The next day at noon, the shop procedures were finally completed. Li Haochen had lunch with Xie Baolian, a simple meal without drinks.
After finishing the paperwork, the two women got busy, finding people, purchasing equipment, and so on. Li Haochen did not interfere much, letting them handle it themselves, knowing they would come to him if they encountered any issues.
He didn't need to help at the coconut shop, and going to the boardwalk would only be in the way. The coconuts had already been picked for five to six days, and his wife was also busy with her own shop. After much thought, he found himself with nothing to do.
"Heh, got it." Li Haochen entered the storage room and rummaged through it. Soon, he took out a not-too-worn Hasudaluya rod. He had found it in the inner room when he first rented the place and it had been stored in the storage room ever since.
He tossed it lightly. The spinning reel made a slight clicking sound, likely due to not being used for a long time. He grabbed the rod, picked up the bucket, and drove his beloved little Aima to the seaside pier. He found a tackle shop to give it a little "maintenance," changing the fishing line and hooks, adding a sinker and float, and buying a packet of Antarctic shrimp.
By this time, many people had already occupied spots at the pier. Li Haochen found a relatively open space. He looked at their folding stools, sun umbrellas, ice sleeves, and fish boxes, then at himself – just a fishing rod to get by. Fortunately, there was a concrete bollard nearby used for tying boats, though it was hot to the touch. Sitting there for a while, however, was quite comfortable.
He baited the hook, turned on the switch, and cast sideways with a "swish~"
The cast was quite good, about ten meters from the shore, with no line tangles. Back in his hometown, he would just cut a bamboo pole, tie on a fishing line and hook, and attach a piece of foam. It was nothing like the meticulous setup now. Li Haochen was quite pleased with himself for achieving this on his first try. A man not far away, with only his eyes peeking out, sneered internally, "Only casting ten meters, and he's still smiling?"
He reeled in the handle, slowly retrieving the line with a "swish~~" The fishing rod bent sharply, almost pulling Li Haochen into the water.
He steadied himself, gripped the handle, and reeled with all his might. He didn't care about the thrill of playing the fish. It wasn't a fifty or sixty kilogram catch, why bother playing with such a small weight? Back then, even a few-kilogram black seabream caught on his bamboo pole was pulled in hard without issue.
The fishing rod was making that clicking sound, making Li Haochen nervous, fearing it would break before he could reel in the fish.
After a minute, he managed to pull the fish ashore, half dragging, half reeling. It was a sea bass, with a pointed mouth, a flat body, yellowish-brown in color, adorned with spots and markings. It weighed about two pounds and was still quite restless, wagging its tail vigorously while hanging in the air.
The man who had been silently looking down on Li Haochen muttered, "Good luck."
Li Haochen, quick as lightning, grabbed the sea bass, unhooked it, took some seawater into the bucket, and tossed the sea bass in. "Heh heh, nice, catching a few more will save on groceries."
"Still want to catch more? That's just luck. If you can catch one more, I'll..." Seeing Li Haochen reel in another sea bass, the man immediately stopped talking.
In such a short time, Li Haochen had already caught three sea bass. He wondered if it was a beginner's protection period, this luck...
The man beside him was no longer looking down on him, but was continuously exclaiming "What the f***" internally, feeling extremely envious.
Just as he uttered another "What the f***," Li Haochen reeled in a rockfish.
The man reeled in his own line, said nothing, and turned to leave.
Li Haochen's frequent catches also attracted the attention of a few nearby anglers, who looked on with envy. On the same pier, why weren't they catching anything?
As he continued fishing, the entire bucket was filled with fish. If not for a net cover, the fish would have likely flopped all over the place.
"So many fish?" Li Haochen himself was startled by the full bucket.
"No point fishing anymore, can't fit them. Let's go back." Just as Li Haochen was about to pack up, a middle-aged man walked over.
"Little brother, have a cigarette."
Li Haochen made an apologetic gesture, "Sorry, I don't smoke."
The man was also very friendly. He lit a cigarette and started smoking, "It's good you don't smoke. It's bad for your health. I want to quit too, but after not smoking for a short while, I can't resist. And then I smoke even more. So I've given up the idea of quitting, hehe. By the way, little brother, are you selling these fish?"
Li Haochen was taken aback. He looked at the three-wheeled cart behind the man and the several large water tanks on it, and immediately understood. Who else could it be but a fishmonger?
"I can't eat this much anyway, so selling some is good. It'll also free up some space to fish a bit longer."
If the other anglers who had been coveting Li Haochen's prime fishing spot knew his thoughts, they would be amazed.
"Selling? What's the price?"
The man thought for a moment, "Sea bass 35, rockfish 70, black seabream 60, gold fish 45, mud carp 30."
Li Haochen calculated the prices. Although there were slight discrepancies, they weren't significant and were acceptable. He immediately agreed, "Alright, I'll sell them to you."
Li Haochen kept one sea bass and a few rockfish, selling the rest to the man.
"Sea bass 7.8 pounds, 273 yuan. Rockfish 2.6 pounds, 182 yuan. Black seabream 3 pounds, 180 yuan. Gold fish 1.8 pounds, 81 yuan. Mud carp 2.8 pounds, 84 yuan." The man frantically tapped on his calculator, making a rapid clicking sound.
"Total 800 yuan. Brother, please check."
"No need, I trust you." Trust his grandmother! Li Haochen had already calculated it before him. After all, he was the top scorer in the college entrance examination, so mental arithmetic was a piece of cake.
"I've already transferred it to your WeChat, please check."
"Received, thank you!"
As the man left, he and Li Haochen added each other on WeChat. He happily drove his three-wheeled cart, continuing to cruise around the pier.
"This is great! It's almost as much as the coconut shop's revenue. Let's keep it up, catch a few more buckets and then head home, hehe!"
Li Haochen sang happily. Baiting the hook and casting were done in one smooth motion, his movements becoming increasingly proficient. He could easily cast twenty to thirty meters now. Slowly turning the handle, "swish~~"
"Caught another one? Heh heh!" Li Haochen quickly reeled the baitcasting reel, the fishing rod bending to a near 90-degree angle. "Holy crap, this is strong. It must be over ten to twenty pounds."
He became more and more excited, reeling with all his might, one turn, two turns. "Huh? Why did it suddenly get lighter?"
Without thinking much, just as it was about to surface, Li Haochen gave a strong pull. "Snap~"
The 'fish' flew through the air and landed on Li Haochen's head, drenching him. Picking it up, he exclaimed, "What the f***!"
What landed on Li Haochen's head was a black lace-trimmed bra, a large size at that. Upon closer inspection, it was even a branded item.
"Who the hell is so inconsiderate? This is really bad luck." Li Haochen grabbed the bra, intending to throw it into the sea. He paused mid-air, then found a trash bag on the pier and put it in.
The anglers nearby saw his action and gave him a thumbs-up.