Chapter 664: 402, Go to sea!_4 Chapter 664: 402, Go to sea!_4 Zhang Jian turned to Qing Chen and said, âThereâs nothing we can do now. Even if George doesnât show up, we have to try heading out to sea. Of course, if you feel we are short of people, itâs still not too late to back out⊠But if youâre willing to stay, I am ready to tear up the previous contract and give you a share of the profits!â
âNo worries,â Qing Chen laughed. âThereâs an old Chinese saying: âSince weâre here, we might as well stay.â Letâs set sail!â
As long as they could safely reach the Barents Sea, Qing Chen didnât 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, âWhatâs that?â
Zhang Jian explained, âTheyâre lucky charms. Every captain prepares many of them to bless us with safety on the Barents Sea⊠Whatâs in the bag youâre carrying?â
Qing Chen grinned and said, âThis? This is my lucky charm.â
Zhang Jian: ââŠâ
Sailorsâ lucky charms were all sorts of strange, some carried necklaces given by family members, and some had a doll, but Qing Chenâs lucky charm was clearly the largest among all sailors.
Thatâs clearly a surfboard in the bag, buddy!
Zhang Jian felt puzzled. Surely the young man wasnât planning to surf in the Barents Sea?
Once aboard, Old John staggered out from the cabin and said to Zhang Jian, âI am joining this voyage because your father once saved my life. Remember, donât look for me next year. If you canât even find proper crew members, why are you so determined to conquer the Barents Sea? Thatâs a place for the strong.â
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, âThis is too sad.â
Young Young laughed and replied, âIt really is.â
Just then, Young Youngâs phone rang, and she answered, âHello, I canât come back now, Iâm overseas.â
A loud voice on the other end of the line asked in surprise, âWait, when did you go there, and why didnât you tell me, your best friend, before leaving?â
âIâm in Amsterdam right now, letâs talk when I get back,â said Young Young.
âWhat are you doing in Amsterdam?â Young Youngâs best friend asked.
Young Young thought for a moment and then replied with a laugh, âOn a honeymoon.â
Young Youngâs best friend: â???â
Qing Chen: â???â
Indeed, Young Young was still that Young Young who could casually steer the conversationâŠ
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 Johnâs hand. Nicotine was something the crew members working at high intensity needed the most.
It was said that many sailors didnât die from maritime disasters but from lung cancer.
After the ship set sail, Old John hadnât had a drop of alcohol. He was sober now, watching Qing Chen, Young Young, and the young Nedup: âAs per the old tradition, after setting sail, we bite the head of a cod, Qing, you do it.â
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, âWhy bite the head of a cod?â
âItâs a Crab Catcher tradition,â Old John said slowly. âOnly 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, itâs like we are joining nature, reminding the crew to remain in awe.â
âI see,â Qing Chen didnât 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 didnât 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 hadnât expected that the other party wouldnât 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.
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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 Familyâs 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 bookâs alliance.
I wish the bosses have an easy job, unlike me who is so tiredâŠ
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