Back to 1980: Farming the Sea and Expanding the Island

Now, the more than 80-meter-long netting has formed a huge, not fully closed, bag-shaped area underwater, with the opening of the bag facing upstream.

Next, you need to close the bag opening, which means gathering the bottom of the net, to prevent the fish from escaping from underneath.

"Get ready to collect the bottom line!" Lin's father shouted.

Lin Chuan and Wang Haiyue immediately began operating another, thicker winch at the stern to retrieve the thick hemp rope that ran through the bottom of the net and was called the "bottom rope".

As the winch rotates, the bottom line slowly tightens, and the underwater net begins to close, like pulling up the drawstring of a bag.

Just then, the red float line on the water surface suddenly began to tremble irregularly.

"There's movement!" Lin's father lowered his voice, but the excitement in his tone was hard to hide.

The float began to be pulled by some force, sometimes sinking to the surface and sometimes bouncing up. Fine, abnormal ripples began to appear on the surface of the surrounded water.

"The fish is in the net!" someone shouted first.

Everyone on deck perked up. Qian Feng craned his neck even further, and Zhao Chenghu stubbed out his cigarette and squinted at the view.

The bottom line was tightened completely, and the bag opening was sealed shut. Now, the fish were completely encircled in the net.

"Raise the net!" Li Jianshe's voice trembled slightly.

The main winch creaked and groaned again, this time as it retrieved the entire enclosure net.

The heavy net was pulled up inch by inch from the river, and a silvery-white reflection began to appear on the mesh, the light refracted by the scales of the perch as they struggled.

As the net gradually left the water, the scene became spectacular.

The net was like a pot of boiling silver water, with countless spotted bass with black spots on their sides writhing and leaping wildly, their tails slapping against the water with a dense, rain-like sound.

Water splashed everywhere, sparkling like shattered diamonds under the boat lights, and the air began to fill with a strong fishy smell and the scent of the river.

"It really is..." Qian Feng murmured, his eyes wide open.

Lin Chuan and Wang Haiyue beamed with joy, but their hands moved even faster as they dragged the net full of fish closer to the side of the boat.

Zhao Chenghu finally couldn't resist and walked a few steps to the side of the boat, looking down at the densely packed fish in the net.

A glint of light flashed in his eyes as he quickly estimated the weight. This net must have caught at least three or four thousand catties! And judging from the size and plumpness of the fish, they were all top-quality specimens.

Qian Feng also joined in, his face beaming: "Captain Li, Brother Lin, you're amazing! The location is spot-on, and your technique is superb!"

Lin Chuan walked to his father's side. He glanced at Zhao Chenghu and Qian Feng, but didn't respond. He simply said to Li Jianshe, "Uncle Li, let's hurry up and load the boat, and make as much profit as possible while we have the time."

"Yes, yes! Hurry up!" Li Jianshe snapped out of his daze and gestured to the two boats behind him.

The three boats drew closer together.

Large boats haul in the nets, while smaller fishing boats handle the transport. Using long-handled landing nets (a type of large net with a long pole), the fish are scooped up from the purse seine and transferred to the cargo hold of the smaller boats.

Wet straw mats had already been laid out in the cabin, and the boat had been soaked in cold water in the river beforehand to keep it cool. Fishing with this boat was much easier and more comfortable than fishing with the small wooden boat in front of it.

Everyone sprang into action, and no one spoke anymore. The only sounds were the splashing of the net as it went in and out of the water, the muffled thuds of fish thrashing about at the bottom of the hold, the occasional brief instructions, and heavy breathing.

Sweat quickly soaked through his thin clothes, which were then chilled by the river breeze.

By the time the first catch was transferred, the eastern sky was beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn.

"Let's move to another spot and try again!" Li Jianshe wiped the sweat from his brow, his eyes gleaming with determination. "While the fish are still there!"

The fishing boat started again and headed towards the next Linchuan marker.

The same process: slow navigation, observation of the water surface, precise net placement, arc-shaped encirclement, bottom line collection, and net lifting.

......

At Qinglong Wharf, three fishing boats steadily docked one after another.

Fine rain fell obliquely, like a thin veil, enveloping the dock. However, this gentle rain could not conceal the burning passion in everyone's hearts.

Zhao Chenghu's expression flickered as he smiled at the crowd and said, "Following you all this time has truly broadened my horizons. Our catch is nearly ten tons, almost twenty thousand catties."

This could really produce a millionaire!

Lin Chuan smiled slightly and said calmly, "You're joking. We're a cooperative, how can we compare to you?"

Given your connections and network, this small gain is probably nothing to you.

"Haha, after we're weighed, Brother Lin, who of you will come with me to the finance department to collect the money?" Zhao Chenghu laughed and patted Lin Chuan on the shoulder.

Lin Chuan turned to look at his father and Wang Haiyue and said, "Dad, you and Haiyue go."

Lin's father and Wang Haiyue nodded in succession, their smiles never fading.

Soon after, the fish were weighed, and the change was rounded down to offset the boat rental fee. The total catch was 22,000 catties, which Zhao Chenghu purchased at the agreed price of 9 mao per catty.

As for how he operated within the supply and marketing station, others had no idea, and Lin Chuan had no interest in caring.

Looking at the bag that Lin's father was holding tightly in his arms, he breathed a sigh of relief. No matter what, as long as he got the money, that was fine.

"Let's go home!" the water monkey shouted excitedly.

The group nodded emphatically, their faces beaming with smiles.

Just then, Zhao Chenghu came out of the house and called out, "Brother Lin, wait a moment."

I just received a notification that the seafood company's boat has a mission to complete, so they can no longer rent it to you. Sorry.

Although Zhao Chenghu said he was sorry, his face showed no remorse.

Qian Feng, who was following behind him, also had a fake smile on his face, his eyes intentionally or unintentionally glancing at the person in Lin's father's arms.

Upon hearing this, Li Jianshe's face immediately darkened, and he took a step forward, about to rush up and question him.

Lin Chuan reacted quickly, grabbing him and saying, "Uncle, don't be angry. Didn't we expect this? This isn't our village. Let's take the money with us first."

These days, this amount of money is a considerable sum for an individual. It's enough to make many people envious, and there have been quite a few instances of people taking risks.

Lin Chuan took a deep breath, turned around and forced a smile, saying to Zhao Chenghu, "Since the aquatic products company has a mission, then naturally we should prioritize the aquatic products company's mission."

"Mr. Lin, you'll be making a living on the river from now on. I hope you'll take good care of me."

"Of course, of course," Zhao Chenghu replied with a forced smile and a cupped-hand salute.

Watching Lin Chuan and the others disappear into the drizzle, Qian Feng felt a deep sense of regret.

Just now, he felt like a kitten was scratching at his heart, plotting how to provoke Li Jianshe, who had a fiery temper, and those hot-headed young men.

If they cause a ruckus here, maybe that big bag of dollars can stay, and I can also get some benefits.

Unfortunately, Tiger stopped him with a wink.

"Have you instructed your ships to be arranged properly?" Zhao Chenghu asked, his eyes gleaming.

"Don't worry, Brother Tiger! As soon as I got off the boat, I had someone take it over. Xiao Gao was also following behind yesterday. With him leading the way, we're all experienced fishermen fishing."

I reckon we'll easily catch several hundred tons of fish this time.

"Okay, you can talk to my brother later. I'm going back to catch up on some sleep. Let me know as soon as the fishing team has any news."

Upon hearing this, Qian Feng's face immediately fell. He was also extremely sleepy at the moment. Yesterday, he tried to get information out of Lin Chuan, but Li Jianshe and Wang Pusheng took turns lecturing him, and he was still enduring a headache.

But he forced himself to stay alert and nodded, "Okay, Brother Tiger, I'll get right on it." With that, he walked unsteadily toward Zhao Dezhu's direction.