Amid a chorus of "Oh ho!", Chen Zhiyao grumbled as she pulled the fishing line back into the water.
The hook is still there; it seems to have come off the hook.
"The fish got away, but at least the hook is still there."
Chen Weiqiang offered words of comfort, but his face was full of amusement.
And he blatantly extended his fishing rod toward his daughter's fishing spot.
If he weren't her biological father, she would have gotten a beating no matter what.
When Chen Zhiyao saw his actions, she was immediately furious. Not only was he gloating, but he also dared to come and steal the fish.
"Stop showing off here. If you're so capable, let's make a bet. Whoever catches the most valuable fish today has to pay for their whole family's meals for the day."
"Okay, let's have a competition. Whoever loses has to pay for all four meals for the whole family: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and midnight snack."
Chen Weiqiang remained completely calm, leaning lazily against the railing with a smug and happy expression on his face, as if he had already won the bet.
It's a deal.
As soon as she finished speaking, Chen Zhiyao looked down at the bucket of water at his feet.
It turns out they've already caught a pepper snapper and a grouper weighing about two pounds. No wonder they're so happy.
Having just been tricked by the big fish, Chen Zhiyao looked at the pepper carving and the rat-shaped fish and felt like she was surrounded by lemons.
It was a spotted rat! How come she didn't encounter it?
However, she wasn't worried about losing at all. Confidently, she rebaited her line and cast it into the largest dark shape in the sea.
Yan Shuting, Grandpa Chen, and Grandma Chen, who were fishing at the nearby spot, not only watched the excitement but also got free meals for the day, so they were in a great mood.
Some even said that the more of these competitions the better, and that having one every day would be quite nice.
Although Chen Zhiyao spotted a large fish, there were too many uncertainties, making it difficult to control where the bait would land.
Due to the squid's own movement and the influence of ocean currents, the bait gradually deviated from the position Chen Zhiyao had anticipated.
Finally, it slowly landed next to a rather plump-looking fish.
This fish must be hungry so early in the morning.
Soon, it flicked its tail and swam towards the large squid that was struggling desperately in the water.
A minute later, the fishing line, which had been dangling, suddenly plummeted downwards.
A tremendous pulling force was transmitted from the fishing rod to Chen Zhiyao's hand. Judging from the force alone, the fish must have weighed at least several tens of kilograms.
The disappointment from getting caught was quickly dispelled, and he immediately started fishing with great enthusiasm.
Having learned from her previous experience, Chen Zhiyao dared not be arrogant anymore and patiently dealt with everyone.
This fish is incredibly strong, and it keeps swimming deeper and deeper into the sea.
Judging from its movements, strength, and size, it's probably a grouper weighing several tens of kilograms.
The big fish in the sea seemed to sense the danger and began to get agitated, struggling desperately to break free from the hook.
The fishing line was pulled taut, making a buzzing sound, as if it would snap at any moment.
However, this fishing line is not cheap; it was specially brought back from the store by Chen Weiqiang for this trip to sea, and it is particularly sturdy.
Chen Zhiyao gritted her teeth, changed to a better posture to exert force, then leaned back and used all her strength to fight against the big fish.
She could feel the fishing rod in her hand trembling constantly, and every time a big fish exerted its strength, her arm would feel sore and numb.
Chen Zhiyao gripped the fishing rod tightly, her fingers turning slightly white from the excessive force, and veins were faintly visible at her joints.
At this moment, Chen Zhiyao was completely immersed in the tension and excitement of fishing.
Her eyes, like two bright stars, were fixed intently on the calm water, as if everything around her was irrelevant.
Neither the sound of distant waves nor the sound of her parents chatting could distract her in the slightest.
The constant pulling of the hook caused the fish pain and made it even more agitated.
With another sharp tug, Chen Zhiyao was nearly dragged into the vast ocean.
To keep her fishing rod steady and prevent the big guy from escaping, she used all her strength, her arm muscles tensed up, and the bulging veins were clearly visible.
Back when she was working in Guangzhou, her arms were all soft, flabby flesh. But after returning home and working for a while, she's built up muscles.
A powerful and irresistible pulling sensation, like a surging tide, instantly enveloped Chen Zhiyao tightly.
She could clearly feel her heartbeat suddenly quicken, as if the blood in her body was on fire.
Time ticked by, and the tug-of-war had been going on for half an hour.
Large drops of sweat slid down Chen Zhiyao's forehead, some even dripping into her eyes, but she didn't care at that moment.
She had only one thought in her mind: she had to catch this big fish!
The big fish thrashed about in the water, splashing everywhere, but it just wouldn't come up, as if it had an inexhaustible supply of energy.
Yan Shuting had just caught a large grouper weighing seven or eight pounds. She swung her arm over and gently wiped the sweat from her daughter's forehead.
"Tangtang, come on! Don't let it get away!"
Chen Zhiyao was, after all, cheating; a few minutes later, the fish was clearly starting to struggle.
She gradually gained the upper hand, and after the fish exhausted its strength, it unleashed a powerful burst of energy.
Chen Zhiyao frantically turned the fishman handle in her hand, slowly pulling the big creature in the sea closer to the fishing boat.
This is already deep sea, at least 80 or 90 meters deep. Even though the fish finally ran out of strength, it was not easy to pull it up.
The fishing line was pulled back intermittently, and it took nearly 20 minutes to finally bring the exhausted giant grouper to the side of the boat.
From the boat, a large dark shadow could be seen in the water, which immediately attracted the attention of all the fishermen on the boat.
Finally, Chen Zhiyao pulled a grayish-brown grouper with faint white stripes on its body out of the water.
"Wow, what a huge seven-banded grouper!" Even Grandpa Chen, who was helping to scoop the fish, couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. Chen Zhiyao looked at the large grouper on the deck, which was on the verge of death due to the difference in air pressure, and her face was filled with a proud smile.
"These seven-banded grouper weigh at least 40 kilograms."
As she spoke, she looked at her father with a smug expression, her voice full of pride and smugness.
"Hmph, this one I'm walking now is also a big guy."
Chen Weiqiang was stubborn, but in reality, like other anglers in the neighborhood, he was so envious his eyes were practically red with envy.
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