Chapter 602: System Upgrade Again

By the time everyone sat down, it was already 11 p. m.

Wu An took all the beer out of the fridge; this malt drink, especially when chilled, is practically a cure for heat and fatigue.

He took a big gulp of beer, let out a burp, and his whole body felt relaxed.

He then stuffed a large piece of knife fish meat into his mouth; it was fresh and sweet upon entry.

The late-night snack was simple, so he just steamed it lightly, preserving the knife fish's ultimate freshness.

The meat was extremely tender and smooth, quite refreshing.

There were a few tiny bones, but because it was so tender, they could be eaten together with the fish meat.

The texture was quite unique.

After one bite he couldn't stop; Wu An ate an entire knife fish in one go, leaving nothing.

Actually, there wasn't much.

All together, just a little over three taels of meat.

After finishing, Wu An noticed: 'A Zhu Ge, you didn't gut it.'

Fan Xiao Zhu said: 'Eh, not needed.'

'I took it out together with the gills and entrails.'

'I haven't scraped off the scales.'

Wu An wondered: 'Really? I didn't notice.'

Fan Xiao Zhu chuckled: 'Because these scales are soft, they indeed feel a bit fatty.'

Wu An nodded.

Fan Xiao Zhu explained: 'I actually didn't add oil; it's purely the fish's own fat.'

Wu An realized: 'You're quite skilled at this.'

Fan Xiao Zhu scratched his head: 'I've never cooked this fish before; I just asked Lao Fu.'

No wonder knife fish is far more expensive than phoenix tail fish; besides its rarity, it's inherently valuable.

The price of pirate fish is actually okay; it's a bit pricey, but compared to lake and river knife fish, it's already quite affordable.

In the future.

Lake and river knife fish can even reach several thousand yuan per jin.

That's really not something ordinary people can afford.

Lao Fu Tou said: 'This fish is tasty, but back then it only cost a few yuan per jin.'

'It's a kind of fish commonly eaten by fishermen.'

'It's just that the price has risen in recent years.'

'We fishermen can't even afford it now; I haven't had it in five or six years.'

Fu Yongning nodded in deep agreement.

Indeed.

Several hundred yuan per jin—who could bear to eat it?

Only on Wu An's boat could we feast like this; he gave him three fish, he ate one, and planned to bring the other two home for his family.

Wu An agreed.

Fan Dali and his brother also kept two each, planning to bring them back for the old man to try.

A Qing and Mei Wu didn't keep any; each still took three, because their relationship with Wu An is different—good catches are always set aside for the family to bring home.

A knife fish doesn't have much meat; after all that work everyone was starving, and they finished it in just a few bites.

Fu Yongning ate quickly, almost like Zhu Bajie eating ginseng fruit, not even having time to taste it.

He smacked his lips, and Lao Fu Tou gave him another fish.

Fu Yongning beamed, unabashed: 'Thanks, Uncle.'

Lao Fu Tou snorted: 'Just polite talk.'

After the knife fish, there were still plenty of shrimp and crab, all fresh catches from today's nets.

Taking out the meat, dipping it in sauce, it also makes great drinking food.

He drank one bottle, then opened another.

'Alright, just this bottle then.'

'Come, cheers.'

'Let's wish for a big haul tomorrow!'

'Get rich!'

Amidst the joyful eating, drinking, and laughter, the fatigue of a busy day faded away.

He figured that even if he later became a multimillionaire, or even wealthier, he would still go out to sea with his brothers.

Such pleasure cannot be measured by money.

Everyone soon finished eating and drinking.

Since they had to work the nets early the next morning, everyone ate and drank quickly.

A Qing rose to clear the dishes, while the others hurried to wash up and get ready for sleep.

Wu An waited until the end.

He wasn't in a hurry.

As long as they kept watch at night, he usually slept until waking naturally, and nobody disturbed him.

After all, there wasn't much on the boat that required him to do, yet the boat truly couldn't do without him.

Wu An unknowingly became a kind of mascot, which is fine; a boss ought to have the bearing of a boss.

If it's more tiring than for others, then what's the point of this boss?

A Qing didn't sleep either.

Tonight it was his turn to stand watch, and the two brothers opened another beer, chatting while they drank.

Last time, they beat the Luo Liang and Luo You brothers, and just as expected in Wuhan, there was no trouble, but A Qing's aunt Ji Hua still came to their house and spouted some nonsense.

A Qing said: "Brother, I always feel that family is up to no good."

Wu An nodded: "It's fine."

"As long as we're in the village, if they dare cause trouble, we have plenty of ways to deal with them."

"Think more about the arranged meeting."

A Qing casually said: "What's there to think about."

"I think they're all pretty good."

"When the time comes, I'll marry whichever one my mom likes."

Wu An nudged him: "You're pretty clever."

A Qing's blunt remark is actually quite true; if you really like someone, there will definitely be fewer mother-in-law conflicts later.

Moreover, any man will like a pretty girl.

As for what you said about love.

Do you understand the value of love that grows over time?

What if you say love never develops?

That just means the timing isn't right yet; keep going and love will surely develop!

A Qing chuckled: "This is called appearing foolish while being wise."

Wu An: "I see you have the potential to be a scumbag."

A Qing said: "Then I definitely learned it from you."

Wu An: "Get lost; my reputation's been ruined by you."

Past twelve o'clock.

Wu An checked the system.

Luck Value: 2050 (1300)

The daily luck value was not bad, prompting Wu An to notice the 'System upgrade complete.' prompt.

Upgraded again?

Upgraded what?

He examined it carefully but saw nothing, knowing he had focused his attention on the light spot.

Suddenly his vision blurred.

The light spot, which is the condition of the object that boosts luck value, appeared before his eyes.

The shovel left on Ma Weiqun's fishing boat lay in a corner, unattended.

The system's status read everything normal.

Then there was Hu Zi and Turtle Brother; Hu Zi's luck had dwindled to almost nothing, and the system prompted to replenish it quickly.

Turtle Brother still had plenty, barely consumed, and the system gave no extra prompts.

Wu An nodded slightly; this amounted to a certain degree of optimization, so he didn't need to constantly monitor the system, which would alert him when luck value dropped.

If Hu Zi and Turtle Brother encountered any danger, he would also get an immediate warning.

Pretty good.

Being able to upgrade is better than staying unchanged.

Keep it up, system.

Please upgrade me properly.

Ma Weiqun's fishing boat and Hu Zi were not far apart, and had hardly moved.

"I don't know if Hu Zi's luck value dropping quickly is related to Ma Weiqun and them."

Wu An was somewhat worried; Hu Zi's luck value dropping, aside from natural consumption when catching prey, another possibility was that he had encountered danger!