I Can Fish Up Everything!

If he could contact the boat owner and haggle, he might be able to cut the price down even more.

But he couldn’t get the owner’s contact information. The shipyard, acting as the intermediary, would never let him talk to the owner directly.

The boat had already been refurbished and cleaned at the shipyard and looked quite new. Gu Nan could sail it away as soon as he paid.

The boat he’d set his sights on was manufactured three years ago. It was 12.86 meters long and 2.85 meters wide.

Its two outboard motors produced a total of 400 horsepower but had only been used for a little over 1,400 hours. Clearly, the original owner didn’t go out to sea often.

It had a top speed of thirty-two knots, with an economical cruising speed of eighteen knots.

The fuel tank had a capacity of 1,200 liters and ran on diesel.

It came with basic equipment like a navigation system and a fish finder. The shipyard even threw in a used satellite phone.

It had all three CCS certificates. Now, it was just a matter of Gu Nan paying and transferring the ownership.

This was a Class III fishing boat, restricted to near-coastal waters, but that was enough for him for the time being.

After paying the deposit and saying he’d pick up the boat the day after tomorrow, Gu Nan headed back with Wang Junhe and the others.

"Brother Wang, let’s go. We’re heading downtown. You guys helped me out big time today, I have to treat you to dinner."

Wang Junhe knew Gu Nan was short on cash right now, so he shook his head and refused.

"Treat us to what dinner? We’ve eaten everything there is to eat; we don’t need this one meal. If you’re really sincere, just give us a heads-up first the next time you land a big one. Stop flexing on us in the group chat all the time."

Guo Xiao wholeheartedly agreed. "Right, right! We’re busy with work and have no time to go fishing. But you? Not only do you go fishing every day, but you also show off in the group chat, making me so itchy to go that I just want to ditch my work."

"Alright, alright, my bad. If I catch a big fish, I’ll definitely let you guys know first." Faced with the two men’s crusade, Gu Nan had no choice but to surrender.

Back at the seafood shop, Yi Chen was a little surprised to see him return so quickly.

"I’ve picked out the boat. I was going to treat them to a meal, but those two said they just want a big fish, so I came back first."

Gu Nan explained when he saw her confused expression.

"Then should I make you dinner?"

"Mhm."

Gu Nan returned to the counter and started calculating how much money he needed to borrow.

He currently had 87,000 in his bank account. The spearfish would arrive tomorrow. Since Zhao Jie was taking the whole lot, based on a rough estimate of 450 jin, he’d earn at least another 36,000. That brought the total to 123,000.

He didn’t factor in whether the client would buy any other fish for now.

Simply put, he needed to borrow 100,000. The money from selling other catches in the next day or two could cover daily shipping fees and shop expenses.

As for Yi Chen’s salary, there was no rush. She had only been working for half a month, and besides, who gets paid on the first of the month?

Getting paid on the first probably meant they were holding back a month’s wages. Most places paid on the tenth. As for those that paid on the fifteenth... forget it, better not to even talk about it.

Gu Nan also paid salaries on the tenth, so he wasn’t worried about not having the money to pay her.

Once he’d done the math, he immediately sent a message to An Jun, asking to borrow 100,000.

The other guy asked for his bank account number and transferred the money without a second word.

Just a short while later, he received a notification that the money had arrived.

Instant transfers are said to take up to two hours, but in reality, they never take that long.

With the fishing boat matter basically settled, the next thing was the captain’s license.

Gu Nan immediately scheduled his written test for the next afternoon. Once he passed that, the license would already be in processing. So, as long as he learned quickly and passed all the subsequent parts, he could get the license the day after finishing.

「...」

The next day, Gu Nan made a rare appearance at the shop bright and early.

"Well, look who it is. A rare guest. What are you doing here so early?" Yi Chen was at the counter eating a steamed bun, her cheeks puffed out like a little hamster’s.

Gu Nan unceremoniously dropped his own breakfast next to her, grabbed a stool, and squeezed in right beside her.

"I haven’t been going out fishing much these past few nights, so I’ve been sleeping and waking up earlier. I’m taking the written test this afternoon and picking up the boat tomorrow. The next few days will probably be spent learning how to operate it, so I basically won’t be in the shop during the day."

Yi Chen rolled her eyes. Squeezed uncomfortably, she had no choice but to inch further away from him.

"Whatever. It’s just me in the shop every day. I’m used to it."

"I’m the one shooting the videos, and I’m the one editing them. This computer of yours is practically mine by now."

Hearing this, Gu Nan looked at her in surprise. "What’s with that resentful look? You’re like a sexually frustrated young wife from a movie!"

"You’re the one who’s sexually frustrated... Ptooey! You’re the young wife... No, that’s not right! I’m not resentful at all!" Yi Chen, flustered and angry, was about to hit him, but trapped in her corner, she couldn’t move her arms and legs freely.

"Look at you, trying to hit someone. Did I strike a nerve, making you lash out in embarrassment?" Gu Nan hadn’t expected such a strong and amusing reaction, so he continued to tease her.

Yi Chen suddenly stopped struggling. Her flustered expression vanished, replaced by a stony face as she said coldly, "You’re overthinking it."

’Is she angry?’

Gu Nan was taken aback for a moment. But after spending so many days with her, he had some understanding of her personality. She wasn’t the type to get angry over a joke or two.

So, he studied her face carefully, looking for a crack in her facade.

Being stared at like that, Yi Chen felt her heart beat faster and a faint blush creep across her fair cheeks.

"What are you staring at me for!" Finally, Yi Chen’s composure broke. She couldn’t help but push his face away, trying to keep him from being so close.

It was undeniable that she had started to develop some feelings for Gu Nan; otherwise, she wouldn’t have felt so confused yesterday.

That was why this close-up eye contact made her feel bashful and overwhelmed.

If it had been anyone else, she would have frowned and pushed them away long ago.

"See, I told you. You don’t get angry that easily." Gu Nan chuckled and backed away slightly, then went back to eating his breakfast.

Having had girlfriends before, he wasn’t some clueless rookie, nor was he completely dense.

Although he hadn’t intended to test her with his actions just now, he had definitely confirmed a few things in that moment.

But haste makes waste. Gu Nan himself hadn’t been in a relationship for a long time; he needed to find that feeling again too.

If there wasn’t a progression from a simple crush to liking and then to love, then even if he managed to charm her, it was very likely that an accumulation of small issues would lead to impatience and an eventual breakup. That wouldn’t be fair to her.

Gu Nan wasn’t a scumbag; he naturally wouldn’t do something like that.

The morning scene was just a small interlude in their day. After they finished breakfast, they both got to work.

The Indian Marlin arrived at 9:30. The three-meter behemoth couldn’t fit in a single box; they had to join two boxes together for it.

The thing was blocking the entire storefront, but fortunately, Zhao Jie arrived half an hour later in a pickup truck.

When he saw the fish in the box, he patted its plump body and laughed. "This one’s good. It’s about the same size as the ones I get from Shangdu."

"The size of the fish can’t be guaranteed for now, but I won’t raise the price on you for a big one," Gu Nan joked, simultaneously letting him know that he couldn’t control the size and would just provide whatever he caught.

Compared to tuna, Marlin Fish and the like were actually easier. There was no need to test fat content; they were just sold at a set price per unit.

Zhao Jie didn’t mind. As long as they weren’t too small and didn’t have a low fat content that affected the taste, he could sell the rest just fine.

The specific data for the fish was on the invoice, so there was no need to weigh them.

The largest one weighed 317.5 jin; they couldn’t even lift it.

The deliverymen had used a forklift to get it inside earlier. Fortunately, Zhao Jie’s truck was specially designed for transporting large fish and was equipped with a small crane to winch the fish up.

The three fish totaled 487.2 jin, at a unit price of eighty, for a total of 38,976.

They’d just forget about the odd seventy-six. When you’re talking about a deal worth almost 40,000, who’s going to haggle over such a small amount? How could you stay in business?

If you ran into a real haggler, they might not even give you the extra nine hundred, and there’d be nothing you could do about it, unless demand was greater than supply.

Today, Zhao Jie wasn’t just here for the Indian Marlin. He also made a point to buy up all five of the remaining Black-striped Small Stripes Buri in the shop.

He took five of the Blue-striped Gidai, each about a jin and a half, and also five of the Blue Star Nine-spine Sea Perch.

The new dishes were a success. The Black-striped Small Stripes Buri was cheap and popular when deep-fried, so Zhao Jie placed a large advance order for more. He’d have to see how the other two species sold first.