Volume One, Chapter 16: Setting Sail with Uncle Second

Wang Haisheng was eight years younger than Xiao Hu’s father and still quite robust. It was puzzling how his grandfather had waited so long to have a second child.

“Uncle, we’re here,” Xiao Hu said as he boarded the boat with Ye Cheng.

They had expected just the three of them on the boat, but to their surprise, besides his second uncle, there were two guests holding fishing rods, chatting excitedly.

“Second Uncle, who are these?” Xiao Hu asked curiously.

“Two bosses who hired my boat for sea fishing,” Wang Haisheng replied.

“You’re so kind? You charged them, right?”

Wang Haisheng’s face darkened as he gave Xiao Hu a sharp rap on the head. “What’s wrong with charging? Of course you should charge. Hurry up. Ah Cheng, you two sit in the back. The two bosses up front want to fish.”

“Uncle, do we still collect the fish traps?”

“Yes, since it’s on the way. Just help me gather the traps later; there’s nothing else to do.”

Ye Cheng nodded. “Second Uncle, I mentioned yesterday to drop us off at Nameless Island, right?”

His second uncle pretended not to hear. “Oh, that place? What are you going there for? It’s boring. Maybe next time.”

Hearing Wang Haisheng’s change of heart, Ye Cheng immediately stood up. “Uncle, if you’re not going, we’re getting off.”

“Xiao Hu, get off the boat,” Ye Cheng called.

“Xiao Hu, don’t listen to him. Listen to your uncle. Your uncle’ll give you 15 yuan,” Wang Haisheng quickly pulled at Xiao Hu.

Thinking Xiao Hu would side with his uncle, Wang Haisheng was stunned when Xiao Hu shrugged free and jumped off with Ye Cheng. “If my brother’s not going, neither am I. No matter how much you pay, I’m not going.”

Now Wang Haisheng was at a loss. He couldn’t handle this alone.

“Old Wang, are you going to start the boat or not?” the two bosses called impatiently.

“Going, going, we’re about to leave,” Wang Haisheng replied, bowing and nodding.

Then he glared resentfully at Ye Cheng and Xiao Hu and sighed, “Fine, go ahead, but remember, if you go there, no wages for you.”

“That’s fine. We don’t want wages, but whatever we catch while foraging belongs to us. You can’t charge us transportation fees,” Ye Cheng made a request.

“Alright, alright, just get on and help out,” Wang Haisheng said casually, as if their catch wouldn’t amount to much.

Seeing Wang Haisheng agree, the two quickly climbed aboard and helped set off from the dock.

The weather was fine today, with calm seas — perfect for heading out.

It took about an hour to reach Nameless Island. Along the way, Wang Haisheng stopped twice to set fish traps and place markers.

Ye Cheng and Xiao Hu helped haul them up; these were all in shallow waters.

“Uncle, there are green crabs,” Xiao Hu called out.

The traps contained all sorts of catches, including two sizable green crabs weighing about 250 grams each, while the rest were smaller crabs and shrimp.

“Not bad, Xiao Hu, good job snagging some green crabs,” Wang Haisheng said happily.

He had more than a dozen traps out; if they all yielded this much, the trip would be a great haul.

The second trap was less fruitful, mostly mud crabs, which were cheaper than green crabs, along with some shrimp and octopus—still decent.

The two bosses came over with interest but shook their heads. “Old Wang, these green crabs are small.”

Wang Haisheng responded, “You two must eat well usually. A 250-gram green crab is pretty good. One-pound green crabs are rare in traps.”

“That’s true. Later, bring us some seafood and octopus. Fresh like this will surely taste great.”

“Don’t worry, gentlemen. This is the true taste of the sea.”

This guy knew his business, even arranged for fresh seafood.

With the economy improving and people’s pockets fuller, many wealthy folks enjoyed going out to sea to fish.

They’d cook their catch right on the boat. Though it couldn’t match restaurant flavors, seafood’s freshness made simple preparations delicious.

Wang Haisheng followed his planned route, retrieving all traps and bringing in dozens of pounds of shrimp and fish. Then he dropped off Ye Cheng and Xiao Hu at Nameless Island and took the two bosses for fishing, planning to pick up Ye Cheng and Xiao Hu on the return trip.

“Brother, where shall we dig?” Xiao Hu was excited. After making so much money in just two days, he was already hooked on the feeling of earning.

Ye Cheng had been to Nameless Island before. Their current spot was sandy with few sea creatures.

The other side of the island had a larger beach, probably with more to find.

“Let’s go dig over there.”

Ye Cheng and Xiao Hu grabbed shovels and water and crossed the island, a journey of just over twenty minutes.

On the other side was a broad beach.

Unlike Baiyun Village, which was mostly muddy flats where every step sank into mud, this place was dotted with small pools of water. Ye Cheng was eager to see what might be inside.

Xiao Hu couldn’t wait and rushed over, while Ye Cheng examined one of the pools.

The water was shallow but murky, mixed with algae and debris, requiring a careful look.

Perhaps stirred by Ye Cheng’s footsteps, something moved beneath the muddy bottom, though it was hard to see.

Ye Cheng cautiously probed with his shovel and indeed felt movement. He cleared away the algae and revealed something buried in the mud—sea cucumbers.

One sea cucumber was half-exposed.

They were harmless creatures, easy to catch.

Just as Ye Cheng reached to grab it, Xiao Hu shouted, “Brother, look!”

Ye Cheng turned to see Xiao Hu holding a dark sea cucumber, excitement plain on his face.

Damn, that lucky streak—he beat Ye Cheng to it.

Not to be outdone, Ye Cheng grabbed a hefty sea cucumber from another pool, adding 15 points to their haul.

Sea cucumbers were excellent tonic foods. Though their reputation had been tarnished in later times due to certain scandals, their nourishing qualities remained undisputed.

They were tasty and easy to eat, could be dried and later rehydrated, making them a rare delicacy. The famous Buddha Jumps Over the Wall soup, for instance, required sea cucumbers.

Today, sea cucumbers were farmed, which lowered prices, but wild ones still commanded respect and value. The Chinese traditionally believed only wild sea cucumbers had true efficacy.

Thus, wild sea cucumbers still fetched good prices. Back when Ye Cheng attended banquets, sea cucumbers were sold by the piece.