The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 200: Chapter 200: Who Can I Complain To?

”Are those golden pompano?”

”Yes, I just counted. There are a hundred baskets already, and they’re not done unloading yet.”

”My God, did they hit the jackpot on golden pompano?”

As many people cried out in astonishment, they kept a close eye on the activity on Han Xiaorui’s boat.

”A hundred and fifty baskets!”

”Is it still golden pompano?”

”Yes! I’m not going out to sea today. I have to see just how many baskets of golden pompano there are.”

This was what many people were thinking.

They counted and counted!

By the time the count reached two hundred baskets, the crowd was numb with shock, beyond envy and jealousy.

There were over two hundred and thirty baskets of golden pompano in total, all of a perfect size for selling to seafood restaurants.

Zhang Guangnan was also grinning from ear to ear. He’d have to organize a golden pompano banquet.

With the precedent set by the treasure trove of golden pompano, the rest of the catch seemed much smaller, but there were still dozens of baskets of each type of fish.

When he finally saw the Chinese bahaba, Zhang Guangnan’s grin was so wide you could see his gums.

A big boss from Hong Kong Island had asked him to procure Chinese bahaba or Maotai croakers, hoping to get the fish maws inside for his family, or possibly as a gift.

It was a case of ”ask and you shall receive!”

’Han Xiaorui is my goddess of fortune!’

”Chinese bahaba! Those are Chinese bahaba! So many, and so big!” the crowd exclaimed. There were thirty-three of them weighing over forty pounds.

And seven weighing over fifty-five pounds.

There were also over twenty smaller ones.

Fish like these were a once-in-a-lifetime catch, much harder to find now than in the past.

It seemed like every time she went to sea, Han Xiaorui’s boat came back with expensive fish.

Last time it was the Big Yellow Fish, this time it was Chinese bahaba.

They were green with envy!

But fishing at sea came down to luck and skill.

Being envious was useless!

The ocean was vast. If you weren’t convinced, you could go out and try fishing yourself!

Not to mention, Yang Zhigang had gotten lucky and filled his holds too, but the types of seafood he caught weren’t nearly as valuable as what was on Han Xiaorui’s boat.

Even when it was the same species, the quality wasn’t as good as hers.

They all went out to sea together, but the difference in their hauls was huge every time. Who could you even complain to?

The Dragon King? Or the goddess Mazu?

In any case, being envious was pointless.

While unloading his own cargo, Cao Jun was also keeping an eye on Han Xiaorui’s boat.

Yang Zhigang had a good haul this time, selling it for 198,000.

Han Xiaorui’s boat’s catch this time reached a staggering 446,000.

After hearing the amounts, Cao Jun couldn’t control his restless heart.

’Buy a boat. I have to buy a boat.’

He had also wanted to pursue Han Xiaorui, but a few days ago, he happened to see Ye Feng visiting her home.

Cao Jun had always thought he was pretty handsome, but compared to Ye Feng, he wasn’t as tall, wasn’t as good-looking, and, crucially, it seemed his family background wasn’t as good either.

Cao Jun slunk away, completely giving up the idea.

Since the path of living off a woman wasn’t going to work, Cao Jun resorted to a crooked idea and sold the coordinates to that spot rich with scallops and oysters.

The price was good, too—a full ten thousand yuan.

By eight-thirty in the morning, all the seafood had been weighed and loaded onto the truck.

The bill was also settled. Zhang Guangnan said with a smile, ”I’ll transfer the money to you when I get back.”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”Sounds good.”

After all, no one carries hundreds of thousands in cash!

With the receipt signed, Zhang Guangnan took his leave.

Han Xiaorui went into the cabin and took out a bag. After deducting costs, there was 397,000 yuan left.

Han Xiaorui gave Chen Yishui, Wu Mengyue, and Liang Xiaoyu 3,970 yuan each.

The other crew members each received 1,985 yuan.

Such a high bonus instantly wiped away everyone’s fatigue.

This was cash Han Xiaorui had prepared in advance, so the crew wouldn’t have to make another trip tomorrow.

The crew could have more time to rest and be with their families.

Han Xiaorui looked at the schedule in her notebook. ”We won’t be going out for the next week. I have to attend a conference, and the weather isn’t looking good anyway. Everyone get some good rest and stay safe.”

”Thank you, Captain,” Chen Yishui said with a wide grin. To be honest, the past two days had been incredibly tough.

They had returned a full day and night earlier than usual, but the workload hadn’t decreased at all.

They thought they’d be lucky to get three or four days off, but they never expected the captain to give them a whole week.

In the past, they would have been thrilled, but now that every trip brought such a big bonus, they couldn’t wait to go out to sea more often.

”No need to thank me. You’ve earned it!” Han Xiaorui said with a laugh. ”Clean everything up, inside and out, then hurry home and get some rest.”

Han Xiaorui carried two buckets. One held a live Chinese bahaba, and the other was filled to the brim with yellow-jaw tomcod.

Liang Xiaoyu called from behind her, ”Xiao Rui, once I finish tidying up the boat, I’ll come over and help you clean the fish.”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”Sure! You can bring your share over, and we’ll fry it all together!”

When Han Xiaorui got home, she put ice in the fish buckets to keep them fresh.

She started washing her hair and showering, rinsing off the smell of sweat and seafood, transforming back into a fragrant beauty.

Once the fishing boat was cleaned up, Chen Yishui did a final check, locked up, and then disembarked.

Liang Xiaoyu went home first to shower and change, planning to come over with her mother-in-law to help fry the yellow-jaw tomcod.

”Mom, here’s 500 for spending money!” Liang Xiaoyu was very generous; her starting point for giving her mother-in-law pocket money was 500 yuan.

Seeing her daughter-in-law bring back so much money, Granny Cai beamed. ”Was the bonus big this time?”

Liang Xiaoyu nodded, exceptionally proud. ”We caught a full net of Chinese bahaba! The other fish were great too, so we came back with full holds again! My bonus this time was 3,970 yuan.”

Granny Cai was even happier. ”Hide this money well and find some time to deposit it! Didn’t Xiao Rui say it’s a good idea to buy a shop or a house? When you have time, we’ll go out and look together!”

Liang Xiaoyu nodded. ”Okay! Xiao Rui is going to fry the yellow-jaw tomcod. Let’s go help her.”

Granny Cai smiled. ”You go on ahead. I’ll go buy some groceries. I’ll make a big lunch so Xiao Rui, Xiao Jing, and the kids can have a nice meal too.”

Liang Xiaoyu went to Han Xiaorui’s place first to help prepare the yellow-jaw tomcod, while Granny Cai went to buy groceries.

Granny Cai knew how much money her daughter-in-law earned going to sea with Han Xiaorui, so she often bought groceries with her own money specifically to cook delicious food for Han Xiaorui.

Granny Cai had figured out Han Xiaorui’s personality—she loved to eat and knew how to appreciate good food.

Granny Cai also liked people like that the most. As long as conditions permitted, eating well and sleeping well were the keys to a better life.

By the time Granny Cai came over, Liang Xiaoyu had already finished cleaning the whole bucket of yellow-jaw tomcod.

Granny Cai began to marinate them using her secret recipe.

Experience really does count for something. The yellow-jaw tomcod fried by Granny Cai tasted fantastic, even better than her apprentice Liu Huamei’s.

Granny Cai made deep-fried yellow-jaw tomcod and also grilled yellow-jaw tomcod.

Though it was the same ingredient, the two dishes had completely different flavors, each with its own unique style.

She made a large platter of braised pork belly, sweet and sour pork ribs, and also simmered a pot of three-delicacy soup with ham.

To ensure a balanced meal, she also stir-fried a plate of bok choy and made a cold cucumber salad.

There weren’t many different dishes, but the portions were large, more than enough for them to eat.

While they were eating, Granny Cai served Han Xiaorui the latest juicy gossip from the village.