Chen Hong nodded, "Grouper usually hides in rocky areas. Its flesh is delicious and nutritious, and it's not easy to catch."
Therefore, it is slightly more expensive than ordinary sea fish. The most expensive grouper on the market now is the mouse grouper.
This grouper has a long snout, looks like a mouse, and tastes like chicken. It costs at least five or six hundred yuan per kilogram.
Those weighing over 1.5 jin can sell for more than 1,000 yuan per jin.
Zhou Yi's mother couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement, "A good fish costs over a thousand yuan, which is really unaffordable for an average working-class family!"
Chen Hong, why do I feel like seafood at the seaside is more expensive than what we sell inland?
In Beijing's vegetable markets, mackerel and ribbonfish only cost a dozen yuan per kilogram, but they sell for more than twenty yuan at the dock in your village!
Why is that? If you spend the labor, resources, and transportation costs, wouldn't the fishmonger lose money?
Chen Hong explained, "Auntie, seafood is all about freshness!"
The mackerel and ribbonfish at the dock in our village are freshly caught, only a few hours after being taken out of the water. When cooked properly, they are so delicious they'll make your teeth ache.
The ribbonfish and mackerel in inland cities are all frozen, and have been stored for at least several months. They can only be called frozen fish at best, and can no longer be called seafood.
Many other live fish and shellfish sold in major inland cities are actually farmed, which people mistakenly believe are wild.
Ninety-five percent of the general public lacks knowledge about seafood, leading to misunderstandings. Most consumers cannot distinguish between farmed and wild seafood.
The quality of warm water and cold water differs greatly.
Many frozen seafood products nowadays look almost identical to freshly caught seafood after thawing.
The quality of farmed and wild seafood, as well as cold-water and warm-water seafood, is vastly different, and their prices vary greatly. This has led to the misconception that seafood is cheaper inland than along the coast.
In fact, truly top-quality seafood is never cheap, no matter where you are.
At the seaside, you can easily find truly wild seafood, while inland, even with money, you might not have the connections to buy good seafood.
The old lady nodded repeatedly, indicating that she understood. "I never imagined there were so many intricacies in the seafood market. It's true what they say, 'a trade is like a mountain to someone outside it!'"
So, does that mean we can't buy really good seafood inland?
Chen Hong said with a smile, "You can still eat regular seafood; there are many artificial aquaculture farms now."
While farmed seafood may not taste as good as wild-caught seafood, it should still be acceptable and sufficient for the needs of ordinary working-class families.
However, if you want to experience truly authentic wild seafood, you have to go to the seaside.
Especially at the small docks in each village, the seafood caught by fishermen just a few hours after they've been out of the water is guaranteed to be fresh.
The mother and daughter chatted about their tips and tricks for choosing seafood, while Yu Yang ran around, carrying a fruit platter to feed them fruit, without disturbing the adults' conversation.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Xue abandoned fishing altogether, quickly returned to the cabin, brewed a pot of cloud and mist tea, and placed it on the long table under the sunshade on the deck.
One moment she would hand a cup to Uncle Zhou, the next she would hand a cup to Zhou Yi's father.
Unexpectedly, instead of getting any favors, he was disliked by his boss, who said, "Xiao Xue, you better stay over there quietly."
Back and forth you keep scaring away big fish that try to bite. Put your teacup on the table first; drinking tea is slowing me down while I'm fishing.
With the red melon seed fish as a base, Zhou Yi's father was quite confident. "If you don't drink, I will. You're taking my kindness for granted!"
"Xiao Xue, watch my fishing rod for me. I'm going to sit down and have a cup of tea. This tea is so good; it's all brewed, we can't let it go to waste!"
Zhou Yi's father handed the fishing rod to Xiao Xue, crossed his legs, and leisurely sipped his fragrant tea.
Uncle Zhou was also tempted when he saw his demeanor. The aroma of tea wafted across the deck, and he felt extremely thirsty. He swallowed hard, but couldn't find anyone to help him.
Yu Yang, the clever little devil, ran back to the cabin, took a straw he had pried off a yogurt carton, stuck it into a teacup, and brought the teacup to Uncle Zhou's lips.
"Grandpa Zhou, drink up, it's just the right temperature, not too hot or too cold. I'll pour you another one when you're done!"
Uncle Zhou glanced smugly at his younger brother, "Thank you, little Yangyang! You're so smart and perceptive!"
He happily sipped his tea through a straw, which didn't take up his hands while he was holding the fishing rod and reeling in the water. This method of drinking water really didn't affect his fishing.
Just as Yu Yang finished drinking the water in his teacup, he heard Uncle Zhou call out to him, "Yangyang, quickly move your teacup away, watch Grandpa Zhou catch you a big fish to eat!"
He kept talking, but that didn't stop him from setting the hook. He kept reeling in the fish while talking non-stop.
"This fish must be quite big; judging by its size, it must weigh at least ten pounds."
Seeing that he had caught a fish, Xiao Xue stuck Zhou Yi's father's fishing rod into the fishing hole and ran back to Uncle Zhou's side.
While watching the old man fish, I kept my eyes on the landing net.
When Zhou Yi's father saw that his older brother had caught a fish and that his own fishing rod was unattended, he immediately felt a sense of crisis and could no longer sit still.
He finished his tea in one gulp, put down the cup, strode to his fishing spot, grabbed his fishing rod, and stared intently at his float.
He was incredibly lucky this afternoon. The next second, his fishing float paused, then moved slightly before being pulled into the sea.
Zhou Yi's father was overjoyed and shouted loudly, "I caught a fish! I caught another fish! When luck comes, it's unstoppable!"
Maybe it'll be another red snapper this time! Earning ten thousand a day is a possibility, hahaha, hahaha!
Overjoyed, Zhou Yi's father, after setting the hook, imitated Chen Hong by vigorously shaking the fishing reel, trying to pull the fish up directly.
But he had grand ambitions, and he was actually quite thin! The old man was tall and thin, but perhaps he had been quite muscular when he was younger.
However, his skin is now loose and he doesn't have as much strength anymore. His fishing rod isn't very reliable either; it's a name brand, yes, it's resilient, but not stiff enough!
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com