The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 54: Chapter 54: The Glorious Exploits of the Sea Queen

”Grandma Chen San?” Han Xiaorui was taken aback. She remembered the white-haired old lady who sat on a lounge chair at the village entrance, chatting with people. ”What about her?”

Wang Gensheng smiled. ”She’s the Sea Queen of our Jinshan Bay. During the difficult years, she relied on her sharp intuition and superb fishing skills to find schools of fish, catch seafood, and lead the villagers through thick and thin. Every year, she was an exemplary figure in our county, and even in the city.”

”Back then, the boats weren’t large, but Grandma Chen San could lead both male and female fishers out to sea together. The line between genders wasn’t so distinct. Everyone respected each other and was full of enthusiasm.”

”On a big boat like this nowadays, there are plenty of rooms. The male and female crew members live separately, so it’s not an issue. Besides, when you’re out fishing at sea, you’re busy as can be. Who has the energy to think about any funny business?”

Han Xiaorui was surprised. She hadn’t expected Grandma Chen San to have such a glorious history, nor had she realized Jinshan Bay had no prejudice against female fishers.

If that was the case, then she certainly wanted to buy a large boat.

”I’ll think about it, Uncle Gensheng. I can tell you’re encouraging me to buy a large boat. What do you have in mind?” Han Xiaorui was curious. Wang Gensheng was a steady and methodical man in both word and deed, and Yang Jianguo had spoken very highly of him.

Wang Gensheng smiled. ”To be honest, I can see that you want to buy a large boat. I want to as well, but I don’t have the money. But we could buy one together as partners.”

”You’ll be in charge of finding the fish. My son and I will be in charge of leading the crew, managing the boat, and making sure you don’t have to worry about a thing. When the time comes, we’ll split the profits based on our investment shares.”

Han Xiaorui was taken aback. She hadn’t expected Wang Gensheng to be so direct.

It was only their first day fishing together, yet he was already thinking about partnering up to buy a large fishing boat.

But it was no wonder. Anyone who witnessed Han Xiaorui’s talent for finding fish would be astounded.

”This is a pretty big deal. Let’s wait a bit.” Han Xiaorui didn’t agree right away. She needed to learn more first.

Wang Gensheng chuckled. ”Buying a big boat is a major decision, so of course you need to think it over. There’s no rush, take your time. It’s getting dark, you should head home.”

Han Xiaorui smiled and headed home with Liang Xiaoyu, carrying their buckets.

Seeing the light on by the door from a distance, Han Xiaorui’s heart warmed.

Just as she reached the gate, Pingping, An’an, and Cai Wenjun came running out from the courtyard. ”Mommy, Mommy...”

Hearing the children’s sweet calls, Han Xiaorui and Liang Xiaoyu’s spirits lifted. All their previous exhaustion was swept away as they beamed at the kids.

Han Xiaorui tried to give Liang Xiaoyu her pay, but Liang Xiaoyu waved her hand. ”Don’t worry about it. Paying me each time is too much trouble. From now on, let’s just settle up once a month.”

With that, she took her son and went home. In her bucket were a few smaller lobsters.

Han Xiaorui agreed. She quickly cleaned the four-and-a-half-pound red sea bream she had brought home and made steamed red sea bream.

The red sea bream was high in protein and known for alleviating fatigue, almost like a tonic. Its flesh was tender with few bones.

Steaming was a simple method that preserved the fish’s natural flavors, leaving it savory and not at all fishy.

Han Xiaorui picked out a bowl of fish meat for each of her two daughters. Drizzled with a bit of sauce, they chewed nonstop with their little mouths, like happy little hamsters having a meal.

”Xiao Jing, this fish is delicious. Try some,” Han Xiaorui urged her sister to eat. ”Back home, we only had freshwater fish. Here, most people eat saltwater fish. It’s really good.”

Han Xiaoqing’s face showed her concern as she asked, ”How was it today? Did anyone give you trouble?”

”No, several fishing boats from our village followed me. Even if unfamiliar fishers from other villages follow my boat, I’m not afraid,” Han Xiaorui said with a smile. ”Don’t worry, I’m very safe.”

Han Xiaoqing breathed a small sigh of relief. ”That’s good. Fishing makes money, but it’s also dangerous out on the vast open sea. You have to take care of yourself. Pingping, An’an, and I are all depending on you.”

”Mhm, I know,” Han Xiaorui said with a light laugh. ”I check the weather forecast every time before I go out. If the weather’s bad, I don’t go.”

While eating the steamed red sea bream, Han Xiaoqing exclaimed in admiration, ”There’s really not a hint of fishiness. The meat is so fresh.”

”The fish is big today, so eat up. If we don’t finish it, we’ll have to throw it out, and that would be a waste,” Han Xiaorui said, taking large bites of fish. She had put on some weight and was no longer as scrawny as she was right after she was reborn.

Han Xiaoqing had also gained a little weight and looked even prettier.

After dinner, Han Xiaorui took out her ledger to do the books, noting down Liang Xiaoyu’s daily wage of 10 yuan.

In addition, Liang Xiaoyu had been fishing for a long time today and was particularly tired. Therefore, Han Xiaorui decided to give her a 2% commission from the money earned selling the fish they caught.

They had sold 2,100 yuan worth of fish today, so a 2% commission was 42 yuan.

’She would absolutely not shortchange anyone who worked with her.’

Meanwhile, it took more than two hours of hauling to unload the entire catch from Yang Zhigang’s large boat.

Yang Zhigang instructed his men to clean the boat, handed out cigarettes to the onlookers, and then walked over to Wang Gensheng.

”Gensheng, what was Xiao Han talking to you about just now? Is she in some kind of trouble?”

Because of Zhang Xiufang, Han Xiaorui tried her best not to bother him, even if she was having difficulties.

Although Yang Zhigang wanted to help, he wasn’t always aware of her situation in time.

Wang Gensheng smiled. ”We were just saying how we envy you for having such a big boat. We went out to sea with Xiao Han today...”

Wang Gensheng then recounted how Yang Jianguo had approached them the day before and how they had gone out fishing with Han Xiaorui’s boat today.

Yang Zhigang took out a cigarette and offered it to Wang Gensheng. ”Gensheng, I know what kind of man you are—an upright and honorable one. Come on, let’s go to Jianguo’s place for a drink.”

Wang Gensheng smiled. ”Not today. You’ve been on the boat for a few days, so you probably haven’t slept well. We can drink tomorrow night.”

”Alright!” Yang Zhigang was quite tired and still had matters to arrange, so he really didn’t have time to drink.

Yang Zhigang went to Yang Jianguo’s house to deal with matters concerning the wholesale seafood market.

”Jianguo, you did the right thing this time. The families you found are all decent folks from the village,” Yang Zhigang praised. ”While I’m not around, help Xiao Rui out more.”

Yang Jianguo smiled. ”Uncle, don’t be so formal. Besides, there are plenty of benefits for me in helping Xiao Rui. Her ornamental fish shop in the city is doing great business.”

”She’s had the idea of building an ornamental fish farm in the village. After all, the fishing ban starts next year, and we won’t be able to fish for a few months. We need to have another source of income. Whether it’s raising ornamental fish or doing coastal aquaculture, we have to plan ahead!”

Yang Zhigang was taken aback. ”Are those ornamental fish really a sure thing?”

Yang Jianguo nodded. ”It is. I’ve been to Xiao Rui’s shop in the city, and business is booming. The little fish can survive now while the weather is warm, but they won’t make it through the winter once it gets cold. People will have to buy new ones next year, unless they get a heated tank for their home.”

”Xiao Rui got a feed formula from somewhere that keeps the ornamental fish miniaturized and makes them look especially beautiful. Of course, if you have a large tank, you can also raise medium-sized ones.”

Yang Zhigang stroked his chin. ”Since it’s a sure thing, you should work hard on it. A twenty percent cut of the profits is better than working for someone else. And being in the village, you can still look after your family.”

”Don’t be afraid to spend money. If you’re short, I’ll figure something out. Be bold and go for it. I’ll back you and Xiao Rui up.”