The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 369: Chapter 369: Strange Fish

Wu Mengyue turned her head and froze for a moment when she saw who it was. ”Cousin? So you’re the captain of the cruise yacht!”

Captain Wang nodded. ”I am! Do you know the ship’s owner?”

Wu Mengyue smiled. ”The fishing boat I work on and this cruise yacht belong to the same person!”

Captain Wang burst out laughing. ”Oh, so that’s how it is! Come aboard. I’ll teach you how to pilot a cruise yacht later!”

Wu Mengyue was taken aback. ”Cousin, aren’t you afraid we’ll learn your trade and put you out of a job?”

Captain Wang was unconcerned. ”What’s there to be afraid of? You’re on a fishing boat, and this is a cruise yacht. How could one person possibly work on two ships at the same time?”

”Even if the owner were willing to pay for it, no one’s body could take that kind of strain! Besides, I’m very confident in my skills. Even if I weren’t needed here, I could find another high-paying job anywhere.”

Chen Yishui smiled. ”That’s right, Brother Wang. Thank you. Fishing is tiring enough as it is; we don’t have time to pilot a cruise yacht. We only want to learn because we love being at the helm.”

Captain Wang smiled. ”If you want to learn, you should. There are going to be more and more cruise yachts in the country. If I’m not around and the owner needs someone, he could call on you to help out since you’re nearby.”

Captain Wang was completely open about it, holding nothing back.

He was forty-eight and would be retiring in a few years, so he was focused on building good relationships.

It would create more opportunities for his sons and grandsons when they grew up.

His plan was for his son to join the military first—the navy, specifically. If that didn’t work out, then he could learn to pilot a ship.

Han Xiaorui led her family, Liang Xiaoyu’s family, and the others aboard the ship.

Once they were on board, Captain Wang announced loudly, ”Adults, put on adult life jackets. Children, put on children’s life jackets. It’s your first time on the yacht, so you must wear them for safety.”

”Okay!” Han Xiaorui led the way, putting on a life jacket. Even though she didn’t need one, she had to set a good example for the children.

Sure enough, after seeing her put one on, Pingping, An’an, Cai Wenjun, Cai Wennan, and Yang Minmin all put on their life jackets too.

Captain Wang continued, ”On the ship, children should not stand by the rails unless accompanied by an adult. No running around or roughhousing, and no wandering off alone. When you eat, chew slowly and carefully. Don’t eat hard, granular foods...”

After Captain Wang had gone over all the rules, he finally started the engine.

Chen Yishui and Wu Mengyue entrusted their children to Liang Xiaoyu and went to learn how to pilot the cruise yacht.

When it came to ships, the principle was ”master one, master them all.” There were some differences, but they weren’t significant.

Chen Yishui and Wu Mengyue quickly got the hang of it. ”The equipment on this cruise yacht is way better than on our fishing boat.”

”Technology is advancing so quickly these days. Every year, there’s new equipment on the ships, so I have to keep studying too,” Captain Wang said with a smile. ”But it’s a lot of fun.”

The children were a little timid at first, but they soon got used to the motion of the yacht and began to move about.

Han Xiaoqing, Liang Xiaoyu, Wu Jiao, and Wu Yao positioned themselves in four directions to watch the children.

Han Xiaorui and Ye Feng sat inside the cabin, gazing at the scenery outside, feeling completely relaxed.

”Ye Feng, you’re busy with work. You don’t have to hover around me all day.” Because of her pregnancy and all the prenatal check-ups, Ye Feng hadn’t been able to work properly.

Ye Feng smiled. ”It’s fine. I can manage my workload. Besides, when my grandpa and aunt heard you were pregnant, they took over most of my duties.”

”This gives me the perfect opportunity to be with you. I read in a book that pregnant women need extra care and attention, or else their minds can run wild with anxious thoughts.”

Han Xiaorui laughed heartily. With a wave of her hand, she pointed to the vast ocean. ”I’ve been through so much; I’m long past the stage of letting my mind run wild. Look at how immense the ocean is. I strive to have a heart that’s just as open.”

Ye Feng shook his head and chuckled. ”Alright, alright. Don’t worry about my work. I’ll arrange everything.”

”By the way, did you tell your father that I’m pregnant?” Han Xiaorui asked.

”We only talked about work, not our personal lives. It doesn’t matter if I tell him now or not. We can just invite him to the celebration after the baby’s born.”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”Well, that’s your stance. If your father calls me, I’ll tell him. On another note, your two younger brothers write me three letters a month.”

”They also send gifts for Pingping and An’an. And while most of the toys are for boys, they occasionally include things girls like, such as hair clips, hair ties, and even beautiful round fans.”

”They’re very thoughtful toward me, their sister-in-law, so I can’t just shut them out. From the month or so we spent together before, I got to know Ye Ling and Ye Chen. It’s better to be on good terms with them than not.”

Ye Feng nodded. ”Okay, I’ll do whatever you say.”

For him, having a wife and children was all that mattered. As for his work and ambitions, those couldn’t be achieved in a single day. He could just take it one step at a time.

Just as they were speaking, the cheerful voices of Pingping and An’an drifted in from outside. ”Dolphins! Dolphins...!”

Han Xiaorui handed the camera to Ye Feng. ”Quick, take pictures of everyone! It’s not every day they get to see dolphins.”

Ye Feng took the camera and went to take their pictures.

Just then, not only were there dolphins, but whales also appeared, breaching the surface and spouting water. It was a spectacular sight.

The film was used up quickly, mostly on pictures of the children.

Every child got their picture taken with the whales. Even Granny Cai and Liu Huamei rushed out from the kitchen, still in their aprons, to pose for a photo with the Tiger Whales.

Han Xiaorui brought over some hats and handed them to Han Xiaoqing, Pingping, and An’an. ”Put these on. Cover your faces.”

Han Xiaoqing didn’t want to wear one. ”Sis, I’m not afraid of getting a tan.”

”You might not be afraid of getting a tan, but are you not afraid of your skin peeling or getting swollen from a sunburn?” Han Xiaorui retorted.

”Is it that serious?” Hearing this, Han Xiaoqing immediately took a hat, put it on, and covered her face with a light scarf.

”I spend all day out on the ocean. You think I don’t know what I’m talking about?” Han Xiaorui said with a laugh. ”Anyway, didn’t you want to fish? The children have gone inside the cabin to rest, so you can go now.”

Han Xiaoqing nodded. ”Alright, then. I’ll go fishing. How about we eat whatever I catch for lunch?”

”Deal!” Han Xiaorui chuckled. ”Let’s see what kind of prize fish a novice like you can catch.”

Han Xiaoqing picked out a fishing rod that felt right in her hands, baited the hook, and started fishing.

It must be said, beginner’s luck is a real thing.

On her first time fishing at sea, Han Xiaoqing actually caught a silver pomfret that weighed almost three pounds. ”Sis, look! I caught a silver pomfret! This kind of fish is so delicious. It’s my favorite.”

Han Xiaorui was quite surprised herself. ”Xiao Jing, not bad luck at all! Sister Xiao Yu, could you quickly help get the fish off the hook? If she catches a few more like this, we’ll have our main course for lunch.”

”You got it!” Liang Xiaoyu helped unhook the fish and took it to the kitchen to be kept fresh.

It was as if the sea itself was trying to get Han Xiaoqing hooked on fishing. She went on to catch a Yellow Croaker, a small yellow croaker, a small octopus...

Even though it was getting very hot outside and her arms were growing tired, Han Xiaoqing was completely absorbed and didn’t want to stop.

Han Xiaoqing reeled in another catch, but this one she didn’t recognize. ”Sis, what’s this strange fish called? It looks like a bat.”