He was heading out to sea for a trial run the next morning, so before bed, Ye Yaodong checked the baskets of fishing line. The damaged ones had all been properly repaired, every hook hung neatly along the edges of the bamboo baskets, and the lines were neatly coiled. Only after making sure everything was fine did he go to sleep.
At nine the next morning, everyone worked together to push the fishing boat into the water. Then firecrackers crackled at the pier, string after string, while Ye Yaodong and Father Ye beamed with joy.
For fishermen, buying a boat was no smaller an occasion than building a house. The villagers around the pier came forward to congratulate them, showering Ye Yaodong with praise...
Father Ye shared in the glory, his whole face glowing. Whose son could afford a seventeen-meter boat at such a young age? Weren't they all still tagging along behind their fathers?
Mother Ye helped Lin Xiuqing carry a shoulder pole loaded with sugar cakes to the pier. Each friend who set off firecrackers received a piece, as did all the friends and relatives who had brought firecrackers.
With Mother Ye handling things onshore, Ye Yaodong and Father Ye headed straight out to sea once the firecrackers were finished.
Leaving this late made their schedule a little tight, but that was all right. Today was only a trial run. First, they would find a suitable stretch of water to set their hooks.
Father Ye left the steering to Ye Yaodong the entire time. Meanwhile, he chopped up the small fish Ye Yaodong had saved yesterday and baited the hooks with them. He already had plenty of experience; Ye Yaodong was the one who needed practice. More time at the helm would improve his sense of direction, too.