Father Ye set down the load hanging from his shoulder pole and launched into a long, earnest lecture, hoping to talk him out of buying a bigger boat.
Ye Yaodong was not actually in such a hurry to do it right now. Technology was not that advanced yet, and the technical capabilities were lacking.
He had even less intention of heading out into distant waters, at least for now. In these times, there was no telling whether you would make it back from a distant-water fishing trip. What was the point of earning so much money if you did not live to spend it?
Besides, those trips lasted months, even a year or two. Was he supposed to abandon his wife and children?
He was thinking of getting a slightly bigger boat, one he could take out for three, five, seven, or eight days before coming back. That would be a little less risky, and he could still come home often.
Their current boat was not equipped to sustain them at sea for three to eight days. It lacked horsepower, had a smaller hull, had no refrigerated storage facilities, and had limited capacity for provisions, fuel, and fresh water. It was not capable of long voyages.
Seeing that his son had not uttered a word after all his earnest persuasion, Father Ye knitted his brows. "Dongzi? Have you listened to anything I've said?"
"Yes, I've listened. But Dad, we need to take a longer view. There are bound to be more and more boats fishing these coastal waters. Give it a few years, and they'll fish until there's hardly anything left."
"I'm not saying we should head somewhere really far away all at once, and I'm not thinking of going out for a month like those other fishermen. We can