Han Xiaorui hired experienced sailors, handpicked deckhands, safety officers, and maintenance workers, assembling a complete and ready crew. Once the paperwork was filed with the relevant departments, they could finally set sail for deep-sea fishing. Even before the fishing ban period began, she had already taken the crew out for offshore fishing to train and build teamwork. A determined woman like Chen Yishui studied hard; not only did she earn her sailing license, but she also mastered the practical operations. However, since she still lacked deep-sea navigation experience, Han Xiaorui decided to go with them this time.

As for the children, they were all left at home. Han Xiaoqing helped look after them, along with Sister Lian, Xia He, and the others. During the day, Wu Jiao and Wu Yao also helped out, so Han Xiaorui wasn’t worried at all. The children had also gradually gotten used to their mother frequently going out to sea to fish.

Han Xiaorui led the crew out for deep-sea fishing. It was her first time, and she lacked experience, but fortunately, the people she hired were seasoned veterans. Fishing in the open ocean came with its own set of dangers, so they brought along some weapons for self-defense.

The large ship was truly massive. After sailing for a day and a half, they finally reached their target waters. They were now in international waters. She ordered the crew to lower the nets and begin large-scale trawling.

The first haul was incredibly auspicious; surprisingly, the vast majority of the catch consisted of leopard coral groupers. Their bright red color was particularly festive, and more importantly, they tasted amazing. There was also a portion of small duzhong, also known as Japanese chub mackerel. The meat of this fish was sweet with a very strong, rich fish flavor. It was fleshy with few bones, though the texture was a bit coarse. It was often more delicious eaten raw than cooked. Because of this, Japan used it frequently for sashimi, while some were also processed into canned food.

Seeing so many fish in one net, Liang Xiaoyu was amazed. “Xiao Rui, this haul is a spectacular first victory! Look at these leopard coral groupers—they’re so plump and beautiful!”

Han Xiaorui smiled. “Yeah, I didn’t expect us to run into a whole school of them. I was actually a little worried since such a massive ship burns a lot of fuel.

“If we couldn’t catch enough high-quality fish, we probably wouldn’t make a profit after covering the massive labor, fuel, and operational costs for these two big ships.”

Liang Xiaoyu burst into laughter. “If anyone else said that, I might be worried. But coming from you, I’m not worried in the slightest!

“Shencheng is developing faster and faster. Plus, it’s the fishing ban period right now, so the little bit of fish caught near the shore can’t possibly meet the demand, especially for high-end seafood. Farmed seafood just can’t compare to wild-caught ones anyway.

“You have no idea. When Zhang Guangnan couldn’t track you down, he came to my house to cozy up to me. He kept insisting that we absolutely have to save the best, high-end fish from our deep-sea hauls for him.

“Even though a lot of fish can meet the demand through farming nowadays, people’s living standards are constantly rising. Especially for business banquets, they only want the most expensive and the best. As a result, the demand for wild seafood is growing faster than ever.

“To maintain the reputation of a high-end seafood restaurant, he needs an increasing supply of top-tier wild seafood. With ten restaurants under his belt, his demand is absolutely massive.”

Han Xiaorui smiled. “Thanks for the good omen, Sister-in-law Xiao Yu! My intuition is spot on too. Let’s have everyone quickly remove the gills, wash these fish, and vacuum-seal them for the quick-freezer.

“It’s a bit more work, but there’s no way around it. After all, we’re far from the coast, so we have to guarantee the fish stay clean, hygienic, and fresh. We must use the most advanced quick-freezing technology to preserve their flavor and fetch a good price.”

Liang Xiaoyu nodded. “Right, everyone is already dividing up the work. They’re moving fast! Don’t worry, Xiao Rui. They might be a little slow at first, but once they get the hang of it, they definitely won’t hold us back.”

Han Xiaorui nodded in agreement.

Chen Yishui asked over the walkie-talkie, “Boss, which direction should we trawl next?”

Han Xiaorui focused her senses to feel the waters before replying, “Head southwest. Keep moving forward, and have both ships go that way!”

Chen Yishui quickly relayed Han Xiaorui’s orders, and they continued trawling at their normal speed.

About two hours later, Han Xiaorui instructed Chen Yishui to haul the nets. The other ship was ordered to sail forward for another twenty minutes before hauling its own.

When the massive codend surfaced and was hoisted high above the fishing boat, the crowd was left dumbfounded. Good heavens, even a net this gigantic was stuffed to the brim! As the codend was gradually opened, a cascade of grayish-black fish poured out. Once everyone got a clear look at what kind of fish they were, they were all overjoyed.

“Good heavens! I’ve been fishing for years, and I’ve never seen such a massive school of black pomfrets.”

“Exactly! The price of black pomfrets has gone up a lot lately. I had it once last month. The meat is smooth yet firm, and the flavor is rich and savory. The best part is that it’s fatty and meaty, filling your mouth with a sweet freshness that’s soft and tender.”

“Ah, my favorite part is the fish nose—it’s an absolute delicacy. In my opinion, black pomfret tastes a lot like yellow croaker.”

“That’s true. Even though white pomfrets look a bit like black pomfrets, they’re lighter in color and lack that rich, fatty aroma of the black ones.”

“Come look at this, everyone! My god, this black pomfret must be half a meter long! I’ve never seen one this huge! I have to measure it!”

When measured, it wasn’t quite half a meter, but it still came in at an impressive forty-five centimeters.

Liang Xiaoyu walked over and reminded everyone, “I know you’re all curious, but don’t forget the work at hand! With this many fish, they’ll go bad if we don’t clean them right away.

“Many of you deckhands are working here for the first time, so you might not be very familiar with us yet. But let me tell you, as long as you work hard, our Han Shipowner will definitely not mistreat you.

“Working on our ships doesn’t just give you a base salary; you also get commissions! From these first two hauls, you should all be able to see that Jinshan Bay Seafood Catching Company lives up to its reputation. We always have fantastic luck when fishing, which means your income will be very high and well-guaranteed.”

The crew, who had just been chattering away about the fish, immediately hurried back to work. As coastal fishermen, who hadn’t heard the great name of Jinshan Bay Seafood Catching Company? Working here meant high wages and great benefits. Most importantly, they could pay into a pension plan. Once they were too old to work and retired, they would even have a pension to rely on. Because of this, everyone cherished this job deeply. Being veteran fishermen, they didn’t need any instructions. They cleanly gutted the fish, gave them a quick rinse, and moved them onto the next step of vacuum-sealing and quick-freezing.

The other large fishing ship, which had continued sailing, hauled its nets over twenty minutes later. Its catch was also entirely black pomfrets. A portion of that same school of fish had swum further ahead and swam right into the nets of this second ship. To have two consecutive nets filled to the point of bursting made the crew ecstatic and filled them with absolute confidence for this deep-sea fishing expedition.

Chefs had been hired on both ships to prepare delicious and appetizing meals for everyone. The chicken, duck, goose, eggs, and vegetables had been brought from shore, but everything else was sourced straight from the sea. Various lobsters and fish were pan-fried, deep-fried, stewed, or boiled, before being served hot on the dining tables.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.