The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 556: Chapter 556: One of the Ten Great Poisons

The crew had already been impressed by the value of the first two hauls, but they completely lost their cool when they saw the fish from the third.

Chen Yishui was at the helm, while Wu Mengyue was out on deck.

”These are snubnose pompano!” Wu Mengyue exclaimed, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

Everyone’s eyes were practically glued to the fish, their faces beaming with undisguised joy.

The snubnose pompano is the cream of the crop among pompanos. It’s not just a byword for deliciousness; it also fetches an excellent price.

Snubnose pompano, also called eagle pompano, looks a bit like silver pompano, but its price is three to four times higher, making it the Hermès of the fish world.

As the saying goes, rarity begets value. Snubnose pompano are scarce and very difficult to farm.

The snubnose pompano grows very slowly, taking half a year to gain just half a pound, far slower than silver or golden pompanos.

Snubnose pompano are relatively large, with thick, tender flesh and bones so soft they’re almost brittle.

Their high nutritional value makes them perfect for the elderly and children.

Thanks to their exceptional nutritional content, they are a delicacy often found on dinner tables, especially during holiday feasts.

There’s one caveat, though: snubnose pompano shouldn’t be consumed with tea.

The tannins in tea can interfere with the digestion and absorption of protein.

Steaming is the best way to cook snubnose pompano, as it perfectly preserves its fresh, delicate flavor.

Before anyone else could react, Han Xiaorui snatched up two of the fish and started toward the galley.

Liang Xiaoyu’s reflexes were lightning-fast. She quickly intercepted Han Xiaorui. ”Hold on there, boss! Can you put those down for a second?”

”We all know how delicious snubnose pompano is, but look over there—a few of them are already a bit banged up. Let’s eat those instead!”

”When it’s just for us, we don’t need to be picky. Their appearance might be flawed, but it doesn’t affect the taste one bit. It does, however, drastically affect the price we can sell them for at restaurants.”

”What you eat at home is your business! But on this boat, the majority rules. Even you, the boss, have to listen to us on this.”

Han Xiaorui didn’t really mind, but the crew was habitually frugal.

It was a virtue of theirs.

They lived a simple, unpretentious life, relying on their strength and a bit of luck. To them, every fish was a gift from the sea and held the same intrinsic value.

But things were different on shore, where every fish had a price tag.

The ones that weren’t pristine fetched a lower price, so of course, those were the ones you’d choose to eat yourself.

Wu Mengyue quickly chimed in, ”It’s the rule on our boat. Even as the owner, Xiao Rui, you should respect that.”

Han Xiaorui shook her head and chuckled. ”Well, since you’re all so dedicated to protecting the boat’s profits, how can I, the owner, not be happy about it?”

”Just don’t you dare complain that I’m always feeding you the banged-up fish, making me look cheap!”

Wu Mengyue roared with laughter. ”Xiao Rui, don’t get the wrong idea! Even the less-than-perfect snubnose pompano will sell for a great price back on shore.”

”We’re just grateful you’re letting us eat such amazing fish. Who are we to complain if they aren’t picture-perfect?”

The crew had no time for such empty formalities. More money in their pockets and a chance to eat delicious seafood—that was what really mattered.

The crew chatted as they sorted the fish, but their pace never slackened.

A good haul like this energized them; sorting these fish didn’t feel tiring in the least.

If it had been a catch of less valuable fish like usual, they would have lacked the same enthusiasm for sorting.

「The day passed quickly.」

Just before dinner, they hauled in another net.

This haul was a mixed bag, containing blue-spotted spinefoot, groupers, pompanos, lobsters, and crabs.

Amidst all the seafood, one particular fish stood out. At first glance, it looked just like a rock.

Wu Mengyue quickly warned, ”Everyone, be careful! That’s a stonefish!”

The stonefish is a species of scorpionfish. Its scientific name is *Inimicus didactylus*, and it’s also known as the bearded ghoul.

With its protruding eyes and lower jaw and its jagged dorsal fin, the stonefish looks just like an uneven rock, giving it an exceptionally ugly appearance.

It’s a slow-moving creature, but its dorsal fin is lined with hard, intensely venomous spines. It’s ranked as one of the ”Top Ten Most Venomous Creatures in the World,” earning it the name ”poison scorpionfish.”

”The dorsal fin is venomous, so be extremely careful not to touch it. Double up on your gloves, use the proper tools, and don’t touch it with your hands,” Han Xiaorui added. ”And turn on all the floodlights.”

Heeding the warnings from Wu Mengyue and Han Xiaorui, no one dared to be complacent. They all put on a second layer of gloves and began to carefully sort the fish with their tools, placing them in a separate basket.

Liang Xiaoyu remarked with feeling, ”The stonefish is the most venomous fish we know of. It’s ugly, but my mother-in-law always said it’s a treasure that’s been famous since ancient times. The meat is tender, free of fine bones, and highly nutritious. It’s said to have medicinal properties, like promoting body fluids and nourishing the lungs, and it can even improve your complexion.”

Han Xiaorui said with surprise, ”Wow, I haven’t been out to sea in years. Sister-in-law Xiao Yu, you’ve really been studying up!”

A little embarrassed but also proud of the praise, Liang Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow smugly. ”Of course! I’ve bought quite a few books to study. You live and you learn, right? It’s a good way to keep dementia at bay.”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”That’s right. Look at scientists and researchers—some of them are still sharp as a tack in their eighties and nineties, probably because they’re always using their minds. But it’s always good to keep learning. Take this stonefish, for example. Someone who didn’t know better could easily get poisoned by accident.”

Because this haul was so varied and included highly venomous creatures like the stonefish, the sorting process went more slowly.

By the time they finished, night had completely fallen.

Liu Huamei was very experienced. Seeing how mixed the catch was, she knew sorting would take a while, so she pushed back dinner by half an hour.

Just as she finished cooking, they finished sorting.

”Let’s eat first, everyone. We can clean the deck after we’re done.” Han Xiaorui was hungry, and she figured the crew must be starving too. There was no point in working on an empty stomach.

Hearing this, the crew quickly washed their hands and sat down to eat.

Even though their jackets reeked of fish, they were so used to it that it didn’t affect their appetites in the slightest.

Besides, Liu Huamei’s cooking had gotten even better, and the delicious food she prepared could whet anyone’s appetite.

You had to eat well to have the energy to work.

Working on a fishing boat was hard physical labor. If they didn’t eat enough, they wouldn’t have the strength to do their jobs.

Sister Tang, the oldest among them, could probably only keep this up for another four or five years at most.

Her stamina was starting to decline, and the physical toll would become too great.

After dinner, everyone rested for a moment before starting to clean up.

Once the cleanup was done, they sat down to rest, sipping on the hot brown sugar and ginger tea Liu Huamei had brewed.

It was sweet and warm.

They took turns resting in shifts to conserve their strength and get some sleep.

Han Xiaorui wanted to head back sooner rather than later, which meant they would have to continue hauling nets through the night.

Han Xiaorui chose the course, guaranteeing they would find fish.

This strategy would allow them to fill the hold faster, but it also ramped up the intensity of the work.

Seeing Han Xiaorui pacing around, Sister Tang couldn’t help but ask, ”Boss, are you starting to miss your kids back home?”