Mouse spots

Li Xiangdong was quite strong; he didn't even need Li Guoqing to use the landing net, he just swung it and caught the fish.

Li Guoqing had never seen such a strange-looking sea fish before. He asked the old man curiously, "Can this be eaten? It looks so ugly."

The old man helped pour some seawater into the bucket, smiling and saying, "You can eat it, you can eat it, it's delicious!"

Li Xiangdong had eaten grouper, a type of grouper named for its head resembling a mouse.

The grouper, scientifically known as the humpback perch, is also called the green grouper. Along with the Napoleon wrasse, red grouper, and blue wrasse, they are known as the "Four Kings of Fish" in Hong Kong. The grouper is the king of the four kings and the king of groupers.

Looking at the milky-white, flat-backed, hunchbacked rat-spotted fish covered in black spots, Li Guoqing was highly skeptical of the old man's claim. "This fish looks quite nice, but is it poisonous?"

The idea that such beautiful things are generally poisonous was entirely instilled in him by Li Xiangdong.

Li Xiangdong chuckled. "This kind of fish isn't poisonous, and it really is delicious. The fish meat is fresh and tender, with lots of meat and few bones."

Li Guoqing finally believed it and grinned, "That's good, then Second Brother, you should catch more!"

The old man suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, thinking to himself, "What a clueless brat who doesn't believe an old fisherman like me."

So he ignored Li Guoqing and sat down next to Li Xiangdong to start fishing.

Soon, the old man's hook sank, and he also caught a grouper. However, this grouper was smaller than the one Li Xiangdong had just caught, and it looked to be only a little over a pound.

"Wow! I won again!"

Over there, Li Xiangdong shouted happily. This time, the pull was significantly stronger than before, and he couldn't easily lift the rod. Li Xiangdong quickly turned the reel to reel in the line and took several steps in the direction the fish was pulling.

The old man's attention was completely drawn to the fish. He helped Li Xiangdong pull the fish up, and Li Guoqing quickly used a landing net to scoop it up.

"My goodness! This spotted mouse must weigh over ten pounds!"

The old man was amazed.

Wild grouper was later sold for several thousand yuan per kilogram. Of course, it's impossible to get that price now, but it can still sell for more than ten yuan per kilogram. A single large grouper can be worth fifty or sixty yuan!

Li Xiangdong's successive catches of fish ignited the old man's competitive spirit, and he began to concentrate intently on fishing, a stark contrast to his previous nonchalant demeanor.

Li Guoqing watched Li Xiangdong fishing with a silly grin, acting as his best support.

"Wow, this fish is red!"

The fishing line twitched slightly, and Li Xiangdong got another hook!

A large red fish was hooked by a fishing hook, its body thrashing in the air, splashing seawater all over Li Guoqing's head and face. He used a landing net to catch the fish, then removed it from the hook and put it into a bucket.

"What kind of fish is this? Those little teeth are quite sharp!"

The old man initially didn't want to talk to him, but he couldn't argue with a child, so he generously told Li Guoqing!

"This is the Swallowtail Star Spotted Fish. You can see that its tail fin looks like a swallow's tail, so it is called the Swallowtail Star Spotted Fish."

"It looks so strange, all red with so many little blue dots."

Swallowtail Star

"The fish in the ocean come in all sorts of strange shapes and sizes, so don't be surprised!"

The old man couldn't help but complain.

Li Guoqing has a good temper. He wasn't angry at all when he heard the old man's complaints. Instead, he gave the old man a thumbs up with admiration and said, "You know so much!"

These words delighted the old man, who, with a kind smile, called Li Guoqing over and taught him how to easily catch big fish.

Li Xiangdong had seen the old man's unhappy expression earlier, but he never expected that Li Guoqing's words would make the old man so happy. He was truly like a child.

Li Xiangdong chuckled inwardly, ignoring the two of them, and began to enjoy the pleasure of catching fish while sea fishing.

When a man is fishing, time seems to stand still.

Li Xiangdong had no idea how much time had passed; he was only enjoying the thrill of catching fish, and he didn't even feel the sea breeze stinging his face.

Li Guoqing has now become the go-to net-scooper for both Li Xiangdong and the old man, constantly running between them to help scoop up the fish.

After catching seven or eight fish, Li Xiangdong's fishing rod remained motionless, and he didn't catch any fish for a long time.

The same was true at the old man's place; when he counted the fish in the bucket, there were only five small grouper weighing one or two pounds each.

"The fish have moved on?"

The old man muttered to himself in bewilderment, "Just now, catching fish was as easy as taking candy from a bag, but why haven't I caught any for so long now?"

By this time, the sun was high in the sky, and the old man estimated that it was already noon, so he got up and called the two of them to go home for lunch.

"Let's go to my house for lunch first. After we're done, I'll take you to another spot where there are lots of black sea bream!"

Black sea bream

The old man only has one son, who has gone out to sea to fish, so he has to cook lunch himself.

"I'll steam a grouper for you. I guarantee it'll be so delicious that you won't put down your chopsticks even if I slap you."

Li Guoqing was a little hungry, and he fully supported the old man's decision, saying, "I'll help you!"

Li Xiangdong wasn't very hungry, and besides, he didn't know how long Professor Liu would stay on the island. He wanted to fish a little longer, so he said, "You guys go and cook first, I'll come over to eat in a bit!"

The old man repeatedly reminded him to be careful, not to get excited even if there was a big fish, and not to fall off the rocks. He also told him his home address before taking Li Guoqing away.

As soon as the two left, Li Xiangdong put his fishing rod away, stood up and stretched. He stretched his arms, twisted his neck and wiggled his hips, and then looked into the distance.

The distant sea shimmered, and several fishing boats, like tiny beans, drifted on the water. Everything was so beautiful.

The rock he was on was particularly flat and was warmed by the sun. Li Xiangdong lay on the rock, comfortably closed his eyes, and let the warmth of the rock slowly warm his whole body.

Suddenly, the fishing rod at his feet began to shake violently. Li Xiangdong jumped up in shock. He saw that the fishing rod, which had been stuck in the crevice of the rocks at his feet, was bent at almost a 90-degree angle by something in the sea. The fishing reel was constantly releasing line, which was taut as a knife.

Wow!

Something huge has taken the bait!

Li Xiangdong was excited, but also a little worried.

The excitement stemmed from the fish taking the bait, while the worry arose from the fact that the fishing rod was made of soft bamboo, which naturally couldn't bear the weight of the carbon fiber rods of later generations.

Li Xiangdong was worried that the giant creature would break his fishing rod.

He gripped the fishing rod, feeling the incredibly strong pull from the seabed, and kept reeling it in.

A battle between man and giant has officially begun!