The Fish I Catch Can Level Up-Chapter 10: Why Hide from the Ladies?

After Zhang Wei had his fill, reeling in two more crucian carp, Chu Mingcheng urged him to pack up their gear and head back.
"The bites are so good—let me fish a little longer!" Zhang Wei was reluctant to leave. Who would want to stop when the fish were biting?
Chu Mingcheng, however, had little patience when there were fish to be sold. He stepped forward and gently but firmly took the rod back. "I quit my job. I don't have income right now, so I plan to get up early tomorrow to sell fish at the market. Can't stay up too late."
"You quit?" Zhang Wei was stunned. "So, what are your plans now?"
"No solid plans for now. I'm going to try beachcombing and fishing to make some money. If it's enough to live on, I'll just go with that for a while!"
"This..." Zhang Wei was at a loss for words. Could he suggest a job? He was working for a friend himself.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up, as if he'd just thought of something. "Oh, right! Why don't you open an online store? Some of Chen Yang's friends have online stores. They get their stock from him, and they can make two to three thousand a month, sometimes even over ten thousand."
"No, too much trouble!" Chu Mingcheng shook his head, refusing. Chen Yang was a childhood friend, and Zhang Wei currently worked at his shop. Their bond was deep, forged from countless shared childhood antics.
Chen Yang's family ran an electronics business that had been passed down for three generations, successfully building their own brand. Chen Yang had suggested before that Chu Mingcheng start an online store for extra income. But Chu Mingcheng wasn't interested, and with constant overtime, he had no time or money for "brushing orders"—a common e-commerce practice to boost sales figures—so it never went anywhere.
Zhang Wei sighed when Chu Mingcheng still refused. He theatrically ran a hand through his hair, then pulled out his phone. "Ah Cheng, you know me, right? I'm practically a walking advertisement for 'handsome and charming.'" He puffed out his chest a little.
"I've become so good-looking these past few years, I've practically made all my friends insecure about their own looks. Honestly, you're the only one who can still stand to be seen with me."
"Anyway, I won't hide it from you anymore. Since you're so against regular work," he said with a mischievous glint in his eye, "I've got connections with a few... well-off older ladies. With your looks, winning them over would be almost too easy. Want their numbers?"
"..."
"What, you don't want them?"
"Don't want them? Why wouldn't I? My wallet's been feeling a little light lately, so some financial support sounds pretty good right about now," Chu Mingcheng replied with a playful smirk, clearly playing along with the joke.
Zhang Wei immediately handed over the contact information for several "wealthy benefactors." Chu Mingcheng figured networking was important anyway, regardless of any other implications. Besides, there was a real money-making opportunity right now, even if it wasn't a huge fortune. But hey, every penny counted!
"Tomorrow, let's go fish for alligator gars. Maybe we'll get lucky and catch some?"
Zhang Wei hesitated. "I've fished for two days and haven't caught any, and I haven't seen anyone else catch any either. I'm starting to suspect it's just a fake bounty those parks put up to create buzz and draw crowds."
"Fake or not, let's go check it out. You're such a catch—it'd be a shame not to let the ladies see you!"
"Always speaking the truth. Indeed, it would be a tragedy for a face like mine to be hidden away at home!"
The two chatted and laughed as they drove home. No ghosts appeared at the reservoir in the middle of the night—perhaps because they saw two such handsome young men and simply couldn't compete.
The next morning at six, Chu Mingcheng was vaguely woken by his phone alarm. Having not woken this early in a long time, he wanted to doze off again, but remembering he had to sell fish today, he struggled out of bed. He went from the attic to the second-floor bedroom on the left, opened the door, and found Zhang Wei sound asleep, hugging a pillow. Chu Mingcheng thought for a moment and decided not to wake him. He'd sell the fish first.
He went downstairs to check on the crucian carp he'd caught last night. Because he'd split them into two buckets, they had much more space, and with the aerator running all night, they were still quite lively. There was a small market on Yanmen Island, but the islanders preferred sea fish, so crucian carp weren't easy to sell there. So he drove across the cross-sea bridge to the town's market.
First, he bought an electronic scale and a large plastic container for future fish storage—the buckets were too small. Unlike sea fish, most people buying freshwater fish like crucian carp asked for them to be killed and cleaned on the spot. Chu Mingcheng had no intention of setting up a small stall here, slowly killing and selling fish—that would be a waste of time. He walked around the market and found a stall selling freshwater fish.
"Boss, do you buy wild crucian carp? I caught these myself last night."
The fish stall owner showed some interest. He'd been selling fish for a long time, and usually, no one came directly to sell fish to him. "Let me see the fish first."
There was a big difference between wild and farmed crucian carp. Wild crucian carp were whiter, turned yellowish in sunlight, had higher backs, and were more agile. Farmed crucian carp were darker, plump, had large and soft bellies, and were less agile—you could tell at a glance they just ate and slept all day. The fishmonger reached into the bucket and rummaged around a bit, immediately recognizing that these crucian carp were indeed wild. The smallest ones looked to be about half a jin, making them good quality.
"I'll take this batch of fish. I'll give you fifteen yuan a jin."
"I'll sell them to you for twenty-five yuan a jin. Everything's farmed these days; wild fish practically sell themselves. I'm only selling them directly to you today because I have other things to do—otherwise, I'd set up my own stall and sell them for thirty-five yuan a jin with people lining up." Chu Mingcheng didn't bother with pleasantries and stated his price directly. He was in a hurry to go to the city to fish for alligator gars, planning to "sweep them all up" today, so he had no time to waste here. Otherwise, as he said, wild crucian carp weren't hard to sell. After all, his fish were all a good size and very fresh. The only hassle was having to kill and clean them himself, unlike sea fish that could be sold as is.
"Alright, alright, twenty-five it is. I'll take them all." Prices were negotiable, and the fishmonger, seeing that Chu Mingcheng knew the market and that twenty-five yuan still allowed him a decent profit, no longer haggled and readily agreed. Wild crucian carp could indeed sell for thirty-five yuan; the online price of thirty yuan a jin was just a rough estimate, as prices varied by region.
The boss agreed quickly, but Chu Mingcheng didn't regret not asking for a higher price. He probably could have negotiated a few more yuan, but it would have been a hassle, and the boss wasn't a pretty lady, so why bother? Chu Mingcheng pulled out his newly bought electronic scale. The fishmonger's eye twitched a bit, but he didn't say much.
Zhang Wei had also caught two fish last night, bringing the total to 29. When weighed, it came out to 18.3 jin (approximately 9kg), averaging a little over six liang per fish, for a total of 457.5 yuan. However, the boss rounded down, so he only received 450 yuan. Chu Mingcheng didn't argue over a few yuan; small stall owners were often particular about small change, and arguing wouldn't help.
Chu Mingcheng borrowed some clean water from the fishmonger to rinse his buckets, bought two breakfasts, and then drove to the fishing tackle shop.
"Boss, any recommendations for a lure rod?"
"Are you going offshore boat fishing or shore fishing?"
"Is there a difference?"
"Of course there is. For boat fishing, the rod doesn't need to be too long—2.1 meters and 2.4 meters are fine. For shore fishing, you need to cast, so a longer rod is better for distance, like a 2.7-meter one."
Chu Mingcheng thought about it and decided on a 2.5-meter rod. He could use it for boat fishing later, and being able to cast twenty or thirty meters was enough. If he really needed long-distance casting from shore, he might as well buy a separate surf rod.
"Then I'll choose a 2.5-meter one!"
"Okay. I'd recommend an M-action spinning rod. It's suitable for beginners. When casting with a spinning reel, it won't tangle the line like a baitcasting reel can. The downsides are that it won't be as precise, and the sensitivity will be slightly less."