Chapter 43

Su Jing and Su Liang went out by boat, and from a distance, they could see the aquaculture farm floating on the sea surface, which looked like a small island from afar.

In fact, a real seawater aquaculture farm has strict requirements for various aspects, such as wind protection, water temperature, salinity, and current speed. Otherwise, the survival rate and growth rate of the fish would be very poor, ultimately leading to losses. Generally, building in the middle of the sea where there are strong waves, like what Su Jing did, is absolutely not advisable, which is why many of his neighbors found it strange.

"Jing, come and look, there are so many fish."

"Jing, this fishing method is really amazing."

As soon as Su Jing arrived, everyone warmly welcomed him, looking extremely excited. A young man with a short, flat haircut stepped forward and politely said, "Brother Jing."

Su Jing smiled, "Ahu, you came so quickly. Work hard with me, and I won't let you down."

This young man was Su Hu, the son of Su Zhenqiao. He deliberately gave a military salute, "Yes," which made everyone laugh.

Su Jing jumped from the fishing boat onto the fish platform. Looking around, he couldn't help but smile, feeling very satisfied. The entire fish platform was like a huge deck, spread out on the sea. However, there were ten large holes, each containing a ten-meter-diameter net cage. The nine surrounding net cages had trap entrances that allowed fish to enter but not exit, while the central one was the actual breeding net cage. According to Su Jing's design, these wooden boards were suspended by floats, about half a meter above the sea surface. The boards were very thick and sturdy, ensuring safety even if a shark attacked.

As Su Jing walked across the fish platform, he praised, "Your craftsmanship is really excellent; it's built very well."

Su Liang smiled, "We owe this to Xiaolin, who learned carpentry and almost became a carpenter. His skills are top-notch."

Su Xiaolin modestly replied, "Not really, my skills can't compare to a real carpenter."

Su Xiaolin's father was a carpenter who could make very intricate chairs, sofas, and wooden doors, known for his skills far and wide. Under his influence, Su Xiaolin's carpentry skills were also very good, though not as good as his father's, he was more than capable of building the fish platform.

Su Jing smiled, "Everyone has worked hard. Let's go catch the fish and sell them to give everyone a bonus."

With that, everyone became excited and gathered around the three net cages where meatballs had been placed, trapping many fish. As Su Jing approached, he was startled by the sheer number of fish. Perhaps because the nets were not near the shore but in the middle of the sea, they attracted fish from all directions. The ten-meter-diameter net cages were densely packed with various fish, each containing at least several hundred pounds.

Because there were so many fish, they had to be careful to avoid overloading the net cages. They carefully pulled the nets, using net bags to scoop the fish. Everyone seemed to have been tickled, grinning from ear to ear as they scooped, having never had such a bountiful catch in their lives.

"What's that monster!" Su Hua suddenly shouted, almost dropping the net bag. Everyone looked over and saw a "stone" moving at the bottom of the net cage. It had many bumpy protrusions on its surface, resembling a toad's skin, looking both strange and disgusting.

"It's a strange fish, let's scoop it up," Su Liang and Su Xiaolin excitedly ran over. They didn't know what kind of fish it was, but after catching a bizarre anglerfish that sold for tens of thousands of yuan, they had developed a special fondness for unusual fish.

"Be careful, it's a stonefish, and it's poisonous," Su Jing had never seen one in person but had seen it on a nature show, remembering it clearly because it was so unique.

"Damn, really?" Su Liang and Su Xiaolin were startled and quickly stopped.

"Not only is it poisonous, but it's also highly toxic," Su Jing quickly educated them. The stonefish is one of the most toxic fish in nature, and its "deadly sting" is described as the most painful sting a human can experience.

The stonefish likes to hide at the bottom of the sea or under rocks, camouflaging itself as an inconspicuous stone. If someone steps on it, it will immediately counterattack, releasing its lethal poison. The 12 to 14 sharp spines on its back can easily pierce through the sole of a shoe and into the foot, causing rapid poisoning and intense pain until death.

"What should we do, let it go?" Su Liang asked.

"Of course not. Although the stonefish is poisonous and ugly, its meat is tender and has no fine bones, making it highly nutritious. It has medicinal benefits for generating saliva and moisturizing the lungs. People with skin problems can eat it for beauty benefits. The fish maw, when dried and processed into fish belly, can be used to make a soup that is smooth and delicious, comparable to high-quality shark fin and bird's nest," Su Jing smiled.

"How much is it worth?" Su Liang and Su Xiaolin's eyes lit up; indeed, strange fish are not cheap.

"I'm not sure about the current market price, but it should be at least 200 yuan per pound. If sold to a high-end hotel, it could be even more," Su Jing said.

"In that case, we must catch it, just be careful not to touch it," Su Liang and Su Xiaolin immediately forgot their fear. This stonefish weighed about three to four pounds, worth at least 600 yuan, so they couldn't let it go.

They took fish cages and net bags, carefully scooping the stonefish into the cage and pulling it up. As they continued to pull up the net cage, they found a large number of stonefish at the bottom. In total, they caught 25 stonefish, weighing over 40 pounds.

"Hey, what's this snail?" Su Jing noticed an unfamiliar snail crawling along the net. Its shell was beautiful, spiral-shaped, smooth, and grayish-white with many orange-red wavy patterns. Curious, Su Jing took a bucket and put it in.

It took nearly an hour to scoop all the fish from the three net cages, estimated to weigh over a thousand pounds.

This first harvest from the fishing farm was undoubtedly a great success, and this was just from three net cages and three meatballs. If all nine net cages were used, the results would be even more impressive, though not necessarily three times as much, as the number of fish has a limit.

Su Jing selected a few of each type of fish and shrimp and threw them into the central breeding net cage, while the rest were moved to shore.

Many villagers curiously gathered around. Even if Su Jing caught many fish before, the villagers would be envious and surprised, but they wouldn't pay much attention. Now, however, it was different. Those working with Su Jing earned 5,000 yuan a month, and everyone wanted to see if Su Jing was making money and if he could afford to pay. Especially the parents and relatives of the young men working with Su Jing were even more concerned.

However, when they saw Su Jing and his team carrying basket after basket of fish, they were completely stunned.

"Wow, so many fish, how did you catch them?"

"Among them are many large lobsters, abalones, and sea crabs."

"What's that stone-like thing?"

Seeing the villagers' amazement, Su Liang, Su Xiaolin, Su Hu, and others couldn't help but stand tall and proud, feeling very satisfied. Previously, some elders didn't think highly of their decision to work with Su Jing, believing that the 5,000 yuan monthly salary was a trap. Now, they knew who was right.

Su Jing called Zhao Zhi and Qian Shufeng. This time, they didn't come in person but immediately sent people. They bought the precious seafood at a high price, while the ordinary sea fish were sold to the wholesale market.

After calculating, the earnings from this fishing trip amounted to 80,000 yuan. Su Jing was not stingy, dividing 40,000 yuan among Su Liang, Su Xiaolin, Su Hu, and the other eight people, prepaying their monthly salaries and giving each a 200 yuan bonus.

This made the parents and relatives of Su Liang, Su Xiaolin, and others completely relieved, while other villagers were envious and wanted to join, but it was too late as there were already enough people.

"Isn't the farm Su Jing built for aquaculture? How did he start catching fish so quickly?" Su Hai soon heard some rumors and couldn't help but ask someone who knew.

"Apparently, it's not an aquaculture farm but a new type of fishing technology brought from outside. It's not even fully built yet, but just one day of trial use earned 80,000 yuan. It's truly impressive. People with education and technology are different; even fishing is better than ours. Unfortunately, he doesn't need more people now, or I would have begged him to let me join."

"..." Su Hai was completely stunned, regretting his decision. Previously, Su Jing had agreed in front of him to let Su Zhenqiao's son join. If he had spoken up, Su Jing wouldn't have refused, but now it was too late.

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