As soon as the croaker was brought up, all the anglers around excitedly gathered around.
Chen Zhiyao first took a group photo of Grandpa Chen and the big guy, and then took a beautiful photo of herself with the rare big fish.
Seeing that the grandfather and grandson had finished, the surrounding fishermen all rushed to lie down and take photos with the big fish, beaming with joy, as if they had caught it themselves.
Almost every day, many people fish here on the breakwater, and fishmongers often come here to buy fish.
Suddenly, a tall, thin middle-aged man squeezed in with a smile.
"Grandpa Chen, are you selling these croakers?"
Chen Zhiyao didn't know this person, but Grandpa Chen, who often came to fish, did.
This man is a fishmonger who specifically waits here to buy fish.
"Young Master Li, we'll definitely sell these fish, but who we'll sell them to is another story," Grandpa Chen said with a sly smile.
The fishmonger in front of me smiled sincerely, "I'll offer eight hundred yuan, what do you think?"
This was the first time Chen Zhiyao had ever seen this croaker, and she didn't know its exact price, but the old man did.
Although the flesh of the croaker is not valuable, its swim bladder is a delicacy.
The purchasing station estimates it's 40 yuan per jin, but that's for 10-15 jin. For this size, it would be at least 40-50 yuan per jin.
Moreover, scarcity drives up prices; such a large croaker is truly rare and usually commands a premium.
Upon hearing the price, the old man's face darkened. He thought to himself that the fishmonger was too greedy and a complete swindler.
Sensing the old man's displeasure, the tall, thin man added:
"Business is tough. In our line of work, there are actually a lot of risks. We just earn a meager living through hard work."
The fishmonger shrugged helplessly, his expression one of utmost sincerity.
Unfamiliar with the situation, Chen Zhiyao remained silent, letting Grandpa Chen decide for himself.
Just as the old man was about to refuse, fishmonger number 2 appeared.
"Such a large croaker is rare. I'll offer 850 yuan."
As soon as he finished speaking, a dark-skinned, chubby young man squeezed out from the crowd.
"Fatty, I saw this fish first. Don't you know the rules?" The fishmonger was furious, his eyes bulging.
There's an unwritten rule among fishmongers here: while others are still negotiating prices, no one else can step in and steal their business.
However, the fishmonger number 2 was tall, strong, and muscular, and there was an even more robust man beside him.
The two men came on strong, showing no fear of him, and immediately offered a high price to snatch the fish.
Fishmonger No. 1 was furious, but he was too weak to do anything about it.
Croakers are rarely seen in their area; they are almost never seen when fishing at sea or fishing with angling. Two fishmongers argued over this large croaker and almost came to blows.
Grandpa Chen quickly separated the two and, with a smile, let them bid, with the highest bidder winning.
Fishmonger number 2 made the first move: "I'll offer 850 yuan."
Fishmonger No. 1 was not to be outdone and added 50 yuan, saying, "I'll offer 900 yuan."
"I'll pay 950 yuan."
"I'll offer a thousand."
Upon hearing that fishmonger number 1 had offered 1,000, fishmonger number 2 turned red with anger.
He was about to offer a higher price when the tall, muscular man next to him tugged at his sleeve.
The two whispered a few words to each other, then fishmonger number 2 glared unhappily at the smug fishmonger number 1:
“I’ll also contribute 1000 yuan.”
Since the two prices were the same, the pressure immediately fell on the Chen family, grandfather and grandson.
It doesn't matter who you sell to if the price is right, the problem is that neither of the two offers is very good.
The price wasn't low, but it wasn't high either, leaving the old man somewhat conflicted.
The grandfather and grandson stared at each other, unsure whether to sell or not.
Chen Zhiyao suddenly thought of Yang's purchasing station in town and quickly sent the photos and videos she had just taken to Boss Yang.
The reply came very quickly; a video call came right away.
As soon as the video call connected, Mr. Yang asked anxiously, "Tangtang, is the croaker in the photo still there?"
"Yes, there are two fishmongers who want to buy my fish, but I'm not sure about the price. I'd like to ask you, Brother Yang."
Chen Zhiyao smiled sweetly and cutely, but her eyes were cunning and lively.
Yang Jiajun, who was on the other end of the phone, was a shrewd old fox. He immediately offered a high price: "I'll offer 1,100 yuan."
"Okay, then I'll save this fish for you, Brother Yang." Chen Zhiyao's voice brightened when she heard it cost 1100 yuan.
"Are you over there at the breakwater?" Yang Jiajun saw a large group of stone piers in the video, which looked very familiar.
"Yes, I'm fishing here."
"Your sister-in-law is at the shop; I'll go collect the fish now."
"Alright, then I'll wait for you to come, Brother Yang."
Chen Zhiyao didn't hide the video call from anyone else; the two fishmongers next to her could hear it, and both of them looked rather grim.
They can pay 1100 yuan, but if they buy the fish at that price, they basically won't make any profit.
The two could only turn around and collect the other people's catch.
This croaker was so big that it couldn't fit in the bucket we brought, and half of its tail was still sticking out.
Grandpa Chen quickly brought over his oxygenator, hoping that the big guy would stay alive until Boss Yang arrived.
After everyone around dispersed, Chen Zhiyao started fishing again.
They didn't know if the croakers had made too much noise and scared away all the other fish, but for half an hour, the grandfather and grandson didn't catch a single fish.
Just as Chen Zhiyao was about to lose her patience, Boss Yang finally arrived.
Besides the croaker, he also caught other small fish.
"These stone goby fish are quite large, priced at 68 yuan per jin, while the golden pomfret is 20 yuan per jin."
Grandpa Chen has already sold the tiger grouper he caught, and there are only 5 golden pomfret left in the bucket, weighing a total of 9 jin.
20 yuan per jin, 180 yuan in total.
Including the grouper he sold earlier, the old man earned 780 yuan in one day. He felt much more upright and couldn't stop smiling.
Chen Zhiyao kept two small pomfret weighing a little over a pound each for her own consumption, and sold the rest.
Stone goby (1.8 jin) cost 123 yuan. Golden pomfret (14 jin) cost 280 yuan.
Adding the 1100 yuan for the croaker, I made another 1503 yuan.
After selling the fish, the grandfather and grandson happily picked up their fishing gear and prepared to go home.
On the way back, Grandpa Chen was still driving, while Chen Zhiyao leisurely did the accounting in the back.
Unbeknownst to many, she earned a staggering nine thousand yuan during the few days she was home.
About 6,000 of that came from beachcombing, while the remaining 3,000 was earned from fishing over the past two days.
Chen Zhiyao's lips curled up into a wide smile, revealing two sweet dimples:
"Wow, I've only been back for less than a week, and I've already earned more money than I did in a month before."
After calculating her earnings over this period, Chen Zhiyao has made up her mind not to return to Guangzhou and will stay at home to go beachcombing and fishing from now on.
However, she hasn't cancelled the lease on the apartment she rented in Guangzhou yet; she needs to find some time to go back and cancel the lease.
Moreover, she hadn't tidied up the room full of clothes and various odds and ends.
The thought of moving gave Chen Zhiyao a headache.
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