Since they had headed back early, it was only noon when the boat docked.
There were hardly any boats by the shore at this hour. After all, the sky was clear and there was neither wind nor waves, making it a perfect day to go out to sea.
If they hadn't picked up so many small yellow croakers for free, they wouldn't have been willing to return so early. The fuel for a round trip wasn't cheap.
Mother Ye hadn't known they would be back early, so she hadn't come out. Father and son slowly packed up the catch themselves, and A-Cai came over to help.
He was stunned to see the boat full of small yellow croakers.
"Aren't you doing longline fishing? How did you get so many small yellow croakers?"
"See those electric rays in the corner? That's right, it's just what you're thinking. While the mantis stalked the cicada, the oriole waited behind. We ended up getting a huge windfall."
Only after Ye Yaodong pointed them out did A-Cai notice the twenty-odd electric rays in the corner of the boat. He was dumbfounded.
"So all these small yellow croakers were electrocuted?"
"Yep, we picked them up for free. As soon as we reached that patch of sea, we saw more and more small yellow croakers floating up. We couldn't scoop them up fast enough."
That could actually happen?
What kind of dumb luck was that?
"Stop standing there gawking. Help us get to work."
"You really are something. Something good happens every time you go out to sea."
"Don't even mention it. See those three baskets of blue mackerel in the corner? Those were my real catch today. I'd have lost my shirt-I wouldn't even have made back the fuel money."
"Not that bad, surely. You've got