Our neighborhood has been transported again.

Chapter 292 Exploding the Net
The sea breeze, carrying a salty, damp scent, swept across the deck, and Zhang Chongshan's gaze was fixed on the taut towline at the stern.

"Don't feel pressured. As long as the ship doesn't sink, just perform normally," Yuan Dajun patted Zhang Chongshan on the shoulder and comforted him softly.

"Captain, aren't you nervous?" Zhang Chongshan turned around and was somewhat surprised to see Yuan Dajun's calm expression.

"What do I have to worry about?" Yuan Dajun replied naturally, because he was just a temporary replacement for the captain.

Before setting off, Chairman Qin instructed him to stay on the ship, observe Zhang Chongshan's behavior, and not to do anything reckless.

Because he doesn't need to rush at all.

Zhang Chongshan fell silent upon hearing this. He was different; he had been suddenly thrust into this position of public attention.

Suddenly promoted to this position, facing a barrage of scrutiny, Zhang Chongshan felt immense pressure, fearing he might make a mistake.

What should I do if I don't do it well or make a mistake?

That's why he actively participated when he logged off earlier, trying to alleviate his inner anxiety by keeping himself busy.

The mooring ropes plunged deep into the sea, carving a whitish V-shaped trail at the stern, as the boat moved slowly forward with the help of the wind.

Time stretched out as we waited, the sound of sails billowing and waves crashing against the ship filling our ears.

suddenly,

The towline at the stern began to sink!
The taut hemp rope made a teeth-grinding creaking sound.

Someone shouted, "We caught something!"

Zhang Chongshan paused, his face drained of color, and his eyes were filled with apprehension.

He wasn't sure if he had caught a school of fish or a large one.

If it's a giant sea monster.
The ship's speed noticeably slowed down, as if it were being held back by an invisible hand.

The feeling of being dragged from behind grew heavier and more solid.

"Rowing! Give it your all to keep the boat steady!" Yuan Dajun's voice rang out.

The sound of shouts came from the lower deck.

The ship circled in a large loop.

"Take a look and see when we can close the net," Yuan Dajun patted Zhang Chongshan on the shoulder.

Zhang Chongshan snapped out of his daze and, after circling around once more, hurriedly shouted, "Close the net! You can close the net now!"

The boat slowed down, and the large net began to be pulled upwards.

Waves rise and fall on the sea.

A dazzling array of silvery light surged forth.

Shiny fish scales tumble and collide on the sea surface.

The school of fish was disturbed.

Zhang Chongshan's breath hitched, followed by an indescribable surge of ecstasy.

The first net yielded a huge harvest!
This is a good thing!

"Quickly! Speed ​​up the closing of the net!"

Upon seeing the school of fish, the people pulling in the nets on the boat perked up, and the group cheered enthusiastically.

The winch moved, and the fishing net slowly floated to the surface.

A large number of fish thrashed and rolled about, their shimmering waters dazzling to the eye.

The winch turned, making a creaking sound.

The rope tightened round and round, digging into the roller. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the churning silver sea.

The edge of the fishing net broke through the water first, and then, through the mesh, silver light exploded as countless fish were caught, squeezed, and struggled to emerge from the sea!
"Crash."

Seawater poured down through the gaps in the net like a waterfall.

Thousands of fish leaped and thrashed wildly in the net, their bodies reflecting a dazzling silver-white and bluish-green hue in the sunlight.

The strong smell of the sea instantly spread across the entire deck.

"It's a bumper harvest!" Yuan Dajun's face lit up with joy, and he laughed heartily before rushing forward to help.

"My God..." one of the crew members exclaimed in shock, his mouth agape, almost forgetting to pull the rope in his hand.

"Quick! Pull it up! Don't let the fish get away!" Zhang Chongshan's voice was excited. Everyone snapped out of their daze, sped up, and pulled the net up.

The large net was slowly dragged onto the deck, where the fish frantically thrashed their tails, making a splashing sound.

"Quickly, quickly, sort them all and put them in the fish hold."

A group of people were busy helping with the sorting.

Laughter and cheers filled the ship.

The deafening sound traveled very far.

Even the people on the islands and reefs could hear it.

"There are sounds coming from the ship."

"It seems they've received their goods."

At the edge of the island, everyone eagerly awaited the arrival of the newcomer.

Upstairs, Zou Jianghe gazed at the fishing boats returning in the distance, his expression complex.

Huang Tao said from the side, "Chairman, when their fishing boats come back, the price of grain in the community will drop."

Zou Jianghe remained silent for a while, then said, "It's their Qin Alliance's grain prices that will fall."

Huang Tao sighed softly, "I thought they would eat meat and we could at least have soup, but it seems that Qin Meng wants to serve the whole fish on the table."

“Zhang Bo is in frequent contact with them, he probably wants to go there, why don’t you go?” Zou Jianghe suddenly asked.

Huang Tao smiled and said, "And what about you, Chairman? What are you still persisting in?"

"Me? What am I still holding on to?" Zou Jianghe muttered to himself, as if asking himself a question.

He suddenly laughed, “I never said I would insist. I never stopped other members of the Tongmenghui from leaving. Everyone is free.”

Zou Jianghe gave Huang Tao a deep look and said, "You, on the other hand, have some rather shrewd ideas."

Zou Jianghe watched the fishing boat disappear into the sea through the node, then he got up and went downstairs.

When we arrived at Building 8, the stairwell was packed with people queuing up, many of whom were heading to the fishing boats.

Some people saw Zou Jianghe, but they all looked away. This once-glorious president of the Tongmenghui was now standing alone to the side.

After the main group went up, Zou Jianghe went up to the fifth floor.

"Oh, what a rare guest! Please come in." Liu San walked over, smiling, and led Zou Jianghe to the adjacent living room, pouring him a cup of tea.

"Are Chairman Qin and Mr. Jia here?"

"President Qin, I don't know." Liu San shook his head. "Mr. Jia should be busy right now. As you know, the fishing boat just returned and they are counting the catch. It's such a big matter, Mr. Jia must be over there."

"You want fish, right? It might take a while, until they finish up over there." Liu San guessed Zou Jianghe's purpose.

"Okay, it's fine. I'll just wait for them here." Zou Jianghe sat down and waited quietly.

On the other side, at the Ghost Dock, on the fishing boats returning to the dock, buckets of fresh fish were being unloaded, along with a few octopuses and shrimp.

After weighing, it was finally confirmed that the first haul from the sea yielded a net catch of 3,845 catties of seafood.

Nearly two tons!

The news swept through the dockyard, and everyone who heard it beamed with joy.

"Congratulations, my lord." Jia Liangcai strode quickly into the wooden hut next to him to report the good news to Qin Ziwen.

Inside the house, Qin Ziwen could already hear the commotion outside.

"Two tons, that's roughly enough food for one or two thousand people for a day," Qin Ziwen estimated in his mind. Of course, this was just a rough estimate.

We also need to consider the increased appetite of manual laborers, as well as various aspects such as seafood preparation and processing methods.

"You've worked hard. At this rate, how many nets can you catch in a day?" Qin Ziwen asked Zhang Chongshan beside him.

"With some effort, three to four nets should be no problem, but the crew will be a bit tired," Zhang Chongshan said honestly. "Casting nets, hauling in nets, and loading fish are all physical labor, which is very tiring. Rowing, raising sails, and steering are also not easy. If we can do three nets a day, the crew should be able to maintain their condition."

Qin Ziwen pondered for a moment, "What if we split into two teams, one for the actual work and the other for the replacements? It would be a good opportunity for the newcomers to get familiar with the water and practice their skills, so that when a new ship is launched, someone can immediately take over."

Zhang Chongshan thought about it carefully, "If there are substitute crew members, we can net four times a day, which is perfect for the two teams to take turns working."

"Alright, let's go with this method then," Qin Ziwen decided.

(End of this chapter)