Ye's father put down the burden on his shoulders and gave him a long and earnest speech, trying to persuade him to give up the idea of buying a big ship.
In fact, Ye Yaodong was not in a hurry to do it now, because technology was not so advanced and the skills were not good enough.
He had no intention of going overseas, at least not yet. These days, if you go overseas, you don't know whether you can come back. No matter how much money you earn, what's the point if you don't have the life to spend it.
Besides, he would be away on a long ocean trip for several months, or even a year or two. Wouldn’t he leave his wife and children behind
He was thinking about getting a slightly bigger boat that could take him out for three to five days and then come back. This way, the risk would be lower and he could go home more often.
However, the boat at home does not have the ability to survive at sea for more than three, five, seven or eight days. It does not have enough horsepower, a small hull, no storage and refrigeration facilities, a small capacity for storing daily necessities, and a small capacity for storing oil and fresh water. It does not have the ability to sail for a long time.
Father Ye saw that his son didn't say a word despite all his earnest words. He frowned and said, "Dongzi? Did you listen to what I said to you?"
"Yes, I have listened to you, but Dad, we have to take a long-term view. There will definitely be more and more fishing boats in the coastal waters. By the time we catch fish for a few years, there will definitely be nothing left."
"I didn't say we're going to go far away all at once, nor did I think about being out for a month or so like them. We'll just go a little bit farther offshore, to a deeper water area, which is also considered offshore. We won't go to the deep sea, let alone the high seas. As long as we have the conditions, we can stay out there for a few more days. There must be more goods out there."
The surrounding waters where they fish belong to the East China Sea, the widest marginal sea of China's continental shelf. The East China Sea is located to the east of Shanghai, Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, and to the west of Taiwan Island and the Ryukyu Islands. The average water depth is 370 meters, and the maximum depth is 2,719 meters in the Ryukyu Trough.
Coastal mudflat (intertidal zone): a beach that is submerged during high tide and exposed during low tide.
Shallow sea area: Generally, the coastal area with a water depth of no more than 20 meters is the main place for the creation of plankton. For example, oysters and seaweed attached to rocks are all produced by the adsorption of plankton.
Nearshore area: The area extending from the offshore continental shelf to the ocean, with a depth generally within 200 meters. It is a translucent water area that can be illuminated by sunlight. It is a thriving sea area for various marine life and has various shallow-sea fish.
The waters where they used to fish were basically only thirty or forty meters deep, and even shallower near the coast. Ye Yaodong had dived there before, and with his memories from his previous life, he roughly knew how deep the waters around them were.
They may also verbally call the farther offshore waters the deep sea, but in fact, the deep sea internationally refers to a water depth of about one thousand meters, and a broader range refers to a water depth between 600 meters and two thousand meters.
"I don't plan to be gone for a month like those big ships. I can go for three to five days. I heard that Guang's aunt's boat is making a lot of money this year. It only took one year to recover the capital and made a lot in the second half of the year."
"They go to the deep waters far offshore to fish. Their boats are not big, only 20 meters long, but the cabins are big enough for people to sleep and store materials. Although the freezing and preservation technology on the boats is not good, they can sell the fish directly to the collection boats at sea, or simply preserve them with ice, and then sell them near the shore in about one or two days. By the way, they can also replenish fresh water and ice for materials, and then continue fishing."
"It's quite good to stay outside for a few days. If the wind direction and weather are not right, you can rest on the shore nearby, or come back directly. You can work for a few days and rest for a few days. It's quite comfortable! And you can also take turns fishing day and night at sea, so you don't waste time at all."
Father Ye was a little hesitant after hearing this and asked uncertainly: "Only a few days to return? Not even a month?"
"Why go for a month? Aren't you afraid of wind and waves? It's impossible for the weather to be good every day. We can go for a few days, then go back to the city to sell the goods, and then go home to rest when the weather is good. The catch in the farther sea will definitely be better."
"Think about it carefully. You are making a good living now. It is fine to make money steadily like this. If you order another big ship, you will have to invest a lot of money. This will be several times more expensive than buying another ship like the one you have now. In addition, it is inconvenient to communicate outside, and it is even more inconvenient on the ship."
"I didn't say we'll order it right away. I just said we'll go get to know it first. Besides, this custom-made boat won't be made that fast, and we don't know the technology. We can't just order it. We have to get to know it first, and then we can discuss and make a decision. This is a big deal, and I don't even know if I have enough money."
Father Ye nodded quickly, "Yes, you can't spend all your money on it, you have to keep some money for your own turnover or something."
"That kind of big boat is expensive, not to mention it's new and custom-made. You might even spend all your savings on it. It used to be only available in the fishery department. And you're also thinking about freezing and preservation technology. Nowadays, a refrigerator costs thousands of dollars, not to mention one for a boat."
"It's better not to bother with it. Your boat is good enough and you've made a lot of money on it. It's good enough now. There's no need to bother with changing the boat or anything like that. You just bought it last year and it should be fine for another ten years. The most you can do is repair the machine."
"Dad, if everyone thinks like you, no one will buy a big boat, and everyone's small boat will be enough for them until they grow old."
"That's right, isn't it? Just like this piece of clothing, you bought it last year, and you can still wear it this year. You can't just throw it away and buy a new, better one after wearing it last year, right? If it gets torn, you can still mend it and continue to wear it and use it without spending any money."
Ye Yaodong was speechless. Why not use clothes as an analogy
Clothes are in short supply now and everyone is thrifty. In the future, people will buy new ones every year. Don't even mention them getting torn. Some women won't want to wear the same clothes after wearing them for just one season. No, some women don't want to wear them anymore after wearing them two or three times.
"I didn't say I don't want the current boat. Even if I buy a bigger boat in the future, I can rent it out or find someone to share it with like Guang did. If you're worried, you can come with me to the shipyard in a few days to take a look and learn more about it. It won't hurt to know more about the current shipbuilding technology. Let's see it first and then decide."
"Well, then we can go and take a look together. Let's take a look first. There's no rush, and you don't have to rush either."
"I'm in no hurry."
Ye Yaodong shook his head helplessly. If his father had beaten or scolded him like he used to, he could have ignored him, but now that he was speaking so earnestly, he could only comfort him.
He couldn't just say that he had been working on a ship for more than ten years and had enough experience, and that he could take his father to have a look first. In any case, he had to take a look first.
"Let's go back quickly and walk faster. It's getting dark." Father Ye picked up the burden again.
Today they caught a lot of manta rays, which was rare, and they were all sold directly to the dock. In contrast, there were fewer toadfish, only about 700 kilograms, which only needed one cart to be pushed back, and he only needed to carry another load.
It is hard to say which fish is expensive nowadays. After all, the value of toadfish doubles when it is dried.
The father and son reached a consensus that there was no need to rush and wait until they had looked at and understood the matter before discussing it.
When they pushed the cart to the doorstep, Ye's mother immediately ran out to open the door and said, "I was planning to go to the dock after turning the fish over, but I didn't expect you to come back so early today. How much did you sell today? I'll go ask your aunt to come and kill the fish."
Neither the father nor the son said a word and pushed the cart into the yard.
I'm quite tired. On the way back, the two of them talked a lot from the heart. Now I have no desire to talk at all. Even though his mother is standing at the door and ready to go out, as soon as you take up the conversation, she will talk for a long time before going out.
Seeing that no one was talking to the father and son, and knowing that they were tired, Ye's mother only muttered a few words.
"Is this the only one? It doesn't look like there are that many. I'll go get someone and ask your two aunts to come and help kill them. Your elder and second brothers are a little late today and haven't come back yet..."
She took a few glances at the goods and walked out while talking, not expecting the father and son to respond.
Lin Xiuqing also came out wearing an apron, wiping it with both hands.
"Adong, there's almost no room in the yard in front of the house to dry the animals. Why don't you push them to the back door and kill them? We'll dry them directly in the back door after we kill them. Otherwise, there'll be no place to dry them."
"good."
Dried fish are hung above the head, leaving only the middle aisle. There is still room for them on the ground, but it will be too crowded.
Ye Yaodong asked his father to sit down and have a rest first. He pushed the cart to the back door and washed his hands at the back door before entering the house.
At this time, Ye Chengyang ran over with an orange in his hand, "Dad, eat an orange!"
"Yeah, good boy!"
"Give me food, mother, and I'll give you food!"
This kid might be not so greedy and is quite generous because his family has had enough food and drink in the past two years as far as he can remember, and he often buys snacks for them
Ye Chenghu was sitting at the table doing his homework. He glanced over and muttered in a low voice, "Flatterer!"
Ye Yaodong had very sharp ears, so he went over and gave him a slap on the face, "Who are you calling a bootlicker all day long? You get scolded every day, so you can't stand seeing your brother being praised, right?"
"snort!"
"Today the sun came out from the west, and it's not even dark yet, and you've already started doing your homework?"
"Mom won't let me eat oranges. She said I can only eat them after I finish my homework. Damn it, Yangyang can eat them!"
"Oh, is that so? Then just write quickly and I'll supervise you." Ye Yaodong sat down beside him and started peeling oranges.
He pressed his thumb on the bottom of the orange and tore the skin off with force. The juice from the orange peel immediately splashed onto Ye Chenghu's face, while the unique fragrant and sour smell of the orange instantly filled his nostrils.
Ye Chenghu stared at the orange in his father's hand with his eyes wide open. A sour taste began to rise in his mouth and he couldn't help swallowing.
"Could you please not eat here?"
Ye Yaodong smiled evilly, "No, I'm a good father. Your mother won't let you eat it, but I can let you smell it."
Looking at his father's expression, Ye Chenghu knew that he did it on purpose, and glared at him angrily.
"annoying!"
"This orange is big and thin-skinned. It must be sweet and sour and delicious."
Watching his father peeling orange peels, the smell drifted into his nose. He sniffed passively and felt that the smell was stronger.
This made him feel very uncomfortable. He could smell and see it, but he couldn't eat it.
He bit the pen and watched eagerly.
Ye Yaodong waved a peeled orange in front of him and said, "Write quickly!"
Then he casually handed it to Ye Chengyang who was standing aside and watching. This almost made him angry again. He held the pen tightly in his hand and drew heavily on the notebook. As a result, a hole was poked in the notebook, and a big cut was made in it, and the tip of the pencil was also broken.
Now he realized that he was panicking. He quickly put his hands on the notebook, then looked at his father and then his mother in panic.
Ye Yaodong raised his eyebrows, "Ah Qing~"
"father!"
Ye Chenghu was afraid that his father would ask his mother to get the whip, so he hurriedly shouted, and then said flatteringly: "Dad, do you want oranges? Don't call mother, mother has to cook, Yangyang is busy eating oranges, I will help you get it!"
Good boy!
Pretty clever at this time!