Otherwise, I really wouldn’t have been able to go on.”

Of course, Qi Heng and Wu Guangfu had heard about Yang Zhigang’s family problems. His irresponsible son had managed to stir up trouble even from across the ocean, having kids and refusing to raise them, simply having someone send them back home.

It was an inhuman thing to do.

Seeing his old friend so distraught, Qi Heng offered some comfort. ”Brother Yang, try to look on the bright side. At least think about it—your son hasn’t completely lost his conscience. He didn’t abandon the children, he at least knew to send them back for you to raise!”

Yang Zhigang was torn between tears and laughter. ”You might be telling the truth, but I can’t say I feel very comforted!”

Wu Guangfu couldn’t hold back a laugh. ”Come on, Old Yang, it’s a blessing in disguise! Your son might be unreliable, but you’ve got four granddaughters now. Just think about it. You’ll raise them, and when they’re all grown up, think how lively your home will be.”

”Who cares if you have a son at that point? You’ll have granddaughters! And with Pingping and An’an’s looks, who in any of the surrounding villages can even compare?”

”Your son is handsome and has high standards, so his kids are all beautiful. They’ll all have bright futures ahead of them.”

Hearing Wu Guangfu’s laughter, Yang Zhigang roared with laughter too. ”What else can I do? I’ve just had to accept it! My asshole son might be unreliable, but my granddaughters are absolutely gorgeous!”

Now that Pingping and An’an could hold a conversation and were willing to play with other children, everyone could see that while they might not be as sharp as other kids their age, they were by no means unintelligent.

The little girls were fair and clean, with delicate features. With such a capable mother, a capable stepfather, and a grandfather who doted on them, the children would have a good life.

The other two were also very pretty, with big, exceptionally bright eyes.

Qi Heng laughed as well. ”Exactly, Brother Yang. By the time Pingping and An’an turn twenty, you won’t even be seventy. Just you wait, you’ll be living a life of ease!”

Yang Zhigang nodded. ”Sigh, that’s what I’m living for now!”

’As for that good-for-nothing son of his, he might as well be dead!’

When Ye Feng got home in the afternoon, he heard the fishing boat had docked, but Han Xiaorui hadn’t returned.

Ye Feng went to the wharf, but he only saw the crew members bustling about. Han Xiaorui was nowhere in sight.

Ye Feng found Liang Xiaoyu and asked, ”Sister-in-law Xiao Yu, where’s Xiao Rui?”

Liang Xiaoyu smiled and pointed toward the cabin. ”Xiao Rui didn’t sleep well last night and worked so hard commanding the boat. She’s fallen asleep in the cabin!”

Ye Feng nodded, boarded the boat, and went to the cabin. Seeing Han Xiaorui sleeping soundly, he decided not to disturb her.

He went back outside to see if there was anything he could do to help, but Chen Yishui shooed him away.

It wasn’t worth having Ye Feng, dressed in his suit, get covered in the smell of fish.

”Ye Feng, don’t worry about helping. There are plenty of us here! We’re a little tired, sure, but we’re about to have four or five months off. What’s a little exhaustion now?”

The others were also running on adrenaline, pushing through the fatigue. After all, they wouldn’t be able to fish for the next four or five months. They knew they’d probably end up missing this kind of work-induced exhaustion.

Zhang Guangnan smiled when he saw Ye Feng and offered him a cigarette. ”You’re not dressed for this kind of work. Come over here and have a smoke with me.”

Although he was secretly filled with envy and jealousy, Zhang Guangnan was a businessman and wouldn’t show any ill will toward Ye Feng.

Ye Feng waved him off. ”I don’t smoke. We’ve got kids at home.”

Zhang Guangnan paused for a second, then lit the cigarette for himself. ”I really didn’t expect her to be back in just a day and a night! And with such a huge catch!”

Ye Feng shook his head. ”It sounds easy, but it was incredibly difficult. There was an earthquake somewhere in the East Sea last night. If Xiao Rui and her crew hadn’t gotten back so fast, they might have been in serious trouble.”

Zhang Guangnan froze. ”An earthquake?”

Ye Feng nodded. ”That’s right. When I got the telegram, my heart nearly leaped out of my chest.”

Hearing this, Zhang Guangnan’s internal conflict finally dissolved.

’He might admire Han Xiaorui, but he had more important things to think about. She wasn’t the number one priority in his life.’

’For example, Ye Feng was able to find out about the earthquake at sea immediately, but he himself had no idea. He was more concerned with the fish on Han Xiaorui’s boat.’

’Thinking about it that way, it was only natural that Han Xiaorui chose to be with Ye Feng.’

’From now on, I won’t think about that nonsense anymore. I’ll just focus on my business. We might last longer as friends, anyway.’

Just as Ye Feng and Zhang Guangnan were talking, Yang Zhigang came over. ”Ye Feng, Zhang Guangnan, having a chat? Where’s Xiao Rui?”

Ye Feng replied, ”Xiao Rui didn’t get any sleep last night, so she’s exhausted and sleeping in the cabin. She hasn’t even stirred with all this commotion out here, which just shows how tired she is.”

Yang Zhigang’s face filled with concern. ”An earthquake... Xiao Rui must have had a rough time. My boat caught a good number of bearded croakers and golden croakers. I’ve set them all aside in the cold storage at the wharf. I’m going to have the fish maws removed first. I was thinking of selling the leftover meat to you, Boss Zhang. Are you interested?”

Zhang Guangnan owned several restaurants, including three high-end seafood establishments in the city that required a large daily supply of premium seafood.

When it came to premium fish like bearded croakers and golden croakers, Zhang Guangnan would take as much as he could get.

”Uncle Yang, I’d be delighted! I’ll take the meat, and I’ll give you a great price for it. But what are you keeping the fish maws for?” Zhang Guangnan asked.

Yang Zhigang smiled. ”Xiao Rui is pregnant. They’ll be useful for her after she gives birth. It’s good to prepare them early, and when you do it yourself, you know you’re getting the real thing.”

Zhang Guangnan was taken aback for a moment, then he smiled. ”It’s true, a woman needs to recover her strength after giving birth.”

Just then, Han Xiaorui woke up. As she gathered her things and disembarked, she overheard the conversation between Zhang Guangnan and Yang Zhigang. She smacked her forehead. ”The bearded croakers and golden croakers from the other two boats—save all their fish maws too. Uncle Yang, could you oversee that for me?”

Yang Zhigang quickly agreed. ”Leave it to me. I’ll make sure it’s done perfectly. We have people in the village who are experts at preparing fish maw.”

There was a cold storage facility right by the wharf. The fish maws would be removed there, then rubbed, air-dried, and stored for later use.

Just then, the Emperor Fish from the boat was carried out. It was over three meters long. When the surrounding crowd saw it, they immediately swarmed in for a closer look.

”It’s an earthquake fish! No wonder the radio reported an earthquake. So there really was one! They must have run into a school of fish fleeing the quake to have caught so much in such a short time.”

Chen Yishui and the others were truly exhausted. Han Xiaorui went to hire some day laborers so the crew could rest, but they refused. They just wanted to finish sorting the fish quickly so they could go home and rest.

With such a massive haul, the curious onlookers didn’t disperse, all of them waiting to see just how much money the catch would bring in.