42: Fishing boats entering the port

This was Zhang Jun's biggest fishing haul in his entire life.

He never even dreamed he'd catch so many fish.

Should such a big haul be hidden away? What's the difference between that and wearing fine clothes at night?

"Old Chang! You must work harder next time!"

"Old Wang! You must be ashamed and then brave!"

"You should learn from me! Strive to catch up to my pace next time!"

"I understand now. The reason I didn't catch fish before wasn't my fault; it was entirely because you guys affected my performance."

The group finally couldn't stand his arrogant and showy demeanor.

They began to besiege Zhang Jun, and in the end, Zhang Jun, having offended everyone, was forced to sign an "unequal treaty"—he had to treat them to a meal tomorrow.

Yang Qi watched the group of middle-aged men joking and laughing, and he felt very envious of their friendship.

Zhang Jun took out his phone and turned it on. There was a series of beeps and rings; he had signal now.

They were all missed calls and message notifications.

Zhang Jun returned a call, and it connected immediately. It must have been his cousin.

"Hello, Brother, have you returned?"

"Ah! Yes, A Ming! I just got a signal and called you back," Zhang Jun replied.

"Brother, how was your friend's catch? Did you ask for me? Do they have any good stuff?"

"Hmm, all of our catches this time were very good. I asked, and they can all give you their fish."

"That's great! Thank you, Cousin. Don't worry! I'll definitely buy your friends' fish at the highest market price.

But for the few you caught with such effort, you should take them home for my second uncle and second aunt to taste!"

Perhaps it was because he knew there was fish to collect and felt relieved, or perhaps it was Zhang Jun's previous track record that made him prejudiced. His cousin on the other end started joking.

Since the phone was on speaker, the few people gathered nearby also burst into laughter.

"You little rascal, looking for a beating, are you? Your brother here caught quite a lot of fish this time, so don't you regret it!" Zhang Jun also laughed and scolded.

"Arrange a freezer truck and a live fish truck immediately, and bring four or five workers to wait at the pier. The store also needs to arrange staff to receive the goods; it will probably take several trips. The fishing boat will be at the pier in half an hour at most."

Only then did his cousin on the other end realize that his brother wasn't joking. After hanging up, he immediately started making arrangements.

Because the price difference between live fish and chilled fish was too great, it was impossible to bring them up before docking, unlike chilled fish.

This 33-meter fishing boat had a corresponding live fish tank for each fishing spot, as well as two large public live fish tanks. Yang Qi's more than a hundred pounds of Giant Grouper and four or five Groupers weighing over 30 pounds each were kept there.

However, for those few 'stone snapper' fish, which cost over a thousand per catty, Yang Qi didn't dare to keep them with the Giant Grouper. What if they got bitten?

If they had to be bitten, let them bite the relatively cheaper ones!

Seeing that he had a signal, Yang Qi also took out his phone and turned it on, and there was a series of "ding-dong, ding-dong" message sounds.

Aside from a few messages from 10086 reminding him that his phone bill was less than 30 yuan,

most of them were messages from Bai Xue, a daily blessing message. As a girl from a coastal fishing village, she naturally knew there was no signal far out at sea.

This was just the overflow of a young girl's lovesickness, new to romance.

At home, Yang Qi usually called once a week to report that he was safe, and they didn't communicate much on ordinary days.

Because he was afraid his parents would worry if they couldn't reach him, Yang Qi had called before going out to sea to tell his mother that he was going fishing and would be back in 4 days.

He quickly sent a return message to Bai Xue.

Unexpectedly, Bai Xue called in less than 5 seconds.

"Hello ~ Xiaoxue ~"

"Hello ~ Yang Qi Ge, I'm already waiting for you at the pier. I calculated the time, and you should be almost back."

"Ah! Aren't you supposed to be in class today?"

"I don't have class this afternoon. I just wanted to come and pick you up!"

"Okay, thank you, Xiaoxue! Wait for me, I'll be at the pier in about half an hour!"

Watching Yang Qi, who was still grinning foolishly after hanging up the phone, Zhang Jun asked:

"Was that Bai Xue's call?"

"Hehehe, yes, Brother Jun, she's already waiting at the pier." Yang Qi was both happy and a bit boastful, yet also a little shy.

"What are you showing off for? Your brother here is still single! But Bai Xue is not only beautiful but also truly devoted to you; you must cherish her." Zhang Jun rolled his eyes.

"Hehehe! I know, Brother Jun!" Yang Qi gave a silly laugh.

"Such a character!"

Soon, the fishing boat arrived at the pier. The pier around five o'clock was bustling with activity; some boats were docking to unload, others were loading supplies onto fishing boats, preparing to go out to sea.

Onshore, people were surging everywhere; there were people from trading companies waiting for boats, fish vendors trying to intercept catches for a first-hand price, and even family members of fishermen who were at sea or returning.

As long as a fishing boat docked, these people would go forward to see the haul. They'd take a chance, whether there was a good catch or not.

Under the gradual clearing of the pier's dispatch center, the fishing boat was finally allowed to dock 10 minutes later.

From afar, a tall and graceful young woman with a ponytail, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and light blue jeans, was seen in the crowd, constantly looking back and forth between the several fishing boats that were simultaneously entering the harbor and docking.

"Bai Xue!" Yang Qi silently called out in his heart.

With a telepathic connection, as if hearing Yang Qi's call in his heart, Bai Xue turned to look. When their eyes met,

it was as if everything around them became still and blurred. In their eyes, there was only each other. They smiled at each other, a smile that spoke more than a thousand words.

Nothing in the world compares to you,

My eyes are filled with you, like a galaxy!

As soon as the fishing boat docked and came to a stop, Yang Qi eagerly went ashore and came to Bai Xue's side.

"Yang Qi Ge! You're finally back! How are you, are you very tired?" Bai Xue's face was slightly red, and she looked at Yang Qi with firm yet somewhat worried eyes.

"Xiaoxue! I made you wait a long time!" Yang Qi looked at this flawlessly beautiful woman who was so deeply in love with him. He was deeply moved.

He couldn't help but take Bai Xue's jade-like small hand and said, "Let's go! I'll take you to see my haul this time."

"Hmm ~ okay!"

The two, as if no one else was around, walked hand in hand onto the fishing boat.

At this moment, the fishing boat was already very lively. The captain's appointed buyers had already started unloading.

Zhang Jun and a few others were chatting with a young man. Seeing Yang Qi and Bai Xue approaching, Zhang Jun waved his hand,

"Yang Qi, come here for a moment!"

"Oh my ~ Sister Bai Xue is here! No wonder Yang Qi disappeared in a flash! Hahahaha!"

"Hello, Brother Jun!" Bai Xue greeted politely!

"Hello, Sister Bai Xue!"

"Yang Qi, let me introduce you. This is my cousin, Chen Tianming, who runs a seafood trading company in your Qingshan Town," Zhang Jun said, pointing to his cousin.

"Oh wow ~ Isn't this Yang Qi? We met a few days ago, Cousin!"