26: Fishing at the estuary

The staff were very efficient; the doorbell rang shortly after he returned.

He opened the door and let the staff help move things inside, placing everything in the living room.

Finally, he took a few bottles of drinks from the fridge for the two Masters and thanked them for their service.

Next came the 'trouble' of unpacking deliveries, getting everything set up at once.

Then he could focus on making money, otherwise, he would always be delayed by trivial matters.

First, he organized the bed sheets and duvet covers; sleeping is important.

Good rest means a good spirit for the day, so he bought high-end, comfortable bedding.

Having done housework since he was a child, making the bed was the simplest task.

He first placed a mattress pad on the bed, then spread the sheet over it, aligning and folding the four corners neatly, and finally put on the duvet cover.

He only made the bed in the master bedroom; the second bedroom wasn't occupied, so he left it for now, otherwise, setting it up would just collect dust and add to the chores.

Then he arranged various small ornaments and decorative items to enhance the atmosphere.

Next, he organized the kitchenware and decorations in the kitchen and living room, placing everything neatly according to his previous plan.

Finally came the e-sports room, which was the most time-consuming and laborious part.

He first unpacked several e-sports desks, read the instructions, and found many details were off.

He simply used his phone to scan a QR code and watch an installation video, assembling the desk step by step following the video.

This is the biggest inconvenience of buying desks online; things that require assembly are very frustrating.

Once the desk was assembled, he assembled the e-sports chair.

Compared to the desk, the e e-sports chair had much simpler steps, only six or seven, just needing to connect each joint.

The final step was assembling the computer, as the computer parts were bought as different modules and needed to be assembled to become a complete machine.

However, this didn't stump him; as a gaming enthusiast.

He often studied computer issues in university, thoroughly understanding both hardware and software.

An hour later, all the computers were assembled, and he connected the power to test them; everything worked normally except for the network.

He tidied up the e-sports room and then booked a network installation online; due to the large number of appointments, his slot was scheduled for tomorrow.

Chen Xiangbei had to go eat first.

This morning he particularly wanted to eat Northern noodles, but couldn't because of the house matters, so he drove to a Northwest noodle restaurant.

Northwest noodles are different from noodles elsewhere; typical noodles are round and thick.

Northwest noodles are wide and thick, very substantial; one bowl is enough for an adult.

Of course, Chen Xiangbei was not a normal person; he ordered two bowls of noodles, a bowl of beef soup, a large plate chicken, and a roasted lamb leg.

When ordering, seeing the waitress looking hesitant, Chen Xiangbei quickly stopped her and said directly.

"I have a big appetite; just serve it as ordered, nothing will be wasted, thank you."

Seeing this, the waitress didn't say anything more, instructed the kitchen, and went to greet other diners.

While waiting for the food, Chen Xiangbei sent a few messages to Li An and the others in the dorm group chat.

Linhai Four Heavenly Kings Habitat:

Gu Bei: What are you guys doing?

Gu Bei: Daddy recently made a little money, and we haven't gathered in a while. How about a meal at Tianhai Tower? My treat.

An Zi (Li An): My dad said if I dare leave this shop without his permission, he'll break my legs.

Linhai Wang (Wang Ziyi): Gu is busy recently; my sister is too clingy and can't be without Gu for a moment.

Hu Bayi (Hu Dong): This damn Boss of mine wants to squeeze every bit of our time; we have to work overtime every day, sigh~ But I'm free from Saturday night to Sunday.

Gu Bei: Then let's gather at 7 PM on Saturday night. Don't tell me Wang you can't spare one evening.

Linhai Wang: Alright, it's been a while since I've had seafood at Tianhai Tower. Is it okay if I bring a sister?

Hu Bayi: Wait, you have so many sisters, which one are you bringing?

Linhai Wang: Get lost! I'm bringing my sister, my biological sister!

An Zi: Really? Are you sure it's your biological sister and not a sworn sister?

Linhai Wang: Scram! It's my biological sister. My parents went traveling and left my sister for me to take care of. What a tough life~

An Zi: Alright then, I'll ask my dad for leave. One night should be fine. See you then. I'll bring a good bottle of wine.

Gu Bei: Okay, my requirements aren't high, just bring a bottle of vintage Maotai or something.

An Zi: Just sell me! ⊙︿⊙

Hu Bayi: So it's settled then, see you at Tianhai Tower at 7 PM on Saturday.

Linhai Wang: Gu permits it.

Gu Bei: Zhen permits it.

An Zi: Grandpa will be there on time.

...

At 1 PM, after finishing lunch, Chen Xiangbei drove to a bay park under construction.

This is one of the many estuaries of the Zhu River; he came here today to test the waters.

He didn't have time to go far, and there weren't many small fish in the city river sections, so he had to pick the best from a bad lot.

You can catch both saltwater and freshwater small fish at the estuary, especially when it rains heavily, as many small fish gather there.

Chen Xiangbei brought both sea rods and hand rods, planning to fish with both to see which was more effective and then focus on that one.

He arrived at the west side of the Zhu River estuary, where there was an open space convenient for parking.

He got out of the car, took his equipment, found a section of water with relatively calm flow, adjusted his gear, and mixed his Secret Bait.

He first tentatively cast several times towards the area near the shore to create a fishing spot, but found the effect wasn't very good.

He cast several more times towards a farther distance and found there was significant movement; he judged it to be a school of small fish.

He first cast the sea rod towards the distance, and soon, a small fish was hooked.

He pulled the small fish up and found its body was black with some silver, and its fins and dorsal fin were black. It was about 40 centimeters long and weighed around five to six jin.

This is a black seabream, commonly known as black snapper. This small fish has tender flesh and is suitable for steaming or braising. It is also the specific small fish used for tempura.

The market price ranges from 30 to 130 yuan, with larger sizes commanding higher prices.

Black snapper usually moves in schools, so the school of small fish in this spot should be black seabream.

Indeed, after more than a dozen casts, all the small fish caught were black snapper of varying sizes.

The largest one was nearly 10 jin, and the smallest was less than 1 jin; he released all the smaller ones back into the sea.

It took Chen Xiangbei over an hour to finish fishing this school of small fish.

There were also some other types of snapper in this school, the largest being the true snapper.

A true snapper weighing nearly 12 jin was caught. The ways to eat snapper are mostly similar, and the prices are also comparable.

However, prices vary by location, and farmed small fish differ from wild ones.

Chen Xiangbei switched to the hand rod and cast a few times, finding no success, so he switched back to the sea rod and continued fishing.

The sea rod is easier to operate and catches small fish faster. There are fewer large small fish at the estuary, so he used small hooks to catch medium and small small fish.