The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 164: Chapter 164: A Delightful Mini-Game

「Three days later.」 It was a beautiful, sunny day with a gentle breeze.

The TV and radio both announced good weather, perfect for heading out to sea.

After getting the notice from Han Xiaorui, Chen Yishui started informing the other crew members.

Liu Huamei hadn’t been idle at home for the past few days. She had been wracking her brain to prepare everything she could think of to bring along.

They couldn’t eat seafood for every meal, so she bought chicken, duck, beef, pork, eggs, and milk.

The boat had not only a refrigerator but also a cold storage room, so there was no worry about these things spoiling.

She calculated what was needed, bought the ingredients, and sent them to the boat.

The ship set sail!

This time, Yang Zhigang didn’t go out to sea either. He instructed Captain Qi to follow Han Xiaorui’s boat and trawl their nets alongside her.

Yang Zhigang was utterly disappointed in his son. He was treating it as if he no longer had a son named Yang Jianming—the boy could go wherever he wanted and drop dead for all he cared.

Now, he just wanted to be with his nephew and niece-in-law, and help raise his three granddaughters.

Han Xiaorui’s actions also moved Yang Zhigang deeply. In his heart, he had come to see Han Xiaorui as his own daughter.

”Old Qi, if anything comes up that you can’t decide on, just ask Xiao Rui. Whatever she says, goes. I’ll back her up.”

With Yang Zhigang’s assurance, Captain Qi was relieved. ”Brother Yang, that’s all I needed to hear. You can focus on your family matters with peace of mind. With me on the boat, I guarantee we’ll return safe and sound.”

”Good!” Yang Zhigang nodded and patted Qi Heng’s shoulder. ”Do a good job. I’ll add an extra percentage point to your commission this trip, and everyone else will get an extra half-point. That’s how we’ll split the profits when you get back.”

Qi Heng was grateful. ”Thank you, Brother Yang.”

He already made good money working for Brother Yang, and now with the extra bonus, he was set. He’d decided he would work for Brother Yang for the rest of his life.

No matter what a boss says, nothing motivates like more money.

Pay them well, and the crew would make sure everything was done right.

Han Xiaorui stood at the bow, the wind on her face making her feel refreshed and invigorated.

Liang Xiaoyu came over with a sun hat and placed it on Han Xiaorui’s head. ”Your skin is so fair. Hurry and put this on. It would be a shame if you got a tan.”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”It’s no big deal. A sun-kissed tan can look good too. When you’re pretty, anything looks good on you.”

Liang Xiaoyu snickered. ”True, true, but fair skin is even prettier. Anyway, the sun is strong out here. You should get back to the cabin instead of baking in the sun.”

Han Xiaorui went into the cabin as the boat sped full-throttle toward the southeast.

The little sea snake had grown a bit bigger and followed them with unwavering devotion. Wherever Han Xiaorui’s boat went, it followed.

Five hours later, Han Xiaorui had Chen Yishui slow the boat down, and Wu Mengyue cast the net.

Han Xiaorui radioed Qi Heng, and his boat began to cast its net as well.

For lunch, Liu Huamei had stewed a pot of beef brisket with potatoes, stir-fried some green vegetables, and made a Nori soup with dried shrimp and tofu.

After their afternoon nap, it was time to haul in the net.

The crew members were eager, all wanting to be the one to open the net.

Han Xiaorui stepped forward, deciding to make a little game out of it to add to the fun. ”I’ll open the first net. Sister Yishui will get the second one, Sister Mengyue the third... Everyone, remember your number. We’ll open the nets in order. Whoever’s net contains the most expensive fish wins first place. We’ll use the prices from our last sale to judge. For the next trip, I’ll have a special surprise gift for the winner.”

Hearing this, everyone’s eyes lit up with excitement. ”Now this makes it interesting! Xiao Rui, hurry up and open the net! Let’s see if you caught anything good.”

”Alright, I’m on it,” Han Xiaorui said with a laugh. She untied the net, and a cascade of fish of all shapes, sizes, and colors tumbled out.

It was a huge, bulging net, but the catch inside was quite mixed.

There were squid, lobsters, green groupers, and giant tiger prawns...

The most valuable of the bunch turned out to be the giant tiger prawns. They were beautiful to look at, and their meat was tender, plentiful, and delicious.

Han Xiaorui took out a small notebook and jotted it down. ”For this haul, the giant tiger prawns are the most valuable. I’m sure we’ll find something that beats them later on. Let’s see who takes the top spot in the end!”

”This game is fun, Boss,” Chen Yishui said with a grin. ”I can’t wait for my turn to cast and haul in a net.”

Chen Yishui and Wu Mengyue cast the next net, while Liang Xiaoyu led a team to start sorting the catch.

With more than a dozen people working, they sorted and moved the catch into storage with great speed.

Next, she scheduled everyone for a rest. They would have to work in shifts through the night; otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to last.

At six in the evening, they hauled in another net.

This catch was less diverse—it was filled entirely with hairtail fish. Although they were quite large, their price didn’t compare to the giant tiger prawns.

Two more nets were hauled in during the night, but Han Xiaorui was asleep. It wasn’t until the next day that she found out over half of Sister Lan’s catch had been expensive Big Yellow Fish.

There weren’t many kinds of seafood more valuable than Big Yellow Fish.

Sister Lan, who usually wore a sorrowful expression, was now all smiles, her face glowing with excitement.

They were all thrilled, eagerly anticipating the surprise gift from their boss.

After all, these women, who were capable enough to work out at sea, were the pillars of their own households. They were used to being the ones giving gifts, not receiving them.

Everyone loved activities like this, and their motivation to work soared.

Life at sea could be monotonous, but it was wonderful with like-minded friends and crewmates, not to mention food so delicious you could bite your tongue off.

This was the life!

While Han Xiaorui was out fishing on the sea, things were getting interesting back home as well.

Granny Cai was riding her tricycle. She had lined it with a woven plastic sack and rigged up a canopy so that Pingping, An’an, and her own grandson could sit inside.

Han Xiaoqing, Wu Yao, and Wu Jiao rode their bicycles, heading to the seafood wholesale market together.

Han Xiaoqing used the trip as a chance to teach the children about buying and selling, guiding them to ask what to buy and how much it cost.

Visiting a new place was like opening up a new map in a child’s mind, leading to significant development.

Thanks to her eloquence and popularity, Granny Cai managed to buy ten kilograms of dried shrimp, as well as Nori and kelp, for the Wu Jiao sisters at the wholesale market, all high-quality and at a great price.

An entire woven plastic sack, filled to the brim, was loaded onto the tricycle.

Granny Cai said to Wu Jiao, ”Jiaojiao, do you want to buy some clothes for your mother? I know a stall that sells off-season clothing. It’s very affordable.”

”Sister Cai, does off-season mean selling winter clothes now in the summer?” Wu Jiao asked.

Granny Cai nodded. ”That’s right. Of course, they have summer clothes too. Let’s go take a look.”

”Okay, we’re interested,” Wu Jiao replied. Since they worked at Sister Xiao Rui’s house, they had no expenses and had saved up all their wages. They were eager to buy things for their families.

When they got to the market, Granny Cai found the off-season clothing stall. Wu Jiao and Wu Yao were dazzled by the selection.

”This woolen coat would be so expensive back in our county. The one the village party secretary’s new daughter-in-law wore wasn’t even this nice,” Wu Jiao said excitedly. Then she spotted a blue garment that wasn’t a cotton-padded jacket or a traditional short coat. ”Whoa, what’s this?”

Granny Cai answered, ”That’s a ski jacket. They came from overseas. It’s filled with synthetic cotton, so it’s warm but still light for winter. It’s reversible, too, so you can wear it with either color on the outside.”

(Most ski jackets in the eighties were reversible.)

”In the winter, these cost thirty yuan. Right now, you can get one for twenty. If you want one, I can haggle for you. I bet I can get it for eighteen. A child’s size is about twelve.”

Wu Jiao’s eyes immediately landed on one that was blue on one side and purple on the other. ”Sister Cai, let’s buy it! Get the blue one for my mom. And my younger brother and sister need one too.”