247: Mouse spots

"Husband, look, we've already made over 2,000 yuan as a good start!" Bai Xue said happily as she scooped up her 30-jin fish with a landing net.

Any harvest is pleasant, let alone over 2,000 yuan.

Yang Qi smiled and gave a thumbs-up gesture.

Bai Xue re-hooked a live bait and threw it into the water. This time, a fish bit the hook even faster; it only took a few minutes.

It seemed to have been intercepted by a surface fish. Upon reeling it in, it turned out to be a Mahi-Mahi over a meter long, colorful and very beautiful.

When Bai Xue saw it was a Mahi-Mahi, she immediately became exasperated, not even bothering with the landing net, and directly flung it onto the deck.

She stepped forward, pressed down on the Mahi-Mahi, and gave it several loud slaps, muttering:

"I'll teach you to be greedy, I'll teach you to be greedy."

Then she removed the hook, roughly threw the fish into a foam box, re-baited, and cast it back into the sea.

Yang Qi chuckled at the sight.

Suddenly, Yang Qi's fishing rod vibrated slightly. He quickly lifted the rod to set the hook and reel in. The sensation from the rod this time was even smaller.

Upon reeling it in, it turned out to be a four to five-jin Mouse Grouper.

As the king of Groupers, the Mouse Grouper had always been a fish species Yang Qi dreamed of catching.

He was quite regretful that he hadn't caught one during his last trip to the deep sea.

The Mouse Grouper belongs to the family Serranidae, genus Cromileptes. It is a typical tropical coral reef fish.

It is a top-tier species among Groupers, named for its slender head and light brown body covered in black spots, resembling a mouse's head.

It is known as "the consort of Groupers" or "king of Groupers."

Mouse Groupers (also called 'the consort of Groupers' or 'king of Groupers') are hermaphroditic; juveniles are all female, and some individuals transition to male as adults due to environmental needs.

Its flesh is tender with no fine bones, offering a dual taste of "fresh original flavor" and "rich savory aroma," and is often used as a high-end cooking ingredient in Cantonese cuisine.

Due to slow growth, low survival rates, and scarcity, wild mouse Groupers (also called 'the consort of Groupers' or 'king of Groupers') command market prices far exceeding those of East Star Groupers.

Unfortunately, due to his violent reeling earlier, the mouse Grouper's (also called 'the consort of Groupers' or 'king of Groupers') swim bladder had protruded from its mouth, and it was clear it wouldn't survive.

But Yang Qi didn't mind; he had already planned its fate: it would go into the steamer soon.

It seemed Bai Xue had hooked a big fish. She was currently wrestling with it, letting out line and reeling in.

Yang Qi saw she was completely at ease and didn't interfere, just saying, "Call if you need help."

Because he also saw that the fish on Bai Xue's rod was a seventy to eighty-jin Bigeye Tuna.

Yang Qi decided to first bring up the Mouse Grouper he had hooked.

Sure enough, not long after, his rod hooked another fish, also not very big.

This time, he didn't reel in violently. When he slowly brought it up, it was indeed another five to six-jin Mouse Grouper.

As he carefully placed the Mouse Grouper into the live fish tank, he saw Bai Xue's Bigeye Tuna also being pulled out of the water.

Yang Qi grabbed the gaff, pierced the Tuna's head, and sent it to its demise.

Yang Qi single-handedly hoisted the fish, weighing less than a hundred jin, onto the deck. He took out a nearby knife and began bleeding and gutting the Tuna. These tasks he now performed with practiced ease.

After processing the Tuna, the two continued fishing.

Three or four hours later, Yang Qi had caught six mouse Groupers (also called 'the consort of Groupers' or 'king of Groupers'), eight Red Groupers, ten Tiger Groupers, and two Mahi-Mahis.

Bai Xue, on the other hand, caught seven or eight Wrasse, two Tunas weighing around a hundred jin each, two Red Snappers weighing forty to fifty jin each, and even five Mahi-Mahis.

It was truly a bountiful harvest.

As dusk approached, Yang Qi piloted the setting sail to a deserted island reef nearby, preparing to spend the night there.

There was no other choice; the fishing area was too deep for the anchor to reach the bottom, so they had to find a shallow area near an island reef to drop anchor and rest.

The waters near the island reef were shallow, teeming with Crabs and lobsters, perfect for setting ground cages while they slept to earn some extra money.

The two chopped up some cheaper fish, placing the ground cages in the reef area.

As night fell, the Xisha Islands twinkled with lights, almost all fishing boats had turned on their lure lights for night fishing.

For these Anglers joining tours, the bare boat fee ranged from seven to eight thousand yuan for shorter trips to one or two tens of thousands for longer ones.

If they encountered strong winds and waves, they might even have to return early, but the fee would not be reduced by a single cent.

It was normal and understandable for everyone to seize every moment to work.

Yang Qi and Bai Xue naturally didn't want to be an exception. They agreed to fish until eleven o'clock and then go to sleep.

After all, they were different from these Anglers; they also had to pilot the boat.

Nighttime was the correct way to enjoy sea fishing. After dinner, the two began fishing, and the bites were almost non-stop. They really got to satisfy their craving.

Besides some mouse Groupers (also called 'the consort of Groupers' or 'king of Groupers'), Red Groupers, and three-knife fish, there were also two Yellowfin Tunas weighing around two hundred jin each.

However, there were more less valuable fish like Mahi-Mahi, Barracudas, Spanish Mackerels, and bream.

Time unknowingly reached 11 o'clock, and the two went to rest early.

They were planning to fish for 7 days, and they had to do all the work themselves, as well as take turns piloting the boat.

Naturally, they couldn't fish all night like the other Anglers.

The next day, they both woke up early. After washing up, they still started by pulling up the ground cages.

It truly lived up to its name as a treasure trove of the South China Sea; the ground cages were filled with Crabs, both large and numerous. Bai Xue couldn't stop smiling as she looked at the Mud Crabs weighing one to two jin each.

"Husband, let's find a place to go diving!" Bai Xue said during breakfast.

"Okay! Let's find a beach to play in the water and experience the most beautiful beach in our homeland," Yang Qi immediately agreed.

Without delay, Yang Qi piloted the setting sail away from this sea area filled with Anglers.

At eleven in the morning, under bright sunshine, the setting sail slowly approached a small sandy beach that emerged from the sea.

Its area was only about the size of a football field, and the sand on it shone brilliantly white under the sun.

Yang Qi checked the nearby water depth and stopped the boat to drop anchor about a hundred meters from the small sandy beach, fearing running aground if they went further.

Yang Qi untied the rubber dinghy, attached the propeller, and loaded an outdoor backpack and a bucket of mineral water into it.

The two got into the rubber dinghy and headed towards the beach.

Yang Qi first set up a tent on the beach, and they both went inside to change into their swimsuits.

Seeing Bai Xue's fair and smooth body in a three-piece swimsuit practically blinded Yang Qi.

Especially her firm breasts, which Yang Qi had developed countless times, seemed even larger than before.

"Come on, husband, let's go play in the water."

Bai Xue came over and pulled Yang Qi.

Yang Qi squatted on the ground, not daring to stand up, and said to Bai Xue:

"Good girl, you go into the water first. I'll have a cigarette first. I'll be there in a moment."

"Then I'm going first, okay? I'll wait for you down there."

Bai Xue, holding a surfboard, walked towards the sea, stepping on the pristine white sand.