Once the blazing red sun hung high in the sky, Father Ye figured it was about time and went to haul in the second net.
When he reached the stern ramp, he discovered that this net seemed to hold even more catch and was harder to pull. He shouted to Ye Yaodong, "Come give me a hand!"
Father and son worked together to drag the net up the stern ramp. "Good grief, that was hard work. This net's full of rays again. Have we wandered into a school of rays and can't get out?"
"We're in luck. Another bursting net. This patch of sea is all rays today," Father Ye said delightedly.
With fish gathering in schools like this, one haul brought in far more than those scattered shrimp and crabs.
Ye Yaodong was grinning so broadly his eyes disappeared. "There's even more in this net. We're going to make a fortune today. There are two Chinese fanrays, too. This great blue shark isn't small either, and it's still moving. It must weigh forty or fifty jin."
The great blue shark was known as the most beautiful shark in the ocean, with exceptionally handsome looks. There were still plenty in the sea now, but forty years later, this fish would also be listed as endangered. Many countries caught great blue sharks, especially Japan.
"Mm, that should fetch a few yuan, too."
Shark meat wasn't worth much; the valuable parts were the fins. But to people like them, living with material shortages in those days, it was still a big chunk of edible fish.
He felt rather pleased with himself. "Told you I was lucky. These two nets should fetch fifty yuan, right?"
Luck was a mysterious thing. If you cheerfully said you were lucky every day, your luck might really