After Reincarnating as the Dragon King, I Made a Fortune with Seafood – CH23

Chapter 23: Selling the Fish

Lu Ao had caught a large yellow croaker weighing more than eight jin. His rod had shattered and his line had snapped, so there was no way for him to keep fishing.

The struggle with the large yellow croaker had also consumed a great deal of his strength. Right now, he did not even want to pick up a fishing rod.

He sat on a small stool, leaning against the cockpit, watching the others on the boat fish.

Encouraged by his catch, the others were now full of enthusiasm. They wished they could also hook a five- or eight-jin large yellow croaker and earn several hundred thousand too.

Lu Ao watched them, but the more he watched, the sleepier he became. Gradually, he leaned against the cabin and fell asleep.

The sky slowly brightened. Sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone on the sea, making the waves glitter.

In the morning light, Lin Manzhang pulled up a large yellow croaker weighing a little over one jin.

He unhooked the fish and was holding it, about to get a plastic bag to wrap it, when he turned his head and saw that Lu Ao had fallen asleep at some point.

Sunlight fell on his eyelashes, making his face look like a painting.

Lin Manzhang’s gaze suddenly paused, and for some reason, he felt shaken.

This shock was not shallow attraction to beauty, nor anything related to lust.

He simply felt that for a person’s appearance to be beautiful to this extent, it was probably already a kind of miracle.

“Brother Zhang?” Seeing him dazed, Lin Qiyan gently nudged him. “What’s wrong?”

Lin Manzhang came back to himself and said, “I saw Lu Ao sleeping here and wondered if he’d catch a chill.”

“Probably not?” Lin Qiyan froze for a moment. “It’s late June, after all.”

“Then leave him be.”

Lin Qiyan turned his head and looked at the sleeping Lu Ao, also feeling unable to look away.

Lu Ao was already good-looking enough normally, but right now, there was a soul-stirring power to him.

Looking at his face even gave one the same kind of shock as seeing the rising sun.

Lin Qiyan silently admired him for a while, then forced himself to turn his head away.

Lu Ao had fallen asleep, but he did not sink into a deep dream.

His consciousness seemed to scatter very widely. Countless messy tendrils of awareness drifted over the sea. He saw Lin Manzhang and the others fishing, saw other anglers, saw fishermen casting nets, and saw large ocean-going fishing vessels.

Very quickly, part of his consciousness also sank beneath the sea surface. He watched fish he recognized and fish he did not recognize swimming, hunting, and mating. He saw shrimp, crabs, shellfish, seaweed, and the mud and sand on the seabed.

He did not know how long he had slept before someone gently pushed his shoulder. “Lu God?”

Lu Ao opened his eyes and saw Hu Xingjin.

Hu Xingjin grinned. “It’s already past eight. We’re getting ready to go back.”

The morning sunlight was bright and warm, carrying a hint of orange. It warmed Lu Ao’s cheeks.

He opened his eyes and looked at the calm sea surface, then at the blue sky, white clouds, and brilliant morning sun. He rubbed his face and asked, “I slept the whole morning?”

“Yeah. Even with us shouting and making noise, we didn’t wake you.” Hu Xingjin handed him the bread they had bought before going out to sea. “We’re heading back soon. Eat something first.”

Lu Ao stood and stretched his limbs, then went over to check their morning catch. “How much did you catch?”

“I caught two. Ah Zhi caught the most, four. Lin Qiyan only caught one.”

“Not bad. Let’s go back to the harbor and sell the fish.”

Chen Shengrong had already packed up the fishing gear and entered the cockpit. He called out, “Then I’m starting the boat?”

“Go ahead.”

The engine puttered to life. Their fishing boat turned and headed forward.

The boat cut through the water, leaving behind a rippling trail of light.

Tian Mingzhi walked over. “Lu God, how do you want to sell that big fish you caught this morning?”

Lu Ao’s heart stirred. “Do you have any ideas?”

“I feel like if we go to a fish shop, those fishmongers might not be able to afford it.” Tian Mingzhi suggested, “Why don’t we take photos and post them on Moments? If anyone is interested, they’ll contact us on their own. If more people are interested, they can bid against each other.”

“Okay.”

Lin Qiyan raised his hand and asked for permission. “I think we could also post a short video while we’re at it. It doesn’t have to be the full video, just the clip of you catching the fish. Our followers combined are quite a lot. If the video spreads widely, maybe some wealthy fans will see it and be interested.”

Lu Ao thought about it. “Did you film my face?”

“Uh?” Lin Qiyan really had not noticed. “At the time, all my attention was on your hands and the fish. I didn’t really pay attention. I’ll check now.”

Lu Ao went over to watch with him.

Lin Qiyan opened the clip of the large yellow croaker emerging from the water. The most intense part was only about twenty seconds.

When he had filmed it, his heart had been hanging in suspense, and his gaze had been entirely on the fishing rod. The camera had also been aimed at the rod.

Lu Ao did appear in the frame, but only half of his face was visible. At that time, the sky had not yet brightened, there was no fill light, and the shot was not clear.

Lu Ao watched it once. “No problem. Post it.”

“Then I’m posting it.” Lin Qiyan excitedly called Tian Mingzhi over. “Come, come, come. Let’s do a collaboration and post this clip together.”

Lin Qiyan was much more popular than them. Tian Mingzhi was overjoyed. “No problem. I’ll log into the account now. What caption should we use?”

“Wait, I’ll edit one—how about: ‘UP host personally witnesses a master night-fishing an over-eight-jin wild large yellow croaker’?”

Tian Mingzhi looked at it and felt it was missing a little impact. “Why not add something like ‘worth one million’? For example: ‘UP host personally witnesses a master night-fishing an over-eight-jin wild large yellow croaker, experts estimate its value at one million’?”

Lin Qiyan felt that was not very good. He thought for a moment. “The fish hasn’t been sold yet, so saying an estimated value doesn’t seem suitable. Fans might misunderstand. How about this: ‘UP host personally witnessed a master night-fishing an over-eight-jin wild large yellow croaker this morning. Who will it finally go to?’”

Tian Mingzhi pondered it for a moment and also felt it worked. “Let’s use this version. I can’t think of anything better for now.”

The two muttered together for a while, then went to the side with their phones to edit and post the video.

When they posted it, they deliberately tagged each other.

After posting, they also made a Moments post, asking whether anyone was interested in this over-eight-jin wild large yellow croaker.

Everyone was quite anxious about this large yellow croaker. It was indeed a good thing, but unfortunately, its price was too high. It might not necessarily sell at the normal price.

Many expensive catches were worth that much in market value, but if no one wanted them, they could only be sold at twenty or even forty percent off in the end.

Lin Qiyan and the others all took action, while Lu Ao was the least anxious.

If this large yellow croaker could not be sold, he would bring it back and invite Song Zhou to eat it together.

He was not short of money. Tasting large yellow croaker would not be bad either.

The Moments posts and videos they sent out received responses very quickly.

Many hotels and wealthy clients who had worked with them before privately messaged to ask about the price of the large yellow croaker.

In the end, because its exact weight was still uncertain, there was no way to set a price for the time being. The group all spoke rather vaguely and only roughly introduced the condition of the fish.

When they arrived at the pier, a hotel purchasing manager they knew was already waiting for them.

The other party had brought a scale and was waiting at the pier.

Seeing Lu Ao and the others return, Manager Wen, who was in charge of purchasing, immediately smiled and came over to shake hands. “Old Tian, you’re the ones who caught the big yellow croaker, right?”

Tian Mingzhi froze for a moment before remembering who this manager was and quickly introduced, “It wasn’t me. It was Lu Ao.”

Manager Wen hurriedly turned over and bent slightly to shake hands with Lu Ao. “A pleasure, a pleasure.”

Lu Ao nodded. “You’re too polite.”

“I saw your fish on Moments and was very interested. I wonder how much you’re planning to sell it for?”

“We’re not sure yet. Can you help us weigh it first?”

“Of course.” Manager Wen quickly had his subordinate bring the scale over. “Will you weigh it, or shall I?”

Tian Mingzhi hurriedly said, “We wouldn’t dare trouble you. We’ll do it.”

Lin Manzhang and Chen Shengrong carried the fish over and gently placed it on the scale.

This large yellow croaker was even bigger than the surface of the scale. Under the intense morning sun, its body was golden, its eyes clear, and its condition was excellent.

Manager Wen praised it silently in his heart, leaned closer, and reached out to wipe the dust off the LCD screen. “Eight jin and seven liang!”

Lu Ao looked carefully. “It is indeed eight jin and seven liang.”

“You’re truly impressive. I haven’t seen such a large wild yellow croaker in nearly ten years.”

“It was luck.”

After exchanging pleasantries, Manager Wen coughed lightly and went straight to the point. “Our boss is very interested in this fish. I wonder if Mr. Lu has time to meet him?”

Lu Ao asked, “Roughly how much can your boss offer?”

Before coming, Manager Wen had already asked his boss for instructions. Hearing Lu Ao ask, he smiled. “When I came, I still didn’t know the weight or quality. My boss looked at the pictures on Moments and said he was willing to offer six hundred thousand. Now, I estimate seven hundred thousand should be no problem.”

Before Lu Ao could speak, Tian Mingzhi shook his head hard from the side. “No, no, that won’t do. Seven hundred thousand is too little. Some time ago, someone caught a six-jin-eight-liang one and sold it for five hundred seventy thousand. This is an eight-jin-seven-liang wild yellow croaker!”

Manager Wen asked, “Then how much do you want?”

Lu Ao said, “Double it.”

“That’s too expensive. Double it would be nearly one million two hundred thousand.” Manager Wen smiled bitterly. “This is one fish. Once it’s eaten, it’s gone. If we buy such an expensive fish, we won’t be able to promote it at all.”

Lu Ao listened to his complaint and asked, “How much can you offer?”

“That’s hard to say. After all, I’m not the boss. How about you all come to our hotel and rest for a while? We can discuss it face-to-face then.”

Lu Ao agreed.

Lin Qiyan was checking private messages. Hearing that Lu Ao was going back with Manager Wen and the others, he quickly raised his phone. “Lu Ao, one of my fans says they’re willing to offer eight hundred fifty thousand.”

Manager Wen was right beside them and also saw Lin Qiyan’s phone screen. His expression changed slightly.

Lin Manzhang also held up his phone. “Lu Ao, someone from Jiacheng Grand Hotel says they’re willing to offer eight hundred twenty thousand.”

Manager Wen glanced over and, out of the corner of his eye, saw Hu Xingjin beside them looking eager to raise his phone and show Lu Ao too. He quickly interrupted, “The sun is too strong, and the ice is almost melting. Let’s get in the car first. We can talk in the car.”

Lu Ao did not mind either.

The six of them split into two cars and followed Manager Wen and the others back.

The hotel Manager Wen worked for was a five-star hotel with branches all over the world, the kind where a room cost twenty thousand a night.

The cars carried them away from the pier, around the city’s main roads, and toward the suburbs.

Their hotel was at the foot of a mountain. This Xiding City branch specialized in Chinese garden-style architecture. From afar, there were green mountains and clear waters, white walls and black tiles. It was very beautiful.

Lu Ao looked at the exquisite architecture, lowered his head to search for information about this hotel, and formed a basic judgment in his heart.

When the car arrived, Manager Wen had his subordinates entertain Tian Mingzhi and the others. He led only Lu Ao, carrying the fish, to meet the boss.

Only then did Lu Ao learn that the boss Manager Wen had mentioned was the real boss—the heir of the hotel.

When the other party saw Lu Ao, a flash of amazement appeared in his eyes. He walked over to shake hands with Lu Ao. “Hello, I’m Weng Qian.”

“I’m Lu Ao.”

Weng Qian smiled. “I watched the video of you catching the fish. It was truly wonderful.”

“Thank you for the compliment.” Lu Ao had no intention of exchanging pleasantries and asked directly, “President Weng, how much can you offer?”

“This fish is too big. It’s somewhat valuable but has no clear market.” Weng Qian crouched down and carefully examined the fish. “How about eight hundred fifty thousand?”

As soon as Lu Ao heard this, he knew Manager Wen had leaked Lin Qiyan’s fan’s offer to Weng Qian.

That was the fan’s offer, not the price in his mind.

He shook his head. “I’m afraid that won’t work. That price is far below market value.”

“For a fish this large, where is there a market?” Weng Qian smiled. “If we’re talking about being low, then it’s lower than an auction price. But it’s not easy to go through an auction process now. Fish are hard to preserve, unlike other things.”

Lu Ao shook his head. “If it’s eight hundred fifty thousand, I won’t sell.”

Weng Qian looked at him. “Mr. Lu won’t consider it again?”

“No.”

Weng Qian pondered. “I really do want to buy a wild large yellow croaker. How about this: nine hundred thousand, as a way of making a friend.”

“Nine hundred fifty thousand. Lowest.”

Weng Qian looked somewhat troubled. Lu Ao quietly waited for his answer.

Weng Qian really had never seen such a confident fisherman before and was somewhat surprised.

Looking at Lu Ao’s eyes, he knew there truly was no room for bargaining. He could only relent. “Fine. Nine hundred fifty thousand it is. I’ll have someone come in and draw up the contract.”

Lu Ao smiled. “Thank you for your patronage, President Weng.”

Weng Qian reached out to shake his hand and joked, “You really weren’t afraid I’d think it was too expensive and simply not buy it?”

“If it really couldn’t be sold, I could keep it and eat it myself.”

Seeing that he did not look like he was joking, Weng Qian clicked his tongue. “This is a fish worth over a million! You’d just eat it like that?”

“If no one bids for it, it’s just a fish.”

Weng Qian’s secretary came in with the freshly drafted contract. Lu Ao quickly looked it over. “Everything else is fine. I hope payment can be made today.”

“Nine hundred fifty thousand for one fish is too expensive. We still need to wait for finance to approve it.”

“Three days at most.”

Weng Qian agreed. “I’ll urge them.”

After both sides signed the contract, Lu Ao left the fish with them and planned to go back.

Weng Qian tried to keep him for tea but failed, so he gave him a set of room booking discount vouchers.

Aside from Lu Ao catching fish today, Lin Manzhang and the others had also each gained something.

Manager Wen was in charge of procurement. Seeing that their fish were fresh and good, he simply bought all their fish at market price.

When Lu Ao came out, Lin Manzhang and the others had already sold their fish and were drinking tea while waiting for him.

Lu Ao called them to go back.

Manager Wen quickly arranged a car to send them off. The hotel had tourist vehicles used to pick up and drop off guests, just right for sending them.

As soon as they got in the car, Hu Xingjin could not wait to ask, “Lu Ao, how much did your large yellow croaker sell for?”

“Including tax, nine hundred fifty thousand.”

“After tax?”

“Five hundred twenty-two thousand five hundred.”

Hearing the number he reported, everyone in the car showed envy on their faces.

Lin Qiyan sighed. “Too impressive. A model for our generation.”

Lu Ao said directly, “Lunch is on me. Where do you want to eat?”

Lin Qiyan suggested, “Anywhere is fine. How about we don’t eat seafood for lunch today and have a proper meat meal instead?”

Everyone else agreed.

At the mention of meat, Lu Ao also felt a little greedy. “All right. I’ll take you to a mutton restaurant.”

After lunch, everyone went back to their own homes as usual.

Lin Manzhang and the others still had to go out to sea again in the afternoon. After fishing tonight, they would return and go directly to the station to take the bus home.

Lu Ao did not go with them.

He had earned quite a lot of money over these three days and wanted to do something.

That afternoon, Lu Ao slept until he woke naturally.

After getting up, he went downstairs to the dumpling shop and ate a meal of dumplings. Then he carried his bank card and went to the city’s Youth Foundation.

He had made an appointment on the official website in advance. After he arrived, the staff received him with water and smiled. “Mr. Lu, you’re here again?”

“Mm. I just earned some money.” Lu Ao did not waste words. “This time, I want to donate to Hope Primary Schools. The amount is one hundred thousand.”

The staff member immediately became solemn with respect. “All right. Please wait a moment. I’ll go get the application documents for you.”

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