Chapter 127: Not a Flex: An Ordinary Yet Fulfilling Day

Lao Mai and A Qing pulled in fish one after another; seeing Wu An still tugging with the fish, they realized it was another big fish and hurried over to look.

"What fish?"

"Still letting out line?"

"I don't know, it's been running for a while, not weak at all; feels about the same as hooking a Three-knife Fish."

"That's almost certainly it."

"Yeah, bro, you're lucky—definitely a Three-knife Fish."

"Although they were using the Linked Rod Technique, what they hauled up were just ordinary sea fish; even a dozen or so together couldn't match a single Three-knife Fish."

"It took nearly ten minutes for the fish to tire."

"The moment the fish came out of the water, A Qing and Lao Mai shouted in unison: 'Three-knife Fish, really a Three-knife Fish, bro, you're awesome!'"

"Wu An also laughed."

"Damn."

"He also felt he was a bit badass."

"Lao Mai scooped the fish, carefully placing it in the bucket, and said: 'It's a bit bigger than the first one, probably about three jin.'"

"Wu An nodded; it was obvious his Luck Value today was all on fishing."

"Or maybe it's thanks to the fishing boat?"

"If he later buys a Trawler, does he just need to give the Trawler a Luck Boost, then let the Workers go out to sea while he lies at home counting money?"

"Expand and strengthen."

"Form a fleet!"

"The more Wu An thought about it, the happier he felt."

"However, he then kept hooking Stone Nine Publics in succession, which calmed him down."

"Seeing that it was almost noon and his Luck Value had just been reset, he simply reeled in his Fishing Rod and said: 'You guys keep fishing; I'm going to cook.'"

"He had caught two Three-knife Fish, his Luck Value heavily depleted, while A Qing's and Lao Mai's Fishing Rods still had Luck Value, and the two replied without even turning their heads."

"Fortunately, after stocking up big at the supermarket, preparations were ample, and there was an electric rice cooker available."

"First, let the rice steam."

"Then take a Stone Nine Public, make a soup, add some diced tofu, and a pot of Stone Nine Public tofu soup is ready."

"After all, they're on a fishing boat, conditions are ordinary, so they can only sit simply."

"He took a smaller Red Friend for braising, and also took a Sea Bass for steaming."

"He also prepared a serving of garlic-infused water spinach, and the lunch was ready."

"Given the conditions, the meal is definitely seafood-heavy."

"He called out, and A Qing and Lao Mai, still wanting more, reeled in their lines; seeing Wu An had prepared so many dishes, Lao Mai exclaimed: 'This is too lavish!'"

"A Qing said: 'It's all because you, bro, arranged for me to buy.'"

"Wu An smiled, took out a slip of paper, and said: 'Not me, it's my sister-in-law.'"

"Lao Mai took it and looked."

"Wu An explained: 'This is the shopping list my sister-in-law made, saying that making money out here isn't easy, so we shouldn't shortchange ourselves.'"

"'She wasn't at ease; she originally said she'd come along to help with the shopping.'"

"'I had to persuade her with good words and bad to keep her from coming along; otherwise, as we agreed, she wouldn't want to hire a vehicle alone and would definitely have to walk back.'"

"Lao Mai nodded: 'Your sister-in-law is a decent person.'"

"Wu An smiled: 'Having such a kind and thoughtful sister-in-law is his blessing.'"

"After washing his hands, he sat down on the ground and started eating; A Qing and Lao Mai also gave him face, repeatedly praising how delicious it was."

"After eating and drinking well, it was already just past one in the afternoon."

"The sun was brutally strong."

"Having eaten and drunk his fill, he felt sleepy."

"Lao Mai, being older, leaned against the shelter and sat on the ground, constantly yawning; A Qing was similar, and Wu An said: 'Take a break, then fish again.'"

"The two had no objections; each curled up, pulled their straw hats over their heads, and soon snoring rose."

"On the opposite island."

"The older child was eating, from the lunchbox they'd brought; the food was cold, but the weather was hot, so it didn't matter."

"That couple were still busy; with the tide going out now, they had no time to eat."

"Seize the time to make money!"

"After the older child finished eating and put away the lunchbox, the wife asked: 'What are those few fishing guys on the boat doing?'"

"The older child shook his head: 'I saw they were just eating a moment ago; now there's no movement.'"

"The man said: 'They're probably asleep.'"

"The wife pouted: 'They definitely didn't catch any fish; otherwise, how could they sleep?'"

"The man nodded, also thinking it made sense."

"……"

"Wu An woke up, saw the time was already 2:30 p. m., having slept over an hour, his whole body felt even more fatigued."

"After washing his face with water and moving a bit, he finally felt refreshed."

"A Qing and Lao Mai also woke up shortly after; Lao Mai drank a cup of tea, looking at the energetic A Qing, a flicker of envy crossed his eyes."

"Coincidentally, there were still 15 points of Luck Value left; each person got 5 points added."

"Lao Mai started the fishing boat, moving even closer to the small island."

"After stopping the boat."

Start fishing.

Fishing also depends on the tide; right now the sea is half tide, a good time for fishing.

Of course, it doesn't matter if you don't pay attention.

Wu An soon hooked a fish.

As a result, pulling it up revealed a stone bream, and he couldn't help but be overjoyed.

During this time, Wu An also came to understand the prices of ordinary seafood; stone bream looks similar to black bream, but the price difference is actually quite large.

The price of stone bream is higher than that of ordinary grouper, and its price will continue to rise in the future.

A Qing and Lao Mai were the same; they pulled up three fish, and there was always a stone bream among them.

A Qing was very happy: 'Brother, another stone bream—I've pulled up another stone bream.'

Lao Mai was also happy: 'Me too.'

Wu An smiled and nodded; A Qing grabbed the fishing line and lifted the fish into the air, the stone bream still struggling, showing great vitality.

Accidentally, it hit him in the face.

'Ow.' A Qing couldn't help crying out from the pain, feeling his face burning.

Wu An watched as half of A Qing's face turned red at a visible speed.

A Qing touched his face, wanting to cry but without tears.

Wu An hurriedly shouted: 'Damn, tonight we'll eat it to help you get revenge.'

A Qing nodded vigorously.

Lao Mai laughed heartily; being with Wu An and A Qing made him feel much younger.

After fishing for another hour or so, although they didn't catch any more three-knife fish, they caught quite a few stone bream, which was not bad.

As the luck value was exhausted, the bite rate dropped noticeably, but the three continued fishing.

They only stopped when the bait ran out.

I checked the time; it was already past four in the afternoon, approaching five.

After another couple of hours of continuous fishing, Wu An let out a long breath, feeling relieved that the bait had run out, otherwise if they kept fishing like this, he feared his arms would be ruined.

During this period he ate a lot of fish and meat every day, yet his body showed no sign of gaining weight.

Eating a lot and expending a lot wasn't without benefit; his abdomen already showed the beginnings of abs.

A Qing also rubbed his arms: 'Brother, it's really tiring; I really don't know how those fishermen who fish continuously for two or three days manage to endure.'

Lao Mai laughed: 'They don't have our luck with the linked rod technique; if luck is bad, they might not catch a few fish all day.'

A Qing suddenly understood.

After simply tidying up, Lao Mai went to start the boat; A Qing had completely overcome his fear of the sea, and as he walked, he even waved at the half-grown children peeking from the island.

Wu An also felt fine; it seemed that two trips out to sea had already let them gradually adapt.

Apart from the three-knife fish caught at the beginning, today was just an ordinary yet fulfilling day.

This is life.

There aren't many ups and downs; making a few thousand dollars a day is already enough to satisfy him.

On the island.

The half-grown children waved back.

Soon his parents called him; the tide was about to come in, and they were already too tired to do anything.

The half-grown children helped with the moving.

Although the couple was tired, they were happy; they had picked up many spicy snails and some general's hats, and they would surely get a good price when they went back, at least much better than gathering by the seaside.

The woman curiously asked: 'Has that fishing boat left?'

The child nodded.

The man casually asked: 'Did you see them catch any fish?'

The child nodded again.

The man asked: 'How many did they catch?'

The child hesitated: 'There are so many fish, I can't even count them.'

'Not like you, Dad, who only catches one fish in half a day.'

'They pull up a fish every few minutes.'

The woman and the man were stunned.

'Really?'

'Really.'

'Oh dear, heavens, such a good fish bite, and I actually missed it like this.'

The man slapped his thigh, crying out to heaven and earth, blaming the woman for stopping him; otherwise he could casually catch a few fish and surely earn more than picking spicy snails.

The woman didn't dare retort, saying: 'They didn't just leave? Then go try their fishing spot.'

The man nodded: 'Fine, fine, fine, let's hurry up and pack up.'