48: Charter

Yang Qi and Bai Xue bypassed the village pier and arrived at the same secluded spot as last time, noticing that there were significantly fewer Rockfish on the seabed than before.

On one hand, it was probably due to overfishing last time, and on the other, the fish schools might have migrated away.

This time, prepared in advance, Yang Qi first soaked some antarctic shrimp brick, then helped Bai Xue assemble her fishing rod, while Bai Xue was already assembling his small red reel set.

The two exchanged a smile, swapped equipment, and everything was understood without words.

Looking at the Rockfish hanging on the string of hooks, with their reddish-brown bodies and mouths opening and closing, both of them were very happy.

After an hour or so of happy fishing, they headed home to sell their catch.

This time, they sold everything to Chen Tianming; the price was a little lower than Yu Dafu's, but the store had the advantage of buying both large and small fish.

For Yang Qi, it was completely acceptable, and much more convenient this way.

Bidding farewell to Chen Tianming, and looking at the more than 8,000 yuan added to his phone, the two left the Tianming Seafood Store together.

"Let's go eat first before heading back!" Yang Qi asked Bai Xue.

"Okay, I'll follow your lead!"

The two still went to the ""Fly Restaurant"", and while waiting for their food, Yang Qi transferred 4,000 yuan to Bai Xue.

"Why are you giving me money? I don't want it!" Bai Xue said, seeing the transfer notification on her phone.

"Why wouldn't you want it! This is the money from the fish we caught together."

"I really don't want the money, I'm just happy to be with you."

After Bai Xue said this, a blush appeared on her tender, fair face.

Yang Qi was instantly moved and gently held her soft hands.

"Xiaoxue, I'm also very happy that you can accompany me fishing. But the fruits of our labor need to be shared, and in the future, I'll need you to manage the finances."

Having been in society for two years, how could Yang Qi not be able to handle a college student? With a few sweet words, even if Bai Xue was intelligent, her love-struck mind lost its bearings.

After lunch, the two returned to the small courtyard and began studying the materials; with Bai Xue's explanations and help, Yang Qi quickly got the hang of it.

In the following days, apart from picking up and dropping off Bai Xue a few times, Yang Qi immersed himself in studying the materials, even neglecting fishing.

After unremitting efforts, Yang Qi finally obtained his crew certificate a week later.

"Finally, I can rest for a while. I don't have to rush so much for the next month. Let's go fishing this afternoon!" Yang Qi said to Bai Xue on the way home.

"Great!" Bai Xue readily agreed.

After lunch, Yang Qi drove Bai Xue towards Dapan Bay. It had been a long time since they last went there, and he wondered what their catch would be like today.

Yang Qi was also very much looking forward to it.

The two arrived at the reef where Yang Qi had fished last time, and Yang Qi used his ability to observe, seeing only a few scattered fish schools searching for food.

Having been to the deep sea, Yang Qi now found the fishing conditions near the shore quite unappealing.

Since they were already there, they might as well fish! He would just treat it as accompanying Bai Xue on an outing.

Bai Xue, however, was very happy; whether they caught fish or not wasn't important, as long as she was with Yang Qi.

Bai Xue, after all, grew up in a fishing village by the sea, and her casting with the lure rod was quite skilled. Under Yang Qi's guidance, she cast her rod in front of the fish schools and caught several Sea Bass.

This time, Yang Qi didn't see any Black Seabream, but he did catch a few Black Seabream and Yellowfin. After about two hours, Yang Qi looked at the sea and then took Bai Xue home.

"It's really hard to make a living by the sea now; the resources are too scarce!" The two chatted on the way. Yang Qi said:

"How about we buy a small boat? We could go explore the nearshore waters?"

Bai Xue replied, "I think we shouldn't buy one for now; let's rent one instead! Just rent a boat under 6 meters. You can also practice in advance, and I'll teach you then."

Yang Qi heard this and thought it made sense! A boat under 6 meters, even if he didn't have a license yet, he could still learn to drive it. With Bai Xue teaching him, there would definitely be no problem.

On the way, Yang Qi specifically went to the Fisherman's Home and bought Bai Xue two fishing rods, a small red reel set, and a boat rock fishing rod, identical to his own setup.

He also bought some items like sun protection clothing, a fisherman's hat, sunglasses, and gloves. Additionally, he bought a large fishing box.

This time, Bai Xue didn't decline, but simply watched silently. Since she had decided to go fishing with Yang Qi from now on, whatever arrangements he made were fine.

Because there weren't many fish and they were common species, Yang Qi casually found a purchasing station and sold the fish, earning over a thousand yuan.

The two returned home, put away their equipment, and then went to ask Bai Dahai about renting a boat.

Bai Dahai used to be a fisherman, but later, the nearshore fishery resources became too scarce, and he couldn't make money. So, he teamed up with some people from the village to do interior decoration.

He happened to be out of work recently, so he had been staying at home with his wife and children.

After hearing Yang Qi's idea, Bai Dahai slapped his thigh.

"Leave this to me! I'll go inquire for you, to see whose family or any relatives or friends I know have a boat for rent. A small boat under 6 meters, with all the equipment and everything."

After speaking, he went out to gather information.

Yang Qi and Bai Xue were very happy to hear this, so they studied materials at home while waiting for news.

It wasn't until close to dinner time that they received a call from Bai Dahai, saying he had found a suitable fishing boat.

Yang Qi and Bai Xue hurried to a small pier in the neighboring village according to the address. They saw Bai Dahai smoking and chatting with a man in his 50s. They figured this must be the boat owner.

Seeing Yang Qi and Bai Xue approach, Bai Dahai introduced them, and it was indeed the boat owner.

The boat owner's surname was Zhang, and the boat docked behind him was his; it was 5.8 meters long and 1.8 meters wide, looking about 80% new.

The few of them went aboard and felt it was quite satisfactory.

It seemed Bai Dahai had put in a lot of effort to find such a good boat in all aspects. Yang Qi secretly felt grateful.

After some discussion, they agreed on the rent and usage rules. The rent was 300 yuan per day.

During use, if the hull was bumped or the engine had problems, Yang Qi would be responsible for all repairs or replacements.

The minimum rental period was half a month, with the rent paid in full upfront, and a 500 yuan deposit.

Yang Qi paid 5,000 yuan for the rent plus deposit and obtained the right to use the boat.

Immediately, Bai Dahai drove the boat back to the village pier. He and Bai Xue drove two electric bikes home.

Arriving at the village pier, Bai Dahai was already there, chatting with the pier manager.

They were all villagers, and the manager charged according to village regulations; the mooring fee was 10 yuan per day.

Yang Qi paid for a month's fees. For the next month, the boat could be docked at this pier, where there were people on duty 24 hours a day, essentially eliminating the possibility of theft.

"Come on, let me give you a taste!"

Bai Xue eagerly jumped onto the boat, calling out to Yang Qi.

Yang Qi offered a cigarette to Bai Dahai and the pier manager, Old Man Bai, and then quickly jumped onto the small boat as well.

With a single press of a button, the boat roared "hong hong hong" as Bai Xue skillfully backed it out of the berth and headed towards the sea.

"Axue truly is a college student; she's not intimidated at all when driving a boat," the old man praised.

"She has a license! An A2F allows her to drive yachts under 20 meters! This small boat is nothing to her," Bai Dahai said proudly.