Ye Yaodong did not mind either. Although people sometimes felt closer to their friends than to their own brothers, brothers were still brothers.
As long as they were not afraid of the risks, that was fine. Not everyone had an adventurous streak; some people might prefer to take things steadily.
Fishing at sea was risky enough, but they had no choice if they wanted to earn money. Diving was different. They had a choice about that.
He answered casually and went on working, without taking it to heart.
He hauled up all the branches they had lowered and stripped the squid eggs off them, collecting a hefty two-thirds of a bucket.
The squid at the surface gradually grew more numerous too, though compared with the crowded spectacle of the previous few days, today's gathering was sparse.
And after they scooped up a netful, getting the squid to gather again was not easy. They had to move to another spot after every scoop, greatly reducing their efficiency.
Ye Yaodong felt it was a pity too. Luckily, he had collected plenty of abalone during his earlier dive to supplement their earnings. Otherwise, relying on squid alone today really would not bring in much.
Working here in fits and starts felt like quite a waste of time to him.
He had already grown used to earning more than other people.
"Dad, there don't seem to be many left. We're barely getting any with each scoop. Why don't we use the Trawl Net? We've got the fishing nets ready on board anyway."
"All right. They aren't gathering anymore. Let's go trawl once, then come back and check."
Once father and son agreed, they dragged the fishing net out of the little hold, sorting it out as they steered farther offshore.
They did not go