Chapter 18

"Uncle Huang, is there any area where big fish like to hang out? The rolling hook I made is specifically for catching big fish, at least twenty to thirty kilograms each. It’s not very useful for smaller ones."

Seeing that Huang Lang was just as skilled at handling the sail as he was, Hong Tao stopped watching him and moved from the stern to the bow, sitting side by side with Huang Hai on the deck, starting to plan their future fishing business.

"There is. In the past, we had to follow the tide and the wind, and it would take more than a day. If the weather was bad or the wind direction was wrong, we wouldn’t return for several days. My eldest brother’s family was lost that way. Now, with your Australian sail, it’s much easier. We don’t need to row, and we can keep moving. I’ll take you on a good day! Your Uncle Fu is so lucky!" Huang Hai handed the bamboo water container to Hong Tao and looked at Gul Island in the distance, feeling very pleased. Normally, it would take at least half a day to reach this island even with favorable winds. Now, although the time hadn’t significantly decreased, they hadn’t exerted much effort. This comfortable way of sailing was something he had never dared to imagine, but it was easily achieved by this tall and strong young man from elsewhere. Even someone as open-minded as he couldn’t help but admire Bo Fu’s luck, thinking that even picking up a drowning ghost could bring such good fortune.

"Do you know anyone who can build ships? I want to build a new ship, a new Australian-style ship that can run several times faster than our Danjia boats. With a fast ship, we can transport our seafood to Qiongzhou or Guangzhou to sell, and get more in return. Then we can build even bigger ships!" Encouraged by his success, Hong Tao began to envision the next steps. According to his plan, fishing was the first step to acquire capital. Once he had a large enough sailboat, he would set sail. The sea was his home, and he could earn supplies by carrying a bit of cargo. He wanted to sail his large sailboat around the world again, surpassing figures like Columbus and Magellan. The only person future generations should know about would be him, Hong Tao!

"There are good shipbuilders in Zhenzhou, but building a new ship costs a lot of money. Don’t rush it. With your lobster traps and this sail, by winter, you’ll have enough to build a connected boat. Fishing isn’t urgent. Take advantage of the Spring Festival to get married to Bozhu first. Then you won’t be a boy anymore, and you can make your own decisions. When you build your fast ship, whatever you earn will be your own. If there really is such a fast ship, take Bozhu back to your hometown to visit your parents’ graves and let them know that the Hong family has descendants." Huang Hai misunderstood Hong Tao’s intentions, thinking he wanted to build a fast ship to return home. He tactfully reminded Hong Tao to marry Bozhu first before leaving, as he wouldn’t have enough resources to pay for a new ship on his own.

"I don’t plan to return to my hometown, even if I marry Bozhu. I still have shares in our cooperative. To make a living from the sea, no matter how skilled an individual or a family is, they can’t compete with it. We must unite to fight and seize from it. My parents told me that their ancestors came from the Tang Dynasty and that I should return someday. Now that I’m back, I won’t leave easily. When I have a large sailboat of several hundred tons, I’ll go back to bring them home and bury them in their homeland." Hong Tao understood Huang Hai’s underlying message and had no choice but to make up a story, even involving his parents, to stage a scene of a wanderer returning home.

"Good boy! Ambitious... rip... oh!" Huang Hai was moved by Hong Tao’s passionate words and patted his shoulder, ready to encourage him with heartfelt words. Suddenly, a scream came from the stern, and the boat’s speed suddenly slowed. Hong Tao didn’t need to turn around to know what had happened; the ragged sail had been torn by the wind.

"You clumsy fool, &……%￥##" Huang Hai was startled and jumped up from the deck, running to the stern in a few steps. He scolded Huang Lang and slapped him on the head, still feeling unsatisfied, and grabbed a bamboo pole from the cabin to hit him. Fortunately, Hong Tao arrived quickly and held him back.

"Uncle Huang, Uncle Huang! Don’t get angry. It’s just a ragged sail. If it’s torn, it’s torn. When my grandfather returns, we’ll replace it with new cloth and add an extra layer. Brother, we’ll have to row back now." Hong Tao looked at the sail, which was already completely torn in the middle. Huang Lang, who might have been playing and secretly raised the sail to its full height, was now squatting at the stern, holding his head as if he had committed a grave mistake, too afraid to lift his head.

"Row the boat quickly!" Huang Hai angrily threw the bamboo pole back into the cabin and shouted at Huang Lang. He looked at the torn sail with regret. The Danjia people were poor; they patched their clothes until they couldn’t be worn anymore, then used the fabric as curtains on the connected boats or as sails. No one would use new cloth for a sail; that would be wasteful.

Sailing out with the wind and rowing back with the oars, the trip was exhausting. By the time they reached the beach, Chen Ming’en and Bo Fu had already returned and were unloading goods from the small boat onto the connected boat. They had brought two large baskets of seafood, nearly 200 kilograms, and in return, they received a dou of rice, two bolts of Li family thick cloth, two bundles of coarse hemp rope, and two bundles of fine hemp rope. Additionally, the 20 iron fishhooks Hong Tao requested were being processed at the blacksmith’s and would be ready in two days. They sold everything for two guan, but after the expenses, Chen Ming’en had only 150 copper coins left. The Li family thick cloth was expensive, costing 500 copper coins per bolt, and the thought of using such expensive new cloth as a sail pained Bo Fu.

"Expensive, but worth it. This is practically canvas, and it’s made with hemp!" Hong Tao had originally planned to sew two layers of Li cloth together with dense stitches, making it more durable. However, when he saw the black cloth, he immediately changed his mind.

This cloth was already very thick and contained more hemp than cotton, making it even tighter than modern canvas. As long as it wasn’t kept damp for a long time, one layer was enough for a sail. If a thin layer of tung oil was applied, it would be ideal. Of course, this was relative. Compared to modern synthetic fabrics, this cloth was suitable for small areas, but it was too heavy for large areas. Once wet, it would be even heavier, and one person might struggle to pull it up.

"Azhu, you and the sisters will have to sew it according to the size of the old sail. The edges should be double-layered, and the areas where holes are punched should have extra layers of cloth sewn in. This cloth is only about 70 centimeters wide. How long is one bolt?" Hong Tao was satisfied with the fabric but found the width disappointing. It was less than a meter wide, which was too narrow!