After Reincarnating as the Dragon King, I Made a Fortune with Seafood – CH51

Chapter 51

After the rescue boat came ashore, many people who had work left the boat and went back to their jobs. Those who did not have work mostly went home to catch up on sleep.

Brother Tao and Captain Chang from their boat insisted on dragging Lu Ao along to have breakfast with a group of captains.

Their reason was that Lu Ao now had a boat too, which meant he was a captain as well. Everyone should keep in touch more and expand their network a little.

As soon as they sat down, Captain Chang said, “Come, come, come. Let me introduce someone to everyone—Lu Ao, the incredible guy who found nine people in the water last night!”

“Hey, we heard, we heard.”

“Come sit.”

“Waiter—bring beer! Lu Ao, sit. Let’s have a drink.”

This group of men, whose average age was nearly twice Lu Ao’s, was exceptionally enthusiastic.

Lu Ao had not expected that going out to rescue people would also earn him their friendship. Still, knowing more people was always a good thing, so he did not refuse.

Everyone ordered a full table of dishes and opened beer, eating and drinking as they chatted.

Lu Ao did not drink much, but he ate more than anyone else. Seeing him like this, everyone found him even more to their liking.

A man, after all, should eat meat in big bowls and big mouthfuls. What kind of man was someone who acted all coy and had a stomach smaller than a cat’s?

Someone asked, “Lu Ao, where are you from?”

“Shuiyuan Town, Yan County.”

“Oh, that’s a good place.”

“I went there just last month. You have a lot of fish there.”

“Right, Yan County is famous for its rich catches. If your transportation were a little more developed, it would have been upgraded into a city long ago.”

“I think it’ll happen sooner or later. Anglers from other places really like going there. There are plenty of fish, fewer fishing boats, and the sea is still very natural.”

“Lu Ao, how big is the boat you bought? Are you planning to take it back? The harbor conditions in Yan County seem pretty average.”

“It’s not that big.” Lu Ao swallowed the food in his mouth and added, “The hull is twenty-six point seven meters long, seventy-seven tons in total.”

“That’s already a large fishing boat. It probably won’t be very convenient to dock over there. Have you thought about developing in the city?”

“Not for now. Our side is all right. There aren’t many boats, so it can barely dock there.”

Yan County’s harbor did not have good natural conditions.

Generally speaking, building a dock required open terrain, flat land, deep water, a wide harbor, a channel that did not easily silt up, and ideally, a sheltered harbor to make it convenient for ships to dock.

Yan County’s harbor had none of these. Nor did it have a corresponding economic hinterland to support it.

Therefore, building a large harbor in Yan County was extremely difficult. Even if a large sum of money was spent, it might not necessarily be built successfully.

Their county was not considered wealthy either, and no one was truly willing to spend great effort on such a thankless project.

Most officials served one term after another, and after finishing their term, they left. Few people would plan something so laborious and unrewarding.

All kinds of circumstances together had caused Yan County to remain relatively backward overall.

When everyone heard that Lu Ao wanted to go back there, they all felt it was a pity.

He was in the prime of his life, exactly the age to roll up his sleeves and work hard. Going back to a rural place might make life a little more comfortable, but opportunities would be relatively fewer too.

They did not know that what Lu Ao valued was precisely the fact that there were fewer fishermen in their county. Even if he did something out at sea, the chances of being discovered were lower.

He was not doing this to make money, so naturally, he was not willing to come to Qianyong City.

Some people felt it was a pity.

Others smoothed things over. “Having fewer people has its benefits too. Here, with so many boats and so much competition, everyone is under a lot of pressure. It’s better to go somewhere smaller and earn money comfortably.”

“That’s true. A lot of the time, I go out to sea once, come back and sell the fish, and after settling everything, I don’t even earn back the fuel money!”

“There really have been fewer big fish in the past two years. The fishing industry recovered a bit, and plenty of people entered the trade again. Making a living from this has gotten harder.”

“Exactly. When I’m a couple of years older, I’m thinking of selling my boat too. After that, I’ll just go out fishing now and then, earn enough for a couple of meals.”

“Both your son and daughter are already working, and they’re filial too. Why are you still working so hard? You say another two years, but it’ll be two years after two years. Who knows how many more two years you’ve got?”

…

Lu Ao ate while listening to these uncle-aged captains complain for half the morning. He also listened as they introduced him to several certification training institutions.

After he finished eating, he put down his bowl. The person beside him immediately asked warmly, “Want some more?”

Lu Ao touched his stomach, roughly estimated the total volume of the eight large bowls of noodles, and shook his head. “I’ll eat again at noon.”

“Then drink.”

The person beside him pulled Lu Ao over to clink glasses. Lu Ao lifted his half-finished beer bottle and gently clinked it with them, then asked, “Are you all familiar with the fish situation in Yan County? I want to catch giant croaker recently. I don’t know if there are many in Yan County.”

“Giant croaker—hoh, that fish is almost like a giant panda now. I’ve only heard of it and have never seen one.”

“I’ve seen someone catch one before. Good heavens, a seventy-nine-jin one sold for a full one million!”

“I’ve heard about the one you’re talking about too. That was two years ago, wasn’t it? I think it was caught in Qianming waters. As for whether there are giant croakers in Yan County, I haven’t heard.”

“I have heard about it. They said it was in some town in Yan County, something Bao Town. They said there were giant croakers in the nearby waters. At the time, several boats I knew went over to try their luck. They stayed there for half a month and caught everything except giant croaker, then came back with their tails between their legs.”

At that, everyone burst into laughter.

Lu Ao, however, was now certain. There really were giant croakers near Tuanbao Town.

That breakfast lasted from a little past seven in the morning until past ten. After eating and drinking their fill, everyone took taxis home to catch up on sleep.

Lu Ao also returned to the hotel, checked out, took his luggage, sent Xiao Du a message on WeChat, and headed straight to the bus station.

He got on the bus back to Yan County. Only then did Xiao Du’s message arrive late: Brother Lu, you’re going back already? The bonus for finding the computer last time has been approved. The bureau chief even said he wanted to give it to you in person and take a photo for the news.

Next time. Or you can just transfer it directly to my account.

Xiao Du: I’ll tell the bureau chief. You were amazing yesterday. Everyone here has heard about what you did. The captain said there might be a bonus for this time too. I don’t know if they’ll combine them.

It was all right. My eyesight is just a little better. Are you done with overtime?

Xiao Du: Not yet. We’re still looking for the remaining three fishermen.

All right, then I won’t bother you. Let’s talk after you get off work.

Lu Ao exited the chat with Xiao Du and opened the one with Song Zhou.

His chat with Song Zhou was still stopped at yesterday’s message. He did not know what Song Zhou was doing to be so busy all of a sudden.

Lu Ao turned off his phone and leaned back against the seat to doze.

The typhoon had not passed yet. As the bus drove north, it encountered light rain from time to time.

Raindrops pattered against the window, gathering into streams of water that ran downward.

The weather was very cool. The bus slowly moved forward, and sitting inside felt quite comfortable. Many people began to sleep.

Lu Ao also slept all the way to Yan County. After reaching the county seat, he took another bus back to town, went to Lin Dawu’s place to pick up his vehicle, bought groceries, and returned to the village.

By then, it was already evening.

He simply cooked a pot of rice, took out the braised dishes he had bought, heated them in the microwave, and made a simple rice bowl for dinner.

As he ate, he sent Lin Manzhang a WeChat message: Brother Zhang, I’m going to Niutou Island in Tuanbao Town tomorrow. Do you know any boats I can rent? I just need someone to take me there tomorrow morning and bring me back in the evening.

Lin Manzhang replied after a while: You’re back? Isn’t there a typhoon tomorrow? You’re still going out to sea?

The typhoon should be almost gone today. I think we should be able to go out to sea tomorrow.

Lin Manzhang: Wait, I’ll check the weather data.

A moment later, Lin Manzhang said: Going out to sea tomorrow should indeed be fine. I asked around for you. What time do you want to head out tomorrow?

Around six or seven in the morning.

Lin Manzhang: No problem. The boat owner I contacted for you is called Brother Bao. I’ll send you his WeChat later. You can talk to him yourself.

All right. Thanks, Brother Zhang.

Lin Manzhang: No problem. Are you really going to catch giant croaker?

I’ll try. I don’t know if I can succeed. I just bought a fishing rod. If there are any, I might use the rod.

This time in Qianyong City, Lu Ao had specifically spent more than six hundred yuan on a rod for big fish. He had also changed the line to an eighty-pound-test nylon line.

For now, he was still more used to his human form. It was not very easy to exert strength underwater, but onshore was much better.

If he really could catch a giant croaker, it would be more convenient to pull it in from shore.

If he ended up like last time and was dragged into turning into a dragon by a giant grouper, it would be bad if someone saw him.

Very soon, Lin Manzhang sent Brother Bao’s WeChat over.

Lu Ao added him and chatted briefly. Brother Bao readily agreed to take him to Niutou Island tomorrow. He refused to take money and only told him to arrive at Erxi Dock in Tuanbao Town at around six the next morning.

Lu Ao agreed.

Early the next morning, Lu Ao brought his fishing rod, diving suit, cookware, induction cooker, and other things, arriving at Erxi Dock early.

He also specially bought two jin of live shrimp in Tuanbao Town to use as bait.

Brother Bao was a dark and skinny fisherman. When the two met, Brother Bao showed a mouthful of white teeth and opened by saying, “You’re the first person I’ve met this year who’s set his sights on giant croaker.”

“What about previous years?”

“There were lots in previous years. Last year, people from other towns came over specifically to try their luck, but they didn’t find anything.”

Lu Ao did not get angry at his cold water. “Maybe I’ll be the one who finds it.”

“Hahahaha, I also think that if anyone can find it, that person has to be you. Only you have that kind of luck and skill.” Brother Bao said, “Then let’s get ready to set off.”

“All right. I brought quite a lot of things.”

Brother Bao looked down and saw that he had specially brought a sixty-five-liter storage box. Inside were cookware, an induction cooker, rice, cured meat, as well as a diving suit, fishing rod, and other things. He nodded in understanding. “If you’re going out to sea for a whole day, you really do need to bring everything.”

The cost of going out to sea was quite high. Most fishermen would not return at noon. Instead, they would casually eat some bread, buns, biscuits, boxed meals, and the like on the boat. Some people cooked for themselves. After all, eating bread and buns for one meal still cost more than ten yuan and was not very filling. It was more practical to cook for oneself.

The two of them moved the things onto Brother Bao’s small fishing boat.

Brother Bao’s wife was also there, and Lu Ao greeted her politely.

After Brother Bao’s wife saw his appearance clearly, her attitude became visibly warmer, and she invited him to eat banana-leaf rice cakes.

After putting the things away, Brother Bao started the boat and took Lu Ao toward Niutou Island.

They would first send Lu Ao to Niutou Island, then go collect their nets.

In summer, there were more fish. They would first retrieve the drift nets they had set the day before, take the fish out, then cast the nets again. After two or three hours, they would come back to collect the nets again, then cast them one more time and leave them for the next day.

An ordinary fisherman would usually set three to five bundles of nets at a time. Repeating this cycle of collecting and casting would basically consume an entire day at sea.

After they finished fishing and happened to return, they would go pick up Lu Ao, so it would not be much trouble.

Lu Ao arrived on Niutou Island.

It was a solitary island, standing alone out of the sea. Within dozens of li around it, there was no second island, and almost no passing fishermen could be seen.

Lu Ao put down his things, picked a place to change into his diving suit, and planned to go into the sea first to check whether the giant croakers were nearby and, if they were, where exactly they were.

Only after figuring out the fish situation could he bait a spot and start fishing.