I Can Fish Up Everything!

Chapter 39: Chapter 39: You Don’t Want Athlete’s Foot Popping Up on Your Head, Do You?

After taking a couple of bites of his rice noodles, Gu Nan suddenly noticed a gaze stealing glances at him from the side.

He turned his head slightly and saw a certain little hamster chewing on a sweet potato noodle, her big, round eyes fixed on the sea worm jelly he had just put on her plate.

Gu Nan smiled. It seemed the noodle shop owner’s skill had successfully conquered Yi Chen. She was now able to accept the sea worm jelly she had been so reluctant to try before, just like him.

"This sea worm jelly is actually really good. Don’t let its looks fool you, the taste is fantastic. Want to try it?"

Yi Chen noticed Gu Nan looking at her and quickly turned her head back, pretending to be focused on her noodles.

Hearing his words, she knew he had seen her staring and felt a little embarrassed.

However, there was still a stray piece of sea worm jelly left in her bowl. When she ate it, she discovered it had a chewy texture and was exceptionally savory, which she actually quite liked.

"Then... I’ll give it a try?"

"Go ahead!"

Smiling, Gu Nan got up and went to the counter. He grabbed a spare pair of chopsticks from a takeout order, unwrapped them, and used them to give the sea worm jelly he had taken back to her.

Yi Chen took a bite and praised, "I didn’t expect sea worm jelly to be so tasty. I wonder if spoon worms, which look a lot like them, are even better."

"Those are pretty expensive. I’ve never had them either, but maybe we’ll get a chance to try them someday."

Of course, Gu Nan knew about spoon worms. But compared to sea worm jelly, wild spoon worms were rarely seen on the market anymore.

There were farmed ones, but they were almost always processed into dried spoon worms.

After lunch, Gu Nan went out to buy a power strip and moved his three-wheeled cart to the storefront to charge.

During business hours, he parked both the three-wheeled cart and the electric scooter in a spot by the seafood market’s entrance. The shop’s entrance was too small; parking in front of it would block the doorway and affect business.

There was basically no business in the afternoon, so it didn’t matter if he parked it there for a while.

He had originally tasked Yi Chen with getting a key made, but since he was already out buying a power strip, he took care of it himself and gave her the newly copied key.

"Boss, I’m heading out for now." Yi Chen took off her apron, hung it on the nearby wall, and waved to him.

"I’m not sure when I’ll be back, so remember to come over and open up the shop then."

"Okay, got it."

After Yi Chen left, Gu Nan checked his bank account balance. With the morning’s revenue, it was back over ten thousand, exceeding it by more than a thousand. This made him think about what he needed most right now.

Based on his current progress in the game, he’d soon be able to buy the purple-tier set, which would likely bring in a lot of high-grade fish.

The seafood market where Gu Nan was currently located mainly dealt in low-to-mid-range seafood.

It primarily featured seafood from the local fishing harbor, with not much in the way of imports.

To find high-end seafood like Emperor Crabs, Australian Lobsters, or black gold abalone, you had to go to another seafood market.

That market wasn’t too far away, only about a ten-minute ride on his electric scooter. In fact, Gu Nan would much rather open his shop there.

For one, shops there didn’t need to open so early—eight o’clock was fine.

Also, the storefronts there were larger, unlike the small stalls here.

But bigger storefronts meant higher rent. Besides, the seafood shops over there all worked with hotels, restaurants, and high-end eateries. Their main business wasn’t with individual customers.

For Gu Nan to move there... it was a long and arduous road.

Still, he set a small goal for himself: move the shop there by the beginning of next year.

That was a slightly longer-term goal. As for a more immediate one, it would have to be buying a small boat.

The fifty-yuan boat fee wasn’t a huge expense relative to his income, but it was just too inconvenient. The schedule wasn’t flexible, and having his own boat would make things much easier.

Boats were a bit pricey. He planned to start with a small, eight-meter boat. He didn’t need a navigator or fish finder or anything like that—just the hull and a propeller with a suitable amount of horsepower.

For now, he only planned to operate it around the big bridge and the nearby island, not venture out too far.

But even a boat like that would probably cost over fifty thousand yuan.

He also needed to buy a vehicle. He’d probably have to make deliveries in the future, so a van was essential, and that would cost several tens of thousands as well.

For some reason, ever since the breakup, Gu Nan had developed a quirk now that he was solely focused on making money.

He didn’t like second-hand things. He’d rather spend more money just to buy new.

If it weren’t for this quirk, he probably could have bought both of these necessities before long.

After staying in the shop until almost two o’clock, Gu Nan got up and prepared to head to Feiyun Pavilion.

Passing the display case, he saw the Black-striped Small Stripes Buri that he had cut up this morning, only half of which had sold. He frowned.

Previously, when he sold it in chunks, the aunties were scrambling to buy it. He’d thought this fish would sell well, but it turned out to be a one-day wonder. After that, it wasn’t so easy to sell anymore.

He had to find a solution, but for the moment, he was drawing a blank.

His phone vibrated. He pulled it out and saw a message from An Jun saying he had already arrived and telling him to hurry up.

Gu Nan put the matter aside, deciding he would think about it properly during his massage later.

The three-wheeled cart continued to charge. There was a small gap under the door, so it wasn’t pinching the power cord.

After closing the door, Gu Nan glanced over at the neighboring shop. He only saw a middle-aged woman; Ji Jinxin wasn’t there.

’Come to think of it, that’s a bit strange. I don’t think I’ve seen him these past two days. I wonder what he’s up to.’

’But it’s better that he’s not around,’ Gu Nan thought. ’It saves me the trouble of him coming over to ask for fish, which would mean I’d have to make up some excuse.’

Gu Nan didn’t have many low-star fish at the moment—barely enough for his own shop’s needs. He wasn’t about to sell them to his neighbor at a low price yet.

He took one last glance, then hopped on his electric scooter and set off. Time for a massage!

The very person being thought of was currently sitting with lifeless eyes in a small room with glass walls on three sides and a solid wall behind him.

There was nothing in the room but a single tatami mat to sit or lie on.

Next to him were a paper cup and two bags of bread—his lunch for the day—but he had no appetite at all.

Ji Jinxin had a little hobby: he loved to play mahjong.

He just never expected that he’d get swept up in a raid while playing at a card and mahjong parlor.

The offense wasn’t too serious—just participating in gambling. The amounts weren’t large, so it was just an administrative penalty.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t use his phone inside. All he could do was sit there, or lie down and sleep. The time was passing so excruciatingly slowly!

Counting the days... only two had passed. Five more to go...

Ji Jinxin closed his eyes, tears of regret welling up in the corners. ’After I get out this time,’ he swore to himself, ’I’ll never touch gambling or drugs again!’

Gu Nan timed his arrival at Feiyun Pavilion perfectly. By the time he got there, An Jun had already gone inside.

He parked his electric scooter and took the elevator up.

As soon as the doors opened, a group of young female receptionists bowed and greeted him in unison, "Welcome to Feiyun Pavilion!"

Gu Nan had experienced this welcome before, so he wasn’t fazed.

Qiaoya was already waiting for him. She smiled and said, "What service would you like today? An Jun is already in his room. Will you be having the same spa treatment as last time?"

Gu Nan shook his head. He wasn’t a big fan of essential oils or getting up close and personal with the attendants. His calves were a bit sore from standing so much while fishing the past few days. "Just a foot bath this time," he said.

"Alright, follow me." Qiaoya had realized by now that he was a more straight-laced customer, so she just nodded instead of pushing the spa treatment. "Do you have a preferred technician?"

"The one who’s number 666. She did a great job last time." After a moment’s thought, Gu Nan decided he wanted the same attendant as before.

’She’s good-looking, and her technique is solid. The pressure was just right for me. Someone else might not be as good.’

"Ah, number 666 only does head therapy and standard full-body maintenance spas. She doesn’t do foot baths or tuina massage."

"Oh, really? You separate the services that clearly here?"

"Of course. What if a customer has athlete’s foot? You wouldn’t want to get a head treatment and then find the fungus sprouting from the top of your head, would you!"

Gu Nan was taken aback for a second, then nodded in strong agreement. "Excellent. Now I can come back for head therapy with complete peace of mind."