Back to 1980: Farming the Sea and Expanding the Island

"Xiao Chuan, wake up, it's time to go to the brigade to calculate work points." Lin's mother gently shook Lin Chuan awake.

Lin Chuan woke up groggily, having slept for no more than five hours for two consecutive days, and was extremely tired.

"Did anyone come looking for me this afternoon?" Lin Chuan asked as he scooped up a handful of cool water and rubbed it on his face by the pool.

"A short, chubby young man came by; he looked like he was from the seafood company too. Your father dealt with him, and since you were sleeping soundly, I told him to call you later," Lin's mother replied, putting down the broom.

"Okay, I got it, Mom. I'm going to the brigade to record my work points now." Lin Chuan nodded in response.

"Take it easy on the road." Seeing Lin Chuan running quickly towards the team, Lin's mother hurriedly instructed him.

Lin Chuan waved his hand, and his figure disappeared in a flash.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on Beishi Wharf. At the entrance of Wang Hao's seafood stall, people sat around two tables, drinking and making a ruckus.

The ground was littered with peanut shells and melon seed shells, a complete mess.

After finishing his work, Lin Chuan rushed over here, but there wasn't even a place to put his feet.

Fortunately, someone saw him, moved aside, and made way for him, allowing him to enter the house.

Around noon, Zhao Chenghu met with Lin Chuan again at the commune and discussed the matter for a while. He had already obtained the permit from Yinyang Commune and could go there anytime within the week.

In the evening, he would bring a small motorized fishing boat of 40 tons, which was 28 meters long, 5 meters wide, and had a draft of 1.2 meters, just enough to dock at the Beishi small wharf.

Lin Chuan lifted the curtain, and a wave of heat immediately rushed out of the room.

Wang Pusheng, Li Jianshe, Lin Fuzheng, Zhao Chenghu, Wang Hao, and the short, fat Qian Feng drank fish and meat hot pot until their faces were flushed.

"Brother Lin is here! I've brought the boat over for you. Can you see it at the dock?" Zhao Chenghu put down his wine glass and grinned.

"Xiao Chuan's here, have a seat, have a seat," Li Jianshe said with a smile, sitting by the door.

Lin Chuan smiled and agreed, "I see it, it's much newer than the fishing boats in our team. As expected of a seafood company, their boats are really good."

"The main problem is that the dock on your island is too small. I would like to bring in fishing boats of several hundred tons, but unfortunately your dock can't accommodate them."

"I even brought a few more skilled fishermen with me. I was just discussing with Uncle Lin that if you're short-handed, you can use them all," Zhao Chenghu said with a smile.

Lin Chuan looked at his father, who was blinking, and realized that Zhao Chenghu was up to something.

Moreover, Zhao Chenghu is really shameless. He looks like he's in his thirties, not much younger than Lin's father, yet he calls Lin "Uncle" so affectionately.

Lin Chuan immediately smiled and politely declined, saying, "We appreciate Zhao's kindness, but your brothers are guests from afar. How can we let them help us with the salvage?"

Besides, I've already made arrangements for everyone here, and the boat you brought is more than enough for the few of us.

Two more boats from our fishing team followed, those are our village chief's prized possessions, and they need to be operated by the original fishing team members.

Zhao Chenghu squinted, his expression unreadable, and nodded with a smile, "That's good, that's good."

As he spoke, he called out, "Xiao Gao, you guys aren't needed here anymore. Take the brothers back later."

"Okay, Tiger." A response came from outside.

Zhao Chenghu ignored what was happening outside and instead smiled and urged everyone to continue eating and drinking. Qian Feng, who was standing nearby, also got up and smiled as he poured drinks for everyone.

Upon seeing this, Lin's father immediately took the wine jug, pulled Zhao Chenghu aside, and began to tell the story of the River God.

Li Jianshe subtly stood in front of Qian Feng and, together with Wang Pusheng, pulled him into drinking.

The next morning, Jiangxin Village was brightly lit again.

This time, Lin Chuan didn't need to lead the team; many people had already spontaneously headed to the fishing area from yesterday.

Even worse, some people moored their fishing boats there that very night and spent the night on them, just to occupy the spot where Lin Chuan and his group were fishing.

At this moment, Lin Chuan and his father, Zhao Chenghu, were standing on the deck of the fishing boat, looking at their surroundings by the light.

The clattering of the fishing boats was very loud and jarring near the quiet Wanghai Island.

Based on his memories from his previous life, and after the fishing boat circled the area, Lin Chuan had found a suitable spot to cast his nets.

The location has been found, but how to fish is beyond Lin Chuan's control. He has only been on such fishing boats a few times in both his lives.

There are professionals to handle the job. Lin Chuan told Li Jianshe about his analysis, "Uncle, this area is about right. The current is slow here, and there are reefs underneath, making it easy for sea bass to rest and look for food."

Li Jianshe nodded and immediately took over the command. Li Jianshe stood in the helm of the fishing boat, staring intently ahead.

Behind them were Uncle Li San, Lin Xuewu, Shui Houzi, and Li Jiaye, along with several other uncles who didn't have boats.

Sun Tianshui and Li Dongcheng rowed their own fishing boat and followed the others to the old spot to salvage.

Two 20-ton fishing boats followed closely behind. Li Jianshe leaned out of the wheelhouse window and shouted back, "Prepare to cast the nets! Large purse seine!"

The deck immediately came alive as Wang Pusheng and Lin's father, along with Lin Chuan and Wang Haiyue, began to organize the large netting piled up at the stern.

This net is made of nylon, which is lighter and more durable than the old hemp nets. The mesh is about three fingers wide and it is designed for catching medium-sized fish.

The net is over 80 meters long and 10 meters deep. Lead weights are attached to the lower edge, and a string of eye-catching red plastic floats are tied to the upper edge. This is a new item from the aquatic product company, replacing the traditional bamboo tube floats.

"Check the floats! Don't let any air leak out!" Lin's father bent down and tugged at the float string along the edge of the net, his voice slightly agitated by the river breeze. "Make sure the sinkers are securely tied!"

"Don't worry, Uncle Lin!" Wang Haiyue replied loudly, deftly checking the connection points.

Zhao Chenghu and Qian Feng stood a little further away by the cabin door, watching the bustling scene. Zhao Chenghu, a cigarette dangling from his lips, glanced back and forth between Lin Chuan and the river ahead.

"Start setting the net!" Li Jianshe shouted, sticking his head out of the driver's seat.

The boat slowed further, almost drifting slowly. Wang Pusheng and the others lifted the heavy net and threw it overboard with all their might.

With a "splash," the net plunged into the water, and the red floats, illuminated by the boat's lights, resembled strings of beads, leaping and scattering across the surface.

"Release! Release at a constant speed!" Lin's father commanded.

Lin Chuan followed Wang Pusheng as he turned the wooden winch at the stern of the boat. With a creaking sound, the nylon net slid from the pile of nets into the river like a giant black python.

The sinker dragged the net down rapidly, while the floats spread out in an increasingly longer arc on the water's surface.

The fishing boat continued to slowly trace a giant "U" shape. This is the key to purse seine fishing; the boat drags one end of the net, circling the water to surround the fish.

Li Jianshe stared intently at the compass and the blurry outline on the river, carefully maneuvering the steering wheel. The purse seine needed precision; too small a net wouldn't trap the fish, while too large a net was time-consuming, laborious, and prone to letting the fish escape through the opening.

Instead of helping on the deck, Wang Pusheng climbed up to the lookout tower on top of the wheelhouse, a small platform simply welded from sheet metal.

From his vantage point, he had a wide view and could see the entire net encircling the water, as well as the positions of the two fishing boats behind it.

The river wind was cold, and he wrapped his old military overcoat tighter around himself, his eyes fixed on the movement of the float line.

When the net was two-thirds full, Wang Pusheng on the observation platform suddenly raised his hand and waved it forcefully.

"Stop! Hold on!" Li Jianshe immediately shouted back, while simultaneously straightening the steering wheel.

The ship stopped.