Back To the Small Fishing Village In 1982

        Chapter 32 Want to Borrow a Boat

In the afternoon around two or three o'clock, the sun was still scorching hot. Ye Yaodong tried to walk in shaded areas as much as possible. Fortunately, Ah Guang's house was located in the back mountains surrounded by trees, so it was quite cool.

When he arrived, the rest of them were still playing cards under the tree by the entrance, and only Ah Guang was lying on a reclining chair, enjoying the coolness.

"Why are you lying alone instead of playing with the others?"

"My luck has been so bad today, why bother playing? I'd rather save some money. What about you these past couple of days? Why haven't you been playing?"

"I don't have any money. It's embarrassing to ask my wife for money all day long."

"That's true, but don't you have a boat at home now? You can go out to sea with your father and earn some money. That way, it won't be considered asking your wife for money."

He did want to do that, but the thought of being in the middle of the sea, exhausted and at risk of being overwhelmed, made him feel a little anxious, his heart started beating faster, so he decided to take it slow for now.

He casually made up an excuse, "It's not that I haven't been out to sea before. I'm just afraid of getting seasick. If I go out and end up getting seasick, my father would have to bring me back. Wouldn't that be embarrassing? It would be better if I had a small boat to explore the nearby deserted islands and give it a try."

"That's easy. My little uncle accidentally broke his hand a few days ago, so he can't sail the boat for now. Tomorrow, I'll ask him to lend us the boat. We can buy some diesel fuel ourselves, and I'll take you out to sea to sail around in the nearby waters."

Ye Yaodong's eyes lit up. "That sounds great! We can also visit the deserted island and explore the sea while we're at it!"

"Hehe~ it seems like you've developed a keen interest in exploring the sea lately!" Ah Guang chuckled as he looked at him.

"Of course! My luck has been so good these past few days. Yesterday, I caught two blue crabs, and today, I stumbled upon a tiger grouper and a nest of snow clams. After tasting success, I have to strike while the iron is hot."

"That's true. If I had your good luck, I would go every day too. It's definitely better than working odd jobs at the pier. I heard they only pay a little over 1 yuan for a day's work there, not even 2 yuan."

The Yujing Pier is a large pier by the sea in their Shanhai Town. It's where the big boats dock. Many people from their village go to the Yujing Pier to work odd jobs and handle cargo.

Their town is located near the Wanwan Channel, which is why besides fishing boats, there are also many cargo ships for transportation. As a result, their town is also home to numerous Taiwanese merchandise stores.

In this era, their town is even more famous than the county seat and more bustling. Many outsiders only know about their town and are unaware of the county itself.

When their group of friends goes out to have fun, they usually go to the town instead of the county seat. They don't visit the county seat very often.

He stood there with his hands in his pockets, leaning against the tree trunk with one foot. "Exploring the sea is all about luck. It's not something we can do every day. You go ahead and ask if we can borrow the boat."

"Let's go and ask tomorrow morning. If we get permission, we can buy diesel and set sail directly. It's too hot right now, and I don't feel like walking. I still have to drink at night."

"Alright, let me know if you manage to borrow the boat. Tomorrow is also the first day of the high tide, so if there's no wind and calm waves in the morning, it would be perfect to visit the deserted island."

"Sounds good! I'll follow your lead, and who knows, maybe I'll have some luck as well?"

Ye Yaodong smiled and said, "Maybe changing your name might be more effective. When is your father coming back?"

"I'm not sure. He just left a month ago, and I don’t know how many more months it will be until he returns."

Although the “Regulation on the Breeding and Protection of Aquatic Resources” was issued in February 1979, which included fishing bans during specific periods for various fish species and specific fishing gear, it didn't impose any restrictions on vessels in their local waters.

There is also no regular fishery patrol, so they continue to go out to sea as usual.

It wasn't until 1995 when the comprehensive system of seasonal fishing bans was implemented that they started adhering to the regulations and participating in the designated fishing closures.

The regulations in their area stipulate that the fishing ban period is from May 1st to July 31st each year, with the fishing activities resuming on August 1st.

However, they have found ways around the regulations. Many small boats in their area still engage in secret fishing during the ban period. Even if they are caught by the fishery patrol, the authorities often just confiscate the seafood and release it back into the sea. The fishermen can afford this loss, considering that the fishery patrol doesn’t go to the sea on a daily basis.

In the present era, their waters are still open for unrestricted fishing. Once the large boats set sail, they often stay at sea for several months before returning.

"Then you can wait until your father comes back."

"Ah, enjoy a few more carefree days. I have to go to the Yujing Pier in a few days to find some work. If I don't go soon, I'll run out of money. You're lucky to have a hardworking wife. I can't even find a wife yet.”

"If you have money, are you afraid you won't be able to marry a wife? Instead of gambling, try working hard and earning money. Even if you have a wife, you shouldn't rely on her to support you for a lifetime. That would be quite pathetic.”

Ah Guang rested his hands behind his head and looked at him with a chuckle. "Why do I feel like you've become more diligent these past few days?"

"Well, seeing my wife struggling to earn even a yuan a day made me realize the importance of being responsible. Besides, once our house is built, we'll have to start supporting our own family. I won't have the luxury of relying on others anymore.”

"You're right. Once you separate, life won't be as easy. Maybe we should go to the pier together and look for work. What do you think?"

He grabbed a piece of straw from somewhere and put it in his mouth as he spoke. "I’d probably scare my family so much that they'll go and hire a Taoist priest to exorcize me.”

This is the truth!

"Well, at least we have some experience doing odd jobs and manual labor. But you, on the other hand, have always been known as the 'Third Young Master of the Ye Family'!"

"Don't mock me. Do you have a cigarette? Give me one. I haven't smoked in two days, and my mouth is itching!"

"Sinking this low, huh? Didn't you make over ten yuan in the past two days?"

"I handed it over to my wife. I'm a good husband!"

Ah Guang rolled his eyes, who doesn't know how you are!

After taking a drag from the cigarette, Ye Yaodong finally felt relieved. In fact, he had been considering quitting smoking these past few days, but he found it quite challenging. After decades of being addicted to cigarettes, he decided not to make things difficult for himself. After all, being a good husband had nothing to do with whether he smoked or not.

"Hey, tomorrow Ah Guang said he will borrow a boat to take us out for a spin in the sea. Do you guys want to join?"

The four people who were playing cards turned their heads and glanced at them.

"What's there to see? We've grown up by the sea and have seen enough of it."

"Haven't you had enough sun today? You want to go out on a boat just to get more sun?"

"Why bother borrowing a boat when we're fine right here?"

As usual, Fatty refuses to go, "Don't bother asking me to sunbathe. It's like eating when you're already full. But I'm up for drinking and playing cards!"

Ye Yaodong retorted irritably, "You lazy fatty, even lazier than me! Tomorrow is the first day of the lunar new year, and there will be high tide. Let's go to the uninhabited island and see if we can find some good stuff. Those uninhabited islands are untouched throughout the year. Not to mention seafood, there must be plenty of large shellfish on the rocks."

Curiously, Ah Wei asked, "You've never been there yourself, so how do you know?"

"Just decide whether you want to go or not!"

That's his experience, can it be false? While he can't be certain about the seafood, there will definitely be a good amount of shellfish and snails.

"Whether we can borrow a boat is still a question. I'll check tomorrow. If we manage to borrow one, let's go together. It would be nice to have company, and I might not have time in a few days." said Ah Guang seriously.

"Okay, let's go together."

Except for Fatty, the rest agreed with Ah Zheng to join. However, Ah Wei declined, stating that he didn't want to go. He didn't have a good catch yesterday, so he wasn't interested in joining the excitement.

(end of this chapter)