344: Taking friends out to sea

Yang Qi looked at Zhang Jun helplessly and said,

"It was Brother Jun who paid for the meal."

"Oh, I pretended to go to the bathroom so I could come over and pay first. How did I get caught?"

Bai Xue was a bit puzzled.

"The private room has its own bathroom. Your pretense wasn't very convincing!"

Yang Qi's words immediately caused everyone to burst into laughter.

"Ah! I didn't think that much at the time. Hehehe."

Bai Xue laughed a bit sheepishly.

"Xiaoxue, don't worry about it. Isn't it the same if I pay?"

Zhang Jun also said with a smile.

"This... then next time I definitely have to be the one to pay. How can I keep eating for free?"

Bai Xue said hurriedly.

"One of these days, you should cook a nice meal, and we'll all go to your house to eat."

"Okay, okay, okay, no problem!"

The group chatted for a bit at the entrance of the restaurant. Their respective designated drivers arrived, and they all bid their farewells and left.

Several of the girls hadn't been drinking. Bai Xue and one of her classmates who could drive drove home.

Half an hour later, at the Sea View Villa.

"Wow! Xiaoxue, is this your house?"

"This is too exaggerated!"

"We're all still busy looking for jobs everywhere, and I didn't expect you to have unknowingly become a wealthy lady!"

"You little brat, you actually kept this from us."

Several girls surrounded Bai Xue, chattering away incessantly.

"Hehehe, low profile, keep it low profile."

"Pick your rooms first! See if you prefer the guest rooms over here, or if you want to stay in the third-floor guest rooms like Shanshan."

"Then of course we'll stay next to Shanshan."

Yang Qi didn't say much, just watching this group of girls fooling around with a beaming smile.

He went to the backyard and saw the two puppies chasing each other in the open space. He changed their fresh water and took on the role of pooper scooper.

Fortunately, the puppies liked to be clean and always ran to a corner of the yard to relieve themselves. If they were pooping all over the yard, that would be quite distressing.

"Gold Bar, Coal, come here."

"Sit," "Down," "Up."

Yang Qi held dog food in his hand and began training the puppies in some simple commands. These were all things he had learned from short videos.

But for some reason, after he had been training them half-heartedly for over an hour, there was no progress at all.

"Forget it, maybe they're too small and their brains haven't caught on yet. Let's take it slow! It's also possible these two aren't naturally very bright."

Yang Qi threw the dog food in his hand back into the dog bowl and gave up!

Afterward, he brewed a pot of tea and went to the Sea-Viewing Pavilion to lie on a lounge chair and soak up the sun.

"Hubby, we're planning to go out to sea to fish for a bit. Are you coming?"

At this moment, Bai Xue called out to him from below.

"Uh~ okay! I'll be your driver this afternoon."

He hadn't originally planned to go, but when he thought about how this was the first time Bai Xue's friends had visited, it seemed like he should accompany them.

So he slung his fishing gear bag over his shoulder, pulled a few tackle boxes, and walked toward the small pier.

To save time, he bought a box of crushed ice and bait at the pier and headed straight for the fishing spot.

Not far from the Oyster Raft, there were some small reef clusters on the seabed where some Crabs lived.

"Let's set some Crab cages here first and collect them when we head back. Maybe we can catch some Crabs to take home and eat."

Yang Qi said to Bai Xue and Yao Shanshan.

"Mm, okay, we'll do as you say."

The two of them took out the folding Crab cages, chopped up a pile of frozen fish chunks with a 'clatter clatter,' stuffed them into the cages, threw them into the sea, and finally tossed in the buoys before leaving.

Seeing how skilled Yao Shanshan's movements were, the classmates could tell she had done this quite often. They all curiously asked her if she was also planning to become a Fisherman.

"Hehehe, I can't just eat and live here for free! I do what I can, I do what I can."

Yao Shanshan gave a vague answer; she couldn't exactly say she was following Bai Xue to make big money now, could she?

Bai Xue also just smiled and said nothing. After all, even among classmates, some relationships are closer than others.

Yang Qi piloted the boat to a small bay seven or eight nautical miles away from the Oyster Raft. Schools of Sea Bass often lingered in this area.

Sure enough, his luck was good today. As soon as they arrived, they found a school of Sea Bass. Yang Qi found a spot to park the fishing boat.

Bai Xue set up fishing rods for all her classmates, explaining things as she assembled them.

Sea Bass are the kind of fish with large mouths and a fierce eating style; they often gulp down the bait in one go. As long as you encounter them, even a fool can catch one.

While Bai Xue and Yao Shanshan were still explaining, Yang Qi hooked a fish.

"Not bad, that must be seven or eight catties!"

Bai Xue said, looking at the fish.

"Yeah, about that."

Yang Qi replied while throwing the fish in his hand into the Live Well.

By the time Yang Qi had caught three Sea Bass, the girls' group finally started their clumsy attempt at fishing.

In any case, it was all for entertainment. As long as they were happy, whether they caught fish or not wasn't important.

So the fishing rods were swung haphazardly, landing near and far. But it didn't hinder the fishing at all.

As long as a fish came by, it would bite. Luckily, there was currently a school of fish foraging in the water below.

Suddenly, the fishing rod of one of Bai Xue's classmates sank sharply, and she cried out in surprise:

"A big fish is on the hook!"

She gripped the rod tightly with both hands and began to struggle with the fish.

The fish was extremely strong, dragging the rod through the water. Her small face turned red, and her body swayed along with the pull.

Seeing this, Bai Xue hurried forward to help. She skillfully took hold of the rod and maneuvered cleverly with the fish's pull.

After a few rounds, the fish gradually lost its strength and was slowly pulled up by Bai Xue. It turned out to be a Large Sea Bass weighing over ten catties.

"Hahaha! This is great! I actually caught a big fish."

"Xiaoxue, come help quickly, I've hooked a fish too."

"Oh, I've hooked one too! Someone help me!"

Everyone cheered and crowded around to take photos. Time flew by, and before they knew it, the sun was gradually sinking in the west.

Yang Qi looked at the time and said, "It's about time to head back and collect the Crab cages."

Everyone packed up their fishing gear, and Yang Qi piloted the boat toward the spot where the Crab cages were placed.

When they pulled up the cages, there were indeed quite a few Crabs inside, big and small ones crowded together, waving their claws.

Yang Qi picked out some of the larger Crabs and threw all the rest back into the sea to release them.

"We can have a Crab feast tonight!"

The girls screamed with excitement. Yang Qi piloted the boat, carrying a full harvest and sounds of laughter, toward the Sea View Villa.

At the small pier, the owners who had received the message were already waiting. He kept two for themselves and sold the rest to them, making back a bit of money.

Back home, Yang Qi took out a Yellowfin Tuna weighing over sixty catties from the freezer. With a flurry of activity, he separated the Akami, Chutoro, and Otoro one by one.

Half of the Tuna head was used for braising, the Akami was pan-seared, and the Otoro and Chutoro were made into sashimi—plenty to go around. If they finished it, they could just get more from the fridge.

Then there was the Sea Bass they had caught themselves, which was prepared steamed. When the hot oil was poured over it, the aroma was mouth-watering!