I Can Fish Up Everything!

Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Yi Chen Comes to Apply, An Jun Watches the Fun

Today was different from the last trip; he had to bring everything he needed.

It was the weekend, and there were more fishermen than fish. Along the way, Gu Nan saw quite a few anglers who had come for some rock fishing.

If there were this many anglers in these spots, the breakwater pier or wild riverbanks were probably packed shoulder to shoulder.

Having just caught a massive croaker over ten pounds, Gu Nan felt a mischievous urge. ’With this many anglers around, shouldn’t I carry this over and ’ask for directions’?’

But after a moment’s thought, he decided business came first. The shop was out of fish, and he needed to restock quickly. So, he suppressed the urge to go show off, twisted the throttle, and hurried back.

Back at the seafood market, it was already 7:30 PM, and many of the shops had already closed.

The owners of the few remaining open shops were all cleaning up.

Gu Nan’s return to his shop didn’t attract much attention, mainly because Ji Jinxin, who usually kept a close eye on him from next door, had already closed up and gone home.

He put the chilled fish into the freezer. ’I’m almost out of crushed ice; I’ll need to restock tomorrow.’ He let the live fish recuperate for a bit before scooping them out and placing them in the fish tanks.

Once he finished, he rushed back to his fishing spot, only to find it had been taken. He’d only been gone for twenty minutes, and now someone else was benefiting from the chum he’d laid.

Left with no choice, Gu Nan had to keep driving. However, as he passed by his usual fishing spot, he noticed it was empty.

His expression faltered for a second. He suddenly recalled that the person who took his other spot seemed to have been fishing right here just a moment ago.

His guess was correct. The guy fishing next to him had seen him land that big croaker earlier.

The distance was a bit far, so the other angler couldn’t see clearly, but he could just make out Gu Nan hoisting up a huge catch.

At first, he was just envious. But when he saw Gu Nan actually leave the spot, he quickly packed up his gear and rushed over.

He had been fishing at his original spot for two hours without a single bite.

The angler naturally saw Gu Nan return, but he didn’t pay it any mind. ’The guy left, so it’s not strange that his spot got taken. Just because you came back doesn’t mean I have to give it back to you.’

Besides, he had only been here for a few minutes and had already caught a black porgy just over a pound. How could he possibly be willing to leave?

Gu Nan, meanwhile, moved all his things to the back of the reef. After setting up his keepnet, he went to a flat-topped rock, laid some chum, and started fishing.

’The other angler must have laid some chum earlier.’ So, after tossing in a few spoonfuls of Antarctic krill, he didn’t need to wait for the fish to gather and could start fishing right away.

Today was the thirteenth day of the lunar calendar, close to the spring tide, and the fishing conditions were noticeably better than the past two days.

As usual, he fished until midnight. Gu Nan not only caught many fish native to the Fengqi Coast but also landed several one-to-two-pound Sea Bass—the Seven-star Sea Bass variety.

There weren’t many black porgies, but he had a huge haul of scorpionfish, catching several dozen.

Although a single scorpionfish wasn’t very heavy, the sheer quantity was quite impressive.

When he lifted his keepnet, it was packed full of fish, leaving the angler next to him completely dumbfounded.

He just couldn’t understand it. ’Why were there no fish when I was fishing over there, but as soon as someone else takes the spot, they get a massive haul?’

As for him, he did catch fish after switching spots, but only that first black porgy was any good. After that, he caught two tilapias, two worthless trash fish, and even a pufferfish—the kind you can catch with a bare hook. The experience left him totally exasperated.

Normally, he would have been pretty happy. At least he caught something, right?

But seeing the stark contrast, how could he possibly feel happy?

This wasn’t entirely due to Gu Nan’s game-like cheat. The daily catch of fish from the Fengqi Coast was usually about the same.

It was mainly because the chum spot had been active for a long time, happening to attract a school of scorpionfish that were out foraging.

That was the reason Gu Nan seemed so busy, as if he was getting bites nonstop.

The other angler’s choice of bait was also part of the problem; it wasn’t attractive enough to the fish, so naturally, he didn’t catch much.

The angler really wanted to ask Gu Nan for his secret, but he felt a bit guilty for taking the man’s spot. Thus, he could only watch helplessly as Gu Nan rode away on his bike.

Back at the shop, Gu Nan put all the live fish into the holding tanks and scooped out the ones that had suffocated, placing them in the freezer for now.

He had a lot of fish tonight, and quite a few had suffocated. Fortunately, all the fish from the Fengqi Coast were fine.

The reason Gu Nan could return with peace of mind was, of course, that he had caught the Blue-striped Gidai and Yellowfin Gidai.

The quantity wasn’t large—two of each—but it was enough to handle the restaurant’s order.

All daily tasks were complete, adding another five hundred Gold Coins. His total Gold Coins now reached 1,700, and he also had eighty experience points.

’I can level up tomorrow and buy a new fishing rod. It’s going to be another great day.’

...

"Finally done!" After finishing her last day of work and successfully collecting over a month’s wages, Yi Chen let out a sigh of relief. Her steps felt much lighter as she walked down the street.

However, her thoughts soon turned to a job that An Jun had mentioned to her that evening.

She had originally planned to rest for two days and spend time with her grandmother, then continue searching for a more suitable job. If all else failed, she would just have to take the front desk position at Feiyun Pavilion.

She had actually already been hired there, and the salary was higher than a typical job, but the working hours made her hesitate.

At the convenience store, she could at least work in shifts. At Feiyun Pavilion, the "early" shift ran from noon to midnight, and the late shift was even later. The schedule was far from ideal.

So, when they were discussing jobs that evening, An Jun had recommended a position at a seafood shop.

He didn’t mention the working hours or salary, simply telling her there would be a surprise if she went.

’What kind of surprise?’

Yi Chen was very curious, but no matter how she pressed him, An Jun wouldn’t say. In the end, she decided she would just have to go and see for herself tomorrow.

When she got home, her grandmother was sleeping more soundly this time, and the sound of the door opening didn’t wake her.

Yi Chen gently closed and locked the door. Without turning on the lights, she used her phone’s flashlight and tiptoed upstairs.

After washing up and changing into her pajamas, she turned on the air conditioner, snuggled into her blankets, and fell into a deep sleep.

Normally, she would have had to work the early shift the next day, which required her to be at the store before 8:00 AM.

But having already quit, Yi Chen had long since turned off her alarm, planning to wake up naturally.

Unfortunately, her grandmother didn’t know that. A little after 7:00 AM, Zhao Chunlan had already cooked breakfast and came to the foot of the stairs, calling out, "Chenchen, time to get up! Grandma made you some porridge. You need to eat and get to work."

Although she was old, her memory was excellent. She had calculated that today was her granddaughter’s early shift, so she had cooked the porridge early and even dished some out to cool.

"Mmm~"

Zhao Chunlan’s voice wasn’t very loud, but the house’s soundproofing was poor, and the sleeping Yi Chen was still woken up.

She didn’t have any morning grumpiness, though. She sat up groggily, stretched lazily—showing off her nice figure in the process—and then replied, "I know, Grandma. I’m getting up now."

Yi Chen didn’t decide to sleep in just because she didn’t have work. Her grandmother had already made breakfast, and she couldn’t let her elder’s care and affection go to waste.

She went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth, combed her long hair smooth, and tied it into a clean, neat high ponytail.

After changing her clothes and putting on her shoes, Yi Chen hurried downstairs. Seeing her grandmother, she affectionately went over and hugged her. "Grandma, I quit my job at the convenience store. I don’t have to work today."

Zhao Chunlan was slightly surprised. "Then why didn’t you tell me? Grandma wouldn’t have woken you up so early."

"I forgot! Besides, you already made breakfast, so of course I had to come down and eat it."

"Good, good. It’s best to eat early in the morning."

After breakfast, Yi Chen spent a little time with her grandmother. ’Since I’m already up, I might as well go check out that shop An Jun mentioned.’

She started walking toward the seafood market. Meanwhile, a certain mischief-maker had deliberately woken up extra early and had already shown up at the Fengnan Seafood Shop.