Chapter 214: Chapter 186: Sending a Box of Golden Glitter to My Father-in-Law Chapter 214: Chapter 186: Sending a Box of Golden Glitter to My Father-in-Law After lunch, the two strolled around a bit but, without a car to go further afield, they returned early, feeling somewhat bored.

For the next part of the journey, since Chu Mingcheng was unfamiliar with the local fishing spots and hadn’t detected any schools of fish on the fish finder, he headed straight for Wen City.

Midway, they stopped to refuel, and around midnight, he eventually reached the docks of Wen City.

But he didn’t dock; instead, he rested on the sea not far from the pier.

Jiang Luoluo had already shared a bed with him, so she had grown accustomed to it by now and slept more soundly than she had the night before.

The next day, after Chu Mingcheng had filled up on fuel and water and called a waste disposal truck to deal with the onboard wastewater, he set off again.

More than twenty minutes later, they passed Yanmen Island, his hometown, but he didn’t stop there and went straight for the yellow croaker fishing spot.

Pepper Diao and Black Goldfish were just appetizers. If Jiang Luoluo returned home without a box of yellow croaker, it would be negligence on his part as her future son-in-law.

Showing off his financial capacity a bit would put people’s minds at ease.

Otherwise, being just a poor guy, no parents would easily entrust their daughter to him, especially since Jiang Luoluo was an only child!

Chu Mingcheng’s tactic was to have her speak well of him back home. He didn’t need her future father to think highly of him, but at least he wanted her future mother to like him.

As long as one of them was on his side, there would be virtually no obstacles between him and Jiang Luoluo.

Despite his substantial income now, fishing, in the eyes of the older generation, seemed like an irresponsible job with unstable income.

Plus, coming from a wealthy family with broad horizons, Jiang Luoluo’s family wouldn’t simply focus on his income.

This was why Chu Mingcheng had been somewhat anxious and concerned; after all, he hadn’t been in the business long enough to build a solid foundation.

Jiang Luoluo’s family had fallen on harder times in the past few years, but it only meant their income wasn’t as high as before.

In fact, they still had two properties in Hang City, one of which was a large flat.

Father Jiang, at his most desperate, didn’t sell them off and saved them for Jiang Luoluo. The flat had been transferred to her name after she finished college.

So when Chu Mingcheng said he had a weak stomach, he wasn’t wrong. This matter, not being enhanced even through a life’s transformation, meant he could only eat soft food.

Several hours later, the fishing boat approached a solitary reef.

Looking out across the sea, practically every few dozen meters there was a fishing boat. These were the people who fished for yellow croaker full time.

It’s said that yellow croakers are going extinct, but that’s not true.

What really went through destructive overfishing was the yellow croaker population from the Zhoushan Fishery. In fact, the numbers in the Yellow Sea and South Sea are still fair.

At least the price of yellow croakers from Guang’s side isn’t high, three to four taels per fish. Meanwhile, wild-caught ones from Zhoushan can sell for three hundred and fifty yuan per 500 grams in Wen City.

Whereas yellow croakers from the South Sea are priced at about sixty yuan per 500 grams locally.

Some people there don’t even realize the Yellow Croaker they eat is the much-revered “yellow croaker.”

It’s possible that due to different populations, the South Sea yellow croakers are paler in color, and even when caught at night, their bodies are only slightly yellow, nowhere near the bright gold of the Zhoushan Fishery.

But there are still plenty of traders who go there to get yellow croakers because the prices are indeed cheap.

They have very high standards for the fish’s appearance, though. Even if it’s cheap, they won’t take it if it looks poor, as it’s hard to sell in Zhe and Fu.

Now with the internet so developed, it’s tough to dupe anyone.

They had lunch first, then Chu Mingcheng kept an eye on the fish finder while driving the boat to an area with schools of fish.

When he first bought the boat, if he noticed schools of fish in advance, he generally wouldn’t look at the fish finder.

Fishing Man gauged water depth himself, and knowing the fish’s behavior and water layers, he could fish without having to look much.

He had only fished for yellow croaker once, and he needed to quickly catch a small box full. So, the position of the fish schools was crucial.

In the top left corner of the fish finder was a number: 49.7 meters, indicating the water depth here.

This number fluctuated slightly, mainly due to the waves causing the boat to constantly rise and fall, resulting in minor depth changes.

Below the depth number was a column of digits.

The first line was the water temperature, currently 16 degrees Celsius here, while the actual sea surface temperature should be around eleven or twelve degrees.

The water being warmer in winter and cooler in summer, it’s normal for the temperature to be higher than on the surface.

Below the temperature were three zeros, indicating the boat’s speed, which was zero as they had stopped moving.

Further down was a 12.0, indicating that the boat was in the twelve o’clock direction.

On the fish finder screen, near the middle to lower section, Chu Mingcheng saw many thick red and yellow lines.

This indicated that between thirty and forty meters deep, there was a large school of fish.

Apart from this spot, there were a few scattered yellow lines around, also indicating the presence of fish, just not as concentrated as those beneath.

Chu Mingcheng pointed at the screen, explaining to Jiang Luoluo the water layer they would be fishing in, and then they took out their rods to get ready.

To fish for yellow croaker, they just needed sand worms, also known as sea centipedes.

Chu Mingcheng used a lure rod, while the more sensitive iron rod was given to Jiang Luoluo.

A No. 2 PE line with a 1.5-meter No. 4 carbon line, hooking two sand worms, they were ready to start fishing.

Both of them had a box of Sand Worms at their feet. Chu Mingcheng was going to help hook the worms, but Jiang Luoluo was no longer disgusted by their appearance.

Having a Fishing Man boyfriend, she had naturally become much more resistant to certain things.

Today, the sky was clouded over, perfect weather for catching big yellow croakers. After all, once exposed to sunlight, the big yellow croakers turn into big “silverfish,” with only their fins retaining a bit of yellow.

“Ah Cheng, wasn’t it said that wild big yellow croakers are very rare now? How come I see those people on the boats catch one every once in a while?” Jiang Luoluo had been on the deck for half the day and could occasionally see glistening catches being brought up in the distance.

At this rate, the few boats within sight could catch over a thousand catties a day. After all, there wasn’t just one person per boat, so she was puzzled.

“The rarity mentioned online is probably compared to the quantities from decades ago! According to the situation back then, the current wild big yellow croakers are indeed rare,” Chu Mingcheng gave it some thought before answering.

Everyone says wild big yellow croakers are scarce and on the brink of extinction.

But in reality, if a wild animal in the country is truly nearing extinction, it would definitely be put on the protection list.

For example, Yellowlip Fish, Su Mei Fish, and recently, wild East Starfish and wild Jinxiu Lobsters have been included.

At least, those who specifically fish for big yellow croakers here can catch several dozen to a hundred catties a day, and it’s not unusual for a boat with several people to bring in a thousand catties.

But whether these big yellow croakers are purely wild or farm-raised and then released is unknown.

There are diverse opinions online and no specific answers to be found.

At least, Chu Mingcheng’s encyclopedias do not clearly state this.

So much so that he sometimes doubts whether the notion that wild big yellow croakers are close to extinction is just a hype created by Zhe and Fu.

The objective is likely to drive up the price of the fish, and the interests involved are obviously very complicated.

But Chu Mingcheng has never thought about delving deeper; after all, he is one of the beneficiaries.

The taste of wild big yellow croaker is indeed very good, but for ordinary people, the price is too high. The cost-effectiveness is really low and certainly not worth spending a lot to taste.

But rich people love it anyway!

Chu Mingcheng also loves selling big yellow croakers to wealthy people.

However, his aquatic guide can enhance the survival, fertility, and growth rate of big yellow croakers.

It’s hard to say whether big yellow croakers will still be able to sell at exorbitant prices ten years from now.

He cast the bait into the water, opened the line cup to release the line, and only after letting out over thirty meters did he lock it back in place.

After a short wait, there was a flutter at the tip of his rod.

A few seconds later, another tug came from the rod tip, and there was a steady shaking.

Chu Mingcheng lifted the rod, and the hook at the bottom of the water fiercely penetrated the fish’s mouth, the hook point even protruding from the outside.

The fish, pained by the hook, wagged its tail violently in struggle, causing the rod tip to shake even faster.

He kept lifting the rod and reeling in the line. With the depth over thirty meters, it took a while to pull the fish up.

Soon, a fish with a white body tinged with yellow, and a belly and fins shimmering gold, surfaced. It was a big yellow croaker weighing about four or five taels.

When the big yellow croaker was brought up to the surface, due to the change in water pressure, its pink swim bladder was half sticking out of its mouth.

The fish was motionless, evidently it had died by the time it was pulled up.

The fish wasn’t very big and was already cooling off, so Chu Mingcheng simply lifted it out of the water by the line.

“Ah Cheng, how much can we sell this size of yellow croaker per catty?” Jiang Luoluo had also caught one and was fiercely pulling at her rod, tucked under her arm. Seeing he had reeled one in, she inquired.

“Let me check first,” said Chu Mingcheng as he first examined the fish to confirm it was wild.

Then he used the fish controller to weigh it accurately; it was over 220 grams, just a bit shy of five taels. A pity.

The price of big yellow croakers had already risen, with the 3-5 size category costing 350 per catty.

Of course, this price applied only to fresh big yellow croakers from Zhe Province’s waters; those from other regions wouldn’t fetch the same price.

Well, that’s assuming the buyer can tell the difference.

“This one isn’t even five taels; they can only sell for 350 per catty.”

“That expensive? Then you’re letting me take a small box back, wouldn’t that cost several thousands?” Jiang Luoluo clicked her tongue in amazement, then began to feel a little heartache, “How about I just take a few and you sell the rest?”

“My parents have tried everything; they don’t lack a few big yellow croakers.”

“Luoluo, you can’t let your parents hear that,” Chu Mingcheng almost burst out laughing at her comment.

If her father saw this scene, wouldn’t he feel extremely pained? In the end, it’s like water that’s been spilled!

Jiang Luoluo laughed, “Of course, but I’m considering for you, mainly because you’re giving away a bit too much!”

“Don’t worry! I’ll be coming here to fish during this time, and I’ll definitely make a good earning by the end of the year; I don’t lack that bit from you.”

“With these smaller ones, when your father hosts a few tables for the New Year, there’s no need to buy fish, how nice.”

“Imagine, if I catch an exceptionally large one, it will give your father even more face, right?”

“If your father gets face, his attitude toward me, the one who swept away his precious daughter, will naturally soften a lot, and he won’t make things too difficult for me; this way I can marry you sooner!”

Chu Mingcheng kept referring to “our father-in-law,” causing Jiang Luoluo’s cheeks to heat up a bit. She retorted, “What your father-in-law, we haven’t even settled anything yet!”