The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 208: Chapter 208: Mud Crab, Yellow Croaker

Han Xiaorui thought Yang Zhigang was right. Every fisherman had their experience, and that included knowing the best spots to find good fish.

Han Xiaorui had discovered that reef.

If only they knew about it, they could fish there this year and the next.

They could take only the large ones and leave the small ones behind, catching them later after they’d grown.

It would be like a crop in their own private field.

But once the location was leaked, others would fish it dry, taking everything to keep anyone else from getting a share.

”Uncle Yang, you’re doing the right thing. This is exactly how it should be done,” Han Xiaorui agreed. ”Don’t be angry, either. It’s not worth it.”

Yang Zhigang smiled. ”I’m not angry. It’s not worth it.”

After hanging up the walkie-talkie, Han Xiaorui reflected, ’Money really makes people lose themselves.’

’Whether it’s with the ocean or in other aspects of life, it’s what ultimately pushes humanity into an abyss.’

They spent almost the entire morning traveling at full speed, heading for the deep sea.

Many of the crew went back to their cabins to rest. After lunch, their work would begin in earnest.

Before lunch, Chen Yishui cast the net.

After dinner, they took a half-hour break before preparing to haul in the net.

Just then, Xiao Dai appeared, swimming back and forth beside the fishing boat.

Seeing the dolphin, Han Xiaorui said to Xiao Dai, ”The little dolphin has recovered. You can go get its mother now.”

As if understanding Han Xiaorui’s words, Xiao Dai dove deep into the water.

Han Xiaorui watched the creatures of the deep through Xiao Dai’s eyes.

’It was so rich and colorful down there.’

The other dolphins were nearby. They herded a large school of fish toward the net before swimming over to Xiao Dai, surfacing, and fixing their eyes on the fishing boat.

Han Xiaorui lifted the little dolphin out of the live well and patted its head. ”Go find your mother!”

The little dolphin slipped gracefully into the water. It reveled in the comfort, vastness, and freedom of the open sea as it swam joyfully to its mother’s side.

The other dolphins were overjoyed as well, swimming in cheerful circles around them.

The net was already being hauled up. Han Xiaorui said to the dolphins, ”Alright, I have to get to work now. Take care.”

Xiao Dai knew Han Xiaorui liked reefs where she could find all sorts of things, and it resolved to search for more in the future.

The dolphins had been helping herd fish, and the net was full of Redfish.

This fish was delicious and fetched a high price. The school was fairly uniform, with each fish weighing around a dozen kilograms.

This size had the best texture.

”Redfish! They’re easy to process. Come on, everyone, let’s sort them and get them into the hold, quickly!” Chen Yishui shouted, extremely pleased with the first haul of the day.

A great start.

’This trip is bound to be a smooth one!’

While sorting the catch, they were surprised to find a type of dark-colored crab mixed in with the fish.

Han Xiaorui had never seen one before. She pointed at the dark crab. ”That dark-colored crab... it doesn’t look like a swimming crab.”

Hearing Han Xiaorui, Sister Tang grinned. ”Boat Owner, that’s good stuff. Not only can you eat it, but it’s also used for medicine. It fetches a high price!”

Han Xiaorui was taken aback. ”It’s used for medicine? What does it treat?”

Sister Tang replied, ”This is called a mud crab. It’s said to improve blood circulation, help with digestion, and promote lactation. It can be used to treat anything from menstrual problems and postpartum abdominal pain to indigestion and insufficient breast milk.”

Sister Lan raised her hand. ”After I had my baby, my milk supply was low. I ate some of these, and it worked like a charm.”

One of the crew members raised her hand. ”Boat Owner, I’d like to buy a few of them. My niece-in-law is having trouble with her milk supply.”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Sure. Set some aside for yourself, and just don’t forget to take them with you. We’ll try some for lunch, too.”

Just then, Chen Yishui came over for a look. ”Isn’t this just a green crab? You all make it sound so fancy! The flavor is definitely good, though. Very meaty.”

Everyone quickly tied up the green crabs, sorted them by size, and packed them into baskets.

Hearing the sound of dolphins again, Han Xiaorui ran to the ship’s rail. The little dolphin was still there.

”Go on, the sea is your home. Stay with your mother out here in the ocean,” Han Xiaorui said with a smile, waving.

The dolphins dove back into the water and continued herding fish toward the net.

Looking through Xiao Dai’s eyes, Han Xiaorui saw that the net was nearly full again, and it had only been an hour.

After another half hour, Han Xiaorui told Chen Yishui to haul in the net.

This haul was full of Yellow Croakers. They were one of the ”eight brothers” of the croaker family, but still quite different from the Big Yellow Fish.

Yellow Croakers are found in the Northwest Pacific and are distributed all along the coast of China, inhabiting areas with sandy or muddy seabeds.

The Yellow Croaker is an inshore fish that lives in the middle and lower water columns. During their breeding season, they migrate to harbors and estuaries. In the winter, they either head south or move to deeper waters to overwinter.

Yellow Croakers are carnivorous, feeding on bottom-dwelling creatures like pistol shrimp, brown shrimp, mantis shrimp, sandworms, crabs, and small fish.

During their reproductive period, Yellow Croakers exhibit strong schooling behavior. They spawn from May to July, making a distinct croaking sound in the process. A female can carry a huge number of eggs, from 200,000 to over a million.

The Yellow Croaker can also be used for medicinal purposes. In traditional medicine, its sweet, slightly salty meat is considered ”warm” in nature and is believed to benefit the spleen, stomach, and kidneys. It’s used as a dietary therapy to boost energy, strengthen the digestive system, improve appetite, and combat a variety of ailments including insomnia, forgetfulness, and even symptoms of aging.

Furthermore, the Yellow Croaker is delicious to eat, can be caught in large numbers, and has high economic value.

”Sister Shui, let’s haul it in!” Han Xiaorui said with a grin. Seeing such a good catch, she couldn’t wait to get the net on board.

Chen Yishui smiled. ”You got it. Looks like we’re in for a big haul this time.”

She could sense there was something special about Han Xiaorui. But then, she had grown up listening to her mother’s stories, and her mother herself had been a legendary female captain.

Because of this, she was content as long as they could catch good fish and return with a full hold.

She didn’t pry or ask questions about anything else.

As a flash of yellow shimmered, a small mountain of fish was dumped onto the deck.

”Could those be Big Yellow Fish?” everyone wondered aloud, pleasantly surprised. The main reason for their excitement was that Big Yellow Fish were expensive and delicious.

Seeing the yellow hue, everyone hoped they were Big Yellow Fish.

”No, they’re Yellow Croakers,” Sister Tang quickly identified. ”They’re not as expensive as Big Yellow Fish, but they still fetch a good price.”

Han Xiaorui quickly gathered several live Yellow Croakers, put them in a bucket, and transferred them to the live well. ”I’m grabbing a few for Professor Wang to study.”

”Farming them?” Chen Yishui asked.

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”That’s right. They’re strictly enforcing a closed season next year. We won’t be able to do any net fishing for several months. I heard you can still go out and line-fish from a small boat, though.”

Chen Yishui sounded dejected at the news. ”Sigh, we’re going to lose out on a lot of money. We know how to catch fish, but we’re clueless when it comes to farming them. I have no idea what we’ll do during the closed season next year.”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”Even with a closed season for a few months, there’s still the rest of the year, right? Besides, fishing in the winter is cold and miserable.”

Chen Yishui shook her head. ”We’re not afraid of the cold; we’re afraid of having no work. We can make thousands on a single trip. We’d turn our noses up at a factory job. We’d rather just get a small wooden boat and go line-fishing during the ban.”

”Let’s worry about next year when it comes,” Han Xiaorui said with a laugh. ’Besides, by then, I might have an even better project for them!’