I Can Fish Up Everything!

An Jun couldn’t exactly call it a whim. Making store-exploration videos had been his way of not taking life too seriously, but now he was tired of it and wanted a change of pace.

Besides, he’d been all over the place and experienced so many new things that it was hard for anything to pique his interest anymore.

A change of scenery might just be what he needed to reignite his passion.

To put it simply, he was still feeling the aftereffects of his burnout and couldn’t get motivated.

Gu Nan glanced at him and fired off a series of three questions. "Making seafood videos is fine, but do you know how to gut a fish? Can you cook? And are you sure anything you make will be edible?"

An Jun, who was just about to tell him all about his plans, froze awkwardly. ’Gut a fish?’

’Do my fruit-slicing skills count?’

’Cook?’

’Well, I can make instant noodles.’

’As for whether it’s edible... you’d have to eat it to find out, wouldn’t you?’

An Jun wanted to give these bold retorts, but he just didn’t have the confidence.

"So I’ll learn! It’s not a big deal."

"Fair enough. Then go learn. Come by my shop when you have time, and I’ll teach you how to gut fish." Gu Nan’s shop sold a good number of fish daily, but ever since he started handling imported fish, there were fewer occasions that required gutting them on the spot.

It was usually the office workers who came by in the afternoon who needed it done for them; morning customers typically took their purchases home to prepare themselves.

At the end of the day, a dedicated seafood shop was different from a seafood stall at the wet market.

Once Gu Nan fully transitioned to mid- and high-end seafood and started partnering with restaurants and hotels, he probably wouldn’t gut more than a few fish a week in the shop.

In truth, he didn’t much care for the task himself. Selling fish was one thing, but gutting them for too long left you with a persistent fishy stench.

This was why people found it so strange and surprising that Yi Chen worked at the shop. What pretty young girl does this kind of work nowadays!

"Sounds good. I’ll come find you at your shop tomorrow."

"Make it the day after tomorrow. A fishing buddy invited me out to sea tomorrow, so I won’t have time."

"Oho, look at you, living the high life. Hitting the high seas now."

"Get lost!"

While the two were joking around, the waiter brought over the snacks An Jun had ordered.

It looked like a lot—six bowls—but in reality, the bowls were just large, and there was only a tiny bit of food in each.

A bowl of noodles with soybean paste was two bites at most.

All six bowls together were probably equal to two regular-sized bowls from a noodle shop on the street. They both had big appetites, but it was just a late-night snack, so it was enough.

After finishing their food, the two left Feiyun Pavilion and went their separate ways home.

...

「The next morning at 5:30」

Gu Nan left on his electric scooter, heading to his shop first. He wasn’t taking the tricycle today, so he just grabbed his tackle box, a foam cooler, his fishing rod, and other equipment before heading to the pier where Wang Junhe kept his boat.

"Hey, man, you’re here too! That’s great! I’m going to have to borrow some of your luck out on the water today and land a big giant grouper myself." Guo Xiao’s eyes lit up when he saw Gu Nan decked out in his gear, and he immediately scurried over.

He was one of the other anglers invited out on the trip. Last night, his wife had needed a fish for dinner, and a *certain someone* hadn’t offered one up.

Oh well. He’d just have to work hard and catch a big one today.

"Hey, man, does your wife still need a fish for dinner?" Gu Nan was happy to engage with the angler who had bought a barred knifefish from him before.

"She does! Desperately! If you land anything good today, you have to give me first dibs!" Guo Xiao whispered in his ear.

"If I get lucky and land something good, I’ll definitely save it for you, man," Gu Nan said, nodding with a smile. It didn’t matter if he actually caught anything; he’d agree for now. After all, this was a customer who wasn’t afraid to spend.

"It’s a deal!" Guo Xiao patted him on the shoulder. The next moment, he spotted Wang Junhe arriving with his family in tow and hurried over to greet them enthusiastically.

Seeing that the boat’s owner had arrived, Gu Nan turned and followed him over to say hello.

He was also introduced to Wang Junhe’s wife and their adorable daughter. The little girl looked to be about five or six and was quietly holding her mother’s hand, showing none of the mischievous energy of a spoiled brat. It was clear she was being raised well.

He had expected a few more people to be joining the fishing trip, but it turned out to be just him and Guo Xiao, along with Wang Junhe’s family of three.

Guo Xiao seemed to sense his confusion and explained with a laugh, "Junhe is just taking his wife and kid out for a day of fun. We go way back, so I’m just bumming a ride."

"My wife has come along a few times before, but she has to work, so she couldn’t make it today."

’His wife is at work while he’s out fishing?’

Gu Nan sized him up. With the weathered skin of a seasoned angler, he looked nothing like a pretty boy—not the type to be living off his wife.

’Looks like his wife is a career woman, not someone forced to work to support her husband.’

But since they had all just met, there was no need to pry into his family’s background.

Now that everyone was here, it was time to depart.

Gu Nan followed them to a small recreational fishing boat docked at the pier.

It was about twelve meters long and had a high-tech, futuristic design. At first glance, you could easily mistake it for a small yacht.

"So, what do you think? Not a bad boat, eh?" Wang Junhe said to Gu Nan, unable to resist showing off a little.

He couldn’t beat him at fishing, but he could at least show off his gear.

In the past, he often bragged to other anglers about his rods and reels, but Gu Nan’s rod was so exquisite—and a discontinued model, no less—that he had given up on that particular line of boasting.

Now that this opportunity had presented itself, how could he possibly pass it up?

"Not bad? It’s incredible! This boat must have cost a fortune, right?" Gu Nan looked around curiously after stepping aboard, wishing he owned a vessel just like it.

"It’s alright. 42 feet, imported. Cost just over five."

"Hiss..."

’Forty-two feet is 12.8 meters. "Just over five"...’ Gu Nan wasn’t naive enough to think he meant a mere 500,000.

’The price of an imported recreational fishing boat was outrageous. Over five million! How many fish would he have to sell to afford that?!’

’Sure enough, in the eyes of the rich, I’m just a poor fishmonger.’

’The ceiling for me in this life is probably the millionaire middle class. Trying to break into the tens-of-millions club just by fishing is going to be incredibly hard!’

Still, becoming a millionaire was already an incredible achievement. Gu Nan reined in his envy.

He had been thinking about buying a boat for himself someday, but now he reconsidered. ’What’s a fishmonger like me doing buying a fishing yacht? That goal is way too ambitious. Time to pick a new one.’

A simpler, twelve-meter fishing vessel could still reach the open sea and was much cheaper. He could probably afford one of those after saving for a while. For now, he decided he’d better just ask Wang Junhe for some pointers on how to pilot a boat.

Piloting a standard fishing boat was different from handling a recreational one; the controls were much simpler.

However, learning a bit in advance would make it easier for Gu Nan to pass the exam and get his boating license—even though it was much easier than getting a driver’s license for a car.

Once on board, he took a moment to familiarize himself with the boat’s layout and equipment.

Wang Junhe’s boat was truly luxurious. It had three outboard motors on the stern alone, capable of pushing it to thirty knots at full throttle, though it was a serious gas-guzzler.

The aft deck was primarily for fishing and featured a spacious livewell.

The foredeck could be used for lounging and sunbathing, but since Wang Junhe’s wife had taken their daughter into the bedroom within the cabin to catch up on sleep, Gu Nan didn’t feel it was right to go inside for a tour.

The cabin itself wasn’t small, featuring two sofas with a coffee table between them. The helm was situated on the starboard side.

After his quick tour, Gu Nan sidled up to Wang Junhe to learn a thing or two about how to pilot a boat like this.