124: True and False Qingyi

Yang Qi had a sudden idea to activate his Golden Finger to check what kind of fish it was.

A colorful fish appeared in the picture, its head bulging, and its body covered in a greenish-blue coat.

He immediately thought of a type of fish, the "Green Wrasse".

Green Wrasse are a type of Labridae fish from the order Perciformes, with an elongated, long-oval body.

Its head outline is rounded, and its back is grayish-blue.

There is a significant difference in body color between adult males and females; females are light yellow, while males are blue-green.

They are very beautiful.

Green Wrasse are also called 'Concubine Fish' because they always travel and forage in pairs, like maids dressed in green.

Hence the name Green Wrasse.

The scientific name for Green Wrasse is "Semicossyphus reticulatus", named for its uneven teeth, which resemble a pig's teeth.

Indeed, names are always derived from appearance characteristics or living habits.

The flesh of the Green Wrasse is sticky, tender, juicy, melts in your mouth, and is incredibly delicious.

Its scales are also edible and very tasty when fried.

Due to its inability to be farmed, its wild scarcity, and its culinary value...

it is listed as one of the "Four Great Fish Kings" in Hong Kong and Macau.

Market prices reach 500 to 1000 yuan per jin.

Because of its beautiful appearance, many enthusiasts keep it as an ornamental fish, and its price is very high.

The Four Great Fish Kings include: Humpback Grouper, Napoleon Wrasse, Red Grouper, and Green Wrasse.

There is also an island in Hong Kong, China, named "Tsing Yi Island" because of the Green Wrasse.

There are many varieties of Green Wrasse, and due to their bulging heads, they are collectively called "Humphead Wrasse" or "Dragonhead Fish".

Among these, there is a fish that looks very similar to the Semicossyphus reticulatus, with little difference in body shape and color, only the mouth and teeth are different.

Its mouth has a slight curve, like a parrot's beak, and it is called "Parrotfish" or "Beakfish".

The teeth of the Parrotfish are completely different from the uneven teeth of the Semicossyphus reticulatus; its teeth are very neat.

Therefore, Parrotfish are also called "Fake Green Wrasse".

The two are similar in appearance, but their flesh and value differ greatly.

In contrast, Parrotfish have loose flesh and cost 40 to 60 yuan per jin.

At this sight, Yang Qi suddenly felt his fatigue vanish.

He picked up the fishing rod from the stand and began to reel in the line manually, wanting to ensure he brought up a lively, energetic live fish.

Yang Qi was not in a hurry, maintaining a rhythm of stopping every ten meters, and it took him over ten minutes to bring this twenty-plus jin Green Wrasse to the surface.

This fish needed to be handled with a landing net, as live fish fetch a higher price.

When he lifted the landing net pole, Zhang Jun saw a hint of green, so he walked over, wanting to see what kind of fish it was.

"Holy cow, let me see, let me see."

Zhang Jun squatted down, pried open the fish's mouth to look, and said, "This is a real Green Wrasse, it's very expensive! Yang Qi, you're really lucky!"

So, he already knew!

Yang Qi immediately abandoned his plan to educate him.

The words he had held back were like a punch hitting cotton, very uncomfortable.

"Xiao Lang, Xiao Lang, come here for a moment."

Yang Qi wanted to vent, so he called over a high school student who he thought was less knowledgeable.

"Brother-in-law, why did you call me?"

Bai Lang walked over quickly and asked.

"Holy cow, isn't this a Green Wrasse? Wait, let me check its teeth first."

Yang Qi was dumbfounded.

He felt even more depressed.

"So they all know!

I almost made a fool of myself."

"It's definitely a big Green Wrasse! Look at these pig teeth.

I've seen them several times at the dock before."

Bai Lang stood up and said with certainty.

"Oh right, why did you call me?"

"Uh... can you help me put the fish in the live fish tank, there's nothing else."

Yang Qi said somewhat awkwardly.

Even this kid Bai Lang recognized it, so he definitely didn't dare to call Zhang Fei.

"Okay, I'm going then!"

Although Bai Lang was a bit curious, he didn't ask further.

He picked up the big Green Wrasse, walked over, put it in the live fish tank, and then returned to his fishing spot.

Zhang Jun looked at Yang Qi, also somewhat puzzled by his actions:

"Yang Qi, there should be another Green Wrasse like this underneath, keep up the good work."

After saying that, he also went back.

Yang Qi rubbed his face and began to look into the sea to see if there really was another Green Wrasse.

Soon, about ten meters away, he found a Green Wrasse of similar size leisurely swimming at the bottom of the sea, looking for food, and swallowing a few small fish and shrimp in one gulp.

It just so happened to use its long teeth to clear the sand at the bottom of the sea and found a clam.

Then, holding the clam in its mouth, it swam to the side of a reef, vigorously shook its head to throw the clam out, smashing it against a protruding part of the reef, and then picked up the clam again to smash it.

After repeating this several times, the clam's shell finally broke, and the Green Wrasse finally ate the meat inside.

"What a clever fellow!" Yang Qi also exclaimed in admiration.

However, admiration is admiration; it didn't affect Yang Qi's desire to catch it and sell it for money.

He composed himself, re-baited with a Shrimp, and forcefully cast it towards where the Green Wrasse was.

It was a bit far, but he didn't care.

He reeled the fishing wheel, slowly pulling the line back until the bait was next to the Green Wrasse.

After waiting four or five seconds and seeing that the Green Wrasse didn't come to eat the bait, Yang Qi turned the reel two more times, and the Shrimp on the hook moved forward a bit.

No sooner said than done.

Just then, the big Green Wrasse suddenly darted over to eat the bait, but the Shrimp had just been pulled away.

The big Green Wrasse lunged for nothing, getting a mouthful of sand.

As if from a god's-eye view, Yang Qi clearly saw the entire process.

He curled his lips, finding it amusing, but before he could laugh out loud, the big Green Wrasse, with a flick of its tail, rushed back in front of the Shrimp and swallowed it in one gulp.

"Damn it, you're the one who made me lose face, don't I have any dignity? Oh my! ..."

However, before it could finish grumbling, a sharp pain suddenly shot through the corner of its mouth, and a pulling force dragged it towards the surface of the sea.

"It's hooked!" Yang Qi shouted excitedly, gripping the fishing rod tightly, feeling the fish's struggle.

This Green Wrasse was incredibly strong, thrashing its body desperately, trying to break free from the hook.

Yang Qi dared not be careless, following his previous reeling rhythm, stopping every ten meters, and engaged in a contest of strength with the fish.

Zhang Jun and the others heard the commotion and all ran over to check the situation.

They encouraged Yang Qi while being ready to assist with the landing net at any moment.

After more than ten minutes of struggle, the Green Wrasse gradually lost its strength and was pulled to the surface.

Under the lights, its greenish-blue scales shimmered with a captivating glow.

Zhang Jun was quick, scooping the fish up with the landing net.

"Another big Green Wrasse! Yang Qi, you're on a roll today, what a great harvest!" Zhang Fei said with a smile.

Yang Qi looked at the lively Green Wrasse, his heart blossoming with joy.

He repeatedly said modestly, "Good luck, good luck!"

Afterward, Bai Lang put the fish into the live fish tank, and everyone shared a cigarette and chatted for a few moments before returning to their fishing spots, preparing for their next session, anticipating even more catches.