Eating as they watched the spectacle on the sea, father and son both wished they had four hands. The nearby fishing boats were visibly piled high with catches, boatload after boatload of sardines and all sorts of large fish.
Most of the people on the other boats were also resting on deck, regretting the limits of human strength.
After A-Guang and his father lowered their net again, they took a break too and brought their boat alongside.
"Dongzi, how many nets have you hauled in? How many jin have you caught?"
"Two or three thousand jin, I suppose. Our arms can't take it, or we wouldn't need to rest. What about you?"
"About the same, just a few more big fish than you. We don't dare scoop up too much in one net either, in case we can't haul it up."
Father Ye smiled. "A few big fish are enough. Those sardines aren't worth much. Any big deep-sea fish is worth several hundred jin of sardines."
Father Pei said with a beaming smile, "Exactly. That's why we've been trying to catch the big ones since daybreak."
"It's just hard on the arms. After this haul today, we'll all have to take a few days off. We won't be able to come out." A-Guang shook out his aching arms, not knowing whether to be happy, or happy, or happy...
Ye Yaodong put away his half-finished lunch box and wiped his mouth before saying, "We've earned a year's money in one day. Forget a few days off-we could take a whole month!"
Father Pei laughed heartily. "Dongzi's right."
"We've rested enough. Let's get back to it."
Spurred on by the big fish aboard A-Guang's boat, Ye Yaodong shook out his cast net, intending to make the most of the time and keep