The Fish I Catch Can Level Up-Chapter 110: Selling Fish at the Scenic Area Entrance

The sea bass sighting sent a clear signal to Chu Mingcheng—fish were being drawn to the area.
He continued casting, working the lure with practiced twitches and pauses. After several more attempts, a large grayish-brown fish surfaced, opened its mouth, and swallowed the lure whole. His rod tip dipped sharply.
Not bad, he thought. It looked decent-sized, but the force transmitted through the rod exceeded his expectations entirely.
When he lifted to set the hook, the rod came up, but the tip lagged, bending into a severe arc.
His lure rod was simply too soft for this fight. With his boat rod, he could have hauled the fish straight up.
After a few testing tugs confirmed the line would hold, Chu Mingcheng tightened the drag and began reeling in.
But after just two turns of the handle, the fish went berserk—unleashing a sudden burst of power and thrashing wildly underwater, making it impossible to gain line.
He had no choice but to loosen the drag and play the fish to exhaustion.
Pull and release, pull and release. With the rising tide sending wave after wave crashing in, the fish had to fight both him and the current. Its stamina drained exceptionally fast.
In just three minutes, a grouper of at least three or four jin floated to the surface, lying on its side in clear exhaustion.
Lure fishing might leave you empty-handed more often than not, but it occasionally delivered pleasant surprises!
Chu Mingcheng hadn't expected to land a grouper while just killing time. Though only a common green grouper, it could still fetch around three hundred yuan.
He pulled it closer first—fish generally stayed calm while in the water, but the moment they were lifted out, they'd struggle frantically and risk throwing the hook.
Using his landing net, he scooped it up smoothly, then checked the weight with his fish gripper: three jin and six liang.
The green grouper went into his fish cooler, and immediately the morning's catch—which had been looking sluggish—burst back to life, stimulated by the newcomer's presence.
This confirmed his dual oxygen pumps were working perfectly, capable of keeping fish alive for a full day of fishing.
Of course, that was with a reasonable number of fish. Pack the cooler full, and they'd all suffocate.
He continued lure fishing for several more casts but came up empty.
With the tide rising and water levels climbing considerably, Chu Mingcheng put away the lure rod and switched to his iso rod for seabream.
He tossed in two scoops of shrimp brick chum, checked the water depth, and resumed bottom fishing.
Perhaps thanks to the chum he'd thrown earlier, he got a bite immediately.
A two-liang rockfish—truly the greediest and easiest fish to catch.
Fortunately, they were popular and sold easily.
Less than thirty seconds later, he had another.
Chu Mingcheng raised an eyebrow. Had his early chumming attracted an entire school?
Honestly, these nearshore rockfish were disappointingly small. They couldn't compare to black seabream or yellowfin seabream in terms of earning efficiency.
But seeing that even these small rockfish provided experience for his Premium Aquatic Species Codex, he decided to persevere.
Since returning from Xisha, the Premium Codex still hadn't reached Level 2. With 172 experience points, he needed just twenty-eight more premium fish to level up.
Black seabream were common species, while yellowfin seabream counted as premium—but they weren't numerous.
So Chu Mingcheng maintained his current depth and kept fishing.
The tide continued rising, and the rockfish kept biting. In just thirty minutes, he'd caught twenty-three—a whole school.
But after clearing out so many, other species began moving into the vacant spots.
Sure enough, after a two-minute wait, a sudden force shot through his rod, lighting up his expression with joy.
The pull wasn't massive, but much stronger than any rockfish.
He quickly lifted the rod and began reeling rapidly. Soon, a seven or eight-liang black seabream broke the surface.
Not a large black seabream—Chu Mingcheng simply grabbed the line and hauled it straight up.
But a black seabream bite meant the seabream had arrived, which was excellent news.
On his next cast, the same tentative bite from that morning occurred. He quickly released the line.
As expected—a yellowfin seabream, and this one was substantial: a full two jin.
The tide was about one-third in now. No wonder the bite was so good.
Chu Mingcheng couldn't afford to waste time. He had to maximize his catch while conditions remained prime.
While changing bait, he glanced at the old man nearby and saw his day was going well too—he'd just landed a seabream himself.
When fishing was good, time flew. In what felt like moments, the sun had transformed into a golden sunset, painting the sea surface in beautiful hues.
Shame he hadn't brought his camera to capture it.
As the tide settled, the fish stopped biting. After ten minutes without action, Chu Mingcheng packed up his rod and prepared to sell his catch.
Looking at his haul—over half a cooler with the seawater—the fish themselves should total around thirty jin. A decent day's work. His Premium Aquatic Species Codex had leveled up.
[Premium Aquatic Species Codex (Level 2)]
[Current Experience: (5/300)]
[Usable Tools: Hand, Fishing Gear (Can be hand-strung), Speargun (including fish spear, snare, etc.), Longline (Not Unlocked)]
[Fish Gathering (Level 2): Aquatic species within range that meet the premium standard will have a two percent chance of being actively attracted, thus appearing in the Host's line of sight (They will still flee if startled by the Host)]
[Area of Effect: 20 cubic meters]
[Deliciousness: +2%]
[Size: +2%]
Twenty cubic meters of effect now. He had to keep pushing forward!
Chu Mingcheng slung his rod across his back, grabbed his tackle box with his left hand, and the fish cooler with his right.
The cooler, filled with seawater, weighed at least sixty-something jin. The reef path was treacherous, full of steep, uneven sections.
Carrying everything at once threw off his center of gravity dangerously. For safety, he set the cooler down, carried his other gear to the car first, then returned for the cooler.
After loading everything, he noticed the old man finishing up and preparing to haul his own cooler to shore.
With so much gear and the weight of his cooler, the elderly angler looked to be struggling.
Seeing this, Chu Mingcheng went to help. "Agong, let me get that cooler for you. This reef isn't easy to navigate."
The old man didn't refuse—he handed it over with thanks.
After getting everything to shore, Chu Mingcheng helped load the cooler into the old man's black Volkswagen.
"Thank you, young man."
"No problem, Agong." Chu Mingcheng waved with a smile. He was about to leave when something occurred to him—this old man fished regularly, so he'd definitely know where to sell a catch.
He quickly turned back. "Agong, I caught quite a lot this afternoon. Could you tell me where to sell them? Somewhere they move quickly and for good prices?"
"Sell fish?" The old man looked stunned, glancing suspiciously at the Q3. Didn't look like money troubles. Car loan, maybe?
But he still shared several good selling spots.
Chu Mingcheng thanked him, returned to his car to buy an electronic scale and bags, then headed to a scenic beach area.
According to the old man, Xiamen had plenty of tourists. With a modest catch like his, the scenic area entrances were perfect for quick sales.
Fresh-caught fish appealed to people who'd take them to restaurants for cooking—an excellent sales strategy.
Arriving at the scenic spot entrance, Chu Mingcheng found numerous small stalls already set up.
Grilled sausages and fried skewers, liangfen sellers, vendors hawking swim trunks, swimsuits, and various water toys.
Seeing that stalls were permitted, Chu Mingcheng retrieved his fish cooler and electronic scale, finding a good spot to set up.
After a moment's thought, he also placed his fishing rod beside him. Without saying a word, people would know these fish were his catch.
A handsome young man with a fish cooler and a fishing rod drew far more attention than the other small stalls.
Especially from men—some interested in fishing, a few even seasoned anglers themselves.
When they saw the fish swimming in his aerated cooler, particularly the grouper, crowds immediately gathered, some bringing their wives and children.
"So many fish, boss! Did you catch all these yourself?"
"Brother, where'd you fish? Must be at least twenty or thirty jin here. Where are the spots this good? Share the location!"
"Are these fresh-caught? What are you asking?"
Chu Mingcheng hadn't expected such an immediate crowd.
"All caught today—they're very lively. Market prices, no tricks."
Hearing this, a man with his wife and child asked, "Buddy, how much for this green grouper?"
"Green grouper's eighty per jin. If you want it, I'll weigh it for you."
The man nodded—eighty per jin was indeed the market rate. "Alright, I'll take this one. Weigh it up."
"You got it!" Landing a sale immediately put Chu Mingcheng in excellent spirits.
He reached for the fish, but it was so lively that when he grabbed it, the thing thrashed wildly and slipped away within seconds, splashing several onlookers who quickly backed off.
But this display only reassured the buyer. Such an energetic fish was definitely fresh-caught.
Chu Mingcheng simply used his fish gripper to lift it, showing the man the readout. "1,823 grams—that's three jin and six liang plus. Comes to 288, let's call it 280!"
He bagged the fish and placed it on his electronic scale, which showed the same weight, adding considerable credibility.
Seeing it truly was three jin and six liang, the man paid without hesitation.
With one fish sold, the rest moved easily.
The surrounding tourists had witnessed everything firsthand. The fish in the cooler were all alive and kicking—absolutely fresh!
Anyone who shops for groceries regularly knows buying seafood is trickier than buying meat.
Prices are high, and even experienced buyers can get fooled—purchasing something stale or water-injected that tastes awful. It's not easy.
"How much for the rockfish?"
"Thirty-five per jin."
"Give me a jin's worth."
"Coming right up!"
"Boss, what about the black seabream? And this one—why are its fins yellow? What's the difference from black seabream?"
"That's yellowfin seabream. The ones over a jin are more expensive—a hundred each. These smaller ones at seven or eight liang go for sixty per jin. All my black seabream here are over a jin, selling at sixty."
Seeing customers asking about everything in the cooler, Chu Mingcheng simply announced all his prices upfront.
The customer squatted down, selecting a black seabream and two of the smaller yellowfin. "Just these three!"
Chu Mingcheng deftly caught them and bagged them up, draining some of the excess water. This attention to detail earned more customer praise, attracting additional buyers.
"The black seabream is one jin two liang, the two yellowfin total one jin five liang—comes to 162, let's make it 160."
Compared to freshwater fish, most people actually preferred sea fish, especially families with children.
Sea fish weren't just more nutritious—aside from a few species, most had fewer bones.
Chu Mingcheng's fish were all genuinely wild-caught, so they naturally attracted buyers.
Purchase a couple, take them to a restaurant for preparation, and you had a delicious seafood meal.
In just twenty minutes, Chu Mingcheng had sold out completely. Tourists who missed out could only leave disappointed.
He calculated the day's earnings: the green grouper brought in 280.
Plenty of rockfish—over twenty of them—but they only totaled five jin eight liang, which rounded down to exactly 200.
Nine black seabream totaling ten jin four liang sold for 620.
Five smaller yellowfin seabream totaling three jin eight liang brought 225.
Four larger yellowfin totaling six jin two liang—mainly because one was a full two jin—sold for 620.
Total fish weight was almost exactly what Chu Mingcheng had estimated, just two liang short of thirty jin. Today's income exceeded 1,900 yuan.
He packed his fishing rod and electronic scale back into the car, then carried the fish cooler to a drain, opened the side plug, and let the seawater flow out.
With the water drained, Chu Mingcheng started his car and headed home.
Having made good money during the day, he wouldn't bother with night fishing. Time to go home and study hard.