I Can Fish Up Everything!

Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Making Money, I Just Want to Make Money

What was he going to do after closing shop? Go fishing, of course. An income of just over seven hundred a day was nowhere near enough for Gu Nan!

His bank account balance was down to just over three thousand. If he hadn’t suddenly been bound to the game, he would’ve had to borrow money next month.

Gu Nan was a regular fisherman, so naturally, he had his own set of gear.

The seafood market was right near the coastline, which had piers, breakwaters, and other spots suitable for fishing. As a result, he owned both a lure rod and a rock fishing rod.

He grabbed his size 2 rock fishing rod, along with spools of size 2-5 main line and leader, and an assortment of size 3-5 Chinu hooks.

After getting his fishing gear ready, Gu Nan thought for a moment and decided to also bring his size 3 rock fishing rod, which he rarely used.

The coast of Bazhou City was a different beast for him now. Even without using his guaranteed catch, he could still land all sorts of fish from the Fengqi Coast.

Judging from his afternoon haul, the fish weren’t particularly small, even if they were cheap. A three or four-pound fish would be considered a great catch by many anglers.

His lighter rock fishing rod was a bit too soft for fish this size, but the size 3 rod would be perfect.

He left the lure rod from the game behind. Lure fishing wasn’t ideal at the reefs, and without his guaranteed catch, he figured it would be tough to get a bite so close to shore, even at night.

He loaded the gear onto his electric scooter. Just as he switched off the power, a beam of light hit him.

Gu Nan squinted, and as he turned, he heard a familiar voice.

"Well, look what we have here. Perfect timing. I heard a new esports hotel opened up, supposed to be really nice. Come on, let’s go get some chicken dinners."

The newcomer was his old classmate and best friend, An Jun. They had gone to the same elementary school but had only been acquaintances back then.

Their relationship took off in middle school after they became deskmates. They ended up going to the same high school and university, gradually becoming the best of friends.

"Not happening. Can’t you see I’m going fishing? I’m not in the mood for games right now. I need to make money!" Gu Nan said, shaking his head.

If he hadn’t been bound to the game, he might have just given up and pulled an all-nighter playing games. But now that he had a golden opportunity to change his fate, how could he possibly waste time?

But An Jun didn’t know the situation. He glanced at the fishing rods on the scooter and scoffed, "How many fish can you possibly catch in one night? You’re just going to get skunked again. Instead of wasting your time, why don’t you learn how to be a content creator from me? You might just turn your life around."

"I don’t want to show my face on camera, and I don’t want to try all that weird stuff," Gu Nan insisted.

An Jun was a vlogger who reviewed all kinds of establishments—hotels, massage parlors, restaurants, karaoke bars, you name it.

His karaoke and massage parlor review series were the most popular, and he’d already amassed over two hundred thousand followers. While his income wasn’t astronomical, it was more than enough for him to live very comfortably.

An Jun had been trying to get him into the business for a while, suggesting he could be a seafood vlogger or something. Who knew, he might get famous?

But Gu Nan had tried it once and refused. He discovered he was camera-shy. How the hell was he supposed to be a content creator like that?

"Fine, no games. Then how about we go find some young ladies to... discuss the art of massage? A new foot spa just opened up in Bazhou City. Let’s go check it out!" An Jun suggested with a glint in his eye, proposing another tempting activity.

"Nope. I just want to make money!" Gu Nan refused again, shaking his head. "Go with Ah Jing!"

No matter what An Jun said, Gu Nan was dead set on going fishing that night. An Jun felt helpless.

In the end, he just told Gu Nan they’d get lunch tomorrow and rode off from the seafood market.

Watching his best friend leave, Gu Nan sighed before getting on his own electric scooter and heading toward the same reef area from the afternoon.

An Jun had mentioned that massage parlor before; the spa’s prices were steep. A single session cost at least several hundred, and adding another hour would push it over a thousand.

Between fishing and running the shop, his back and waist would occasionally get so sore that he really needed a massage.

A pity he was broke!

’It’s so hard to make a living,’ he thought. ’Who wouldn’t want a young, gentle woman to soothe away their aches and pains with her soft hands?’

If his friend treated him this time, he’d have to find an opportunity to treat him back. Friendships had to be a two-way street to last.

Since he couldn’t afford to pay him back, he had no choice but to refuse.

About ten minutes later, Gu Nan arrived at the spot where he had caught the Star Chicken Fish that afternoon.

It took longer than it had in the afternoon because he’d made a stop at a tackle shop to buy some bait.

He never used to buy bait. The few fish in his shop that didn’t sell would eventually go bad, and he could just use them.

But his shop was nearly empty now; he couldn’t very well use sellable fish for bait!

Not many people came to the reef area; most anglers preferred the pier or the breakwater.

First, he chummed the water with the Antarctic krill he’d just bought, then took out his size 2 rock fishing rod. He usually only caught small fish, so the size 2 rod was more than enough.

He chose sea centipedes for bait—red, centipede-like worms. Anyone with trypophobia wouldn’t be able to stand the sight of them, but they were incredibly effective for fishing.

He rigged his line: a size 3 main line with a size 2 leader. The leader was about seventy centimeters long, and he started with a size 2 Chinu hook.

He also attached an oval float. Float fishing was better in a spot like this; bottom fishing would just get you snagged.

After about an hour, the chum had done its job. From the shore, Gu Nan could see the shadows of fish in the beam of his headlamp.

He picked up his rod, baited the hook with a sea centipede, and with a gentle cast, sent the line flying precisely into the chummed area.

The oval float bobbed up and down on the waves as the hook sank rapidly under the weight of the sinker.

But thanks to the float, it stopped once it reached the set depth.

After a short wait, he felt a small tug on the rod. The tip began to twitch.

’The bite is this good tonight?’ Gu Nan was surprised. Usually, he had to wait ages just to get a nibble from a small fish.

But he reacted in a flash, jerking the rod upward to set the hook.

The rod tip cut through the air with a SWISH, and he quickly cranked the reel to bring in the line.

It was a small fish, just as he’d expected, but better than nothing.

Only, when the fish was finally in front of him, Gu Nan froze.

He was shocked. It was a common clownfish. These fish lived in coral reefs; it should be impossible for one to be this close to shore. ’Unless...’

Gu Nan put the fish into the keepnet he had brought, then opened the game’s Fish-o-pedia.

Sure enough, an entry lit up.

It was another one-star fish. Tapping on it yielded fifty Gold Coins, bringing his total to four hundred and fifty. Then, the clownfish’s description appeared.

Ocellaris clownfish, also known as the common clownfish. Primarily distributed in the Indo-Pacific region. It has no culinary value but can be kept as an ornamental fish and is quite popular on the market.

Recommended Price: 20 yuan each.

’I can even catch ornamental fish from the Fengqi Coast?’ This was something Gu Nan hadn’t expected.

He ran a seafood shop that sold fish for eating. Suddenly having ornamental fish in the mix felt a little strange.

But that "20 yuan each" price tag was tempting.

’Considering all the empty tanks in the shop, why not raise a few?’ he thought. ’Even if they don’t sell, they’ll be nice to look at.’

Besides, clownfish weren’t big—only about ten centimeters long—and they were incredibly easy to catch.