Back to 1980: Farming the Sea and Expanding the Island

Lin Chuan was also somewhat surprised. "Then let's go and see what's going on."

"Alright, Brother Chuan." The water monkey grinned and rowed the raft with even more vigor.

Before long, a yellowish area of ​​water appeared ahead.

Looking down from the river, you can clearly see the difference in color in the water, and it looks like the water is quite deep.

"Brother Chuan, look, isn't this where the perch migrate?" Li Jiaye pointed excitedly ahead, his eyes full of anticipation.

Lin Chuan examined it carefully, still unsure himself, and nodded, saying, "It's possible, let's give it a try."

The water monkey skillfully stopped the boat and quickly cast the net.

The three men waited expectantly to haul in their net, hoping to see a net full of plump sea bass the next second.

However, when the net was finally pulled up, everyone was dumbfounded.

Apart from some aquatic plants and a few small fish, there was no sign of sea bass in the net.

The water monkey looked dejected and muttered, "How could this happen? It seemed to fit the formula perfectly."

Li Jiaye also hung his head, feeling that all his hopes had been dashed.

Lin Chuan pondered for a moment and comforted him, "The migration route of the spotted bass might be very complicated. This place might just look like it. Let's keep looking."

"Besides, you two think you can catch a whole bag of sea bass in one net? You're dreaming," Lin Chuan joked with a laugh.

Then he continued, "How about this, we each take two nets and see how lucky we are. Maybe whoever is lucky will catch one net."

But let me make this clear first: whoever pulls it out, the three of us will split it equally.

"Okay!" Hearing Lin Chuan's words, the two felt a little better.

After casting the net several times, all I caught were small fish and shrimp; nothing even slightly larger. Looks like I'll have to use them as duck feed.

Just as everyone was getting discouraged and preparing to leave, the fishing net in Li Jiaye's hand suddenly sank, as if it had snagged something.

Li Jiaye looked at Lin Chuan with a delighted expression and shouted, "Brother Chuan, something's up!"

"What happened?" Lin Chuan asked in surprise.

Lin Chuan and Shui Houzi quickly checked and tried to weigh it in their hands, clearly feeling that it was the middle net.

The three exchanged a smile and quickly worked together to scoop up the fishing net.

"Looks like our luck isn't too bad after all; we can make quite a bit of money from this fish," Lin Chuan said with a smile, trying to comfort us.

There were seven or eight large mullet in the net. These fish were jumping around in the net. Although they were not sea bass, it was still a pleasant surprise.

Mullet are a type of freshwater fish that can tolerate saltwater. They are medium-sized, with each fish weighing around two pounds. Their flesh is quite firm, and the island's residents often pickle them into "dried mullet".

The method is simple: cut it into pieces, pickle it with salt, hang it under the eaves to dry, and it can be stored for more than half a year.

This is also one of the main catches purchased by the cooperative, and the fishing team in the team usually catches mostly this kind of fish.

After processing the fish, the water monkey continued rowing towards the deserted island ahead.

Just then, a loud "putt-putt-putt" engine sound suddenly came from afar.

The three looked in the direction of the sound and saw a large fishing boat speeding toward them, splashing water high into the air from its bow.

As the boat drew closer, Lin Chuan and the others realized it was a fishing boat from their team. The other party had come to check out what was happening.

Currently, fisheries are still under regulated management, with unified leadership and hierarchical management by the organization.

The fisheries administration department will issue fishing licenses to the fishing teams.

Each license corresponds to a specific number of personnel, vessels, and operating areas.

Fishing without a license or fishing outside designated areas will be investigated and punished.

The fishing area of ​​the Qingpingzhou Fisheries Team extends from Taisha Island upstream of Qingpingzhou all the way to Que Island in the direction of the estuary.

The general direction of organizational policies is gradually changing, the contract responsibility system is being gradually promoted in other rural areas, and the fishery system is also undergoing changes.

People like Lin Chuan are from this village and stay in their own fishing area, so the team won't say anything. But if people from other villages come, then there's a lot to talk about.

As the fishing boat drew closer, Lin Chuan thought to himself, "I remember that I should be able to apply for an individual fishing license now. I guess I'll have to find some time to apply for one."

There's a significant difference between having a license and not having one.

"Who is it? It's Chuanzi! You took on the mission to Canhong Island, but instead of governing the island, you have time to come to the river today?" There were four people on the boat. Lin Dongcheng saw that it was Lin Chuan and greeted him with a smile.

"Uncle Li, Brother Dongcheng, Brother Xuewu, Tianshui. We just came to the river to cast a couple of nets and see if we caught anything. We were lucky and caught a net full of fish." Lin Chuan greeted each of the approaching boats with a smile.

Water Monkey and Wu Jiaye followed behind, greeting them.

The four people on the boat all responded in unison.

Of the four people on the boat, Li Dongcheng was Li Sanshu's nephew. However, their family and the Li family did not share the same ancestor, but they were related by marriage.

Lin Xuewu and Lin Chuan share the same great-grandfather, making Lin Chuan's cousin. Among them, Sun Tianshui is the youngest and gets along best with Lin Chuan, often making funny faces and gestures at him.

"Chuanzi, the whole village is talking about you taking the job on Canhong Island. What were you thinking? That deserted island. I even went there to hunt birds a while ago, and I got nothing."

I think it would be much better if you just came to the fishing team. With the work points your family owes, if you're lucky, you can catch more fish and sell some at the free market, in addition to the ones for the team. Wouldn't that be more enjoyable than being a points clerk?

"And I've also heard that Li Chunjiang is just waiting for you to fail to produce anything on Canhong Island so he can make a fool of you. You'd better watch out. But if that kid causes trouble, just tell me, and I'll take care of you without hesitation." As he spoke, Tianshui patted his chest loudly.

Lin Chuan rolled his eyes at Tian Shui, "Come on, you're always the fastest one around."

Then he laughed and said, "But they won't see my jokes. I've already found the sweet spring on the island, and I'll go dig for it in a few days. As for you, you're stuck on the boat in the cold wind every day, and your nose is practically bubbling with snot. You still have the nerve to ask me to come along."

These words left Sun Tianshui speechless.

With Grandpa Lin's contributions, Lin Chuan getting on the boat is no problem. The fishing team in the village is basically led by Grandpa Li, the captain's father, plus Grandpa Lin and Shui Houzi's grandfather.

Actually, if it weren't for Canhong Island, the best place for Lin Chuan would have been the fishing team. In 1982, he could have taken the opportunity to contract the entire fishing team and develop it vigorously.

"Xiao Chuan, did you really find a sweet spring on the island?" Lin Xuewu asked upon hearing this.

"It's pretty close," Lin Chuan said with a smile.

"Alright, when we go to the island to dig a well, your uncle and I will go together." Lin Xuewu looked at Lin Chuan, smiled and nodded.

Uncle Li looked at Lin Chuan with surprise, his eyes filled with an indescribable emotion. He said, "Alright! It's getting late, and the water is cold in late autumn. You three boys should be careful not to fall into the river."

"Okay, Uncle Li," Lin Chuan replied with a smile.

Then, everyone waved goodbye and went back to their busy work.

At midday, the sunlight poured down on the river without reservation, making the water sparkle and dazzle the eyes.

Lin Chuan and his two companions continued paddling. In the distance, the white sandy beach, illuminated by the sunlight, resembled a pure white ribbon inlaid on the vast river surface.