Chen Qingsheng looked at Xiang Yang who was deep in thought and asked tentatively: "Captain, when we return from this trip, do you also want to form a fleet?"
"I?"
Xiang Yang quickly came back to his senses and shook his head, saying, "I have always wanted to form a fleet, but it is not the right time yet."
Chen Qingsheng nodded and said, "That's right, the conditions for forming a fleet are indeed not mature enough now."
To form a fleet, each ship must have at least a few independent crew members. At present, Xiang Yang simply cannot provide so many independent crew members.
If one is only in charge of daily fishing, casting nets, and sailing, anyone can be the captain or an engineer.
But considering the response to crisis situations and so on, the crew members on Xiang Yang's ship are still too inexperienced.
"Let's not talk about this for now. Let's go to the cockpit and discuss the route with Master Xu. Once we've chosen the route, we'll head back immediately." Xiang Yang said, turning around.
After entering the Arctic Circle from the New Zealand Sea, the fleet passed through the South Atlantic Ocean and reached the Weddell Sea, taking a long detour. If they were to return by the original route, it would undoubtedly be a waste of time and would require a lot of detours.
It is not realistic to return in a straight line. From the Weddell Sea to the South my country Sea, not every sea area in between is suitable for Xiang Yang's fishing boat. If they accidentally enter the territorial waters of other countries, they will be detained and stood up. They will not listen to Xiang Yang's explanation that he is returning. They will only think that Xiang Yang cast a net on their territory and caught the fish that should belong to them.
"After the route is determined, it should take less than two months to get back to Qinglongwan from here. Once we arrive at Qinglongwan, I will give each of you at least a week's vacation so that you can have a good rest, go out and play if you need to, and go home if you need to." Xiang Yang said.
Chen Qingsheng's face lit up when he heard this. If he had a week's vacation, he could go home and spend time with his family.
But then, Chen Qingsheng shook his head and said, "Captain, can we just do it right away? Why don't we say hello to Boss Gao?"
"We've already said hello, and Mr. Gao and his crew will soon continue their voyage. Maybe they'll set off before us, so saying hello later would seem deliberate." Xiang Yang said.
"After all, we have been together for more than three months. Why don't we have a meal together before leaving?" Chen Qingsheng said.
Xiang Yang shook his head. "There aren't many vegetables and fruits on the ship now. It's difficult to get supplies here. We have to eat sparingly. Even if we have a meal together, we can't eat anything good. Let's get together again after we get back. We're all from the same place and we're all in the same business. We'll meet many times in the future."
Chen Qingsheng nodded, "Yes."
Soon, Xiang Yang finalized the voyage with Xu Fang, and then told Wu Shiwen about the return route.
Wu Shiwen naturally had no objection.
So, the two ships of Xiang Yang and Wu Shiwen began to turn around, and then slowly sailed along the predetermined route, getting farther and farther away from the fleet.
On the fleet's ocean-going processing mother ship, Gao Chuang was wearing a thick coat, breaking a green-skinned tangerine in his hand, eating while watching Xiang Yang and the others leave.
After sailing for several months, most people on the boat were eager to return home, and the driving crew even increased the speed of the fishing boat to a slow speed.
On the side, Wu Shiwen's large drift net fishing boat was in a similar situation. It never slowed down from beginning to end. The two ships were like they were racing.
The journey was supposed to take almost two months, but with the crew working day and night, the fishing boat returned to Qinglong Bay in just one and a half months.
Just when Xiang Yang was returning with a full load, a huge convoy was also driving quickly towards Qinglongwan on the newly built road in Yanlong Village.
The convoy was led by a white commercial van, followed by more than ten special seafood transport vehicles, and at the end were two heavy trucks that had been modified specifically for transporting rare and large marine fish.
Li Chao was the driver of the commercial van. He stepped on the accelerator almost to the bottom. Zhang Qicheng, who was sitting on the passenger seat, kept saying, "Slow down, Lao Li, drive slower. Xiang Yang just entered Qinglong Bend. It will take some time before he reaches the shore. No one is competing with you for the seafood. Slow down. There is a speed limit on this road."
When Xiang Yang returned to Qinglongwan Wharf, he just saw the convoy parked at the side of the wharf. Then he saw Li Chao and Zhang Qicheng getting down from the van at the front of the convoy, one on the left and one on the right.
"Mr. Li, Mr. Zhang, are you here to welcome me?" Xiang Yang returned to the shore. The down-to-earth feeling made him feel very good. When he saw his old acquaintances, Xiang Yang couldn't help but greet them with a smile.
"Haha, Brother Xiang, I haven't seen you for half a year. I miss you so much."
Li Chao came up and gave Xiang Yang a bear hug, then said: "You've suffered a lot on this trip out."
Xiang Yang smiled and shook his head, "I have learned a lot, but it's not that hard."
Li Chao looked Xiang Yang up and down, and suddenly grinned and said, "Given our friendship, there is no need to say such polite words. But by the way, you not only didn't get tanned during this trip to the sea, but you also became much whiter."
Xiang Yang said speechlessly: "Mr. Li, I went to Antarctica, not Africa."
"You seem to have gained a little weight." Li Chao said again.
Xiang Yang nodded. "On the return voyage, we sailed all the way back from the Weddell Sea. For a month or two, I slept and ate in the cabin every day. I must have gained some weight."
The two exchanged pleasantries for a while before starting to talk about business.
"Brother Xiang, you should have gained a lot from this trip, right?" Li Chao asked.
Xiang Yang nodded, then shook his head. "Although they are deep in the water, most of them are actually Antarctic krill. But there are also many good things, such as wolffish, eagle pomfret, silver pomfret, Antarctic icefish, sturgeon, cod, swordfish, etc. In addition, there are many beautiful nudibranchs and the very precious New Zealand red shrimp..."
Xiang Yang named dozens of kinds of seafood in one breath. Every time he said a name, Li Chao's eyes would brighten. When Xiang Yang finished speaking, Li Chao's mouth was already cracked to the back of his ears.
"You got so many good things, you're rich." Li Chao said excitedly. He thought to himself: I thought Zhang Qicheng would definitely take the lion's share of the spoils this time, after all, Xiang Yang went to Antarctica, which is rich in resources but not many kinds of seafood. It's good enough that he could get some Antarctic cod in his hotel, after all, there aren't many seafoods in Antarctica that can be served on the table. I didn't expect the unexpected surprise to be so big.
Xiang Yang grinned and nodded, "Yes, there are also a huge number of Antarctic krill, all kinds of species, Brother Li, Brother Zhang, can you eat such a large batch?"