Li Lao'er still had a bellyful of anger to vent, and he turned it on them too. "I'll scoop up whatever I damn well please. What's it got to do with you, brat? Does the sea belong to your family?"
As he spoke, he stretched out his long-handled Hand Scoop Net, making to scoop it up. But in those few moments, the floating object had drifted a little farther from his boat. Even with the long handle extended, he could only just reach it.
But how could Father Ye let him get his way? They had spotted it first. Why should he get to scoop it up? He was clearly looking for trouble. They had their pride-even if it was rubbish, they couldn't give way.
Although his Hand Scoop Net's handle was too short to reach over and knock the other man's net aside, he could stir the water, speeding up the current to make the floating object drift faster and keep Li Lao'er from getting his way.
Li Lao'er tried scooping it up. He had almost had it; it had even touched the rim of his Hand Scoop Net. He had been just a little short, but the waves carried it farther away as it bobbed up and down.
He swore furiously, stepping a little farther forward and leaning farther over the side of the boat to keep trying.
Father Ye kept stirring the water faster without pausing, keeping it just beyond his reach.
Ye Yaodong immediately relaxed too. If they couldn't get it, neither would he.
"No wonder your Yellowfin Tuna fell into the sea. You were born without any luck with money. Even when money's right in front of you, you can't hold on to it. Maybe you're too rotten in everyday life, or you forgot to