After Reincarnating as the Dragon King, I Made a Fortune with Seafood – CH46

Chapter 46

After Lu Ao paid for the fruit trees, all the savings in his accounts added up to a little over 630,000 yuan.

That money should be enough to bid on the boat, but if he had to pay for the later modification costs too, he would probably still be a little short.

Songzhou knew his predicament. Seeing him frowning while eating dinner, he lightly tapped the table in front of him with the tip of his chopsticks. “Eat first. After dinner, I’ll put some money together for you.”

“No need.” Lu Ao came back to his senses and quickly shoveled two mouthfuls of rice into his mouth. “I’m not short by much. I can manage.”

“If it isn’t enough, tell me. Don’t force yourself to shoulder it.”

“Okay. Actually, I still want to earn some money to contract a mountain.”

“To plant fruit trees?”

“Mm. I bought so many fruit trees. The back hill definitely won’t be enough, and planting them in the fields isn’t ideal either. I might as well contract a whole mountain.”

“Where do you want to contract?”

Lu Ao had not thought about that question yet. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Anywhere should be fine? The closer to home, the better. Is there a difference between mountains?”

“Yes,” Songzhou said. “Their spiritual energy is different, so the things grown there will be different too.”

Lu Ao hurriedly looked up and asked, “Then which mountain in our village is the best?”

“They’re all average. If you go a bit farther in, the mountain upstream of the river, the one you call Haining Mountain, is rather good.”

Lu Ao immediately remembered it. “That mountain is too big. Even if I contract it, I probably won’t be able to plant it all. Besides, that’s Tanwu Village’s territory. It might not be very convenient to go there later.”

“Which one do you want?”

“I haven’t decided yet. Besides Haining Mountain, is there any other mountain you like?”

“The others are all average.”

“All right. I’ll ask around.”

That night, Lu Ao specifically mentioned in their fishing group that he would go fishing with Lin Manzhang and the others tomorrow. He planned to ask Tan Junhao about contracting Haining Mountain then.

As soon as he said it, Lin Gongshang immediately sent: I told you ages ago to come fishing with us. Fishing together is great.

Lin Guixiao sent: Lu Ao, do you know where we usually fish? Do you need us to pick you up tomorrow?

—No need. I know. I’ll go over earlier tomorrow.

Seeing their lively discussion, Lin Qiyan quietly popped up: I’m coming too.

Lin Gongshang: Seriously? You’re coming to watch?

Lin Qiyan: No, to film some videos. A few days ago, I bought a wetsuit from Brother Dawu. Tomorrow’s the perfect time to test it in the water.

Lin Gongshang was skeptical: Do you even know how to dive? Don’t get swept away by the water.

Lin Manzhang smoothed things over: Qiyan can follow me. It should be fine. Since Lu Ao and Qiyan are both coming tomorrow, everyone should get up earlier.

Lin Guixiao and Tan Junhao both showed up and agreed.

The next day, Lu Ao got up to wash just as the sky was beginning to brighten.

He got hungry quickly, so he had to eat a meal before setting off.

To save time, he specially made a large pot of claypot rice.

There were no particularly special ingredients inside. The rice was just glossy, high-quality rice from Heishan Province, and the sausage was top-grade cured sausage from Nanze Province.

He washed the rice, put it into the pot, and turned on the heat.

Before long, the steam rising from the edge of the pot carried a rich rice fragrance toward him.

When the water in the rice had mostly dried up, Lu Ao lifted the lid, placed the cured sausage on top of the rice, added shredded ginger, closed the lid, and continued cooking.

When the rice was cooked and the fragrance of the sausage came out, he placed the small greens he had blanched in advance on top of the claypot rice.

Once the pot was off the heat, he poured a dish of cooked soy sauce over the rice, and the dish was done.

The claypot rice looked plain, but the secret was entirely in that dish of soy sauce poured over it.

The base of the soy sauce was light soy sauce. Fried fish bones, onions, carrots, and shiitake mushrooms were added to it, and it was slowly simmered over low heat at a near-boil. When it was ready, all the ingredients inside were fished out and discarded. Only then could the sauce be considered finished.

Only when this simmered soy sauce was poured over the rice did the pot of claypot rice gain its soul.

Lu Ao used a spoon to push aside the sausage and greens on top, then gently scooped up a spoonful of rice still releasing rolling steam.

The rice touched the soy sauce, and part of it turned a glossy yellow.

With one bite, the clean fragrance of the rice and the fresh sweetness of the soy sauce blended perfectly. Especially because the soy sauce had been cooked, its saltiness was much lighter than ordinary soy sauce, yet it did not lose its mellow depth. Paired with the mild rice, it was just right.

This combination of soy sauce and rice did not cover the rice’s natural sweetness at all. Instead, it elevated it perfectly, forming a gentle flavor that filled the whole mouth.

After a mouthful of rice came a bite of cured sausage.

Once chewed, the sausage released its rich, spicy, salty, and fragrant taste, completely awakening the appetite. Then another mouthful of soy-sauce-coated rice followed.

If the sausage felt too salty or spicy, a bite of fresh, juicy greens cleared the palate.

Lu Ao ate very quickly, and the claypot rice was indeed excellent. He ate more than half the pot alone. When his spoon touched the bottom, it hit a layer of crispy rice.

The rice crust was faintly golden. He sent piece after piece into his mouth, biting into it with crisp crunches. This was a completely different flavor from the soft rice, yet it was equally charming.

After finishing breakfast, Lu Ao brought his equipment and rode his tricycle to Linwu Village. It had just passed six o’clock.

When he arrived at the meeting spot, only Lin Manzhang and Lin Qiyan were there.

Lin Qiyan was clumsily putting on his wetsuit. When he saw Lu Ao, he raised his hand to greet him. But as soon as he lifted his arm, he lost his balance and nearly fell face-first to the ground.

Lu Ao reacted quickly and grabbed him by the back of the collar. “There’s no need to be that enthusiastic.”

“This wetsuit is a little hard to put on.” Lin Qiyan finally managed to zip it up and plopped down on a reef. “You came so early.”

“It’s all right. Not earlier than you.” Lu Ao also began putting on his wetsuit. His tall, slender figure was fully outlined once it met the close-fitting suit.

Lin Qiyan was extremely envious. He looked at Lu Ao’s long legs, then looked at his own.

His own legs were not short either, but they just did not have that straight, long, model-like feel.

Lu Ao yawned and lazily sat on the reef.

Lin Manzhang looked at the sky. “Why don’t you two go into the water first? I’ll wait a bit longer for the others.”

“Okay. I’ll go in first then.” Lu Ao said, “I’ll spear some fish first.”

Lin Qiyan was eager to try. “I’ll go too.”

Lin Manzhang grabbed him back in one motion. “Forget it. You splash around near the shore first and get a feel for it.”

Lu Ao tied the fish basket to his waist, checked his tools again, and entered the water.

His wetsuit was fairly warm, so he did not feel cold when he entered the water in the morning. However, the moment he went in, a sincere thrill rose in his heart. He even wanted to let out a long howl underwater.

That excitement unconsciously made him swim toward deeper and farther places. By the time he came back to himself, he was already over a hundred meters away from shore.

In those hundred meters, he had not surfaced once to breathe.

Lin Manzhang stood on the reef, nervously staring across the water and looking around.

Lu Ao waved at him.

Lin Manzhang let out a breath and shouted, “Don’t swim too far. Be careful of the current.”

The current meant the ocean current. If a person was accidentally swept away by it, they could be carried over a hundred meters away. Without companions to meet them, that was actually quite dangerous.

Of course, danger also hid opportunity.

The current was relatively fast, and it stirred up more plankton and floating matter. Many fish would come over to feed, which made fishing here more convenient.

Not long after Lu Ao entered the water, he had already speared three fish: two black sea bream weighing more than a catty each, and one red snapper weighing six or seven catties.

If these ten or so catties of fish were sold, after tax, more than three hundred yuan would be in hand.

Lu Ao continued diving to look for fish.

Before long, Lin Gongshang and the others arrived too. Everyone kept several dozen meters apart and dived separately to spear fish.

As for that rookie Lin Qiyan, he was still floundering by the shore.

The sun rose higher and higher above the sea, and Lu Ao’s fish basket grew fuller and fuller.

After spearing another black sea bream, he glanced at his waterproof watch. It was 8:46.

He had been spearing fish for two hours and no longer wanted to continue, so he dragged the fish back to shore first.

Lin Guixiao was spearing fish in a nearby area. Seeing him return already, he hurriedly asked, “You’re not fishing anymore?”

“I’ll rest first and come again in the afternoon.” Lu Ao said, “You all keep going.”

“Okay. Then we’ll fish a little longer and go ashore at nine-thirty.”

Lu Ao swam to shore, stored the fish he had caught in a water pool, then took out some buns from his bag and slowly ate them.

Lin Qiyan had long since grown tired of floundering in the shallow-water area. Seeing Lu Ao return, he also came ashore, dragged his feet over, and sat down beside him. “Give me one.”

Lu Ao used the bag to pad the buns and gestured for him to take one. “Want a sports drink?”

“Yes!” Lin Qiyan bit into the bun, then first twisted open the sports drink. After taking the bun away from his mouth, he gulped down a large mouthful of the drink, then took a big bite of the solid char siu bun. Completely satisfied, he said, “Awesome!”

After laboring all morning, eating soft but not greasy, sweet and juicy char siu buns, feeling the sea breeze, and watching other people splash around in the waves spearing fish—it was naturally awesome.

Lu Ao had brought a large bag of buns. Before long, only a few were left.

He had deliberately kept those few for Lin Manzhang and the others to fill their stomachs.

After Lin Qiyan ate and drank his fill, he dutifully picked up his waterproof camera. “What did you catch this morning? Did you get anything good?”

“Look for yourself.” Lu Ao did not want to get up. He stretched out his long legs and lazily asked, “Does a striped beakfish count?”

“Striped beakfish? There are striped beakfish in this sea area?!”

“Of course there are.” Lu Ao said, “If you want to film it, it’s probably at the bottom of the fish basket. Just reach in and take it out.”

“I’m carrying the camera. How about you help me dig it out?”

Meeting Lin Qiyan’s expectant gaze, Lu Ao paused, but still stood up and went to rummage through the fish basket. He pulled out a plump, dark fish that looked a little like a spotted scat from the bottom and showed it to him.

The fish was still alive. It thrashed its tail frantically in Lu Ao’s jade-white hand, but no matter what, it could not break free.

Lin Qiyan aimed the camera at the fish and Lu Ao’s hand for a close-up, then said, “Don’t put it back yet. I’ll switch to my phone and take a photo with this fish.”

Lu Ao let him do as he pleased.

It was not easy for Lin Qiyan to come across material like this, so he quickly seized the chance to film it from every angle.

As he filmed, he introduced it to the camera. “Striped beakfish is also called black spotted drum around here. It’s mostly used for sashimi. Dip it in a little wasabi soy sauce, and it tastes fresh and sweet. If you can’t handle sashimi, or for safety’s sake, steaming it also tastes very good.”

“Compared with farmed striped beakfish, this kind that was just speared from the sea is more expensive. Around here, fish shops buy it for about one hundred sixty to one hundred seventy yuan per catty. The one in my hand is probably over two catties. This fish can also be considered a money-making fish.”

To make up enough runtime, Lin Qiyan rambled on for quite a while.

Lin Gongshang and the others had all returned, and he still had not finished filming.

As soon as Lin Gongshang came ashore, he saw the striped beakfish in Lin Qiyan’s hand. “Who caught this?”

Lin Qiyan threw him a look and let him figure it out himself.

“Damn, Lu Ao, your luck is way too good, isn’t it?” Lin Gongshang stared at the striped beakfish unwillingly. “We’ve been fishing in this sea area for almost half a year, and this is the first time we’ve seen a striped beakfish. How come you run into one the moment you come?”

Lu Ao sat on the reef. “Have I run into only a few fish?”

Lin Qiyan finally finished introducing it, turned off the camera, and quickly placed the fish back into the water pool while it was still alive.

Lin Gongshang had a loud voice, and Lin Qiyan’s ears hurt from hearing him. Now that he could spare attention, he glanced at him. “Stop shouting. Did you forget the large yellow croaker Lu Ao caught in Xiding City?”

Not going to Xiding City with them to catch large yellow croakers had been Lin Gongshang’s sore spot for weeks. Once Lin Qiyan poked at it, he wilted and muttered unwillingly, “I think Lu Ao shouldn’t fish here anymore. He should go to the neighboring town to catch yellow catfish instead. He never comes back empty-handed anyway.”