I Can Fish Up Everything!

’Why would Dad go to an internet cafe? Wait, playing cards at an internet cafe? What the heck?’

"Isn’t there a typhoon coming? Your dad had the day off, so he went to play cards with some of your uncles. He lost quite a bit, and when I told him to come home and stop, he got angry. He ended up running off to an internet cafe to play cards online. I couldn’t even drag him back."

"..."

’So that’s what this is about. They had a fight, and now they need me, the son, to talk my old man into coming home!’

’Well, I’ve got nothing going on, and the shop won’t be open tomorrow anyway. Might as well make a trip home.’

Gu Nan was quite familiar with this sort of thing. Though his father seemed like the mild-mannered type, he would storm out and refuse to come home whenever he got angry. In the past, it was always Gu Nan who had to go and persuade him to return.

But since he’d gone to college, his father didn’t seem to have stormed out much. Or maybe he had, and his mother just never told him.

So, Gu Nan went to his seafood shop, grabbed a large bag of things, and headed for his parents’ home.

’In the future, I probably won’t have time to come home unless it’s due to extreme weather or a holiday. It’s good to take this chance to see my parents.’

It was already after four in the afternoon when he got back to his hometown. The sky was dim, it had started raining again, and the wind had picked up—clear signs the typhoon was imminent.

The first thing he did after reaching the town was head to the internet cafe where his father was.

He walked in, scanned the room for his dad, and quickly spotted him in a small private booth.

’Well, look at him, really living it up. Playing in a private booth with a Coke next to him, no less.’

He was in the middle of a popular online card game, his expression one of complete, engrossed concentration.

Gu Dacheng didn’t smoke and rarely drank. His favorite pastime was playing cards. Though he only played for small stakes, he got carried away easily, which was why Zhao Suying kept him on a short leash.

She wasn’t an unreasonable person, after all. She wouldn’t deprive him of such a minor hobby entirely.

Gu Nan walked over and sat beside him. Gu Dacheng sensed someone there and turned his head. "Son?" he said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Dad, what’s going on? Did you get into another fight with Mom?"

At these words, Gu Dacheng’s voice immediately grew louder with indignation. "She has the nerve to complain? Playing cards is my only hobby, and she still has to meddle."

"All she does is boss me around, meddling in this and that. What does she think I am, a child who needs constant supervision?"

"How much did you lose today?" Gu Nan asked casually.

Gu Dacheng’s expression faltered, and he looked a little awkward.

"N-not much... Just over a hundred..."

’Definitely more than a hundred, but it can’t be that much more. Probably around three hundred yuan or so.’

It wasn’t like Gu Dacheng played cards all the time, nor did he lose every time he played. It was just a game, after all. You win some, you lose some—that’s normal, unless you’re playing against the God of Gamblers himself.

"Alright, let’s go home. Your eyesight is already starting to go; it’s not good to be staring at a computer screen like this."

His son had come personally to get him, and on top of that, they hadn’t seen each other in a long time. Gu Dacheng was willing to give him face. He nodded, logged off, and went home with him.

Then, he noticed the large bag in Gu Nan’s hand and asked curiously, "What’s in the bag, son?"

"You’ll find out when we get home."

"Still playing coy with your old man, I see."

Gu Dacheng chided with a laugh. After leaving the internet cafe, he led him to the town’s wet market.

’My son is back, so we definitely need to cook up a few nice dishes tonight. If I go home empty-handed, the missus will probably chew me out.’

Gu Nan didn’t try to stop him. Instead, he took a look around the seafood section of the market and found that all the prices had gone up.

’The saying is true: the rougher the waves, the more expensive the fish.’ With the typhoon coming, even hairtail that had been frozen for who-knows-how-long was fifty yuan a pound. A total damn rip-off.

Gu Dacheng hadn’t planned on buying seafood. He bought a squab, a farmed soft-shelled turtle, pork trotters, and other meats.

When they got home, Zhao Suying didn’t even bother to scowl at her husband. She rushed over to Gu Nan and looked him up and down.

"Son, how did you get so dark? But you look much more solid."

"That’s what happens at the seaside. The ocean breeze will tan anyone," Gu Nan said with a grin. "Mom, I brought some seafood from my shop. You can decide how to cook it tonight."

"I just wanted you to come talk some sense into your father, not bring gifts," Zhao Suying chided, then opened the bag.

Her eyes went wide as she saw the contents.

"Gu Nan, are you trying to stay in business or not? A lobster and crabs this big... how much did these cost?! Just leave them be. You can take them back after the typhoon passes."

Gu Dacheng was also stunned when he saw what was inside. He gave a wry smile. "Son, why’d you bring all this back? Your mom and I have had our share of good food. We don’t need things like this."

"Actually, you haven’t eaten these before. This is a Rose Dragon and these are crabs from Sri Lanka. They’re both imported. Where would you even get a chance to try them?"

Gu Nan had anticipated this reaction and was already prepared.

He took out his phone, pulled up his current bank balance, and showed it to them. "Your son isn’t hurting for money right now, I promise. I actually just went car shopping today. I’m planning to buy one in a few days to get around in."

Stunned, Zhao Suying counted the digits on the screen. When she saw that her son had over 460,000 in savings, she felt like she was dreaming.

Their family had only saved around 500,000 yuan over so many years, and yet her son had earned almost that much in just six months of running his seafood shop.

"Son, is running a seafood shop that profitable?" Gu Dacheng’s eyes lit up.

The truth was, the reason he had played cards, argued with his wife, and run off to the internet cafe today was mainly because of a problem at work that was weighing heavily on his mind.

He was a senior technician at a factory, an old master of his craft. All bosses were the same: as long as a skilled old-timer was irreplaceable, they’d be treated with the utmost respect.

But the moment a replacement appeared, the boss would start thinking about replacing you. After all, your salary was high.

This was exactly the situation Gu Dacheng was now facing. His boss hadn’t outright threatened to fire him, but they had spoken several times, and every conversation hinted at a pay cut.