Chapter 24 Mile-level Cod

"Where is it? Where is it?"

"Damn, there really is a yellow one."

"No way, are we that lucky?"

The other three men were all startled, and Chu Mingcheng and Zhang Wei hurriedly moved to the stern to see the catch that was gradually being pulled up.

Indeed, there was yellow, but it was just a bit small.

When they saw what it was, Chu Mingcheng's face darkened, "Is there a possibility that yellow croakers have juniors too?"

Zhang Wei sighed speechlessly and went back to help pull the net.

Zhao Jun was the calmest, knowing that the chances of netting a big yellow croaker here were very slim. Even if they did catch one, it was probably one that had escaped from a yellow croaker farm around Dongting Island, and it wouldn't fetch a high price.

Jiang Luoluo noticed the change in their expressions and realized she had made a big blunder. She awkwardly said, "So these were little yellow croakers!"

"Yes, but wild little yellow croakers are not bad either. Let's take a few back and fry them for dinner; they're really tasty."

Chu Mingcheng checked the catch, not many little yellow croakers, a few big swimming crabs, the rest were poorly valued fish likely only sellable as feed. The first haul was a loss for sure.

Soon, the fishing net was completely pulled up, Zhao Jun untied the rope tied at the end and dumped the catch out.

The swimming crabs and other small crabs that were still alive suddenly started struggling desperately, and some that lacked vitality were buried under the pile of fish.

The fun part of picking fishes started, Chu Mingcheng handed the tongs to the two girls, "You sit here and pick out all the big and valuable fishes."

"Like this red shrimp, the bigger ones can also be sold. There are quite a few small cuttlefish, they go for thirty-five a pound, pick those out too, people around here really like them."

"I'll get you a few plastic boxes, sort everything you pick."

"Mmm, leave it to us," Jiang Luoluo took the tongs and nodded eagerly, interested in the task.

Looking at the pile of small fish in front of her, she felt like she was searching for treasures.

The two girls sat on the small stools and started selecting the valuable fish, while Zhao Jun lowered the fishing net back into the water and continued sailing to the next net's location.

When the net was pulled up, Jiang Luoluo and Zhou Jiayi simultaneously stood up and moved closer to continue examining the catch.

Although they knew the catch would eventually be dumped on the deck, they just couldn't help feeling excited, hoping the net was full of big fish, allowing them to discover surprises in advance.

Unfortunately, the second haul was similar to the first, not a single big fish.

Interestingly, it remained the same up to the fifth net as well.

Jiang Luoluo looked at the small mountain of fish scraps, there weren't many valuable catches, and she started to feel a bit unhappy.

Zhao Jun was pulling up the sixth net, so she secretly pulled Chu Mingcheng to the stern, "Are we taking a big loss here, five nets and not a single big fish?"

Due to the loud noise of the ship's engine, Jiang Luoluo had to speak very close to him, the scent of a girl and the accidental touches of softness made him a bit distracted.

"It's not too bad, we won't lose much."

Don't look at the catch being small cuttlefish, red shrimp, swimming crabs, little changyu, and little yellow croakers, but the quantity from five nets was also significant.

Together with the pile of fish scraps, those could sell for twenty yuan a plastic box, which could cover about two hundred yuan overall.

Overall, we might lose about one thousand yuan.

Jiang Luoluo was about to propose covering half of the charter fee herself when she suddenly heard Zhang Wei shouting excitedly, "Shit, what a huge fish, come and see, we've netted a big one."

"Really?" Chu Mingcheng's attention was instantly drawn, and he hurried over.

They saw a mile-level cod struggling within the net, a catch frequently found in the Far Sea but rarely seen around Yanmen Island in recent years.

"Haha, Ah Cheng, you're quite lucky today, this cod must weigh about twenty pounds, you've made your money back today!" Although the fish wasn't his, Zhao Jun was also quite happy.

If today's harvest remained this dismal, he would feel somewhat embarrassed about taking the two thousand yuan from Chu Mingcheng.

"Brother Zhao Jun, can this fish cover the cost?"

In Chu Mingcheng's recollection, cod wasn't expensive, with market prices around ten yuan per jin.

Even if it weighed twenty jin, and considering it was freshly caught which might raise the price a bit, he guessed it could sell for at most four to five hundred yuan!

"Mile-level cod can sell for at least eighty-one yuan per jin, such a big fish is rare around here, maybe someone will want it and offer a higher price later."

"Why is it so expensive? Isn't it only around ten yuan per jin at the market?" Chu Mingcheng was astonished, no wonder Zhao Jun said it could cover the cost.

"This one has fish maw, if the fish maw is good and you process it yourself, perhaps you could earn more. But that's too much trouble, better to just sell it directly."

"Right, it has fish maw, how could I forget that."

Jiang Luoluo felt relieved upon hearing that the cod could cover the cost.

As the entire fishing net was pulled up, they discovered other good catches in the net.

Among them were two thirty-centimeter fish, entirely red.

Zhao Jun couldn't recognize what kind of fish they were, it was Chu Mingcheng who found out from an online search, they were called Purple Bream, a top-notch red meat sashimi fish from the East Sea.

These fish spend their juvenile period near the coast, and swim back to the continental shelf as they grow, normally only found in the Far Sea.

The normal size for this type of fish is around forty to fifty centimeters, these thirty-centimeter ones might have just been heading back to the continental shelf when they were caught by Zhao Jun's fishing net.

Chu Mingcheng had originally hoped to catch a Stone Fish, but catching Purple Bream instead was also not bad.

In the end, he and Zhang Wei, Jiang Luoluo, and the others discussed and took five small yellow croakers, two Purple Bream, and five very fat swimming crabs, and sold the rest.

After the fishing boat returned, the appearance of mile-level cod indeed attracted a crowd of onlookers.

The belly of this cod was very plump, and the fish maw was likely to be very good and large.

Fishmongers and bosses who came to buy seafood immediately started bidding, and in the end, it was bought by a boss from Wen City.

The fish weighed 18.7 jin and sold for two thousand three hundred yuan, averaging over one hundred twenty yuan per jin.

Besides what they kept for themselves, the other catches also sold for over seven hundred yuan, and they even made a profit of one thousand yuan from the boat rental today, which Chu Mingcheng had not expected.

The only regret was that these net catches wouldn't count towards the experience points in the seafood atlas.

"Brother Zhao Jun, how about coming over for a drink tonight?"

"No, no, I have things to do tonight, maybe next time!"

Zhao Jun didn't intend to join in on the fun, but if it were just Chu Mingcheng and him, he would definitely go.

"Alright, then next time. We'll be going then."

Chu Mingcheng wasn't insistent and after saying goodbye, he carried his stuff and left.

By now, it was past three in the afternoon, and he dropped Jiang Luoluo and the others off at their homes.

He was supposed to pick up Zhang Ruomei as well, but she had her period.

To avoid seeing a seafood feast she couldn't enjoy, she had called Jiang Luoluo early to tell her she wouldn't come to the dinner and for them not to bother picking her up, so they began to prepare the dinner.

The Sri Lanka Green Crab was simply steamed to preserve its original flavor, enhancing its freshness and sweetness.

Since Chu Mingcheng's family home didn't have an oven but did have a grill, Zhang Wei took the lobsters and scallops out to grill them.

The two Purple Bream were made into sashimi, and their heads and innards were all given to a tabby cat.

Being seafood, the preparation was convenient and simple; around five o'clock, all the seafood was already set on the table.