When Li Haochen was about to use mussel meat for fishing, he realized he had forgotten his knife. Too lazy to go back to the hidden spot he had found earlier, he resorted to smashing mussels with a nearby stone.
"Thud, thud, thud~"
The sound Li Haochen was making made a nearby angler frown and look over with displeasure. It seemed that if he ended up with an empty creel that day, Li Haochen would be blamed.
Li Haochen only smashed a few before stopping, making it awkward for the man to find an excuse to complain.
The man snorted and cast his fishing line, his technique average, only managing to cast forty to fifty meters. However, his equipment was luxurious and complete. Even more amusing was that he wore a belly band – they were on the shore, for goodness sake, not the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
On the other side, Li Haochen had already baited his hook, opened the bail, raised his rod vertically overhead, tilted his body slightly, and swung forward with his forearm and wrist.
"Swoosh~
His movements were identical to the other man's, only more practiced and less stiff.
This cast was excellent. Although it didn't reach a hundred meters, it was still eighty to ninety meters. Such a distance against such strong sea winds was a testament to his first-class skill.
The man from earlier had seen it and was now staring at Li Haochen with wide eyes, full of admiration. As fellow anglers, seeing someone with good technique naturally fostered a sense of camaraderie. His slight displeasure towards Li Haochen vanished.
However, he had no intention of going over to say hello. He was in the middle of fishing, and it would be a shame if his greeting scared the fish away.
As the man was contemplating this, his jaw almost dropped. His expression was as if he had seen a ghost. What else could it be but Li Haochen catching a fish? When he saw the fish Li Haochen was pulling up, the words "Holy cow!" were his inner exclamation.
Li Haochen, on the other hand, was smiling. He hadn't expected to catch a four to five-pound grouper from the shore. This was rare, and the weight was quite good. This single fish could fetch six to seven hundred yuan. Earning that much by working on screws would take a week. For anglers, not returning empty-handed meant they could feed their family with a single cast...
After releasing the fish into his keep net, he continued. In less than two minutes...
"Swoosh~"
The tip of the rod bent sharply, and the fishing line sliced through the sea surface with a sizzling sound. The feel was excellent. He gauged the strength, and it was even more ferocious than the aggressive grouper from before. However, this continuous, rapid speed didn't feel like a grouper; it was likely a sea bream or a sea bass.
Sure enough, after five to six minutes, a seven to eight-pound sea bass was landed. Lacking seawater, the sea bass felt its life ebbing away and was thrashing wildly against the rocks, trying to survive.
But Li Haochen wouldn't give it a chance. This was worth two to three hundred yuan. He quickly and deftly grabbed its mouth, splashing seawater in his face.
"Pah~"
Li Haochen switched hands and wiped his face, drying it off. He harbored no resentment towards it; it was his provider, after all. How could he resent it?
As he was unhooking the fish, a male voice sounded beside him. Who else could it be but the angler who had been empty-handed earlier?
"Brother, you've got good luck."
"Not bad, hehe!"
After a few polite exchanges, they didn't say much more. They weren't familiar with each other, so what was there to talk about? It was better to talk to the fish.
Before he knew it, seven or eight more anglers had gathered on the reef beach within a ten-meter radius of Li Haochen, all drawn by his catch.
It was quite alarming. His keep net, brought from his spatial storage, was already full. A slight movement of the net caused a turmoil within, making the surrounding anglers drool.
"Wow~"
Li Haochen caught another one to two-pound black sea bream. A low murmur of admiration rose from the crowd. Their expressions were filled with envy. How come, in the same spot, and even though they weren't casting as far as Li Haochen, the fish weren't biting for them? It was strange...
Another half hour passed. After using the last piece of mussel meat to catch a two to three-pound black drum, he prepared to leave.
Seeing Li Haochen about to leave, several anglers immediately surrounded him. "Brother, going back already?"
"Uh, yes, I've run out of bait, so I'm leaving."
The corners of the anglers' mouths twitched. They inwardly scorned Li Haochen, thinking, "What's there to show off about? You've just caught a few more fish."
"Ahem, I wonder if you'd be willing to sell these fish, little brother?"
The leading man scratched his head sheepishly, and the others wore similar expressions. Li Haochen knew what they were thinking; they wanted to give their wives an explanation, otherwise, when they returned, they would surely be greeted with, "Oh, our master angler is back! I was waiting for your fish for dinner."
Alas, the sorrow of an angler! Their gear kept increasing, but the fish catches? Well, once they exited the beginner stage, their catches plummeted like a stock with major bad news.
"Sure, take whatever you like. I don't have a scale, so just give me a rough estimate."
Upon hearing this, the men's faces lit up with gratitude. When Li Haochen lifted his heavy keep net, their expressions were as if they had seen a ghost. This was too exaggerated! They were already surprised to see him catching fish continuously, but now, with fifty to sixty pounds of fish laid out before them, the scene was unforgettable.
The anglers exchanged glances. When did Huangcuo Beach have so many fish to catch? Had he swept through this entire stretch of sea?
The anglers didn't buy too much, only taking two or three fish each. Buying too many would seem unrealistic, and they also avoided the larger ones.
With each person taking two to three fish, half of the keep net was cleared. He earned over 2,700 yuan. Although there was no scale, his practiced feel over time indicated that the prices were close to what he had in mind, and these anglers were quite honest.
The remaining half presented a challenge for Li Haochen. Without water to keep them alive, they would die in a few minutes, significantly reducing their price. He had buckets in his spatial storage, but he couldn't access them.
Finally, he set his sights on one of the anglers and traded a two-pound-plus black sea bream for his bucket.
Li Haochen put some water into the bucket, placed the entire keep net inside, and waded ashore. Just then, a bus arrived.
After paying, he found an unobtrusive corner to stand. However, with so many fish, it was hard to hide them. If he hadn't been on a bus, Li Haochen would have started selling them on the spot.
As the bus became increasingly crowded, many people became interested in the sea fish in Li Haochen's bucket. They recognized them as wild-caught. However, the bus driver's expression was not pleased, and he immediately called out, "Hey, this isn't a market. Please sit down quickly."
Li Haochen felt quite embarrassed. He didn't hear any announcements, and as soon as the bus stopped, he squeezed his way off. To his surprise, he had returned to the entrance of Xiamen University.
Well, in that case, he would set up a stall right here. After all, a few elderly gentlemen from the bus had also gotten off, indicating the considerable appeal of the fish.