Reborn in 1981: My Life as a Fisherman

In those days, resources were not abundant.

You need ration coupons to buy cloth and rubber shoes, let alone machinery.

How could the price be cheap?

Of course, you don't need a ticket to buy a diesel engine, but it's expensive.

During this period, diesel engines were mainly supplied to production teams.

There are almost no individual purchases.

Shi Hailong was prepared to get it done in one go and didn't want to row or paddle.

The hidden reef in the water is not in the nearshore area and there is no diesel engine power.

That would be too dangerous; even a small wave could prevent them from returning.

A wooden boat that is seven or eight meters long sounds big, but once it's at sea, it's just a speck of dust.

It is as insignificant as a leaf.

However, with mechanical power, its ability to withstand wind and waves is much stronger.

The next day, Shi Hailong carried a bag on his back and a net bag in his hand.

We set off before dawn, first on foot to the commune town, as there were no vehicles available.

The distance is seventeen kilometers, and Shi Hailong knows that it will take about three hours to get there.

Chaohai Commune is a large town and the largest fishing port in the county.

My younger brother, Shi Haisheng, attends a vocational school in the town.

Yes, there is a vocational school in this town.

I studied fishing and navigation.

Once you graduate, you can join the state-run fishing team.

Shi Hailong walked slowly. There was no need to rush when hiking; just conserve your energy and walk at a leisurely pace.

Most of the roads are mountain roads, winding and turning.

Shi Hailong couldn't help but sigh, "Things are better now, the road has been opened up and straightened."

There's also a tunnel through the mountain, so the drive only takes about ten minutes.

As dawn approached, the sound of a tractor came from the mountain road behind us.

Shi Hailong turned his head and stopped, seeing the production team's tractor struggling uphill, billowing black smoke.

Several people were sitting in the truck bed, and Shi Hailong saw Chen Dabiao and the others.

Chen Dabiao also saw Shi Hailong, grinned at him, and shouted:

"Hailong, get in the car..."

Shi Hailong, of course, didn't stand on ceremony. When the tractor arrived, he started jogging to catch up.

He handed over what he was holding, which was taken by Zheng Shangang, who was next to Chen Dabiao.

Then he grabbed the edge of the truck bed with both hands, flipped himself up, and climbed into the truck bed.

At this point, going uphill, the tractor moves very slowly but doesn't stop.

Therefore, he had to keep climbing up.

After sitting in the truck bed, Zheng Shangang handed the things back to him.

Looking at Chen Dabiao and the others, Shi Hailong asked, "Are you going to the commune for fun?"

Chen Dabiao and the others nodded. Because the tractor was very loud, Chen Dabiao also spoke very loudly.

"My dad needed to pick up some things, so we went along for a ride..."

Chen Dabiao's father, Chen Yaogen, was a tractor driver in the production team.

Chen Dabiao's real name is Chen Shengbiao, but many people call him Dabiao.

Chen Dabiao then asked, "Hailong, are you going to see Haisheng?"

Shi Hailong nodded. "Yes, my mother asked me to deliver some side dishes to him..."

Zheng Shangang then asked, "Why don't you take a boat to the commune?"

This mountain path is too remote, aren't you afraid of encountering wild boars or black bears?

There are boats between Lantau Village and Hai Chao Town, but the departure times are uncertain.

It's not fixed; it all depends on luck.

Shi Hailong also wanted to take a boat trip, as the fare was only one cent.

But none of the boatmen knew when they could set sail.

It's impossible for a ship to go empty-handed.

Shi Hailong smiled at Zheng Shangang, thinking that this kid might become his brother-in-law someday.

The son of Zheng Cuizhu's third uncle.

"Is there a boat going to town today?" Shi Hailong asked.

Chen Dabiao, Zheng Shangang, and Chen Dabiao's cousin Chen Shengqiang all smiled and nodded.

Chen Dabiao laughed and said, "The Party Secretary and several team leaders, plus the militia team leaders, are also there."

Everyone went to the commune to handle some business today…

Upon hearing this, Shi Hailong was speechless. He should have asked earlier.

Fortunately, we encountered a tractor.

The group chatted and laughed amidst the clanging of the tractor.

Shi Hailong heard from Chen Dabiao that the village's supply and marketing cooperative had received several new hunting rifles.

It fires shotgun shells, and also slugs and the like.

They also talked excitedly about the air guns made in Shanghai.

This also stirred something in Shi Hailong's heart.

He was also interested in hunting rifles and air guns; there's a saying that a man is a boy until he dies.

I didn't have the money to play with these things in my past life, so I'll definitely buy a couple to play with in this life.

Besides, in the 1980s, you really couldn't go out to sea to fish without a gun; the danger level was too high.

With such a crackdown on land, one can imagine how chaotic things must have been; the situation at sea was even worse.

At sea, it is like a legal vacuum, a vast and boundless expanse.

It can also easily amplify human nature, the wildest instincts.

Most importantly, there's almost no fear of getting caught.

Because robbery and murder at sea leave almost no trace.

In addition, with rampant smuggling in recent years, all sorts of people can be found at sea.

And then there are the mountains, where black bears really do exist these days, and wild boars are not uncommon either.

There are also leopards and other animals. South China tigers are less common now. A few years ago, the production team organized tiger hunting teams.

It is said that dozens of them were hit.

Shi Hailong also knew that there were already people specifically hunting live black bears in the mountains.

They can sell it for a high price, extracting bile from the living...

The mountains behind Dayu Village were places Shi Hailong had never explored in his previous life.

Furthermore, it will be designated as a forest park and protected area in the future.

If you have a gun, you can go into the mountains to take a look when you have nothing else to do.

Hunting wild boar can improve our lives, as can pheasants and such.

Before they knew it, they had arrived in town. Shi Hailong got off the tractor and said goodbye to Chen Dabiao and the others.

Heading to Shi Haisheng's vocational school.

When I arrived at the school, I found Shi Haisheng and gave him the things.

Then he took out two yuan from his pocket and handed it to Shi Haisheng.

"Don't skimp on your food, you're so thin..."

After handing over the money, Shi Hailong said something.

However, Shi Haisheng laughed and said, "Second brother, you're criticizing me. Aren't you also dark-skinned and thin?"

By the way, I heard from a classmate that our village has started the final stage of the household responsibility system. Did our family get a boat?

Shi Hailong said irritably, "What are you thinking? With so few boats, even if we were to divide them up, it wouldn't be our family's turn."

Furthermore, the brigade headquarters was also having a headache, as it was difficult to divide the tasks, so they split it into three contracted groups…”

Shi Hailong explained the situation to Shi Haisheng in detail.

Shi Haisheng was somewhat disappointed after hearing this. He had been thinking that after completing his studies, he would go home and help with fishing.

Finally, Shi Hailong patted Shi Haisheng on the shoulder and laughed, "Don't worry, our family will have a boat in the future."

And it must be a large ship, an iron ship.

Go fishing in the open sea, go fishing in the deep ocean.

You must study hard, and one day you will be the captain of the ship...

Shi Haisheng was young at the time and full of fantasies about the future, so he nodded in agreement.

He didn't think his second brother was lying...

Therefore, young people are easily fooled, while those with some experience will act based on reality.

After leaving the school, Shi Hailong walked around the town for a while to get a feel for the current situation there.

He took a look at the fishing port area, in particular, to see what kinds of boats were there and the situation of the state-run aquatic product purchasing points.

However, the location of the smuggled goods was not found.

Perhaps it's not available in town; we'll have to go to the county seat to check.

Shi Hailong boarded the bus at noon.

Heading to the county town...