Chapter 24: Release
That night, when Tian Mingzhi and the others returned, Lu Ao was waiting for them at the pier. Seeing them, Lu Ao gestured for them to wait a moment while he continued speaking on the phone.
His voice was not loud. Hu Xingjin and the others vaguely heard him asking someone to send something to the pier, and they could not help stretching their necks curiously to listen in.
After Lu Ao hung up and glanced back, he saw their faces full of curiosity, like cats poking their heads out to snoop. He could not help finding it funny. “What are you looking at?”
“You. Lu God, who were you talking to?”
“The people from the fish fry farm. I just asked them to urgently send over ten thousand large yellow croaker fry. They’ll arrive in a bit. If you’re not in a hurry to go back, come with me on another trip later to release these fry.”
Lin Qiyan could not help clicking his tongue. “You bought fish fry to release again? How much is one large yellow croaker fry this time?”
“This one is pretty cheap. Twelve fen each.”
When Lu Ao had first heard the fish fry farm quote fifteen fen per fry, he had also been surprised.
The giant grouper fry he bought cost eight yuan each, while large yellow croaker fry were only fifteen fen each. After bargaining, they came down to twelve fen—practically like picking them up for free.
However, the specifications of the two types of fry were completely different. The giant grouper fry were basically nine to fifteen centimeters long, while these large yellow croaker fry were only three to five centimeters.
Thinking of it that way, it was understandable.
Only after hearing this did Tian Mingzhi learn that Lu Ao had the habit of releasing fish fry into the sea.
This habit was basically one person paying money to benefit everyone. The sea was so vast that no matter how many fry were released, even if they grew up in the end, the person who caught them might not necessarily be him.
Tian Mingzhi could not help feeling distressed over the money for him. “Ten thousand fry sounds like a lot, but after they’re released, some will die naturally, some will be eaten by bigger fish, and in the end, there won’t be many left.”
“I know. There are so many small fish in the sea. Not many grow up in the first place.”
Lu Ao did not want to discuss this topic too much. He asked, “How did your fishing go tonight?”
It would have been better if he had not asked. The moment he did, everyone visibly deflated.
“Not great.”
“Maybe we used up all our luck over the past two days. We didn’t catch a single fish today.”
“We went out for four or five hours and just fished and fished there. I guess we caught nothing but loneliness.”
“Sigh. I finally understand how the boats nearby felt watching us catch fish these past two days.”
Lu Ao had not expected them to fail to catch even a single fish and could not help pausing.
Could it be that when he went out to sea to fish, the large yellow croakers gathering around their boat really had something to do with him?
The fish fry Lu Ao ordered arrived very quickly.
The person delivering the fry was the owner himself. After parking the car in front of them, he swiftly got out and opened the trunk, calling, “Which one of you is Lu Ao?”
Lu Ao stepped forward. “Me.”
The owner looked at him and smiled. “The fry have been delivered. Please inspect the goods.”
Lu Ao did not stand on ceremony and went over to look.
The fry he had ordered were only three to five centimeters long. Ten thousand fry altogether did not amount to much, and three water tanks were enough to hold them all.
Lu Ao casually took a small landing net from the trunk, scooped up a netful of fish, counted them, then estimated how many netfuls there were in the three tanks. Multiplying the numbers gave him a rough estimate of the total quantity.
The fish fry farm owner did not disturb him and let him check. Only after he finished did the owner say, “Don’t worry. I’ve been in this business for over ten years, and I value honesty the most. The quantity definitely won’t be short. I even added fifty extra for you.”
Lu Ao nodded. “Thank you.”
“No problem. Hey, where are your fish cages? Isn’t this stretch of sea not allowed to install fish cages?”
Lu Ao was paying the money. Including the urgent delivery fee, transport fee, and labor fee, the total was three hundred, making the final payment fifteen hundred. Hearing this, he looked up. “No fish cages.”
The owner was baffled. “If there are no fish cages, where are you raising the fish?”
He reminded him, “Fish fry are relatively fragile. If they aren’t raised in time, they’re quite easy to die. I won’t provide after-sales service for that.”
Lin Qiyan could not help saying from the side, “Lu Ao isn’t raising them. He’s releasing these fish back into the sea.”
“Ah? Releasing them?”
Lin Qiyan said, “Yes, releasing them where we fished for large yellow croaker.”
The owner scratched his head. “That’s pretty good.”
Lu Ao gave a soft “Mm” and reminded him, “I’ve paid. Check whether the payment arrived.”
The owner felt rather embarrassed. “You should’ve said earlier that it was for release. If you’re releasing them, I won’t charge the urgent delivery fee. I’ll refund it to you.”
“No need. Next time I buy fry, just give me a couple extra.”
“Ah, definitely, definitely. Next time you buy fry, come to me again. I’ll give you the best price.”
Lu Ao answered and reached out to move the fish.
Tian Mingzhi and the others hurried over to help.
Their fishing boat was parked below. Everyone worked together to transfer the fry into the live well on the boat.
Tian Mingzhi and the others had fairly complete equipment. After placing the fry in, they immediately turned on the oxygenation system.
The fry looked quite lively, darting back and forth in the live well one by one.
Chen Shengrong and Lin Manzhang checked the remaining fuel in the tank, the remaining water in the water tank, and carefully inspected the spare fuel and fresh water. Then they started the boat and headed once again toward the place where they had fished for large yellow croaker.
Tian Mingzhi and Lin Qiyan raised their cameras to film material. They gave an explanation, telling their fans that they were going to release fish fry.
Lu Ao did not mind them taking the opportunity to film.
If more people saw this kind of proper release, more people would join in.
If everyone could form the awareness to protect the marine environment, the marine environment would only get better and better.
It took Lu Ao and the others more than an hour to reach the destination.
It was already past eleven at night, yet there were still many fishing boats drifting on the sea, fishing for large yellow croaker and planning to battle through the night.
Lu Ao and the others had come here for two or three days, and each time, their performance had been outstanding. The nearby anglers all knew them.
Seeing them return after going back, someone nearby could not help shouting, “Brothers, did you go back to shore to resupply before coming back to fish?”
“No.” Hu Xingjin was very confident this time, and his shout was loud too. “My brother bought large yellow croaker fry and specially came over to release them, giving back to the sea!”
When everyone heard him, they all looked over.
Lu Ao did not care about these gazes and said, “Release them now.”
Tian Mingzhi and Lin Qiyan quickly held up their cameras properly, filming the scene of them releasing the large yellow croaker fry back into the sea.
Lu Ao and Lin Manzhang were one group, while Chen Shengrong and Hu Xingjin were another. The two groups directly scooped up the fry and poured them into the sea.
The people on the nearby fishing boats could not help turning on bright flashlights and shining them on the water near their boat. Seeing them truly pour large patches of fry into the sea, they could not describe what they felt.
As soon as the dense, dark fry were poured into the water, they immediately fled quickly in all directions.
The dark shadows soon scattered, leaving only a stretch of sea-blue water.
Seeing that the fry were lively, Lu Ao felt somewhat comforted.
Ten thousand fry were actually not that many. They were all poured out in a short while.
Lu Ao checked the live well and, seeing no fry left behind, put away the water tank. “All right. We can go back.”
The people on the nearby fishing boats could not help shouting, “You’re going back just like that?”
Hu Xingjin roared, “Yes! Going back for late-night snacks!”
Someone gave them a thumbs-up and also shouted, “Brothers, you’re really awesome!”
“It’s nothing. Take from the sea, use for the sea. Good luck, everyone!”
After Hu Xingjin finished shouting, he quickly signaled to Chen Shengrong. “Quick, quick, quick. Start the boat!”
Showing off and then running—so exciting.
Tian Mingzhi and Lin Qiyan’s cameras both captured the scene of his stocky body bouncing up and down, and smiles appeared in their eyes.
Chen Shengrong started the boat with a smile.
The boat puttered away, heading into the boundless night.
Perhaps because they had earned money, or perhaps because doing a good deed had brought them happiness, everyone was in an extremely good mood that night. The moment they went ashore, they called to one another, saying they should go eat late-night snacks.
Lu Ao transferred the fuel money for the recent trip out to sea to Chen Shengrong. Chen Shengrong firmly refused to accept it, stiffening his neck as he said, “We went out to sea to release fry. If we still take fuel money, what kind of people would that make us?”
Hu Xingjin quickly said, “Exactly, exactly. We mooched food, drinks, and video material. Lu God, you’ve already been more than good enough to us. No need to give us money too.”
Lu Ao asked, “Really no need?”
Tian Mingzhi and the other two said in unison, “Really no need!”
Lin Qiyan raised his drink from the side and toasted them. “These past two days, I’ve also been mooching food, drinks, and video material. Thank you all for taking care of me. I’ll make special notes for each scene in the video. Thank you for providing me with material.”
“That’s too polite. Come, come, come. Let’s drink. Lu God, you drink too.”
“Yes. It wasn’t easy for everyone to meet, so from now on, we’re all brothers. Let’s keep in touch more!”
Hu Xingjin and the others all had relatively outgoing personalities. Lu Ao did not need to respond; they could liven up the atmosphere by themselves.
Everyone ate late-night snacks until past midnight.
After eating, no matter what, they refused to let Lu Ao pay. They insisted on pooling money together to cover the meal, saying it was to thank Lu Ao for leading them to wealth.
After the late-night snack, everyone said goodbye.
Lu Ao and the others went home, packed their things, and headed straight to the station. Because they had gone to release the fry, Lin Manzhang and Lin Qiyan’s tickets had been changed once, and now they could only take the bus at three in the morning.
After transferring along the way, when Lu Ao returned home, he glanced at the time and saw that it was already past one in the afternoon.
He was so sleepy he could hardly keep his eyes open. He put down his luggage and went to take an afternoon nap, not waking until past four.
After washing up again, he ate half a pot of noodles, put on clothes, and headed out.
He had not checked on his geese for several days. Today, he needed to feed them.
Lin Gongshang had already helped feed them at noon. There was still food and water in the goose pen, and the pen had also been cleaned very thoroughly.
Lu Ao checked it over. Seeing that there was no problem, he looked at the sky and planned to herd the geese out to the river for a walk.
He turned to get a bamboo pole from the courtyard, when he suddenly heard the sound of a motorcycle. Looking back, he saw that it was Lin Gongshang.
“Lu Ao, you’re back?” Lin Gongshang parked the motorcycle, put down the footrest, and explained with bright eyes, “I thought you still hadn’t come back. I was just about to come feed the geese.”
He fed them three times a day: a little past five in the morning, a little past noon, and a little past five in the afternoon. It was now time for the last feeding.
Lu Ao nodded to him. “Thanks for the trouble.”
“No trouble. It’s nothing.” Lin Gongshang came over and said with obvious envy, “Lu Ao, did you guys make really good money fishing for yellow croaker this time?”
Lin Gongshang had chatted with Lin Manzhang and Lin Qiyan these past few days, so he more or less knew about their harvest.
Lu Ao nodded and admitted, “It was indeed pretty good.”
“I heard even the person who earned the least among you still got more than seven thousand in hand. More than seven thousand in three days—that’s already really good income.” Lin Gongshang sucked in a breath, showing an expression as if his teeth hurt, and muttered, “If I’d known earlier, I would’ve gone with you.”
Lu Ao comforted him, “If we go next year, I’ll call you along.”
“Then it’s settled. Next year, no matter what, I’m going fishing with you guys.”
Lin Gongshang came over to help clean the goose pen and said, “The helicopter rescue fee you paid in advance has already been refunded. I’ll transfer the money to you. Also, Mr. Shi and Mr. Liu each gave us ten thousand. I’ll transfer that to your card too.”
“What is that ten thousand for?”
“It’s money for the trouble of helping send them to the hospital.” Lin Gongshang was a little embarrassed. “I refused at the time, but they insisted on giving it, so I accepted.”
Lu Ao refused. “A reward without merit should not be accepted. Help me return that money.”
“You really won’t take it? Didn’t you contact the helicopter, accompany them to the hospital, and stay busy for half the night?”
Lu Ao lazily raised a hand. “Mm. I won’t take it. I’m not short of that money.”
Lin Gongshang more or less knew his personality. Hearing him insist, he did not try to persuade him further. “Then I’ll return the money later.”
Lin Gongshang refunded Lu Ao the helicopter rescue fee he had advanced, as well as the emergency medical expenses from when they had brought them in. After settling everything clearly, he said, “They sent someone yesterday to drive their cars away too.”
“That’s normal.”
“Mr. Yan also asked where you’d gone.”
“Don’t bother with him.”
Lin Gongshang chatted with Lu Ao for a while. Seeing that Lu Ao still had things to do, he took his leave and went back first.
After his figure disappeared, Lu Ao suddenly sensed something unusual in the atmosphere outside the courtyard. When he looked up, he saw Song Zhou standing outside, carrying a basket.
Meeting his gaze, Song Zhou’s eyes curved, and he said gently, “I wanted to come spend the festival with you, but this fellow villager of yours just kept talking and talking, and wouldn’t leave.”
Lu Ao laughed. “That’s just him. He’s rather talkative. What did you bring?”
“Some zongzi and fruit, plus two dishes.” Song Zhou asked, “You don’t have any plans tonight, do you?”
“Does herding geese and going to the fields to water them count?”
“No. I’ll go with you.”
Song Zhou put the things inside the house, then came out to herd geese with Lu Ao.
Today, he was wearing a white T-shirt and white casual trousers. Compared with usual, he looked a little more playful.
Lu Ao could not help looking at him a few more times.
Song Zhou raised his eyes. “What is it?”
“Nothing.” Lu Ao added, “Your clothes look pretty good.”
Song Zhou smiled again.
The two went to the fields.
Lu Ao had been away for two or three days, but the vegetables in his fields were still growing very well. The eggplants, beans, and chilies had already ripened, and the winter melons and pumpkins had also produced small winter melons and pumpkins. Everything looked full of life and prosperity.
Lu Ao felt a little regretful. “If I’d known, I would’ve brought a basket. We could pick some vegetables tonight and taste them fresh.”
Song Zhou asked good-naturedly, “Shall I go get one?”
Lu Ao did not stand on ceremony. “Sure.”
Song Zhou disappeared and reappeared, holding a large basket in his hand.
Lu Ao went down into the vegetable field to pick vegetables. Eggplants, beans, chilies, cucumbers, luffas, okra, tomatoes… all kinds of vegetables filled the big basket to the brim. It felt heavy in his hand.
For some reason, a joy of harvest welled up in Lu Ao’s heart.
Seeing that he had finished picking vegetables, Song Zhou asked, “Should it rain?”
“Yes!”
So Song Zhou waved his hand. A rain cloud drifted over and hovered above the vegetable field, and fine, dense rain began to fall.
Fortunately, their village had few people, and this area was rather desolate. At dusk, almost no one came over.
Otherwise, if people saw a rain cloud drifting over every few days, raining only on Lu Ao’s family’s field, they would be scared half to death.
Lu Ao’s geese had finally come out, and Lu Ao did not restrain them. He simply let them loose in the vegetable field.
These geese were still small and could not do much. After entering the vegetable field, at most they pecked at the soil and nibbled at some vegetable leaves.
There were not even insects in Lu Ao’s vegetable field. After being rained on for a while, the flock of geese felt a little bored. Led by one of the geese, they waddled away, honking as they headed toward the neighboring field.
Watching this scene, Lu Ao felt a rare sense of comfort.
Carrying the vegetable basket, he suddenly turned to Song Zhou and said, “Song Zhou, why don’t we go catch crabs tonight?”
“Mm?”
Lu Ao’s eyes were bright. “You’re supposed to eat crabs during the Dragon Boat Festival. Let’s go catch crabs tonight, and I’ll make you a crab feast!”
![After Reincarnating as the Dragon King, I Made a Fortune with Seafood [Farming]](https://i3.wp.com/panda-translations.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20200414222230_300_420.jpg?resize=151,215 "After Reincarnating as the Dragon King, I Made a Fortune with Seafood [Farming]")
