"It’s a Blue Gourd Seed Spot!"
The Blue Gourd Seed Spot is a type of Stonefish, but it’s rarer and more expensive. Right now, it goes for five yuan a jin.
The Blue Gourd Seed Spot Wang Yi had caught weighed around three jin.
"It’s so small. Not as big as the one Jiaojiao caught."
Wang Yi didn’t know the difference between sea fish or their prices. All he cared about right now was the size.
"You can’t look at it that way. Your fish is a rare catch. This one is five yuan a jin. The one Jiaojiao caught was big, but the purchase price is only one yuan a jin."
Hearing this, Wang Yi cheered up.
"By that logic, as long as Jiaojiao’s fish doesn’t weigh more than fifteen jin, my little fish is worth more than hers."
"That’s right."
Wang Yi immediately rubbed his hands together. "Let’s go again. I’m going to keep fishing."
Yun Jiao pouted, displeased. "The rod is mine."
Wang Yi shoved the camera into her hands.
"I’ll let you play with the camera if you let me use the rod, how about it?"
Holding the camera, Yun Jiao replied, "Deal."
Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe: ’...Actually, we wanted to play with the camera, too.’
The wooden boat moved slowly. As it drifted, the bait in the water danced about as if it were alive, making it even more attractive to predators in the sea.
Soon, the fishing rod twitched again. Wang Yi was thrilled.
"Another bite! Quick, quick, Jiaojiao, remember to take a picture of me!"
Yun Jiao aimed the camera at him.
But this time it wasn’t a big fish. He was disappointed when he reeled it in.
It was just a golden pomfret of only about one jin!
Yun Jiao stared into the sea.
"Dad, cast the net."
Just as Wang Yi was feeling disappointed, he heard Yun Jiao’s shout.
He was baffled.
But Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe reacted instantly, casting the net into the nearby water with incredible speed.
The net sank quickly. After a moment, the two men immediately began to haul it in.
The heavy drag they felt in their hands made them both light up with joy.
"It’s heavy! This has to be a big haul."
As they put all their strength into pulling up the net, a portion of the trapped fish broke the surface.
Wang Yi’s eyes went wide.
"Holy shit, holy shit! So many fish!"
"Jiaojiao, quick, give me the camera!"
Seeing such a scene for the first time, Wang Yi was beyond excited. He grabbed the camera and, aiming it at the massive net of golden pomfret that was gradually emerging, began snapping away. CLICK, CLICK, CLICK.
He even got Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe in the shots.
They opened the net, and the fish inside came pouring out with a WHOOSH, covering the deck.
Mixed in among them were some rays.
Yun Linhe said to Wang Yi, "Xiao Yi, be careful. The barbs on these rays’ tails are poisonous. Don’t get stung."
Wang Yi had gotten quite familiar with the family, so they addressed him more intimately now.
After that quick warning, they continued casting the net into the sea.
Yun Jiao asked, "Dad, do you need my help?"
Yun Linhai replied, "No need. We can still manage."
Fishermen have incredible arm strength. They could haul several nets weighing over a hundred jin each onto the boat.
This was only the second haul; they didn’t need Yun Jiao’s help yet.
So, Yun Jiao took a hand net and leaned over the side of the boat. Whenever she saw a fish float to the surface, she’d scoop it up with a quick flick of her wrist.
"Whoa, what kind of fish is that? Its colors are so vibrant, and it looks so weird."
Wang Yi was like the designated hype man, and in his shock, he couldn’t seem to say anything other than "Whoa" or "Holy shit."
With a single motion, Yun Jiao scooped the large, brightly colored fish onto the deck.
Wang Yi was once again stunned by Yun Jiao’s strength. She had just scooped up such a huge fish!
The fish had a large head and incredibly vibrant colors, especially the jadeite-green stripe along its back.
As Yun Linhai and his companion pulled in their second net, they spared a glance and identified the fish.
"That’s a mahi-mahi."
Wang Yi grabbed his camera and started snapping photos of the mahi-mahi. CLICK, CLICK, CLICK.
"Are there more? Are there more?"
Yun Jiao said, "Nope. See for yourself."
After that, they barely saw any more fish floating to the surface.
Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe hauled in three nets of golden pomfret, mixed with some rays—which are smaller types of Devil Fish—and other assorted fish.
"Hahaha... What a great start! It seems we’re benefiting from your good luck today, Xiao Yi."
Wang Yi was very proud.
’Of course,’ he thought. ’I was the one who caught the first golden pomfret, which led to them netting so many more.’
"We have to cut the barbs off these Devil Fish."
The two men sat on the deck, grabbing the Devil Fish and starting their work.
Yun Jiao and Wang Yi went back to fishing.
Afterward, Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe moved the boat some distance and netted some small assorted fish, shrimp, and crabs. These hauls were mostly around twenty to thirty jin; they didn’t pull in any more hundred-jin nets.
The fish they caught on their lines were also just common types. Even the large ones were worthless, selling for just a few jiao a jin.
The sun over the sea grew stronger. Wang Yi, who had never been so exposed to the sun, was starting to feel overwhelmed. Even with a straw hat on, his head felt a little dizzy.
All his initial excitement was gone, and he seemed to have deflated quite a bit.
Suddenly, Yun Jiao poked Wang Yi.
"The killer whales are here."
Wang Yi’s sun-dazed head instantly cleared.
Yun Jiao pointed forward and to the left.
Wang Yi looked in the direction she was pointing, but the sea’s surface was shimmering and reflecting the sun, making it hard for him to see clearly.
It wasn’t until the killer whales got closer that their enormous bodies came into his view.
Wang Yi’s eyes grew wider and wider, his mouth agape.
He had only ever heard of killer whales. Seeing them for the first time with his own eyes, he was truly stunned by their immense size.
As they approached the boat, Wang Yi swallowed nervously.
’If something that big hits us, the boat will capsize for sure!’
Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe, however, were very calm. ’What’s there to be afraid of? It’s not the first time.’
’Besides, Jiaojiao is here.’
The killer whale group swam over and, as usual, circled their boat once.
Then, the young killer whale approached.
Wang Yi’s nervousness gave way to excitement, and he started taking picture after picture of the killer whales with his camera.
Soon, he had used up an entire roll of film.
But he had brought a spare.
This time, the killer whales had brought a gift.
One of the killer whales swam toward the boat, carrying a massive Devil Fish in its mouth.
It was holding one of the Devil Fish’s wing-like fins, its head held high out of the water as it offered the fish to Yun Jiao.
Yun Jiao blinked. "For me?"
The killer whale holding the Devil Fish nodded, making a soft chirping sound.
Judging by its size, this Devil Fish had to be over a hundred jin.
"Holy shit, holy shit..."
Needless to say, that excited voice belonged to Wang Yi.
Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe were also thrilled.
They wouldn’t dare try to catch a Devil Fish this big, even if they came across one.
After all, a live Devil Fish struggling in a net would feel more than twice its actual weight. If a person were dragged into the sea by it, even a single swipe from its tail would be disastrous. Not only was its tail poisonous, but it was also covered in barbs. Getting stung could be painful enough to send a person into shock.
And now, a Devil Fish this enormous was being presented to Yun Jiao by a killer whale!