The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 135: Chapter 135: Money Well Spent

She added some scallion and ginger to the water, boiled the shrimp, and then scooped them out.

The dish itself was simple. The magic was in the dipping sauce Liu Huamei made—that was the soul of the meal.

There was also a soup: seaweed and tender tofu with a swirl of beaten egg. It was divine.

There weren’t many different dishes, but the portions were generous—more than enough for everyone.

”Don’t stand on ceremony, everyone. Dig in,” Han Xiaorui called out before burying her head in her food.

Han Xiaorui ate with such gusto that it whetted everyone else’s appetite.

Wu Mengyue packed a meal into a lunchbox and brought it over to Chen Yishui.

Chen Yishui was taken aback when she saw the food. ”Our boat owner is a little too generous, isn’t she?”

Wu Mengyue smiled. ”She’s generous and isn’t worried about how much we eat. Not like our last boss’s wife, who guarded the food from us like we were thieves.”

”A good boss is hard to find. I hope she makes a fortune so we can work here until we retire,” Chen Yishui said with feeling. ”Once my child is grown, I’ll finally be able to rest.”

Wu Mengyue patted Chen Yishui’s shoulder. ”Sister, everything will get better.”

”I know,” Chen Yishui nodded. She kept an eye on their course as she started her meal.

Half an hour after dinner, Han Xiaorui glanced at her watch. The sky had darkened, and the boat’s large floodlights were on. ”Time to pull in the net!”

Wu Mengyue took the controls herself. Based on her experience, she could feel this was going to be another big haul.

Soon, a massive, thick net, stretched taut and bulging, was hauled onto the deck.

”Another bursting net!” everyone cried out in amazement.

It was dark, and even with the floodlights, a haul this big—three or four tons—was a lot to handle.

Han Xiaorui thought for a moment, then said to Wu Mengyue, ”Sister Mengyue, this one’s yours.”

Wu Mengyue didn’t hesitate. She stepped forward, untied the net, and with a great RATTLE AND CLATTER, the fish inside spilled onto the deck.

A cascade of colorful fish appeared before them.

”Moonfish!” the crew exclaimed. Incredibly, the net held no bycatch—it was filled with Moonfish of all sizes.

As they sorted the Moonfish, they marveled at their luck. It was simply unbelievable!

And they were all expensive fish.

This single haul would sell for tens of thousands.

The largest ones were over a hundred pounds, and there were seven of them.

There were another twenty-three between fifty and a hundred pounds.

Han Xiaorui gave an order, ”Pick out the liveliest ones and put them in the live well. They sell for more if they’re alive.”

Although no one thought the fish could be kept alive for long, they did as Han Xiaorui said.

After these two incredible hauls, the crew was completely convinced of Han Xiaorui’s amazing luck. Her fortune was clearly flourishing. ’Following a boss like this, we’ll be living the good life.’

Everyone bustled about, sorting the Moonfish and moving them to the refrigerated hold.

Next, Wu Mengyue cast the net, then took over piloting the boat to let Chen Yishui rest.

Han Xiaorui was getting sleepy. She gave herself a quick wipe-down with hot water, climbed into her bunk, and fell asleep almost instantly.

Wu Mengyue piloted the boat. Those who had rested in the afternoon were now on watch, while those who had been busy washed up and went to rest.

This trawl was a long one, about four hours. It was already midnight.

When the net was opened, a dense swarm of crabs spilled onto the deck.

Crabs weren’t like fish. Out of the water, they were still full of life, scuttling about chaotically with their claws raised.

Immediately, the entire crew scrambled to sort the crabs.

The crabs had powerful pincers, so the large swimming crabs had to be bound with rubber bands.

Otherwise, the crabs would fight each other, losing limbs and damaging their appearance, which would lower their price.

There were too many smaller crabs to tie up with rubber bands individually, but this was no challenge for the clever fisherwomen, who had plenty of practical experience.

They simply scooped the similarly-sized swimming crabs into a net bag, applying just the right amount of pressure.

Too tight, and the crabs would be crushed.

Too loose, and it wouldn’t stop them from fighting.

This was where the crew’s experience came in. This ”army of women” had been dealing with fish, shrimp, and crabs for a long time; they knew exactly what to do.

In half an hour, the eight of them had sorted all the crabs and moved them into the low-temperature hold.

They were a little tired after the flurry of activity.

But the haul was abundant. There were a lot of swimming crabs in this net, most of them large, weighing around a pound each.

They cast the nets again. The crew rested, but the boat kept moving.

Everyone found a spot to catch a quick nap while they waited for the next haul.

When Han Xiaorui woke up, the sky was just beginning to lighten. The deck was already crowded; it seemed nearly everyone was up.

They were hauling in the net.

Just then, the horizon turned a deepening red. Rosy dawn light stretched across the sky as the sun peeked out.

Its rays hit the tightening net, reflecting off the shimmering fish within.

An experienced crew member gasped. ”This haul looks like pomfret! The most expensive kind, silver pomfret!”

Good heavens!

What kind of incredible luck was this!

And she was right.

When the fish tumbled onto the deck, a stream of silver pomfrets appeared before them.

They were beautiful!

Amidst the silvery-white bodies were quite a few red fish, which looked rather festive with their large eyes.

”And bigeye!” Sister Yun exclaimed. ”These taste amazing, and they sell for a good price, too.” The fish were huge. ”Everyone, be gentle! Don’t damage their appearance.”

Han Xiaorui walked over. She recognized the fish, also known as red bigeye, but she’d never tried it.

”How good is it? Better than Big Yellow Fish?”

Sister Yun smiled. ”They’re both delicious!”

”Sister-in-law Xiao Yu, pick a few out for Sister Mei to cook,” Han Xiaorui said immediately. She’d had silver pomfret before and wanted to try something different this time.

After working together for a day, everyone was already familiar with the boat owner’s little hobby.

It felt a little extravagant, but since the owner herself was willing, it wasn’t their place to comment.

”You got it!” Liang Xiaoyu replied. She deliberately chose some of the smaller fish. ’If Han Xiaorui picked them herself,’ she thought, ’she’d definitely grab the biggest ones.’

While the crew was busy sorting the pomfret and bigeye, Liu Huamei received the fish for cooking. She had already started preparing breakfast.

Steam was rising from a pot, carrying a fragrant aroma. ”Sister Mei, what’s for breakfast?”

”Seafood congee,” Liu Huamei said with a smile. ”I added extra ginger to get rid of the fishiness and ward off the damp.”

Liang Xiaoyu swallowed hard. ”Seafood congee is delicious, but it doesn’t stick to your ribs. When you’re doing manual labor, you need something more filling.”

Liu Huamei grinned smugly. ”You think I wouldn’t have thought of that? Don’t worry, you won’t go hungry. I also made some sticky rice cakes with date paste—they’re fragrant, crispy, and sweet. They’ll be all ready by the time you’re finished here.”

Han Xiaorui’s generosity in feeding the crew gave Liu Huamei plenty of room to showcase her skills.

She put the bigeye in the fridge to cook for lunch.

There was a large quantity of fish, and everyone worked meticulously, so it took over an hour to sort the entire catch.

After hosing down the deck, everyone was ravenous. They rushed over with their large meal containers to eat.

The thick seafood congee had less rice and more fish, shrimp, and crab. The seafood was tender and delicious, and the aroma was incredible.

The sticky rice cakes with date paste were fragrant and crispy, with a sweet filling that paired perfectly with the savory congee. It was a match made in heaven.

Han Xiaorui herself had two large bowls of congee and three of the sticky rice cakes, eating until she was completely satisfied.

’Hiring a cook was money well spent.’

The rest of the crew felt the same way. ’Working for Han Xiaorui is pure bliss.’

After the meal, Chen Yishui finally had a moment to mentally calculate their earnings. When she tallied up the numbers, even she was shocked by the result.