Chapter 112 - 104: Yi Chen, Unenthusiastic Even with 10,000 in Sales
"The call won't go through?"
"It didn't. He's out of the service area."
"That kid can't be out fishing this whole time, can he? By the way, what's his satellite phone number? I'll give him a call."
"I don't have the number. He hasn't told me yet!"
"Uh..."
An Jun was dumbfounded. 'No satellite phone either? So there's no way to contact him?'
"Forget it. Never mind him. Maybe he'll be back this afternoon. I'll get going then. When Ah Nan gets back, have him send me a message or give me a call."
Gu Nan wasn't around, so An Jun felt it would be awkward to stay in the shop any longer. In his eyes, Yi Chen was his future sister-in-law, and they shouldn't be alone together.
Alone in the shop again, Yi Chen wasn't in the mood to cook. She ended up just going back to the counter and ordering takeout on her phone.
Then, she opened the laptop Gu Nan had left in her care and started adding subtitles to yesterday's video.
But after just a short while, she stopped. For some reason, Yi Chen felt a little off.
Before, when Gu Nan was away from the shop, she usually knew what he was up to. She could watch the store with peace of mind and work hard to improve sales.
But now, Gu Nan hadn't shown up, and there was no word from him at all. She didn't know what was wrong with her, but it just seemed like she wasn't in the mood for anything.
After lunch, Yi Chen, who had planned on going home for a nap because she hadn't slept well last night, found herself staying at the shop as if by some strange impulse.
She was still sleepy—it's always easy to get drowsy after lunch—so she just rested her head on the counter to doze off for a bit.
In a daze, she heard a sound. It seemed like someone had entered the shop.
She shot her head up, thinking Gu Nan was back, but it turned out to be Jiang Tengming.
"Hello, I'm here to buy some fish. I sent Ah Nan a message, but he hasn't replied. Is he not in the shop?" Jiang Tengming asked politely after greeting her, seeing she was the only one there.
"The boss probably went out to sea and doesn't have a signal. He isn't back yet. Are you looking to buy fish?" Yi Chen said as she walked over. She wasn't sure if Gu Nan had gone out to sea, but it was the most likely possibility.
"Yes, I was planning to see what suitable fish you have," Jiang Tengming nodded. He hadn't been back since buying the Indian marlin last time.
The main reason was a lack of funds, so he had gone to collaborate with other seafood vloggers for a couple of episodes.
Jiang Tengming liked to control his monthly budget. Once he had used most of it, he would be more frugal, generally never exceeding his monthly allowance.
It was July now. At the start of a new month, his funds were naturally replenished, so he wanted to go for something big.
"Do you have anything specific in mind?" Yi Chen knew he was a seafood vlogger, so she couldn't guess what tier of fish he was looking to buy.
"Preferably something large and relatively rare." Jiang Tengming looked around, noticing that the shop seemed to have even more variety since his last visit.
Hearing this, Yi Chen led him directly to the display area, pointed at the thirty-seven-jin Long-snouted Trevally on it, and said, "How about this one?"
This fish was originally meant to be sold in pieces; whole ones don't sell well.
However, there were still some leftovers from the previous one, so this fish hadn't been touched yet.
'Since he wants something big and rare in the country, this one is perfect.'
It wasn't that the shop lacked other suitable fish—for example, the dozen-or-so-jin Tai Star Garoupa and Rose-colored Garoupa would have worked—but the Long-snouted Trevally was chilled, not live, so it needed to be sold quickly, and it was a relatively slow seller.
Jiang Tengming had been in the live fish section earlier and hadn't seen this one. Now, seeing this plank-like fish with its rather odd appearance, his interest was immediately piqued.
"This fish will do. What's it called, and how much is it?"
Yi Chen began her introduction: "This is a Long-snouted Trevally from the Indian Ocean. The boss imported it from East Africa. It's good Steamed or braised, and you can also marinate the fillets and pan-fry them. The other cooking methods might be a bit ordinary, though. I think you should give it a try."
"The original price for this fish is 130 yuan per jin, and one this large is quite rare. But you're friends with the boss, and he's given me some discretion, so the lowest I can go on this fish is 100 yuan per jin."
"If you want an even lower price, I can't make that decision. You'll have to wait for the boss to come back."
With Yi Chen putting it that way, how could Jiang Tengming have the nerve to wait for Gu Nan? He had to keep up appearances, especially in front of a beautiful woman.
His video revenue each month was pretty good, and he occasionally took on small ad deals, so he wasn't hurting for money.
So he said decisively, "That's fine. This one it is. Can you box it up for me?"
"You got it!" Yi Chen flashed a sweet smile. '3,700 in sales secured. Another profitable day.'
This Long-snouted Trevally had been shipped over by Gu Nan, so it had its own special box.
She found the box, laid a deep layer of crushed ice on the bottom, and then went to get the fish.
But the fish was indeed quite large. She could lift it, but it was a struggle. Seeing this, Jiang Tengming, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped up to help. Together, they managed to place the fish in the box.
Once it was packed, she didn't even have to carry it. Jiang Tengming picked up the box himself and left the seafood shop. The payment, of course, had already been made.
Yi Chen had barely warmed her seat back at the counter when the owner of the food stall arrived. He usually picked up stock every day or two, and his business was doing quite well.
This time, he took ten Star Chicken Fish and three Black-striped Small Stripes Buri that were over five jin each. As for the Bushi Golden Needlefish, he didn't want any; that fish didn't sell very well.
It wasn't just him; it didn't sell well at the shop either, and there were only three left anyway.
Gu Nan had, of course, caught more, but after realizing they were becoming harder and harder to sell, he decided to just keep the ones in the aquarium for now and not ship them out. He'd figure out how to deal with them all at once later, depending on the situation.