I Can Fish Up Everything!

The texture was different from a normal fish. Even with gloves on, a normal fish would be slippery, but this one was extremely rough. He had no idea what it was.

Its head was too wide for Gu Nan to get a grip on, so he brought his other hand in, grabbed the fish by the tail, and lifted it up.

The fish thrashed wildly, soaking his entire pair of pants with the water it kicked up.

As Gu Nan lifted the fish out of the water, it dawned on him. No wonder the texture felt so strange—it was a catshark.

Catsharks don’t usually get very big, but he estimated this one was three or four pounds, which was already quite large for its species.

"Nice one! A catshark. Those are delicious!" Guo Xiao had just returned and praised the catch when he saw it.

"I’ve never had this kind of fish before. Looks like I’m in for a treat on this trip!" Gu Nan chuckled and tossed the catshark into a chest.

Their catch from the tide pool would be stored as ingredients and eaten slowly during their time at sea.

"Haha, I caught a grouper!" Yi Chen was scooping around in the water with a small hand net. Her luck was great—with just a few casual sweeps, she managed to net a grouper weighing a little over a pound.

The tide pool was teeming with fish; you could find one just by looking around a little.

"Holy shit! Everyone, be careful..."

Wang Junhe’s sudden cry of alarm caught the attention of everyone in the tide pool.

"What’s wrong?" The group all gathered around him.

"There’s a lionfish! Be careful when you’re catching fish, everyone. Maybe we should all just use nets!" Wang Junhe said, pointing to a lionfish half-submerged in the water, hiding near a rock.

He was also incredibly relieved. ’I was groping around for that lionfish in the water,’ he thought. ’I touched it twice, but it got away both times.’

’Thank God I didn’t catch it. If I had and got stung, it’s questionable whether I would’ve even made it back to shore.’

"That fish is highly venomous. It’s not just lionfish, we might run into stonefish too. We really need to be careful," Gu Nan explained when he saw the confused looks on the women’s faces.

Yi Chen knew a bit about these fish as well. Since starting her job at the seafood shop, she had learned about many sea creatures they didn’t carry. Barring the truly obscure, she recognized most of them and knew that lionfish, much like scorpionfish, have venomous dorsal spines.

Su Qing said with a worried expression, "We’re okay since we have nets, but you guys should stop trying to catch them by hand."

Cheng Jing nodded vigorously. An accident would be a huge problem.

Gu Nan and the other men had no objections, of course. No one wanted to find out just how nasty that thing’s sting was.

Not having a net wasn’t a problem; clamming tongs worked just as well.

Case in point: with swift eyes and quick hands, Gu Nan snatched the lionfish with his clamming tongs and tossed it into the bucket he was carrying.

He was putting the large fish he caught into the chest beside him, and the smaller ones into the bucket.

After a short while, they had caught most of the larger fish. The tide pool still had plenty of small ones, all under half a pound.

The group wasn’t interested in them, so Wang Junhe and Guo Xiao sorted through the catch, tossing back the ones they deemed too small.

Anglers on a fishing charter would rather get skunked than wipe out the entire population. If they caught everything, where would they fish next time? It’s not like they were just fishing for the sake of it.

Draining the tide pool had taken several hours; catching the fish took about an hour and a half.

The group packed everything up and returned, laden with their spoils.

Back on the boat, everyone went to shower. Around ten o’clock, Guo Xiao’s head chef was ready to get to work!

Lunch was going to be a sea bass feast. Yi Chen, eager to learn more cooking techniques to make delicious food for Gu Nan, slipped away to the kitchen.

Gu Nan had nothing better to do and wasn’t in the mood to fish, so he followed her.

His timing was perfect. An assistant chef was just starting to prepare the fish.

He broke down a thirty-pound sea bass in just a few moments, moving with the legendary skill of a master butcher.

Once all the prep work was complete, the head chef began to cook.

Pan-frying, deep-frying, steaming, boiling—every method was on the menu. Gu Nan smiled knowingly as he watched the chef cook while explaining each step to his girlfriend.

Soon, a mouth-watering aroma began to waft from the kitchen.

Fish isn’t usually as fragrant as pork or other meats when cooked, but with the array of modern seasonings, the aroma was still incredibly potent.

As if drawn by the scent, Wang Junhe and the others began to appear in the dining area.

Just then, the dishes were brought to the table, one after another: Braised Fish Chunks, Sea Bass Head with Pickled Peppers, Fish and Tofu Soup, and Steamed Fish Belly.

Although there were only four dishes, the sea bass had been so large that every portion was huge. With rice, it was more than enough for the six of them.

The four dishes were a feast for the senses. Gu Nan sighed in admiration. "I’ve never been a huge fan of sea bass, but looking at these dishes, I can’t possibly resist!"

Guo Xiao laughed. "Isn’t Yi Chen learning from the chef right now? You can have her make it for you in the future."

Gu Nan nodded, secretly taking and squeezing Yi Chen’s hand under the table. ’I’m so happy with this girlfriend,’ he thought. ’She blows my ex out of the water.’

’They say your next girlfriend after a breakup is always better and sweeter. He didn’t know who first said that, but damn, were they right!’

Yi Chen felt his gentle squeeze. She pressed her lips into a small smile and glanced at him, her eyes brimming with affection.

A first love is always unforgettable, and she had already given her whole heart to this boyfriend—the man who’d taken her first kiss and with whom she was already discussing marriage.

Gu Nan picked up his bowl of rice, placed a golden-brown piece of the braised fish into his girlfriend’s bowl, and only then began to eat himself.

The fish, first fried and then braised, had a glossy, reddish-brown hue. It practically melted in his mouth, and his face was a picture of pure enjoyment.

It was rich and fragrant without being greasy. Even after being braised, the fish was still bursting with its natural fresh flavor, enhanced by a hint of garlic.