The Fish I Catch Can Level Up-Chapter 40: A Live Eating Show

"Hey, young man, hey! Those aren't river snails! You can't eat those!"
As Chu Mingcheng was collecting the apple snails, an old man in a conical hat spotted him and hurried over to stop him.
"Don't worry, uncle. I'm not collecting them to eat," Chu Mingcheng explained with a white lie. "I'm going to use them for fishing bait."
Explaining that he was gathering them to exchange for mystical life-converting power was a bit much. As for actually using apple snail meat for bait? He would never. The things were crawling with parasites. If a fish ate that, could he really sell it to someone else? The thought alone made his skin crawl.
"Ah, for fishing!" Hearing they weren't for consumption, the old man relaxed and nodded, leaving him to his work.
Chu Mingcheng continued his collection. While the density of snails in any single ditch wasn't high, the area was massive. By the time he had walked from one end to the other, he had managed to fill two large bags.
He checked the time—it was already past two in the afternoon. There were still several ditches left untouched, but they would have to wait for another day.
He tied the bags shut and loaded them into his car, but didn't start the engine right away. Instead, he checked to see if his old boss, Chen the Skinner, had deposited his final paycheck.
Today was October 12th. Payday was normally the 10th, but he had completely forgotten about it the last couple of days. He had also turned off SMS notifications for his bank, so he opened the mobile banking app to check.
When he saw the balance of just over sixty-seven hundred yuan, Chu Mingcheng couldn't help but sneer.
Chen the Skinner was only so arrogant because he knew his employees needed to support their families. If any one of them had ever truly stood up to him, he would have backed down in an instant. But he was a real cheapskate. If he had just provided proper employment contracts and paid into social security, he wouldn't have had to worry about so much turnover.
But that wasn't his problem anymore. He transferred the money out, started the car, and drove back to his parents' place in town. He gave the Spotted Creek Chub to his mother, turned down her offer to stay for dinner, and continued on his way to Yanmen Island. He had a deal to make for the wild turtles tonight. As for eating Creek Chub, he could always go fishing again with Zhang Wei.
Walking into the old house, the first thing Chu Mingcheng did was look for Mimi. He searched high and low, inside and out, but the little cat was nowhere to be found.
He hadn't fed it fish today, instead leaving out some kibble and a can of wet food. He checked the bowl and saw that both were gone.
Did it go out looking for more food? Chu Mingcheng wondered. He'd noticed that Mimi's appetite had increased significantly over the past two days, though he wasn't sure why.
Just then, a muffled meow came from the front yard. He hurried outside and found Mimi had returned, a mouse dangling from its mouth.
Chu Mingcheng was stunned. Did it go hunting because it was still hungry?
Mimi spotted him and let out another muffled meow around its prize. Not wanting to disturb its meal, Chu Mingcheng was suddenly struck by an amusing idea.
He pulled out his phone and sent a video call request to Jiang Luoluo.
After a long moment, the call connected, and Jiang Luoluo's lovely face appeared on the screen. She looked like she had just finished an intense workout—her face was flushed, her forehead beaded with sweat, and a few stray strands of hair stuck to her temples.
Chu Mingcheng paused. "What have you been doing? You're covered in sweat!"
"I was practicing my dancing. This is my dance studio," Jiang Luoluo said, panning the phone around to show him the room before asking, "Anyway, what's up? You called for a reason?"
Her dance studio looked like a converted bedroom. It wasn't huge, but it was more than enough for one person. It was set up like any other studio, with one wall covered in mirrors, a simple wooden floor, and an air conditioner.
"It's nothing important. Maybe you should get back to your practice. I don't want to bother you," he said, ready to hang up now that he knew she was busy.
But just then, the distinct crunch of breaking bones came through the phone, followed by one of Mimi's meows.
Jiang Luoluo's curiosity was instantly piqued. "What's that sound? I think I heard Mimi."
"I was just about to show you a live eating show, but I didn't realize I was interrupting your practice."
"An eating show?" Jiang Luoluo's eyes lit up with interest. "I want to see! I want to see! I was just getting tired from dancing anyway. Time for a break."
"Are you sure?" A mischievous grin crept onto Chu Mingcheng's face.
"Oh, stop dragging it out! Hurry up!"
"Don't say I didn't warn you…"
Chu Mingcheng flipped the camera, aiming it directly at Mimi clamping down on the mouse's head, and even zoomed in for a close-up.
"Eek!" As expected, a shriek came through the phone.
"Hahahaha!" Seeing her terrified reaction, Chu Mingcheng burst out laughing, pleased with his successful prank.
But in the next second, Jiang Luoluo's panicked expression vanished, replaced by a pitiful, pouting face. "Mousey is so cute! Why would you eat mousey?" she cooed in a dramatic voice. "You can do it, mousey! It's just a fatal wound! I'm sure you can get back up! Even without a head, you still have four limbs!"
Chu Mingcheng was speechless.
He knew instantly that her shriek had been an act. She was now staring wide-eyed at Mimi's meal, without a hint of fear. He'd clearly been played.
She watched until Mimi had finished the entire mouse, then smacked her lips as if wanting more. "So that's how cats eat mice. Mimi is still so cute! Ugh, I wish I could pet it."
Jiang Luoluo wasn't wearing any makeup from her dance practice. Her skin was flawless, making her look even more refreshingly innocent than usual. Now, as she deliberately put on a cute act, Chu Mingcheng had to admit he was charmed.
"If you like cats so much, you should get one," he suggested.
Jiang Luoluo thought about it seriously for a moment before shaking her head in disappointment. "Sometimes I get so busy I wouldn't be able to take care of it. Better not."
Then, a thought occurred to her. She remembered the commercial performance gig she had turned down the day before. The pay had been too low, so she had initially rejected it. But after seeing Mimi today, and with the memorable images of his clam digging and seafood feast still fresh in her mind, she suddenly had an urge to visit him for a day or two.
"By the way," she said, "I have a commercial performance in Wenshi City in a few days. After I'm done, I'll come find you. You'll let me pet Mimi, right?"
"You're coming here?"
"I am! You're not going to tell me I'm not welcome, are you?"
"Of course not! You're more than welcome. I'll come pick you up."
"It's a date!"
They chatted for a little while longer before hanging up. As for the commercial gig, Jiang Luoluo still had no intention of taking it. It was just a convenient excuse to come visit.
Chu Mingcheng went out to the front yard and started a fire to incinerate the apple snails. Once they were burned to charcoal, he left them to cool, planning to shovel the ashes under the mango tree by the gate later.
He took a shower and settled in to wait for Chen Qing. Only Chen Qing was coming today; the other two were busy. He had told him to come directly to the old house to pick up the goods, saving him a trip to the pier.
They had agreed on five o'clock, but just as he was about to start a game, a message came from Chen Qing saying he had already arrived on Yanmen Island.
In that case, Chu Mingcheng had him send his location and told him to drive straight over.
A few minutes later, a Mercedes pulled up on the public road behind his house. Chu Mingcheng was already waiting by the roadside.
Chen Qing spotted him, turned off the engine, and got out of the car.
"The environment here is really nice," he remarked, looking around. "It must be pretty relaxing to live here."
"It's alright. The pace of life is slow, without the hustle and bustle of the city." Chu Mingcheng was quite content with his current lifestyle—the income was good, and he was free to do as he pleased.
"What are the property prices like around here? It would be nice to come stay for a while on my days off."
"Honestly, I have no idea. You'd have to ask someone else. It's nothing compared to the city, though, that's for sure."