Catching Lobsters

Ye Yuan gathered his emotions and said, "Dad, Mom, now that I'm back, I plan to stay here and build a future at home."

Seeing the old couple's expressions, he immediately raised a hand and continued, "Don't rush. Let me finish. I've worked for a year too. Blue Island may not be a first-tier metropolis, but it's still one of the more developed cities in our country. I know that."

At this point, he took a sip of water and continued. "I'm still young. I want a career of my own. I want to fight for it once. Do you think I can?"

Seeing the conflicted looks on his parents' faces, he gave them some time to digest it. Then he continued, "I've already thought through my own affairs, so you don't need to worry about me. What I want to talk about is my sister. When I came back, I went to see her. The three of them live on one bed, and Niuniu is getting bigger every day. This can't go on, can it?"

"My idea is that through this relocation, you can ask for an apartment in the county town and let my sister's family move there. That way, they can take care of you two, and when you have time, you can help look after Niuniu too."

Seeing his parents' thoughtful expressions, Ye Yuan continued, "As for me, even if things don't work out, I'll still go back to Blue Island to work. I won't stay in the county town. And if I do make something of myself, then there's even less to say. By then, these little matters won't be problems anymore, right?"

Father Ye frowned deeply. The cigarette in his hand had already burned out. In the end, he still said worriedly, "If we take the apartment in the county town and you don't make it, what will you do when you go back to Blue Island? Our family can't come up with enough money for another down payment for you."

"But do you know? Seeing my sister's family like that makes me feel awful too. I can walk my own path well enough. Isn't my sister your child too?" Ye Yuan grew somewhat agitated as he spoke, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Hearing Ye Yuan's words, Mother Ye shed tears as well. "Old man, let's listen to the child this time. We didn't lend money to Xiaohui a few years ago. Even though she never said anything, I've always felt bad about it. They're both our children, after all."

Father Ye glanced at his wife, then turned to Ye Yuan and said, "Do you think I don't know Xiaohui has suffered? Wasn't I just trying to leave a little more for you, brat? You little rascal, you get to play the good guy while your mother and I become the bad guys."

Ye Yuan smiled bitterly. "I never said you two were bad people. Aren't I still young? Who says I definitely won't make it? Who says I definitely have to go back to Blue Island and work? Don't worry. I'm very confident this time."

Seeing the determination in Ye Yuan's eyes, his parents finally relaxed. Their son was a college graduate and had spent a year making his way in the outside world. Since he said so, there was nothing more for them to worry about.

"Fine. Since it's settled, I'll go find the village chief now. If we sign earlier, we can still get thirty thousand yuan in relocation compensation."

Father Ye went out to find the village chief, while Mother Ye went into the kitchen and began bustling about. Her son was home, so she had to make something good.

Ye Yuan checked the time, then took out his phone and called Brother-in-law.

He first asked about his sister's condition over the phone. Brother-in-law said, "After you left, I talked to her for a while. She's much better now, though she still feels a little wronged. She thinks you shouldn't have come back and that it would be better for you to develop in Blue Island. Don't worry, your sister is fine. I'll talk to her again tonight, and everything will be all right."

Ye Yuan briefly explained the family's decision to Brother-in-law. After listening, Brother-in-law remained silent for a long time. Finally, his voice sounded slightly choked. "Thank you, Xiao Yuan. I know you must have done a lot for this."

While they were talking, Father Ye returned from outside. Knowing Ye Yuan was on the phone with Brother-in-law, he called out loudly, "Tell your sister that we're going to look at apartments tomorrow. Our family signed early, and the village chief said there are several available units. We get first pick."

Ye Yuan arranged with Brother-in-law to meet at noon the next day outside the county government office, then hung up.

That night, Father Ye drank too much. Perhaps the guilt he had felt toward his daughter all these years had been weighing on his heart.

This matter had given him an outlet. After getting drunk, Father Ye kept holding Ye Yuan's hand and saying, "The child has grown up. The child has grown up."

As the first ray of sunlight touched the horizon, Ye Yuan drove his family's sampan out onto the sea.

Ye Yuan told his parents he was going out to scour the shore for seafood, then piloted the sampan out.

He wanted to take a look beneath the sea and see what the fish stocks were like in his family's waters. After all, he had not gone diving for many years.

To the rumble of the diesel engine, Fishing Bay Island gradually disappeared from view.

After more than half an hour, he was already far from Fishing Bay Island. Ye Yuan stopped the boat on the sea, changed into a tight-fitting diving suit, and dove into the water.

The water here was more than fifty meters deep. Ordinary fishermen rarely dove this deep. He casually caught a fish swimming nearby, only the size of his palm, teased it for a moment, then released it.

He then stood on the seabed and picked up two seashells as large as dinner plates.

He had just put the shells into his net bag when he saw two lobsters fighting in the distance, each weighing around a pound.

It was not that lobsters this large had never been seen before; they were simply extremely rare. Especially wild ones this large—if sold, they would fetch a high price.

Ordinary fishermen did not eat large lobsters. If they caught one, they would definitely sell it, because wild lobsters were highly sought-after.

He had originally wanted to explore the seabed a little longer, but seeing the two lobsters ahead, he had no choice but to catch them first.

Ye Yuan discovered that there was still plenty of seafood beneath the sea. It was simply scattered around, making it difficult for fishermen to catch. Besides, few people had Ye Yuan's ability to breathe underwater, so they mistakenly believed there were no fish in the coastal waters.

He returned to the boat with the two lobsters still tangled together. Using the rubber cords on the boat, he tied up both lobsters' claws and placed them in the water tank at the center of the boat.

Ye Yuan took a sip of water and entered the sea again. After going up and down several times, the boat's water tank held two one-pound lobsters and eight half-pound swimming crabs.

Swimming crabs were also called white crabs in some places. They were named for their spindle-shaped carapaces. Males had pointed, smooth abdominal flaps, large long claws, and bluish shells; females had round, fuzzy abdominal flaps and ochre shells, sometimes with spots.

During that time, he also caught several seashells. The smallest was as large as a dinner plate, while the largest was as big as a washbasin. He had not expected there to be so much seafood here.

Looking at the seafood in the water tank, Ye Yuan made a rough estimate. If he took all of it to sell at the county dock, the two lobsters could fetch five hundred yuan, and the swimming crabs could bring in six hundred yuan. Good heavens, he had made eleven hundred yuan in such a short time.

Eleven hundred yuan was no small sum. There was still plenty of seafood beneath the sea. Ye Yuan had only caught some of the larger ones and left the smaller ones alone.

Thinking of his mysterious Reef Space, another idea came to Ye Yuan's mind. He could put items inside it, but he did not know whether living creatures could be stored there.

Of course, Ye Yuan did not plan to use this valuable seafood for the experiment. They were all relatively precious, and if he accidentally killed them, the loss would outweigh the gain.

He would go into the sea and find some inexpensive fish to test it on. If it worked, then he would not merely have a portable storage space—he would also have a portable fish farm.