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As Shui Bi Zhang was setting up Shui Laoban's fishing spot, Shui Laoban had already helped Old Zhang reel in a fish. Despite the strength it took, it didn't necessarily mean it was a big catch. The fish that took nearly half an hour to bring up was still far from Shui Bi Zhang's estimate.
Just then, a Fishing Buddy, holding a net, skillfully scooped the fish that was hooked. When they pulled it up for everyone to see, the onlookers couldn't help but shake their heads. It was a Niu Gang Mackerel! Weighing over ten pounds! As the Fishing Buddy announced the catch, the crowd continued to express their disapproval.
The Niu Gang Mackerel, a type of mackerel often caught in reef fishing, is known for its coarse meat and strong fishy smell, making it not very valuable. Fishmongers might not even want to buy it, and if they did, it would only fetch a few dollars per pound. While the fish wasn't desirable for eating, its strength was notable! A ten-pound Niu Gang Mackerel could feel like reeling in thirty or forty pounds of other fish; if it weighed twenty pounds, it could take half a day to bring in. Thus, fishermen had a love-hate relationship with this species.
"Is this fish worth anything?" Old Zhang asked casually while holding up the catch for Shui Laoban to take a picture. "You can't eat it, and even if you sell it to a fishmonger, they might not want it. Even if they do, this one is just enough to cover your Live Shrimp purchase for today!" Shui Laoban shook his head and hurried back to his spot to prepare for fishing.
Today, Shui Bi Zhang was quite sensible; while helping Shui Laoban gather equipment earlier, he had conveniently bought two pounds of Live Shrimp—one pound each for him and Old Zhang. Although he would ultimately cover the cost, at least he wouldn't waste time on that.
"Can we fish here? Is it okay to just start casting?" asked a curious Fishing Buddy as he noticed another rod being set up after three days.
Before he could finish his question, someone had already placed their Fishing Box next to the fishing spot. If he hadn't asked, it would have been obvious that soon enough those Fishing Buddies would be casting their lines there. However, since he did ask, they might disregard the rules.
This fishing spot was clearly funded by someone; it wasn't a communal area and had just been established. If they started casting and someone came around later to collect fees, would they pay or not? Establishing fees for fishing spots could lead to resentment among those who felt entitled to use them without charge—after all, not everyone could simply throw down two bags of cement and set up a table.
"This is a private fishing spot," Shui Laoban explained. "The Fishing Tackle Shop across the way has contracted to build this beach area. To fish here, you need to buy a rod from them first. You can see our rods are all standardized!" He glanced back at the Fishing Buddy who was setting up the fishing spot and continued.
Old Zhang and Shui Bi Zhang remained silent; Shi Tian had previously mentioned that anyone who wanted to fish here could do so freely. However, considering the local fish population, they didn't want anyone coming in and taking their catches. Thus, Shui Laoban decided to employ this tactic.
While there were wealthy fishermen among them, most were ordinary people. A set of rods costing a thousand dollars could still make many wince at the price!
However, once Shui Laoban made his statement, those setting up the fishing spot were left dumbfounded. "Is there really such a rule? Do we have to buy rods just to fish?" They already had rods! What good would buying more do? Would that really increase their chances of catching fish? If that were true, they could buy a whole van full of rods just to keep at home!
Shui Laoban's method proved effective; as soon as he finished speaking, over ten people scattered like birds taking flight—some rushed into the shop to buy live bait while others hurriedly drove off towards Liu Wan to secure their fishing spots!
Old Zhang glanced back at Shui Laoban and pursed his lips; he needed to remember this tactic for future encounters with those trying to encroach on their fishing spots!
"Boss, I'm here!" Su Xueyi exclaimed as she parked her shared electric bike outside the shop and ran inside to greet Shi Tian.
"Why did you come so early when work starts at eight?" Shi Tian asked in surprise, glancing at his phone to see it was only seven-thirty.
"It's my first day, so I wanted to come early and get familiar with the place!" Su Xueyi replied with a grin as she dashed to the front desk, making up an excuse.
She had rushed over from school, and the distance was quite far. Yesterday, when she returned home, it took her over forty minutes on her bike, so today she made sure to leave early. She certainly didn't want to be late on her first day!
Thinking about the morning rush hour around seven or eight, she had set out at six-thirty. It wasn't until halfway there that she remembered it was Sunday, and there wouldn't be a morning rush. Still, she thought it wouldn't be wise to go back for a bit more sleep!
Shi Tian assumed she had ridden a shared electric bike from school. What he didn't know was that shared bikes were speed-limited by national regulations; if she had ridden one from school, it would have taken her over forty minutes.
To save time, Su Xueyi ultimately chose to take a shared bike ride to the city. The speed of the bike allowed her to get out of City quickly, and then she could just hop on a bike for the last couple of miles.
She calculated that if she worked ten days at one hundred fifty per day, she'd earn one thousand five hundred. Once she got paid, she'd buy an Electric Bicycle; that would save her a lot of time!
"Alright, I'll handle things here. I'm going to grab some breakfast!" Shi Tian said as he stepped aside for Su Xueyi and strolled out. He took a quick look around at the morning's catch.
Shui Bi Zhang and Shui Laoban had decent hauls—each caught a Shi Jiu Zhen home fish, along with several Black Sea Bream and Xiao Shi Ban. Shui Bi Zhang even landed a nice Sea Bass.
"What good is this Shi Jiu? Are we bringing it back for soup? Just toss it in Hai Li!" Shi Tian sighed as he closed Shui Bi Zhang's Fish Bucket, feeling exasperated.
"This is the first fish we caught today! Can we let it go? Do you want to catch more fish today?" Shui Bi Zhang shot him a glare before turning his attention back to his Fish Float, ignoring Shi Tian.
"This is superstitious nonsense! You need to believe in science! Whether you catch fish or not has nothing to do with releasing the first one. If the first one is a shark, are you going to let it go?"
Not all sharks are protected species, but most caught are on the protection list. Even those not listed are often released by fishermen; keeping them is pointless since they can't be sold and aren't edible.
If a shark is kept in the Fish Bucket, it will eat all the live bait; if it's in Yu Hu, it'll devour all the catch. No matter the environment, they are never polite about it—they'll eat whatever Fish Catch is available and won't survive in small spaces.
Bringing back Fish Fin? Sharks of that size can hardly be caught from shore; those that can be caught are usually just Little Sharks. The fins from these Little Sharks won't last long—they'll dry out in just four or five days instead of four months. Are we supposed to use a microscope for Fish Fin?
"Uncle Zhang! I saw you caught a big fish this morning—how big was it?" After checking out their catches, Shi Tian approached Old Zhang with curiosity.
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