Chapter 210

~14 min read 2,793 words

No need to talk about the shrimp crab.

Basket after basket.

Translation: "One basket after another." (Literal: one basket, then another basket.)

Opening the live fish hold, a sea eel shot out, nearly biting a helper and sending him sprawling to the ground.

Translation: "Opening the live fish hold, a sea eel shot straight out, almost biting a helper, scaring that person into sitting down on the ground." Need to keep meaning: "Opening the live fish hold, a sea eel directly shot out, almost biting a helper, scaring that person into sitting down on the ground." We'll produce: "Opening the live fish hold, a sea eel shot straight out, almost biting a helper, scaring that person into sitting on the ground."

"This... this... this work isn't easy to do."

A few helpers shouted in unison.

Translation: "Several helpers shouted in unison." We'll produce: "Several helpers shouted in unison."

A Jin frowned: "Virtue."

"Still picking work?"

If you're not willing, you can go; I'll find someone else.

Translation: "\"If you're not willing, just go; I'll find someone else. \"" We'll produce: "\"If you're not willing, just go; I'll find someone else. \""

A few helpers quickly shouted, "We're willing, we're willing!"

Translation: "Several helpers hurriedly shouted: \"Willing, willing. \"" We'll produce: "Several helpers hurriedly shouted: \"Willing, willing. \""

It's just some sea eels.

Translation: "\"It's just some sea eels. \"" We'll produce: "\"It's just some sea eels. \""

Easy to handle.

Besides the live fish hold, there are also some in the cold storage; those that don't survive being brought up are put straight into the cold storage.

Translation: "Not only the live fish hold, but there are also some in the cold storage; those that don't survive upon arrival are simply placed in the cold storage." We'll produce: "Not only the live fish hold, but there are also some in the cold storage; those that don't survive upon arrival are simply placed in the cold storage."

This catch is too mixed.

Translation: "\"This catch is too mixed. \"" We'll produce: "\"This catch is too mixed. \""

And this boat's seafood haul is even larger than the trawlers'.

Translation: "\"Moreover, this boat's seafood is even more than that of the trawlers. \"" We'll produce: "\"Moreover, this boat's seafood is even more than that of the trawlers. \""

I was still wondering why a small boat would come looking for us... no wonder.

Translation: "\"I still wonder why a small boat came looking for us... no wonder. \"" We'll produce: "\"I still wonder why a small boat came looking for us... no wonder. \""

Hehe, glad we came; otherwise we'd have missed this big job.

Translation: "\"Hehe, good thing we came, otherwise we'd miss this big job. \"" We'll produce: "\"Hehe, good thing we came, otherwise we'd miss this big job. \""

The helpers chatted while getting to work.

Translation: "The helpers chatted and got busy." We'll produce: "The helpers chatted and got busy."

Even Gao Qiangqi, seeing basket after basket of shrimp being unloaded, couldn't help but stare wide-eyed: "How can there be so many?"

Translation: "Not to mention the helpers, even Gao Qiangqi, seeing basket after basket of mantis shrimp being moved out of the ship, couldn't help but widen his eyes: \"How can there be so many? \"" We'll produce: "Not to mention the helpers, even Gao Qiangqi, seeing basket after basket of mantis shrimp being moved out of the ship, couldn't help but widen his eyes: \"How can there be so many? \""

I doubt those two trawlers next door caught even this much shrimp.

Translation: "\"I think the mantis shrimp brought up by those two trawlers next door might not even be this many. \"" We'll produce: "\"I think the mantis shrimp brought up by those two trawlers next door might not even be this many. \""

Ah An, sometimes I envy you; how can your luck be so good?

Translation: "\"A An, sometimes I envy you; how can your luck be so good? \"" We'll produce: "\"A An, sometimes I envy you; how can your luck be so good? \""

Wu An laughed: "Brother Qiang, honestly, I envy you too."

Translation: "Wu An laughed heartily: \"Qiang Ge, to be honest, I also envy you. \"" We'll produce: "Wu An laughed heartily: \"Qiang Ge, to be honest, I also envy you. \""

What do you envy me for?

Translation: "\"Envy me about what? \"" We'll produce: "\"Envy me about what? \""

I envy you for having me as a friend.

Translation: "\"Envious that you have me as a friend. \"" We'll produce: "\"Envious that you have me as a friend. \""

Damn! That makes sense!

"Damn! That makes sense!"

Hahaha.

Translation: "\"Hahaha. \"" We'll produce: "\"Hahaha. \""

Wu An is genuinely in a good mood, after all he made money.

Translation: "Wu An's mood is genuinely good, after all he made money." We'll produce: "Wu An's mood is genuinely good, after all he made money."

Before long, more and more people gathered around the fishing boat to watch; by the time the two neighboring boats finished unloading, the crowd was so thick it was impenetrable.

Translation: "Unbeknownst to them, the number of people gathering to watch the fun around the fishing boat kept increasing; after the two neighboring fishing boats finished unloading, it was practically a wall of people." We'll produce: "Unbeknownst to them, the number of people gathering to watch the fun around the fishing boat kept increasing; after the two neighboring fishing boats finished unloading, it was practically a wall of people."

It's truly rare.

Translation: "It's truly rare." We'll produce: "It's truly rare."

It's amazing that such a small fishing boat can unload this much cargo.

Translation: "Such a small fishing boat can actually unload this much cargo." We'll produce: "Such a small fishing boat can actually unload this much cargo."

Sea eel.

Translation: "Sea eel." We'll produce: "Sea eel."

Yellow seabream.

Translation: "Yellow bream." We'll produce: "Yellow bream."

Black seabream.

Translation: "Black bream." We'll produce: "Black bream."

Oil-spotted grouper.

Translation: "Oil-spotted grouper." We'll produce: "Oil-spotted grouper."

Prawn.

Translation: "Mantis shrimp." We'll produce: "Mantis shrimp."

Peeled shrimp.

Translation: "Glass shrimp." We'll produce: "Glass shrimp."

Swimming crab.

Translation: "Shuttle crab." We'll produce: "Shuttle crab."

Orchid crab.

Translation: "Orchid crab." We'll produce: "Orchid crab."

Green crab.

Translation: "Green crab." We'll produce: "Green crab."

……

Translation: "……" (ellipsis). We'll produce: "……"

The sheer quantity and variety left everyone in awe.

Translation: "The sheer quantity and variety left everyone in awe." We'll produce: "The sheer quantity and variety left everyone in awe."

A few helpers who had just come off the two neighboring trawlers, smoking to relieve fatigue, also came over to look; seeing the cargo unloaded from the small fishing boat, they immediately felt frustrated and slapped their thighs.

Translation: "A few helpers who had just come down from the two neighboring trawlers, smoking to relieve fatigue, also came over to look; seeing the cargo unloaded from the tiny fishing boat, they immediately felt depressed and slapped their thighs." We'll produce: "A few helpers who had just come down from the two neighboring trawlers, smoking to relieve fatigue, also came over to look; seeing the cargo unloaded from the tiny fishing boat, they immediately felt depressed and slapped their thighs."

If I'd known this small boat would have this much cargo, I wouldn't have rushed to work on the trawler.

Translation: "\"If I had known this small boat would have so much cargo, I wouldn't have rushed to work on the trawler. \"" We'll produce: "\"If I had known this small boat would have so much cargo, I wouldn't have rushed to work on the trawler. \""

Yeah, the boat isn't small, but the catch is just so-so.

Translation: "\"Yeah, the boat isn't small, but the catch is just so-so. \"" We'll produce: "\"Yeah, the boat isn't small, but the catch is just so-so. \""

Actually, the Chen family's two trawlers already have a decent catch; frankly, it's more than Wu An's boat, but you have to compare catches; if the trawlers' haul were still not as good as this one small boat, they'd have no face.

Translation: "Actually, the Chen family's two trawlers have a decent catch; objectively speaking, their seafood is more than Wu An's boat, but the saying goes 'compare goods and discard the inferior'; if the two trawlers' haul is still not as good as this one small boat, where's their face?" We'll produce: "Actually, the Chen family's two trawlers have a decent catch; objectively speaking, their seafood is more than Wu An's boat, but the saying goes 'compare goods and discard the inferior'; if the two trawlers' haul is still not as good as this one small boat, where's their face?"

On the neighboring trawler, the Chen family was also watching.

Translation: "On the neighboring trawler, the Chen family members were also watching." We'll produce: "On the neighboring trawler, the Chen family members were also watching."

What's going on?

Translation: "\"What's going on? \"" We'll produce: "\"What's going on? \""

It seems the catch is huge.

Translation: "\"It seems the catch is a lot. \"" We'll produce: "\"It seems the catch is a lot. \""

I'll go take a look.

Translation: "\"I'll go take a look. \"" We'll produce: "\"I'll go take a look. \""

Hmph, how much catch could a little broken boat have?

Translation: "\"Hmph, how much catch could a broken little boat have? \"" We'll produce: "\"Hmph, how much catch could a broken little boat have? \""

Someone came back, explained the situation, and left several others stunned.

Translation: "Someone came back, explained the situation, and left several others stunned." We'll produce: "Someone came back, explained the situation, and left several others stunned."

Real or fake?

Translation: "\"Real or fake? \"" We'll produce: "\"Real or fake? \""

With so many people watching, how could it be fake...

Translation: "\"With so many people watching, how could it be fake... \"\"" We'll produce: "\"With so many people watching, how could it be fake... \""

Damn, this kid's luck is too good!

"Damn, this kid's luck is too good!"

Alright, stop looking, let's go back; it's not that bad yet.

Translation: "\"Alright, stop looking, let's go back; it's not even that frustrating. \"" We'll produce: "\"Alright, stop looking, let's go back; it's not even that frustrating. \""

I heard that Chen Long got beaten up and hospitalized again; his sister-in-law told us to bring some spring fish home to nourish him.

Translation: "\"I heard Chen Long that kid got beaten up and hospitalized again; the second sister-in-law told us to bring some spring fish home to nourish him. \"" We'll produce: "\"I heard Chen Long that kid got beaten up and hospitalized again; the second sister-in-law told us to bring some spring fish home to nourish him. \""

Hmph, I think she's just craving.

Translation: "\"Hmph, I think she's just craving. \"" We'll produce: "\"Hmph, I think she's just craving. \""

Alright, say less; the eldest brother was arrested, the second brother's family has constant troubles, so helping more is only right.

Translation: "\"Alright, say less; the eldest brother was arrested, the second brother's family has constant troubles, helping more is also appropriate. \"" We'll produce: "\"Alright, say less; the eldest brother was arrested, the second brother's family has constant troubles, helping more is also appropriate. \""

The Chen family finished speaking and left the dock.

Translation: "The Chen family members, speaking, left the dock." We'll produce: "The Chen family members, speaking, left the dock."

The dock was in chaos; Wu An and Gao Qiangqi's group had already left, and they hadn't even had a proper meal at sea, Gao Qiangqi included.

Translation: "The dock was in chaos; Wu An and Gao Qiangqi's group had already left long ago, and they hadn't eaten a proper meal at sea, Gao Qiangqi likewise." We'll produce: "The dock was in chaos; Wu An and Gao Qiangqi's group had already left long ago, and they hadn't eaten a proper meal at sea, Gao Qiangqi likewise."

After opening the sea, he was so busy his feet never touched the ground.

A group found a small shop; each got a bowl of rice noodles loaded with toppings, and they began eating with their heads down.

After finishing the meal and taking a brief rest, they received word that the goods had all been sorted, and A Qing went to the dock to clean the fishing boats.

Simply rinsing with seawater wasn't enough; upon reaching the dock, they needed to wash again.

Mai Hangyu took his wages and went home first.

They arrived at the market.

Wu An said he would go for a stroll to see if there was any seafood he liked; Gao Qiangqi said nothing and returned to the office to make a phone call.

After walking around the market, the variety of seafood was clearly much greater than before, and Wu An finally bought a bag of hand‑made beef balls and fish balls.

They were all genuine ingredients, with no technology or harsh tricks involved.

In his previous life, he had bought the "pee‑soaked" beef balls from "a certain well"; after one bite he started crying straight away.

He didn't want to think about it.

He couldn't think too much.

Returning to Gao Qiangqi's storefront, a moment later Gao Qiangqi came out of the office and said, "A An, I've just made the call and already got in touch."

"This batch of your goods is fine; I'm not hiding anything from you, especially those stone eels—they offered me 100 per jin, but I can only give you 90 per jin."

"I also have to make money from this big stall of mine."

He explained the situation openly and aboveboard.

Wu An made the excuse of going for a stroll just because he was worried that his presence would make it inconvenient for Gao Qiangqi to contact his channels; as a result, Gao Qiangqi ended up laying everything out in full.

Wu An knew that if he found a way to expand the channels, he could sell the catch for a higher price, but that would be too much trouble.

He also didn't have that much energy to spare for the hassle.

In just these two days after the fishing season opened, he already felt somewhat overwhelmed; fatigue was secondary, mainly he couldn't sleep or eat properly, making real rest impossible.

He smiled and nodded, saying, "Brother Qiang, let's stop rehashing the same old talk."

"Between us brothers, let's not stand on ceremony."

"You handle it; just make sure you don't lose out."

"All right, then let's weigh it."

Weighing things like this is naturally A Jin's job; having just finished, A Qing arrived, and together they went into the office where Gao Qiangqi calculated the accounts with a calculator.

"Zero it out, zero it out."

"……"

After the accounts were tallied, Wu An took over the list, glanced at it, nodded, and said, "Brother Qiang, just round it up—give me forty thousand and that'll do."

The change that was rounded off amounted to 120.

Lunch was still treat‑paid by Gao Qiangqi, and it wasn't intentional to repay him; that's just how human relations work.

Gao Qiangqi walked into the rest room, shortly thereafter took out the money, and placed four stacks in front of him.

"Want to grab a drink together tonight?"

"No thanks, Brother Qiang; I've already told my family I'll be eating at home tonight."

"Right."

"My boat is just parked in town; later A Qing and I will ride back, so please leave some bait for me—I'll need it for the longline and the crab pot."

"Now that the fishing season's open, bait is available whenever you need it."

"That works."

Wu An then got up to take his leave.

Just as they stepped out, A Qing curiously asked, "Brother, where did we get the vehicle?"

Wu An chuckled: "From the shop."

"Buy a scooter to go back."

"We only have one motor tricycle at home; taking it out isn't very convenient."

He had cash in hand.

It was just over a hundred thousand.

Even the most expensive scooter in town cost only a little over that amount; after a bit of haggling, he swiped his card on the spot, filled up the tank, and left.

"Ask about a license?"

"That definitely doesn't exist."

In town you don't really need a license to ride; Wu An planned to look for a connection when he had time—it was just a matter of spending some money—so instead of going home he first went to the repair shop.

Although the matter could be discussed over the phone, Wu An felt it was better to talk face to face.

He wasn't in a hurry to go home.

Yet it left the person who had been guarding his home with nothing to do but wait helplessly.

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End of Chapter

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Ch. 210 / 68930%