Wang Liang’s face was as red as a baboon’s backside. He kept his head down, not daring to look at Han Xiaorui.
Seeing this, Ye Feng clapped him on the shoulder. "Even if you’re close to your cousin, you can’t just ignore right and wrong."
Wang Liang said awkwardly, "I’m sorry!"
When it came down to it, he was indeed in the wrong.
Han Xiaorui shot him a look. ’This Wang Liang fellow seems a bit dense,’ she thought. She said irritably, "Heh. After today’s business is concluded, just make sure you never appear before me again."
Wang Liang inwardly regretted his rash behavior. He and his cousin were close.
His cousin was constantly calling her mother, crying and complaining that Yang Jianming’s ex-wife was hitting and cursing her.
Even though he knew his cousin was in the wrong, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for her, which gave him a very bad impression of Han Xiaorui.
Ye Feng also felt that Wang Liang acted without principles, letting his emotions rule him and failing to separate his personal and professional life.
’I’ll report this truthfully and have him replaced!’
"Ms. Han, I can pilot the boat. How about I take over for a while?"
Han Xiaorui refused. "No need, I can handle it. Mr. Ye, there’s a bench over there. Please, sit and rest."
Since she insisted, Ye Feng took a seat on a fixed crate in the cabin. "Thank you. I appreciate you doing this. You just refueled, so please keep the receipt. You can give it to me later, and I’ll reimburse you for the gas and your time."
"Don’t worry about it. I was coming out to fish anyway," Han Xiaorui replied. "Besides, protecting national security is everyone’s duty."
Ye Feng was quite moved by her words. He glanced over at Wang Liang, who stood nearby with a conflicted look on his face.
’No matter what,’ he resolved, ’I have to protect Han Xiaorui.’
After about an hour and a half, Han Xiaorui gradually slowed the boat, circling the area to pinpoint the location. "Mr. Ye, this is the spot."
Wang Liang looked around. "There are no landmarks here. How do you know this is the place?"
Han Xiaorui ignored Wang Liang and looked at Ye Feng. "Mr. Ye, look closely. There’s a reef under us. As for how I found it... I can only say it was a feeling."
Wang Liang immediately refuted her. He thought she was just making it up. "Impossible. I grew up by the sea. It’s incredibly difficult to find a specific spot in the middle of the open ocean without any landmarks."
"You’re you, and I’m me. I don’t know about other people, but I can find this place. Believe it or not, that’s up to you." Han Xiaorui couldn’t be bothered to argue with Wang Liang. "Mr. Ye, feel free to look around. I’m going to start fishing."
Taking out her fishing rod, Han Xiaorui began to attach her specially prepared bait.
Ye Feng smiled. "I believe you, Ms. Han. A foreign warship passed through this area about half a month ago."
Wang Liang was unaware of this, but Ye Feng knew.
"That’s not my department. Protecting our home and country is up to you," Han Xiaorui said with a smile, casting her baited line into the water and starting to fish.
Her luck was good today. In the very spot she’d stopped, there were actually Big Yellow Fish below.
(This is how they look in the water. When pulled out during the day, their color fades. Generally, the ones that don’t fade are caught with nets, and they’re very valuable.)
This kind of fish was very expensive and a hot commodity.
Seeing Han Xiaorui ignore him, Wang Liang couldn’t help but feel a pang of vexation.
He had just sensed a shift in Ye Feng’s attitude toward him and was worried he would be punished when they returned.
After calming down, Wang Liang was starting to feel regretful.
But Han Xiaorui had no time to spare for Wang Liang. Her bait had landed right near a school of feeding Big Yellow Fish.
The Big Yellow Fish belongs to the croaker family. They inhabit the middle and lower depths of the ocean and are one of Hua Country’s four most famous seafood products.
An adult Big Yellow Fish can grow to be 40 to 50 centimeters long. Their bodies are an alluring golden-yellow, with neatly arranged scales, and they are considered a symbol of wealth and good fortune, making them highly sought-after by consumers.
Seeing such lively-looking food, how could these Big Yellow Fish possibly resist?
A Big Yellow Fish weighing about four or five pounds was on the hook!
"Fish on!" Ye Feng said in surprise. ’It hasn’t even been a minute, and she’s already caught one?’
"My luck is good today." Han Xiaorui swiftly reeled in her line. Although the Big Yellow Fish struggled, her Water Ability soothed it, while also helping its body adapt to the change in water pressure.
Just as she finished speaking, a fish, gleaming gold from head to tail, leaped from the water, sparkling in the sunlight.
"A Big Yellow Fish!" Wang Liang exclaimed in astonishment. That one was huge.
Han Xiaorui quickly unhooked the Big Yellow Fish and placed it in the livewell.
The Big Yellow Fish, which had been on its last breath, gradually recovered and began to swim around in the livewell.
Han Xiaorui baited her hook again and continued fishing.
It was as if Han Xiaorui had found the motherlode of Big Yellow Fish today. She pulled them up one after another, nonstop.
Wang Liang was dumbfounded. How could anyone catch so many Big Yellow Fish?
Ye Feng didn’t know much about fishing.
But he was still astonished watching the tall, slender woman pull in one fish after another.
He didn’t disturb her. He knew that Han Xiaorui was divorced and had to support two non-verbal daughters.
This woman didn’t cry or complain; she just lived on with fortitude, working hard.
Ye Feng thought Han Xiaorui was incredible.
Thinking of his own family, a bitter feeling welled up in Ye Feng’s heart, and a trace of self-mockery flickered in his eyes.
’Forget it. I won’t think about it anymore.’
Han Xiaorui glanced over at the clock in the cabin. It was already 9:30.
’I need to hurry and finish fishing so I can get home early. I can’t just let Mr. Ye sit here waiting, either.’
She scattered some bait on the surface of the water, then grabbed a fishing net and got into position.
Lured by the food, the Big Yellow Fish swam upward, and soon the school appeared at the surface.
The shimmering water in that area turned a brilliant golden-yellow.
Han Xiaorui cast the net with all her might. It sailed through the air in a graceful arc, like a giant open mouth, before landing in the sea.
Han Xiaorui pulled hard on the net. Her body was slender, and with so many fish in this haul, it was a real struggle to pull it in.
Seeing this, Ye Feng hurried forward to help her pull. "Wang Liang, come give us a hand."
Wang Liang, whose eyes were still wide with a mesmerized shock at the sight of all the Big Yellow Fish, heard the call and hurried over to help.
With Ye Feng and Wang Liang’s help, Han Xiaorui managed to pull the net aboard.
Han Xiaorui quickly untangled the fish, tossing the live ones into the livewells and putting the motionless ones directly on ice to be flash-frozen.
Ye Feng’s movements were clumsy, but Wang Liang was quick and efficient at handling the fish.
"The school is still here! Cast the net again!" Wang Liang urged Han Xiaorui. "Hurry!"
Han Xiaorui cast her net again. She cast it five times in a row before the school of Big Yellow Fish finally scattered.
All three livewells were full, and so were the two ice chests.
By a rough estimate, they had caught over seven hundred pounds of Big Yellow Fish today.
She checked the time. It was 10:30.
"Thank you so much," Han Xiaorui said gratefully. "I’ll give you each four big fish later. Without you, I couldn’t have used the net on my own, let alone caught this many Big Yellow Fish."
Ye Feng declined. "No need. It was no trouble at all."
Wang Liang kept sneaking glances at Han Xiaorui. ’No wonder she dared to ask for a fishing boat,’ he thought. ’She not only knows how to fish with a rod, but she can also use a cast net.’
"Mr. Wang, seeing as you helped me with the fish, I won’t report you to your unit for your bad attitude and for mixing personal and professional matters."
"Your cousin likes Yang Jianming and wants to marry him. That’s her business. I’ve already divorced Yang Jianming; I have nothing to do with him anymore. I just want to raise my daughters well and live my life in peace."
’Whoever wants a piece of trash like Yang Jianming is welcome to him!’
’Zhang Lili with her warped morals and the despicable, shameless Yang Jianming are a match made in heaven. That way, they won’t go around ruining anyone else’s life!’