As a Fisherman, My Fish Can Level Up

Chapter 76: Chapter 76: The Giant of Air Freight

Chu Mingcheng moved the fish box to the shore, to the same spot as yesterday, and opened it to sell fish again.

Today, similarly, a lot of people gathered; perhaps word about yesterday’s fish sale had spread, attracting even more buyers today.

The thirty-seven pounds of catch were sold out in less than half an hour, and the buyers all wanted his mobile number to be notified whenever he was going fishing.

However, Chu Mingcheng was planning to move to another place for development, so he informed people about his situation, mentioning that if they didn’t mind paying for express delivery, he could let them check out the good stuff he caught and then send it to them via courier.

He also educated the fishermen present about the dangers of fishing. @@novelbin@@

If people still followed his lead under those circumstances, any accidents wouldn’t be his responsibility.

Hearing that Chu Mingcheng was planning to expand elsewhere, some customers grew more interested and actively added his contact, indicating that as long as the fish were fresh, shipping costs were not an issue.

Since they all said this, he decided to add these people to a group, where he could post his catches directly for them to choose from.

Unfortunately, he did not encounter the person who had intercepted him the day before, which left Chu Mingcheng somewhat disappointed.

Unbeknownst to him, not far away, a person was looking in his direction while cursing under his breath.

It was indeed the person who had reported him the previous day.

He didn’t know why Chu Mingcheng was untroubled, but feeling guilty and fearing Chu Mingcheng might have connections, he didn’t dare show his face for the time being.

After finishing the fish sale, Chu Mingcheng returned to Zhao Jun’s boat, retrieved the grouper he had hidden, and placed it in his own fish box before saying goodbye and leaving the pier.

Once home, Chu Mingcheng calculated his earnings for the day.

Today, there was no big-ticket item; he only made three thousand four hundred—which was okay. His bank account was now at seventy-two thousand,hoping he could reach eighty thousand before he left for Qiongzhou.

After rinsing all the equipment with clean water and hanging the diving suit to dry, Chu Mingcheng finally went to take a bath.

After the bath, he locked the door and drove to the town.

The grouper was still in the fish box in the trunk of his car; the family had a freezer in town, good for storing fish.

An Xiuwen was initially chatting at her girlfriend’s house, but when her son called about a good catch, she hurried home.

She had just arrived and saw the fish box at Chu Mingcheng’s feet.

“Son, what good catch did you get this time?” An Xiuwen asked curiously, taking out her keys to unlock the door.

“A grouper. There’s a change in plans; I plan to head out of town in a couple of days, so I didn’t sell it and brought it back for the family to enjoy a good meal together,” Chu Mingcheng moved the fish box inside the house and then opened it, putting the fish in the freezer under An Xiuwen’s amazed gaze.

“This grouper is huge, must be worth a few thousand! Are you getting carried away? You’re about to owe tens of thousands to the family, how could you dare to bring this fish home?”

An Xiuwen came back to her senses and immediately seized his ear to scold him.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch!” Although it was not very painful, Chu Mingcheng still cried out in pain immediately.

“Stop pretending, I’m not using much force,” An Xiuwen said, letting go reluctantly.

Chu Mingcheng chuckled, “Mom, I thought since you and dad have never tasted such a good grouper, I’d bring it home for you to try.”

“And once I’m settled outside, I’ll surely catch more groupers; eating one, although extravagant, is somewhat excusable!”

An Xiuwen rolled her eyes, scolding, “You sure have a way with words.”

However, the matter of the fish was clearly already past.

“I’ll call your father and tell him to pick up the necessary spices from the market after work. He’s got to plan ahead for how to cook this fish.”

With a ten-pound grouper, there definitely would be more than one way to cook it, and now Mr. Chu had to think it through.

However, Chu Mingcheng interrupted An Xiuwen’s call: “Mom, I’m not eating at home tonight; Chen Yang is treating me out to a sea-land-air meal. Tell dad when he’s back, I’ll be home tomorrow.”

“Alright.”

An Xiuwen nodded, without any objections.

The meal would in fact be better tomorrow, without any rush.

Chu Mingcheng stayed home until five-thirty, when Chen Yang’s call came.

He drove to pick them up, and the group set off to have what was called a sea-land-air grand meal.

Chen Yang took them to a restaurant that was quite upscale, somewhat resembling private home cooking.

After looking around, Chu Mingcheng found that this place primarily served Western cuisine—it was a Western restaurant.

The three were led to their seats by a server, and they ordered a sea-land-air meal, along with some appetizers.

Given Chu Mingcheng’s usual spending level, he wouldn’t have chosen this kind of restaurant, where a single meal probably cost at least ten days’ salary.

However, today someone wealthy was treating them, so the experience was quite enjoyable.

Before the appetizers arrived, four waiters came forward first with the main ingredients for the sea-land-air meal for them to check the freshness, ensuring customer satisfaction.

Moreover, selection was necessary for the sea ingredient.

Two waiters stepped forward: one held a tray with a live six-pound Boston lobster.

The other held an Australian lobster, a bit smaller, but still four pounds.

Chen Yang asked, “Ah Cheng, which one do you want to eat?”

“Definitely the Australian lobster. Who would eat the Boston lobster!” As the taste of Boston lobster is the worst among lobsters, no one would choose it if there were better options.

Of course, the Australian lobster tasted better, but it was also pricier—it cost over twelve hundred for just four pounds.

Once the sea was selected, it was time for the land, and there was only one choice: the tomahawk steak.

There was no need to choose for the air, but what surprised Chu Mingcheng was that the ingredient for air was a bred goose, complete with certification—its source was legitimate!

With the main dish chosen, the waiters began to serve the appetizers.

The first appetizer was somewhat unexpected: a plate of New Zealand lobster with sea urchin liver and finger lime.

It sounded luxurious, but it was really just a plate with a single lobster sashimi and a bit of dipping sauce.

As it stands with Western dishes, plating is always sparse; Chu Mingcheng understood this.

But now that he was in the seafood business, he was quite interested in the taste of this lobster.

Lobsters are also found in the East Sea and Yellow Sea within the country, but he currently lacked the capability to fish them as they live in sand and mud environments at depths of at least two hundred meters, which only large fishing vessels could handle.

Chu Mingcheng skipped the dipping sauce and tasted the lobster sashimi in its original flavor.

It was sweet and fresh, with a slight salty taste and a crunchy texture that was slightly sticky—lovers of sashimi would definitely be thrilled.

The slight stickiness in its texture was likely due to ultra-low temperature freezing; it would probably be even more elastic if eaten fresh.

However, live New Zealand lobsters are basically unavailable in the domestic market.

The cost of keeping them alive is far too high. While a chilled lobster might cost two to three hundred yuan per pound, a live one would cost thousands.

Next, they served more appetizers like foie gras with fish roe; as the portions were small, everyone just tasted them.

After waiting a good while, the sea-land-air meal still hadn’t been served. Chu Mingcheng stood up to use the restroom and noticed that the ingredient display area was quite lively.

Like many restaurants, their seafood was also displayed openly.

Lobsters and Emperor crabs were kept in tanks with oxygen, but many more seafood items were laid out on crushed ice.

Shrimps, sea urchins, Big Scallops, and various kinds of rare expensive fish were on display, including one particularly large grouper that Chu Mingcheng recognized—it was a Seven-band Grouper.

This grouper was probably about 1.2 meters long, weighing no less than one hundred pounds, but at least seventy or eighty pounds.

He remembered that he didn’t notice it when he entered the restaurant, as such a large fish would surely be visible since the display was prominently placed at the entrance.

Thus, he asked a nearby server, “Excuse me, could you tell me where you bought this grouper?”

Server: “I’m not exactly sure, but our restaurant does make purchases. I heard it was bought at a high price from a fisherman coming back from Nansha.”

“Okay, got it, thank you!” Chu Mingcheng thanked the server and then walked back thoughtfully.