Chapter 302: Smiles don't disappear; they just shift

The anglers quickly came over.

Fishing gear on their backs, they hold fish keepers or tackle boxes in hand, some carry folding chairs; don't think the anglers, out in the wind and sun every day, don't know how to enjoy themselves—they really do.

Many people envy them.

They walked over and greeted with a smile: "Mo Lao, what are you looking at?"

"The folks at Panshuikeng have already started packing up."

Mo Lao said: "I'm waiting for them to finish packing."

"What are you waiting for?"

"Then we'll keep you company while you wait."

"Just now I sent a message in the group; it so happens that Boss Fang needs to come over here on business, so I'll have him bring our catch back, saving us a trip to the market."

"Why would Boss Fang come here on business instead of going to the dock?"

"What business?"

"Who knows? Anyway, we're just tagging along."

Mo Lao listened, looking toward Wu An and the others moving the water pump; this is the coastal road, there's not much here, coming here on business, what business could there be? Surely they're here to collect goods.

That must be what Wu An and the others hired.

He didn't expose it.

He waited to see.

The anglers curiously asked about the old man who came up behind, and Mo Lao didn't hide anything, saying: "He's not the elder of those two kids; he's here to work."

"Work?"

"What kind of work?"

"Making money from Panshuikeng?"

"No way, those two kids aren't causing enough trouble; they even spent money to hire workers to help them."

"Really an eye-opener."

The anglers were quite surprised.

Mo Lao nodded: "That's exactly it."

"Just messing around."

"Just fooling around."

"Looking at them, it seems unreliable, a youngster plus an old man…"

The person hadn't finished speaking before hastily closing their mouth.

Mo Lao glanced at that person and asked: "What's up, looking down on the old man?"

"No, not that, but how could an ordinary old man compare to you?"

"Hmph."

At that moment.

Wu An and the others had already packed up the water pump; the fish keepers, snake-skin bags, and net cages were soaking in seawater, not in a rush to take them out, waiting for Boss Fang to come before moving them wouldn't be late.

This haul was not bad.

They only have one motor tricycle; the water pump and assorted tools already take up most of the cargo bed, definitely can't carry all that catch.

Wu An thought it over and called Lao Fang.

Upon hearing there were many crab tigers, Lao Fang was very proactive and agreed without hesitation.

After Wu An finished packing up, he carried a water bucket over and asked: "Mo Lao, which is your fish box?"

Mo Lao moved the fish box over; it was quite heavy. He had been fishing continuously for almost an hour, getting bites on the line, though nothing valuable, it still weighed quite a bit.

Wu An opened it and saw: stone nine public, sea bass, yellow-footed fish, and a few sea tilapia; they're ordinary goods, but together they're not few—exchanging for one crab tiger and one earth dragon would be more than enough.

Alright, let's swap.

Wu An moved the fish box over and left the water bucket behind.

Several anglers stared dumbfounded.

"Mo Lao, what does this mean?"

"Still doing good deeds?"

"Poor the folks at Panshuikeng, planning to give away their catch?"

"You'd be better off giving it to me; I'll at least say thanks, whereas that kid wouldn't even let out a fart."

Mo Lao coughed twice: "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Do I look like a do-gooder to you?"

"Open your eyes and see what's in the water bucket."

The anglers lowered their heads to look.

"Holy shit, these are crab tigers?"

"Such big crab tigers are rare."

"And there's earth dragon; I hear it's very nourishing, can strengthen the body and bones, especially effective for sore waist and back."

"Old Li, you kid must be kidney-deficient, but eating this is just the right medicine."

Some also reacted, asking: "Mo Lao, you traded the fish you caught for crab tigers and earth dragons?"

Mo Lao nodded.

"Although these two fish are relatively rare, in terms of value, the fish you caught could still sell for more money."

"Mo Lao is still kind-hearted."

"After watching people joke for so long, giving some compensation is only right, right, Mo Lao?"

Although these two fish aren't worth that much money, once they're at the market, if you really want to buy them, you might not be able to get them.

That's true, wild Crab Tigers and Earth Dragons are in high demand, so Mo Lao's deal is still profitable.

Looking at it this way, their luck at Panshuikeng isn't bad—they managed to catch Crab Tigers and Earth Dragons; at least they can break even.

Indeed.

It's not completely pointless either.

The fishing folks were chatting when Boss Fang drove up in his van.

The van had been modified.

Apart from the driver and passenger seats, the back was purely for loading the catch.

It reeked terribly.

After A Qing got close, he couldn't help complaining a couple of times, then grabbed some paper towels, rolled them up, and stuffed them into his nostrils.

The fishing folks waved and greeted him.

Boss Fang arrived pretty quickly.

Our haul today is quite sizable.

Oh, right, you said you came here on business—what business is that?

Boss Fang greeted them cheerfully.

He pointed at Wu An and the others and said, 'What business could I have? Of course I'm here to collect the goods.'

The fishing folks were collectively stunned.

Someone reacted.

Boss Fang, you're still a decent person.

Yeah, you don't mind the hassle, and you even specially drove your van over to pick up the cargo.

No wonder Boss Fang does the best business in the market.

If we catch a lot of fish, will you come to collect them?

The fishing folks praised him.

They never thought it was because Wu An and the others had caught too many fish that couldn't be transported, which is why they had Boss Fang come to collect the goods.

Mainly, they had never even considered such a concept.

Nobody had ever caught fish or had a haul from Panshuikeng so large that it couldn't be moved.

Wu An and the others' actions exceeded their understanding, so it's normal for misunderstandings to arise.

Boss Fang certainly, a bit embarrassed, said: 'Then it just depends on how many fish you've caught.'

If it's as much as A An and the others, I'll definitely come.

If the haul isn't that big, it's fine; if I'm not busy, I can still drive over.

He didn't speak definitively, and these fishing folks' relationships also need maintenance.

What do you mean?

As much as their catch?

How much catch can they manage?

They just...

A fishing guy's words weren't finished yet, and just like the others, he stared straight at Wu An and the others as they pulled the fish protectors and net cages out of the pond.

As they passed by, the fish inside the net cages were layered, jumping about, water splashing out and some even landing on them.

Nobody dodged.

Because they were all dumbfounded.

Each of them had disrupted breathing and stared with mouths agape.

They were all fishing folks; at a glance you could tell how many fish were in that net cage.

Wu An, A Qing, and Lao Fu Tou carried the fish protectors and net cages past them, then returned to keep moving them.

Under their gaze, a snake skin bag was pulled out of the pit.

The snake skin bag was bulging, emerging from the water with splashes flying everywhere.

Surely it couldn't be filled with stones, could it?

As they passed by, a fishing fellow couldn't resist reaching out to press on the snake skin bag and whispered, 'Looks like crab.'

The others listened and involuntarily swallowed.

Real or fake?

Can a single pond really yield this much?

Someone couldn't help thinking, even suspecting that Wu An and the others had deliberately dumped their catch into the pond beforehand and then came to fish it.

Online, there are people who actually do that fake!