Chapter 664: 402, Go to sea!_4 Chapter 664: 402, Go to sea!_4 Zhang Jian turned to Qing Chen and said, “There’s nothing we can do now. Even if George doesn’t show up, we have to try heading out to sea. Of course, if you feel we are short of people, it’s still not too late to back out… But if you’re willing to stay, I am ready to tear up the previous contract and give you a share of the profits!”
“No worries,” Qing Chen laughed. “There’s an old Chinese saying: ‘Since we’re here, we might as well stay.’ Let’s set sail!”
As long as they could safely reach the Barents Sea, Qing Chen didn’t care about how many King Crabs they would actually catch.
Carrying a long backpack, Qing Chen boarded the deck and saw a string of silver crosses hanging on the bow and asked, “What’s that?”
Zhang Jian explained, “They’re lucky charms. Every captain prepares many of them to bless us with safety on the Barents Sea… What’s in the bag you’re carrying?”
Qing Chen grinned and said, “This? This is my lucky charm.”
Sailors’ lucky charms were all sorts of strange, some carried necklaces given by family members, and some had a doll, but Qing Chen’s lucky charm was clearly the largest among all sailors.
That’s clearly a surfboard in the bag, buddy!
Zhang Jian felt puzzled. Surely the young man wasn’t planning to surf in the Barents Sea?
Once aboard, Old John staggered out from the cabin and said to Zhang Jian, “I am joining this voyage because your father once saved my life. Remember, don’t look for me next year. If you can’t even find proper crew members, why are you so determined to conquer the Barents Sea? That’s a place for the strong.”
Zhang Jian was a bit embarrassed; without saying anything, he walked into the wheelhouse and slowly steered the Arctic away from the harbor.
Just as they were about to leave the harbor, the Alps quickly sailed past the Arctic. Seven sailors laughed and joked, leaning on the deck railing, teasing and pointing at Qing Chen and Young Young on the Arctic.
Qing Chen stood on the deck looking at Young Young and said, “This is too sad.”
Young Young laughed and replied, “It really is.”
Just then, Young Young’s phone rang, and she answered, “Hello, I can’t come back now, I’m overseas.”
A loud voice on the other end of the line asked in surprise, “Wait, when did you go there, and why didn’t you tell me, your best friend, before leaving?”
“I’m in Amsterdam right now, let’s talk when I get back,” said Young Young.
“What are you doing in Amsterdam?” Young Young’s best friend asked.
Young Young thought for a moment and then replied with a laugh, “On a honeymoon.”
Young Young’s best friend: “???”
Indeed, Young Young was still that Young Young who could casually steer the conversation…
The Arctic headed out to sea. They would face a 20-hour journey before finally reaching the crabbing area in the Barents Sea.
On the way, a cigarette was never out of Old John’s hand. Nicotine was something the crew members working at high intensity needed the most.
It was said that many sailors didn’t die from maritime disasters but from lung cancer.
After the ship set sail, Old John hadn’t had a drop of alcohol. He was sober now, watching Qing Chen, Young Young, and the young Nedup: “As per the old tradition, after setting sail, we bite the head of a cod, Qing, you do it.”
Cod is used as bait for crabbing. The dead fish smell was unbearably foul, making life seem difficult just by smelling it.
Crab Catchers cut them open and put them in the crab pots to sink to the seabed and then wait for King Crabs to crawl into the pots themselves.
Curious, Qing Chen asked, “Why bite the head of a cod?”
“It’s a Crab Catcher tradition,” Old John said slowly. “Only by biting the fish head when we set sail can we hope for a good catch. The King Crabs eat this stuff, and by biting off the fish head, it’s like we are joining nature, reminding the crew to remain in awe.”
“I see,” Qing Chen didn’t hesitate and immediately grabbed a cod and bit down.
In an instant, a fishy and foul taste filled his mouth.
What surprised Old John was that the Asian youngster didn’t even frown.
Actually, the Crab Catcher tradition was for the sailors to draw lots to decide who would bite, but Old John just wanted to give this fearless young man a hard time. He hadn’t expected that the other party wouldn’t care at all.
It was only then that he noticed something odd. The crab fishing boat was rocking on the waves, but this Asian boy and girl stood on deck as if their feet were nailed to it, their bodies not swaying in the slightest.
Old John muttered, maybe he had drunk fake alcohol.
A 6000-word chapter, 13000 words updated today, making up for some owed, the rest to be returned tomorrow.
Thank you to student ipo for becoming a member of the Silver League, such a generous boss.
Thank you to Jiazi, Loving His Family’s Big Cutie Sis, WayneW, Eternal Unrequited Love, Gaia the Earth Protector, Duan Duan Chen Feng, Autumn Crow, and other students for becoming new members of this book’s alliance.
I wish the bosses have an easy job, unlike me who is so tired…