379: flounder

"Why don't we just fish here today? We're already on the outskirts of the Zhongsha Islands."

After brushing his teeth, Yang Qi shook his head helplessly, still tasting the mutton in his mouth even after a burp.

"Alright! I'll listen to you."

"Xiaoxue, smell this. I think my breath still stinks."

Yang Qi opened his mouth and leaned in close to Bai Xue.

"Ah!... No way!"

Bai Xue pushed Yang Qi's head away with all her might, shouting as she ran off. The two of them played around as they walked toward the ship's railing.

They were currently at a semi-submerged reef where the water was about 20 meters deep. The underwater fishery resources were extremely abundant.

What caught Yang Qi's eye was a group of Grouper darting in and out of the coral reef; he could clearly see quite a few spotted East Star Grouper among them.

"Let's get 'em!"

Yang Qi hooked a Shrimp and cast it into the water. The lead weight pulled the bait quickly down to the seabed.

The sinking bait was soon discovered by the nearby school of fish. Immediately, four or five fish chased after it to compete for the food.

Feeling the pull on the fishing rod, Yang Qi immediately jerked the rod, but to his surprise, the fish on the hook wasn't an East Star Grouper.

Even though three of the four fish chasing the bait were East Star Grouper, the one that took the hook was a Pearl Gentian Grouper.

Yang Qi's face darkened as he helplessly reeled in the line, cursing inwardly.

"Fish on!"

A crisp voice rang out. Yang Qi turned to look and saw that Bai Xue had indeed hooked a fish as well. Furthermore, hers was an East Star Grouper weighing about five catties.

This luck was incomparable!

It was as if Bai Xue was the one with the X-ray vision ability, not Yang Qi.

"Hehehe, it's another East Star Grouper! Hubby, what kind of fish did you catch?"

Bai Xue was a little smug.

"Uh... the type of fish isn't important. Catching more is the right path."

Yang Qi spoke with righteous conviction, though his face reddened slightly after saying it.

He casually tossed the three-catty Pearl Gentian Grouper into the Live Well and continued his precision feeding.

This time, he finally caught an East Star Grouper.

"Hehehe, it had to be you! One East Star Grouper."

Yang Qi's words made Bai Xue giggle uncontrollably.

"Stinky hubby, you're just saving face!"

After that, the two of them began catching fish one after another, and more and more fish gathered in the coral reef.

Although they caught many premium Groupers like East Star Grouper, Mouse Grouper, and Red Grouper, most were still common Grouper and some Sea Bream.

"Hubby, I'll go cook for you first! What do you want for lunch?"

Bai Xue checked the time and asked Yang Qi.

"I'll do it with you. Let's stew some steak for lunch; we haven't had that in a while. I'll also steam an East Star Grouper for you and stir-fry some vegetables."

Yang Qi thought for a moment and said.

"How about I make you a Grouper hot pot?"

Bai Xue asked as she walked.

"No need, I still prefer the fish soup you brew. Just heat up some steamed buns, and that'll be about it."

"Alright, I'll do as you say!"

The two of them chatted while cooking, and lunch was ready in no time.

"Let's eat the fish first; the steak can wait a bit."

Bai Xue placed the steamed East Star Grouper on the table and called out to Yang Qi, who was carrying the stewed Grouper.

"Okay, let's eat!"

An hour and a half later, the two of them were finally full. Yang Qi lit a cigarette and helped Bai Xue clean up.

"Once our new ship is ready, I definitely want to go to the Nansha Islands. The 'setting sail' only goes as far as here; it's a bit lacking in power."

Yang Qi said while washing dishes.

"Sure, when the time comes, I'll accompany you to the southernmost point of our country, James Shoal. I'll go anywhere in the world with you, as long as you want to go."

Bai Xue kissed Yang Qi, her eyes full of affection.

"Alright, thank you! Xiaoxue, it's so good to have you! Let's go fishing."

The two of them walked back to their fishing spots hand in hand.

Since they had chopped up some fish chunks to chum the water before they went to cook, there were still many fish at the spot when they returned.

Back at it again, Yang Qi's luck was good; the first fish he caught was a Mouse Grouper.

"Hehehe, Xiaoxue look, this Mouse Grouper is about four catties!"

Yang Qi proudly lifted the Mouse Grouper in his hand.

"Hubby, you're amazing!"

Bai Xue never failed to provide full emotional support.

The two of them kept catching fish one after another. In truth, catching fish under ten catties was effortless for them.

With about half the catch being premium sea fish, the entire fishing process was both easy and profitable.

"Hmm? I actually caught a two-catty Flounder. I didn't expect to see this kind of fish here."

Yang Qi looked at the Flounder on his hook and spoke to Bai Xue.

"Although this kind of Flounder isn't expensive, it tastes really good. We can eat it ourselves."

Bai Xue said, looking at the Flounder in Yang Qi's hand.

Flounder is a general term for Pleuronectiformes fish, also known as sand-flat, left-mouth, tooth-flat, side-mouth, or flatfish.

They are oval-shaped and very flat. The color of their back changes according to the surrounding environment, while the belly is white.

The mouth is small, and the eyes are located on the right side of the face. They are named for having both eyes on the same side of the head.

The core characteristic of a Flounder is that during the larval stage, the eyes are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the head. After reaching adulthood, through metamorphosis, both eyes move to the same side (either left or right).

There are 154 species in China's waters. Juveniles live in the deep sea, while adults hide on sandy seabeds within a depth of 200 meters, burying themselves in mud and sand when lying flat.

When swimming, they move with the right-eye side facing up, their bodies undulating forward. At night, they prey on small fish and crustaceans, using color-changing camouflage to evade predators.

Flounder is rich in nutrients and has effects such as enhancing intelligence, dispelling rheumatism, and promoting blood circulation. The unsaturated fatty acids it contains are easily absorbed by the human body, helping to lower blood cholesterol and strengthen the physique.

The price of wild Flounder varies greatly depending on the species, specifications, and origin, generally ranging between 25 and 200 yuan per catty, depending on the wild variety, size, and purchase channel.

Common wild varieties (such as the Large tooth-flat fish) are about 25 yuan per catty and are common in coastal morning markets.

High-end wild varieties (such as Greenland halibut) can reach 120-200 yuan per catty, with imported chilled products being even more expensive.

"Hubby, I've seen videos where Flounders over in Norway can weigh one or two hundred catties. It's really hard to imagine."

Bai Xue put the East Star Grouper she was holding into the Live Well.

"Oh? That would be the Greenland halibut! Those are quite expensive. If we get the chance, we should go to Northern Europe to catch some."

Yang Qi nodded, feeling a bit tempted.

The 'setting sail' also moved positions several times to ensure that Yang Qi and Bai Xue could keep catching fish continuously.

The two of them didn't even know how many fish they had caught; they just kept reeling them in.

"Hehehe, hubby, I caught a big one!"

Bai Xue suddenly laughed triumphantly.

Yang Qi looked over and saw it was an East Star Grouper weighing about ten catties. An East Star Grouper of this size was indeed considered a large fish.