Chapter 22: Close Call
Tian Mingzhi and the others had originally been about to leave, but at the very last moment, Hu Xingjin managed to pull up a large yellow croaker weighing more than two jin.
The long, slender shape of the large yellow croaker and its golden color filled Hu Xingjin with excitement from the bottom of his heart.
He could not help letting out an “Awooo!” drawing quite a lot of attention.
Many sea anglers had been waiting there the entire morning, only to watch other people catch fish while their own side remained empty. Forget large yellow croaker—even worthless small spring croakers had not taken their bait. There was no need to mention how dejected they felt.
Fuel costs, bait costs, labor costs… fishing also required capital, and all kinds of expenses added together were not small.
Thinking of the pressure of supporting their families, many people felt bitterness at the root of their tongues. Among those who had originally packed up and prepared to go back, quite a few silently sat back down again.
Large yellow croakers did not come out much when the water temperature was high, but there were always exceptions, right? Maybe they themselves would be that lucky exception?
Hu Xingjin took down the large yellow croaker, excitedly wrapped it in a plastic bag, and buried it in ice. “Go, go, go. Let’s go back and sell the fish.”
Lin Manzhang smiled. “Let’s go.”
It was getting late. They had to go back and sell the fish. Otherwise, once the fish sat too long and the eyes turned cloudy, it would not sell well.
By the time the boat returned to the pier, it was already past ten in the morning.
Everyone had been wilted by the sun.
Tian Mingzhi wiped away his sweat. “Should we sell the fish at the fish shop we usually go to, or look around first?”
Hu Xingjin was full of spirit. “Look around first. We’ll sell to whichever fish shop offers the highest price!”
No one else had any objections.
Very soon, everyone discovered that the market purchase prices for wild large yellow croaker were actually uniform.
For yellow croakers in the one-to-two-jin range, merchants offered 1,100 yuan for fish weighing one jin to one jin and one liang. For each additional liang, the price increased by 200 yuan.
For the two-to-three-jin range, merchants offered 3,500 yuan for fish weighing two jin to two jin and one liang. For each additional liang, the price increased by 500 yuan.
If the fish reached three jin, the starting price was 9,000 yuan, with each additional liang adding 1,000 yuan.
As for those over four jin, there was no fixed price anymore. Different buyers would compete, and the highest bidder would get it.
That morning, only three of them had caught large yellow croaker.
Lu Ao had caught five. They weighed one jin six liang, one jin eight liang, two jin one liang, two jin three liang, and two jin six liang respectively. Altogether, the total income was 18,600 yuan. After deducting 8,370 yuan in tax, his final income was 10,230 yuan.
This was just the income from one morning.
No wonder people said that when yellow croakers sounded, ten thousand taels of gold arrived.
It was also no wonder that sea anglers guarding the sea for large yellow croaker were willing to stay there even though they knew the chances of catching one were not high.
Lu Ao looked at the income notification on his phone, his feelings complicated and hard to describe.
Lin Qiyan and Hu Xingjin did not have such complicated emotions.
The two were extremely happy and cheerfully took their yellow croakers to be weighed.
The large yellow croaker Lin Qiyan had caught weighed one jin six liang. The fish shop offered 2,100 yuan. After deducting the forty-five percent fishing tax, he received 1,155 yuan.
Hu Xingjin’s large yellow croaker weighed two jin six liang. The fish shop offered 6,000 yuan, and after tax, he received 3,300 yuan.
Hu Xingjin was so delighted that the moment he stepped out of the fish shop, he let out an “Awooo!” and jumped several steps on the spot, patting each person one by one as he said, “Brothers, let’s find a restaurant and eat. My treat!”
Lin Qiyan happily said, “I’ll join too!”
Lu Ao did not fight with them over it. “You two go first. I’ll treat tonight.”
“Go, go, go. Let’s eat a feast and drink. Here’s to us catching even more fish this evening!”
This was only the first morning. They still had plenty of fishing opportunities over the next two days. Everyone was quite happy and showed no anxiety.
Lu Ao did not sell the two black sea bream. After finding a restaurant, he had the server send them to the kitchen to add to their meal.
Hu Xingjin and Lin Qiyan were both quite generous. The two ordered fifteen dishes in one breath. Hu Xingjin even wanted to order alcohol, but Chen Shengrong glared at him and stopped him. “Are we not going fishing this evening?”
“We are, we are.” Hu Xingjin’s face was glowing red, and he was extremely happy. “I still have to get lucky this evening and catch fish worth tens of thousands!”
“Who doesn’t want that?” Lin Qiyan poured coconut juice for everyone. “Come, come, come. Let’s use coconut juice instead of alcohol and drink a toast.”
The two of them usually had average luck. It was rare for them to catch valuable fish, and both felt the joy of overturning fate and becoming chosen by luck.
The two drank beverages until they almost seemed drunk.
Seeing how wildly happy they were, Tian Mingzhi simply picked up the camera and filmed them, planning to keep it for reaction memes.
The group ate lunch in high spirits. Since it was still early, they went out to buy chum and bait, and also bought several extra sets of fishhooks as backup.
Some fish would swallow the hook. If it could not be removed, they would simply cut the line and tie on a new hook.
Tian Mingzhi and the others went back to their own homes, while Lu Ao brought Lin Qiyan and Lin Manzhang back to his house to rest.
When he returned home, the neighbors saw him and greeted him warmly one after another.
When they passed the dumpling shop next door, Old Zhang and his wife pulled him over and insisted on giving him dumplings, saying thank you for the fish he had sent.
Even the boss who had taken over his supermarket said he wanted to treat him to something and told him to take whatever he wanted.
Lin Qiyan stared blankly at Lu Ao’s enthusiastic neighbors. “I didn’t expect your relationships with people to be this good. I thought your neighbors would be a little afraid of you.”
Lu Ao lifted his eyelids. “Why would they be afraid of me?”
“Your aura is so cold. You look hard to mess with.”
Lin Manzhang smiled. “Lu Ao looks cold on the outside but is warm inside. Once people spend more time with him, they’ll know. How could he not get along with others?”
Lu Ao avoided this topic and lightly coughed. “Hurry and take a nap. We’ll get up at three and set off.”
“Okay. I’ll take a shower first. We’ll fight again tonight!”
They went to sleep. Lu Ao returned to his room, and before taking his afternoon nap, he specially sent a message to his neighbor to ask after the geese at home. He also sent a message to remind Song Zhou to remember to make rain over his family’s fields.
Song Zhou had not slept, so the two chatted for a while.
It was only at one-thirty that Lu Ao finally seized the time to take a nap.
At three-forty in the afternoon, the six of them gathered at the pier on time, carrying all sorts of tools with great vigor as they went out to sea to fish.
When they arrived, as far as the eye could see, there were thirty or forty fishing boats of all sizes.
It was obvious that quite a few fishing boats had stayed there for the whole day. The people on board had been sunburned red around the neck.
Many people who stayed out at sea wanted to catch more fish and also save on the fuel cost of going back and forth.
As for being roasted by the sun, not having lunch at noon, and so on, everyone had their own clever methods and tried hard to overcome it.
The fishing spot they had chosen in the morning had been good. Chen Shengrong originally wanted to drive the boat back to the same place, but when he looked around, five or six boats were densely parked at the spot where they had fished that morning.
Two boats were almost touching each other. The people on board could step directly onto the other boat with one stride.
Chen Shengrong froze. “This many people?”
Lin Manzhang, who was also in the cockpit, understood. “We caught fish there this morning, so of course quite a few people want to borrow some of the luck.”
Chen Shengrong raised his head and called to Lu Ao, “Lu God, where should we fish? Just nearby?”
“No. Wait. Let me think.” Lu Ao carefully sensed the condition of the fish in the sea. After quite a while, he said, “Drive west first. Go slowly.”
“Got it. Just tell me when to stop.”
Lu Ao nodded.
Chen Shengrong slowly drove the boat westward. After nearly ten minutes, there were no longer many fishing boats near them, yet Lu Ao still had not said to stop.
Neither Chen Shengrong nor Lin Manzhang rushed him.
Lu Ao directed, “Veer a little toward your left.”
Chen Shengrong immediately did as he said.
After going back and forth for a while, Lu Ao said, “Stop. Here is fine.”
Everyone’s spirits lifted.
Hu Xingjin sprang up from his chair. “Can we chum and start fishing?”
“Yes.” Lu Ao said, “Get ready. In a little while, fish should come over.”
The sun hung high over the sea, giving off a glaring light.
The sea breeze was hot, sticky when it blew on people, and the salt made their skin itch.
Lu Ao took out his sunglasses and put them on. Meticulously, he scattered chum around the fishing boat and worked hard to investigate the situation beside the boat.
There were fish beside the boat, but no big fish, only some small miscellaneous fish.
Lu Ao did not fish. Instead, he deliberately threw several balls of chum near the school of small fish to feed them.
The sun gradually sank westward, and everyone began fishing seriously.
Chen Shengrong was the first to catch a fish, pulling up a red grouper weighing over two jin.
This fish also cost several hundred yuan per jin.
Chen Shengrong happily unhooked the fish and did not dislike it in the slightest.
As night gradually fell, everyone began catching fish one after another.
It was not only large yellow croaker; they also caught some other fish.
The fish Lu Ao caught, whether in quantity or quality, was far ahead of everyone else’s.
That night, after ten, everyone reluctantly prepared to sail back.
By then, the one who had caught the most was Lu Ao, with seven large yellow croakers and thirteen other fish.
The second highest was Lin Manzhang, who had caught four large yellow croakers and five other fish.
Tian Mingzhi had caught the least, but even he had one large yellow croaker and one black sea bream.
Everyone went ashore to sell the fish. After tax, Lu Ao had the highest income, taking home more than twenty thousand yuan. Even Tian Mingzhi, who had earned the least, received over one thousand three hundred yuan.
Even after deducting fuel, bait, and other expenses, everyone’s income was still over a thousand.
Lin Manzhang had a steady personality, but when they returned to Lu Ao’s house after dinner and he looked at the bank text message, he could not help sighing. “This money really is easy to earn.”
Lin Qiyan collapsed in the back seat of the taxi and murmured as if in a dream, “Too bad we can only earn it for these few days a year.”
“I’m already satisfied with just these few days.” Lin Manzhang was still not quite done. “Lu Ao, let’s set off earlier tomorrow. It’s just fishing anyway, not tiring.”
Lu Ao said, “You guys can discuss it. I have no objection.”
Tian Mingzhi and the others were also extremely happy with what they had earned. After some discussion, they decided to go back and sleep now, get up at two-thirty tomorrow, and head out to sea earlier to fish.
They were diligent, and their harvest was also good. That day, the person with the lowest income was Lin Qiyan, whose after-tax income was two thousand three hundred.
Lu Ao still received more than thirty thousand.
On the third day, they got up early as usual and went out to sea to fish.
Lu Ao was no longer human, so even after staying up for two consecutive days, he did not feel tired.
The others could not manage that. Especially since dawn was the sleepiest time, and there were not many people fishing on the sea. The sparse lights flickered here and there, making people feel even sleepier.
The group sat on small stools, loosely holding their fishing rods, all so sleepy that they swayed from side to side.
Only Lu Ao sat with his back perfectly straight, focused on the dark sea surface.
At this moment, the sea was calm and peaceful. He could sense many fish coming out to eat the bait, and several of them were large yellow croakers.
He quietly and slowly twitched his fishing rod, gradually moving the hook near the large yellow croaker.
Suddenly, the rod in his hand sank.
A fish had taken the bait!
Lu Ao gently lifted it upward. Unexpectedly, the fishing rod in his hand was suddenly pressed down hard. This large yellow croaker was far bigger than he had expected.
The pulling force of this large yellow croaker was at least over ten jin.
Lu Ao’s expression changed, and he called softly to Lin Manzhang beside him, “Brother Zhang, quick, get the landing net.”
When the others beside him heard the movement, their sleepiness vanished. They hurried over and lowered their voices to ask, “Did you hook a big fish?”
“Yes. It’s very strong.”
Lin Manzhang quickly came over with the landing net. “Everyone spread out a little. Don’t get in Lu Ao’s way.”
The others stopped fishing entirely. They quickly reeled in their rods and went to the other side of the boat, making room for Lu Ao and Lin Manzhang to operate.
Lin Manzhang nervously stared at the sea surface, planning to scoop the fish up with the landing net the moment it appeared.
After waiting for quite a while, the fish still had not surfaced.
Lin Manzhang could not help saying, “What’s going on? Did the hook get caught on something?”
Below them was a reef area, so it would be normal for the hook to snag on something.
Lu Ao’s expression was grave. “No. It’s a big fish. I’ll tire it out first.”
He was afraid the fishing line would snap.
This fish was so strong that if he dragged it up by force, forget snapping the line—the rod itself might even break.
Lin Manzhang did not dare breathe too loudly and waited beside him with the landing net.
Lu Ao reeled the line in and released it, released it and reeled it in again. More than ten minutes passed, yet the large yellow croaker below was still full of wild strength and showed no intention of coming close to the boat.
Tian Mingzhi and Lin Qiyan had already forgotten about fishing. They held their cameras and nervously filmed the water surface, waiting for the moment the large yellow croaker emerged from the sea.
The stalemate continued.
Another ten minutes passed. The fishing line was stretched frighteningly taut and could snap at any moment.
Lu Ao stared at the sea surface, his snow-white side profile solemn.
Suddenly, he reached out to Lin Manzhang. “Brother Zhang, give me the landing net.”
“Huh?” Lin Manzhang subconsciously handed him the landing net and asked nervously, “Can you hold the rod with one hand?”
Lu Ao spat out two brief words. “I’ll try.”
The fishing rod was about to snap.
Lin Manzhang quickly stepped back to make room for him.
Lu Ao held the rod in one hand and the landing net in the other, continuing to work the fish.
Suddenly, he lifted his hand and pulled the fish upward. The large yellow croaker was yanked sharply out of the sea, arching its back into a half-moon shape.
Lin Manzhang and the others held their breath, staring at that plump flash of yellow. Before they could even cheer, there was a pop, and the fishing rod in Lu Ao’s hand snapped with the sound, breaking directly into several pieces.
“Ah—” Someone choked out a startled cry.
Lu Ao turned a deaf ear to it. At the same time the rod snapped, he had already thrown the broken rod away. The landing net swiftly shifted from his left hand to his right, then stretched forward.
After a faint thud, the landing net pole sank downward, just in time to catch the large yellow croaker less than two feet from the sea surface.
“Holy shit!” Hu Xingjin and the others’ eyes nearly popped out. They clutched their chests, feeling as though their heartbeats had gone irregular. “That actually worked?!”
The people on the surrounding fishing boats had already been watching ever since Lu Ao began struggling with the large yellow croaker. Seeing this scene, their eyeballs nearly fell out as well.
That move was truly beautiful!
Lu Ao pulled the landing net back, placed it on the deck, and panted lightly. “Wild large yellow croaker. At least eight jin.”
Chen Shengrong murmured, “Eight jin? Last time, that guy’s six-jin-eight-liang large yellow croaker sold for five hundred seventy thousand. This one is eight jin, so it should be at least eight hundred thousand, right?”
“More than an hour, and five or six hundred thousand in hand. Damn, that’s really earning money.”
Lin Manzhang was the calmest. He said, “Only Lu Ao could catch this fish. If it were anyone else, the final result would definitely be the fish escaping and the rod snapping.”
Chen Shengrong wiped his face and let out a long breath. “That’s true. Too dangerous. If it were me, I couldn’t catch it even in a hundred tries.”
Everyone collapsed onto the deck, not just Lu Ao.
After quite a while, Lu Ao stood up, took the large yellow croaker out of the landing net, removed the hook, carefully wrapped the fish in a plastic bag, placed it into a box, and poured in a large amount of ice.
Only then did the others recover.
Lin Qiyan poked Tian Mingzhi. “Did you capture that scene just now?”
Tian Mingzhi jolted awake as if from a dream and hurriedly picked up the camera to replay it. “I did, but it’s not very clear.”
“It’s not clear on my side either.” Lin Qiyan was full of regret. “That was such an incredible scene. If we’d captured a photo of it, it definitely could’ve won an award.”
He let out a long breath. “What a pity.”
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