Chapter 40: So sour

Almost an hour later.

Wu An and A Qing had already pulled in about twenty yellow-foot fish, seven or eight sea bass, and two Stone Nine Public; basically, they were catching a fish every one or two minutes.

Wu An shouted, "A Qing, take a break."

A Qing wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Brother, listening to you, let's have some eggs."

He took out the thermos from his backpack, which still had a bag wrapped around it; after opening it, the eggs were still warm, and he first handed it to Wu An: "Brother, here you are."

Wu An took a big gulp of water and said, "Drink some water to wet your throat first, then eat the eggs."

A Qing responded with an acknowledgment.

When Wu An peeled the eggs, his hand trembled a little; he hadn't felt anything while fishing, but after stopping, he felt sore and swollen—this was a strain injury.

A Qing was even more exaggerated; his hand shook like someone with Parkinson's.

And yet he was reluctant to stop.

A Qing's physique was far worse than his; the reason he called for a stop was because he himself felt tired, so A Qing must be exhausted beyond endurance.

If they didn't stop, they might wear themselves out.

He said, "A Qing, rest if you're tired; we're earning money for ourselves, and our bodies are our capital—do you understand?"

A Qing nodded: "I know."

Wu An looked at him and knew that this "I know" was just lip service.

There was nothing to be done.

Who could resist catching fish with the linked rod technique?

They simply couldn't stop, and they didn't want to.

As long as they didn't work themselves to death, they'd work as hard as possible.

Wu An didn't say anything more; like A Qing, he also really wanted to make money!

Although he had paid off the usury loan, he was still penniless; he needed to make money, for only with money would he have the confidence to help his father and older brother and sister-in-law.

Only when he could improve his family's life would he have the face to return home.

He knew that.

Life at home was hard.

His father and elder brother were both idealistic, willing to sacrifice for work; for such people, how should he put it? If they were strangers, he would respect them, but as family, it's really hard to judge.

Anyway, he couldn't manage selfless sacrifice.

Of course, the hardship at home was still his fault.

After swallowing two eggs, Wu An asked, "A Qing, how are you?"

"I've got strength." A Qing gulped another big mouthful of water and said, "My hand isn't shaking anymore."

Wu An moved his arms and said, "Have a smoke and then fish."

A Qing took out a cigarette and asked, "Brother, you really aren't smoking?"

Wu An nodded.

A Qing thought for a moment, also put the cigarette back in his pocket, and said, "My mom doesn't like me smoking either."

"Brother, I'll quit with you."

"Good brothers stick together."

Wu An grinned, heard the sound of a vehicle, turned his head, and saw a small car parked at the village entrance, then a figure slowly walking over.

As the figure drew nearer, Wu An raised his eyebrows in slight surprise—it was an old man, and seeing his many bundles, he looked enlightened.

The old man, seeing two people on the reef, was also somewhat surprised and waved at them to greet.

Wu An nodded in response.

The old man asked, "Handsome guy, got a smoke?"

Wu An said, "Yes."

"Have you caught any three-knife fish?" the old man said, "I heard there are three-knife fish here, so I came out of curiosity."

"Old man, your info is outdated," A Qing said with a chuckle, "Only three or five years ago did someone catch one here."

"Several people from our village also come here every day to fish because of that."

"Lin Hu and Lin Bin also got hooked on fishing back then, daydreaming about catching a three-knife fish."

The last sentence, A Qing whispered to Wu An.

Wu An realized, he had also heard of the three-knife fish; it's called the "Fish King," selling for seven or eight hundred per catty, and that's just the wholesale price—retail would be even more exorbitant.

The old man smiled: "Since we're here, we might as well stay."

They chatted for a few sentences.

The old man found a spot about ten meters away from Wu An and the others; seeing his tackle box, stool, and full fishing gear, A Qing silently marveled, "Brother, this old man looks really professional."

Wu An nodded.

Never mind anything else, just that fancy fishing rod must be worth a good amount of money.

Now the sky had lightened a bit, and with the lamp shining, he could see clearly that the old man was using live shrimp as bait; the shrimp, still jumping on the hook, would definitely be more effective as bait than their clam meat.

Watching the old man cast his line with a "whoosh," A Qing muttered quietly, "He's really rich—can't he eat those shrimp himself?"

Live shrimp are far more expensive than clams.

In comparison,

The old man is like a regular army with guns and cannons, whereas they are merely a guerrilla force with millet and rifles.

Wu An smiled; there was nothing to compare, the old man at his age coming to fish must be enjoying life.

After watching the old man tinker for several minutes, he said, "Let's start fishing too."

Deep blue.

Add Point.

Luck Value: 48 (8).

They looked at the Elder, and the Elder was also looking at them.

The Elder watched the two people's motion of casting the rod and baiting, secretly shook his head, and greeted: "Two handsome guys, are you newbies?"

Wu An was stunned: "How do you know?"

The Elder laughed heartily: "I could tell."

Wu An said: "Your judgment is spot on."

Just as his words fell, Wu An felt a tug and sharply lifted the Fishing Rod.

Whoosh.

The Fishing Line was taut.

The tip of the Fishing Rod bent into a full moon, drooping toward the sea surface, and as the hooked bait struggled, it swayed left and right.

A Qing shouted right after: "Brother, I also hooked a fish!"

The Elder's smile froze instantly.

That fast?

Are the fish biting that well?

He hurriedly gripped the Fishing Rod, aiming the Headlamp and lure light at the sea surface, awaiting the moment of a catch.

But until the two youths next door pulled up their fish, his side still had no movement.

A Qing was overjoyed: "Brother, we both caught Black Bream!"

They're much bigger than yellow-foot shrimp.

Wu An smiled: "Pretty good."

Continue.

The two fish look similar and their prices are about the same; Black Bream generally have larger heads, so they can naturally fetch a higher price.

Next.

The two again started the Linked Rod Technique mode.

Because they stood too close, they accidentally tangled the lines, but fortunately the fish didn't escape, and they managed to scoop it up.

Everyone watching the Elder was dumbfounded.

I originally thought they were hiding their strength, but seeing their clumsy swapping of fishing line and tackle, it's obvious they're just two newbies.

Could it be that the Newbie Halo really exists?

But when I first got into this, I didn't have anything like that.

The two youths next door had each caught seven or eight fish, while the Elder watched his own Fishing Rod showing no movement, feeling puzzled in his heart.

Half an hour later.

A Qing shouted: "Brother, my hands are sore."

Wu An asked: "Then take a break?"

A Qing shook his head and shouted: "I think I can hold on a bit longer."

After nearly two hours of continuous fish pulling, it was A Qing's small stature that kept him going nonstop—not because he was physically strong, but because his desire to earn money was too intense.

Wu An was actually exhausted too; seeing A Qing not stopping, he didn't feel right calling for a stop.

The Elder next door said he was also quite sore.

But it wasn't from fatigue.

But rather from envy.