Chapter 18 Show Your Skills

"The sea earthworm is very short; he didn't believe it could grow to 20 centimeters."

So he looked at the marine life atlas and only then did he realize that this creature is called a sandworm, with the scientific name Square Grid Star Worm, a different species from the sea earthworm.

The conditions for the growth environment of sandworms are very demanding, and he hadn't expected them to be found in the sand at the beach here.

Dried sandworms sell for a price ranging from 500 to 1000 yuan per half kilogram.

Previously, some people sold these sea earthworms as the precious sandworms, cheating many who didn't know better.

Mainly because sandworms look very much like these sea earthworms, resembling little intestines but commonly reaching 10 to 20 centimeters in length.

They are mostly distributed around the Yue Xi area, but now the wild ones are rare, unlike sea earthworms which can still be abundantly dug up.

Finding precious sandworms here, Chu Mingcheng immediately gave up digging for sea earthworms and started digging for sandworms.

As a result, he wasted a lot of time and energy, but only dug up three relatively large sandworms.

Alright, it's better to dig for sea earthworms instead, at least there would be a harvest whenever he found a small pit and shoveled into it.

After continuing to dig for an hour and a half, he was getting a bit tired. He took a sip of mineral water, massaged his waist, and used Life Transformation once.

Instantly, the heat and fatigue faded significantly, making him feel a lot more comfortable.

But the soreness in his back didn't completely disappear; it was only alleviated by a great deal, so he had to use Life Transformation one more time to completely recover.

Once he felt better, he naturally got his energy back.

Currently, the sea earthworms had completely covered the bottom of the bucket, but he estimated that there was barely over half a kilogram.

The experience points in the marine life atlas had increased to 8, and the data panel for the sea earthworms had risen to level 4.

[Delicious Ge Nang Star Worm, also known as sea earthworm, Earthworm, etc. (Level 4)]

[Current experience: 11/50]

[Size increase +4%]

[Tastiness +4%]

[Capture rate +4%]

Based on experience, he caught 111 sea earthworms in an hour and a half, but in reality, there weren't that many in his bucket.

The main reason was that he caught them regardless of size, but he threw back the smaller ones after they provided experience points.

In this respect, many places abroad do quite well; undersized marine products have to be released. If caught, there would be hefty fines, which ensures sustainable development of marine life.

Unfortunately, there are still no such regulations in China, leading many marine species to near extinction in the wild and compelling the development of aquaculture.

For now, he couldn't do much about others; he could only start with himself.

Chu Mingcheng continued to dig along the water channels, using Life Transformation two more times, until he finished at five o'clock.

Mainly because he saw merchants coming to buy the sea earthworms and seeing others ready to sell, he lost the urge to dig further.

[Delicious Ge Nang Star Worm, also known as sea earthworm, Earthworm, etc. (Level 8)]

[Current experience: 46/90]

[Size increase +8%]

[Tastiness +8%]

[Capture rate +8%]

Although the level had risen to 8, Chu Mingcheng only dug up a little over three kilograms that afternoon.

For a newcomer, this efficiency was acceptable.

Generally, a seasoned digger would harvest about the same on a bad day, and on a good day, they might dig up to around ten kilograms.

Chu Mingcheng first went to the water's edge to wash his boots and hoe, took out the sandworms separately and placed them into a bag; he waited until nearly everyone else had sold theirs before going to sell his catch.

"What's the buying price over here?"

When the vendor saw that the sea earthworms in his bucket were all similar in size, he looked slightly surprised, but he didn't say anything and seemed even happier.

"You've got some big ones here; how about I give you 35 yuan per jin?"

Was he thinking of taking advantage of him because he looked like an easy target?

This price was still okay in the summer months, where the market rate was probably around 45 to 50 yuan per jin, but now it was October, and the prices had risen quite a bit. He had specifically inquired and found out they were selling for over 60 yuan now; any purchasing price has to be at least 45 yuan per jin.

"Forget it, I don't have much here, so I'm not selling."

Chu Mingcheng thought it over. He wouldn't always come to dig for sea earthworms, so he decided to sell them himself.

The owner of the place where he had eaten the Earthworm Soup Noodles might buy them. If not, he could take them to the vegetable market or slowly sell them at the docks.

"Hey, hey, hey, we can talk about the price. How about I give you 40 yuan per jin, which is higher than what others are offering."

"No, no, I plan on eating them myself."

Chu Mingcheng politely waved his hand to decline and carried his bucket with his tools and headed back.

He drove straight to the noodle shop, where it was a bit late today, and the shop seemed to be doing well as all the seats were filled.

Chu Mingcheng went straight to the back kitchen with his bucket and digital scale, surprising the owner and his wife when they saw him come in.

"Boss, do you buy these sea earthworms? I dug them up myself this afternoon."

The noodle shop owner handed the noodle boiling task over to his wife and then crouched down to sift through the sea earthworms in the bucket, noticing that each one was plump and large—uniform-sized items like these were not easy to find in the market.

Usually, the market mixed in some smaller ones, but the price difference wasn't much less.

"How much are you selling these for?"

"I just have some free time recently to dig and make some pocket money. If you want them, I'll sell them to you for 55 yuan per jin."

Before the owner could reply, the lady boss spoke up first, "55 yuan per jin is a bit expensive. We'll take it for 50 yuan per jin."

"I won't sell for 50 yuan per jin. I will be digging for a while, and if you want them, I can deliver more tomorrow. If not, then I'll sell them at the market or the docks. They're going for over 60 on the market now; I'd just be spending a bit more time at most."

Currently, the grades of various seafood were too low. Chu Mingcheng wanted to take the time to level up and was not willing to waste time, otherwise, why would he allow others to profit at his expense?

"Okay, if the quality is always like this, then I'll take it at 55 yuan per jin from now on."

The boss knew he was getting a bit of a bargain; he usually bought his supply from fish vendors at the same price the market offered, with no discounts.

After all, others need to make a profit too and wouldn't foolishly offer him a lower price; the best he could do was pick out the better-looking ones first.

Chu Mingcheng was selling to him at a slightly cheaper rate than market price; only a fool would say no.

Both parties had a digital scale, and after weighing twice, the results were the same - a total of 3.26 jin, which came to 179.3 yuan.

After a busy afternoon, he earned less than 200 yuan, which was even less than what he made from fishing for Crucian Carp and was more tiring, but Chu Mingcheng didn't mind.

After all, digging for sea earthworms leveled him up quickly, and while he was earning less than fishing for Crucian Carp right now, it might not be the case in a few days.

Besides, he had already planned to dig for sea earthworms during the day and fish for Crucian Carp at night, without skipping either.

"Boss, make me a bowl of Three Delicacies Noodles."

He hadn't eaten dinner yet, so he decided to settle for a meal here, only paying 160 yuan as the boss added some extra ingredients.

On the way back after dinner, Zhang Wei's phone call suddenly came through, and that's when he realized why he felt like something was missing—it was this guy.

"Ah Cheng, come and pick me up quickly. I'm out of drinks, and if you don't come get me, next year you'll only be able to chat with me by my grave."

"No, no, it won't come to that. If you really can't manage, just show off your skills. I'm at home now and won't be coming over."

Chu Mingcheng couldn't be bothered to go pick someone up now. He didn't wait to see what else Zhang Wei had to say and just hung up the phone.

Once back home, he specially went to the front yard to check on the calico cat, finding it lying in the corner under the eaves resting. Leftovers from a mouse, just a couple of severed legs, and a round pinkish ball—possibly the mouse's bladder?

It seemed to have eaten already that night, so he left it alone.

The calico cat didn't run away when it saw him now, but Chu Mingcheng didn't rush over to touch it, as it was still a wild cat. Better to continue building a good rapport before getting closer.