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墨書 Inktalez
Shi Tian was not yet a Fisherman, just a novice in the field, but his words still held some credibility. Hearing about the four to five pounds, the old man’s eyes lit up.
With many people gathered for a meal, he quickly called for Xiao Tian. Nowadays, children are sensitive and moody; leaving them alone at home is hardly reassuring. The old man spoke, and Shi Ye had no choice but to turn and leave the room, riding his Electric Car to fetch Shi Tian.
Since the old man was treating them to dinner, Shi Tian couldn’t arrive empty-handed! Under Shi Ye's guidance, Shi Tian brought over a pile of ingredients in various bags. The old man’s place was well-equipped with kitchenware and basic seasonings; anything lacking, Shi Ye had arranged to be sent over earlier, along with some high-end ingredients, including a portion of rehydrated Sea Cucumber.
This Sea Cucumber had been soaked by Shi Ye last night, intending for Shi Tian to prepare it for their enjoyment that evening. Now it seemed it would benefit the old man instead. In Shandong Cuisine, the first dish typically served is Scallion Braised Sea Cucumber. This dish is chosen because its preparation is quite complicated and requires more than a day’s advance work, showcasing the host's regard for their guests.
As soon as Shi Tian entered, he was ready to start cooking, but the old man had other plans. He pulled Shi Tian aside to chat about fishing.
“Did you really catch a big one today? What size fish was it? How could you have such a catch? It wasn’t just snagged on the bottom, was it?”
At this remark from the old man, Shi Tian immediately lost his enthusiasm. Snagged on the bottom? He might have made a mistake with his hand, but how could that be considered a snag?
“Impossible! The fish was almost breaking the surface! I just encountered a dishonest seller! The Rod I bought wasn’t sturdy enough; otherwise, I could have brought you an extra dish tonight!” Although Shi Ye hadn’t mentioned the old man’s status, Shi Tian knew he was no ordinary person and dared not argue back; he could only defend himself.
“Where did you catch it?”
The old man insisted on helping him find the spot.
“From City, after entering the mountains there are three small streams. If you follow one downstream for over two hundred meters and take a turn, you’ll find it. It’s not large—just a small pond of several dozen meters filled with Mai Sui and fish!” Finally finding someone who didn’t ridicule him felt like discovering family.
In a back-and-forth conversation lasting just a few minutes, they covered location, fish conditions, water patterns, and even what Fish Bait had been used; the old man extracted every detail.
Time was running short; tonight he would let the old man taste his cooking skills. “At dawn tomorrow, I’ll accompany you to find that spot!” After patting Shi Tian on the shoulder and gathering all the information he wanted, the old man generously allowed him into the kitchen.
One dish after another made its way to the table; the old man was quite particular and didn’t touch his chopsticks until Shi Tian had served up the last dish. Only then did he sit down to eat.
Rich in flavor with thick broth and deep color—the Scallion Braised Sea Cucumber was crafted with care! After just one bite, the old man hit upon something crucial; clearly, he was also a food enthusiast.
Setting down his chopsticks and closing his eyes to savor it for a moment, he remarked: “The scallions are right; this is authentic Shandong Scallion! However, the Sea Cucumber is slightly lacking; it must have been farmed in the south and then shipped north for a quick rinse. Compared to northern Sea Cucumbers, it falls short in flavor.”
In northern waters that are cold, Sea Cucumbers grow slowly—usually taking four to five years before they can be sold—resulting in thick meat with a firm texture. In contrast, southern waters are warmer; Sea Cucumbers grow rapidly and can hit market size much sooner, which compromises both their meat quality and texture.
To fetch a good price for Sea Cucumbers, many companies farm them in southern regions and then transport them north just before they’re ready for sale—shortening both growth time and costs while marketing them under northern Sea Cucumber branding to command higher prices.
Such situations of buying and selling sea cucumbers are quite common in the current Sea Cucumber Market. It’s not surprising that hotels can procure such items, especially since industry secrets can no longer be kept.
Before the old man could finish boasting, his eyes widened as he noticed that the four at the table had already entered a feasting mode. The delicious food on the table was visibly diminishing, and the old man, disregarding his dignity, grabbed his chopsticks and joined the battle.
After a hearty meal, one cannot simply rest. The advantage of cooking in advance is that there’s no need for Shi Tian to clean up afterward. The Air Force led the old man to the beach for a stroll, while Shi Tian followed Shi Ye and Lu Ya to prepare the fishing gear.
They were set to go fishing with the old man at dawn, so fishing gear was essential. Since Shi Tian's rod was broken, it was too late to buy a new one; he could only use Shi Ye's rod.
Shi Tian had a clear goal: he was there to catch Xiao Tiao. He didn’t care about the size of the fish; as long as he could catch a lot, he would be satisfied. Each small fish counted as one point, and even a ten-kilogram carp was just one point. The time spent catching a big fish could allow him to catch several smaller ones.
Rejecting Shi Ye's offer of a four-and-a-half-meter rod, Shi Tian said, "Ye Ge, the big fish are hiding in the weeds along the shore. I need a short rod; find me a three-six-meter one!"
Three-six-meter rods were not common; most started at five meters or more, and even four-and-a-half-meter rods were becoming increasingly rare. He only had one three-six-meter rod in his bag; if Shi Ye wanted one, he could look for it in the storage room himself!
Yesterday, when he went up the mountain with Lu Ya, it wasn’t just to check on the construction work; he also made a special trip to their previous campsite to bring back three sets of fishing gear.
With construction happening on the mountain and many people around, their equipment wasn’t cheap. Just one rod could cost thousands; losing or damaging it would be painful.
Since there was nothing in his bag, he rummaged through Shi Ye's warehouse for half a day before finally finding a two-seven-meter small rod from some corner.
The storage room had plenty of equipment, but Shi Tian wasn’t greedy. He took one small rod, one wheel of line, along with a main line, two small floats and float seats, and added two packs of space beans and lead skin among other small accessories.
Since there was no place to put his catch yesterday while fishing, now that he was in Shi Ye's warehouse, he might as well grab a small Yu Hu as well. He preferred smaller ones for aesthetics.
Having picked up the Yu Hu, he realized sitting on a rock to fish wouldn’t be comfortable either, so he decided to grab a fishing box as well! Thus, he dug out another fishing box.
If the two-seven-meter rod didn’t yield any bites, should he switch to a three-six-meter rod? He decided against taking another four-and-a-half-meter rod but considered bringing along another five-meter-four as backup.
By the time Shi Tian left Shi Ye's storage room with that fishing box, it was nearly full—three rods with several sets of lines, along with the Yu Hu and ping net plus support poles—he probably wouldn’t need any more equipment for the short term.
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