Back to 1980: Farming the Sea and Expanding the Island

Each of the three boats carried two people, all of whom were fathers and sons working together.

Lin Chuan and his father, Shui Houzi and Wang Pusheng, Li Jiaye and Li Jianshe.

Wang Haiyue also wanted to come, but Wang Pusheng stopped her: "The river breeze is cool at night, it's not convenient for a girl to stay here."

As the wooden boat left the shore, the river breeze, carrying moisture, rushed towards us, sending chills down our spines.

First, Lin's father rowed the oars at the bow of the boat, the wooden oars plunging into the water and stirring up ripples.

Two other boats followed behind, their oars creaking and breaking the silence of the river.

Rowing on the river is quite boring, especially when a father and son are in the same boat.

Lin Chuan tried to come up with two topics, but the conversation stalled after only a couple of sentences.

The two ships next to it were completely silent, and with the addition of two lights, they looked like ghost ships.

They rowed towards their destination. The three elders were all experienced, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that their skills were passed down through generations.

The direction was accurate, and the boat was rowed quickly and steadily. The rowers changed three times, and it took about two hours.

Lin Chuan straightened up and, using the dim light of dawn, pointed to a patch of reeds ahead: "Dad, it's there."

Li Jianshe, propping himself up with an oar, leaned closer, squinted at the boat, and remarked with a sigh:

"I come here every year to cast my net, and I usually only catch small, miscellaneous fish. I never expected you guys to catch so many sea bass here!"

Lin Chuan smiled and didn't say much. He picked up the fishing net and put it on the side of the boat: "Uncle Wang, you and Uncle Li have more fishing experience."

The spotted bass will swim to the middle and upper layers of the water to feed when it is just getting light in the morning. There is a ditch below, so let's put the drift net at the mouth of the ditch first.

Once the long net is in place, then, keeping an eye on the timing, begin casting the round net as a backup.

"Okay, let's start from there. Xiao Pu, hold the net tight so the waves don't loosen it." Wang Pusheng said neatly, shaking out the fishing net as he spoke.

Shui Houzi nodded in agreement, and Li Jiaye responded to Li Jianshe by rowing the boat away. The three boats then began to cast their nets in an orderly manner.

Lin Chuan looked at the location, bent down and dragged out a roll of drift net that was more than ten feet long from the boat. This net was finer than the round net.

The net belonging to Lin Chuan's family is not the longest drift net; the longest one would be two or three hundred meters long, and the entire net is made up of net sheets.

The upper section of the net is equipped with a float to allow it to float on the water surface, while the lower section is equipped with a sinker to allow the net to sink to the bottom or a designated water level.

In this way, the long net extends like a wall from the water's surface all the way underwater.

This type of net doesn't involve actively catching fish; it's a form of passive income.

When the spotted bass swim at high speed and crash into this "wall", their heads will get into the mesh, but their bodies and gills will get stuck, and they will be unable to escape.

Generally, after the long net is set, it will be retrieved two hours later. With the long net intercepting the migrating fish, you can then safely cast a round net to catch the bottom.

"Chuanzi, put the net stakes in place."

Lin Chuan responded, took out a wooden stake from under the boat plank, and wrapped an old rag around the sharpened end to prevent wear and tear.

Mr. Lin unfolded the long net, with a small sinker tied to the net every half foot: "This drift net should be lowered in the direction of migration, with the sinker sinking to the bottom and the float on the surface, so that the fish can easily get caught in the mesh."

As he spoke, he called out to the water monkeys, "Little Pu, move your boat three zhang to the east, let's spread the net out a bit!"

The water monkey responded, and Wang Pusheng took the helm and adjusted the boat's position.

Lin Chuan gripped the net's end, and once the two boats were aligned, he suddenly threw out the end tied to the net post: "Dad, hold on tight!"

The wooden stake sank into the water with a "plop," and Lin Chuan retreated along the hull of the boat. The long net slid into the river like a black silk ribbon, floating on the surface and forming a string of silver lines.

Soon, the three ships worked in perfect coordination and laid two long nets, encircling half of the exit.

After setting up the long net, the group found a new spot to cast it.

"Start casting the round net!" Lin Chuan wiped his sweat, shouted, and placed the net on the side of the boat. "Dad, hold the boat steady!"

After saying that, he picked up the round net, bent down and gripped the bottom of the net. The veins on his arms bulged, and with the force of the boat's rotation, he swung it violently, and the round net exploded like a silver flower.

With a "splash," the net was submerged in the water, and the buoy at the end of the rope swayed on the surface of the river before settling firmly.

The other two boats also began casting their nets, and three strings of buoys formed a line on the river surface.

Lin's father took out his pipe to smoke, but the river wind blew out the match he had just struck: "Wait a little longer, let the net settle down, don't let the fish get through any gaps."

The night grew brighter without us even noticing, and from afar, we could see three lanterns floating on the river.

The wind on the river had died down a bit, and one could faintly hear the splashing sound of fish swimming underwater.

Lin Chuan pulled his coat tighter around himself, staring blankly at the buoy. Suddenly, a shout rang in his ears: "Hold in the net!"

Lin Chuan immediately snapped out of his daze and steadied the stern of the boat.

Lin's father gripped the net rope, straining his waist and abdomen to pull back. He'd only pulled half a foot when he felt a heavy pull from underwater. "Hey!" he exclaimed. "That's heavy! Xiao Chuan, give me a hand!"

Lin Chuan quickly stepped forward and grabbed the end of the net rope. The father and son bent over one after the other and pulled back together, causing the boat to tilt to one side.

Shouts and exclamations came from the water monkeys' side, indicating that they had also made a harvest.

As soon as the net opening emerged from the water, you could see the silvery fish leaping and thrashing inside, their bodies dazzling in the rising moonlight. They were all spotted bass weighing over two pounds each!

"My goodness!" Li Jianshe's exclamation came from the side, "So many sea bass! They must weigh over a hundred pounds!"

He had just pulled up the net, and the fish in the net were jumping around, their scales gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

Lin Chuan gritted his teeth and pulled on the net, sweat dripping down his forehead and onto the boat deck, where it mingled with the river water and created small water stains.

Once the entire net was hauled onto the boat, the fish thrashed and jumped around under the boat, causing it to sink slightly.

"Hurry up and get it ready!" Lin's father handed over the bamboo basket with a smile.

The father and son frantically picked up and cleaned the fish, their hands covered in icy scales, but they didn't feel cold at all.

The water monkey wiped his sweat with his sleeve, his voice booming and excited: "Brother Chuan! Lots of sea bass!"

Li Jiaye squatted at the bottom of the boat, loading fish, a smile creeping onto his face: "At least sixty or seventy catties! This boat can carry a thousand catties, Dad, quickly cast two more nets!"

The three boats took turns casting and hauling in their nets until the morning light began to shine in the distance.

Judging by the time, Lin Chuan looked at the two lights on the river in the distance and shouted, "It's almost time, haul in the long net!"

"Alright!" The loud shout echoed across the entire silent river.

Back at the spot where the long net was set, Lin's father immediately steadied the stern, while Lin Chuan gripped the net's ropes.

"Wait a minute, don't let the net break!"

Lin Chuan's palms were burning from the net rope. He had only pulled out a small section when he felt a strong pull from underwater, causing the boat to tilt.

"Give it your all!" Lin Chuan strained his waist and abdomen, his temples bulging with veins. As soon as the net head emerged from the water, he saw the silvery fish body stuck in the mesh, its tail slapping and splashing water.

On the other side, Li Jiaye shouted at the top of his lungs, "Brother Chuanzi! This long net is amazing! It's much more effective than casting a round net!"

The water monkey strained to pull the net, a wide grin spreading from its face to its ears as it said, "We've only hauled in half the net, but it looks like we've cast much more than we could have!"

"That's enough. Pick the big ones and load them up. If you load any more, the ship will sink." Wang Pusheng's voice was excited but also tired.

"Indeed, that's about enough! If we keep pretending, we'll never be able to go back!" Li Jianshe replied with a smile. "I've been fishing for decades, and I've never caught anything this rich."