The six of them, with over a hundred pounds of big carp each, filled up four of the largest storage boxes. It took two strong men working together to barely lift the catch into the pickup truck's bed and arrange it properly.
"Shall we head to the market together? See how much we got in total!" Zhang Yang suggested, wiping his hands.
"Why don't you go with Brother Yan and the others? Liu Zi and I will find a place to grab a bite first. We didn't bring any food on the car, and we're starving!"
Upon hearing the suggestion, Meng Fan clutched his stomach with a pained expression and said pitifully.
Zhang Yang nodded after hearing it: "Alright, then we'll split into two groups. You and Liu Zi go to the supermarket to grab something to eat, and we'll go sell the fish. Let's meet back at the store later!"
"Sounds good! Tonight, let's find a restaurant and use up this Yellow River carp! No one skips out, a grand battle awaits!"
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After a brief exchange, the six-person team split into two groups and headed towards the town.
Of course, selling fish doesn't require four vehicles. We'll park at the store's parking lot first, then head to the market, which isn't out of the way. This isn't the first time we've done such a big fish-selling operation, so everyone knows the routine.
While Zhang Yang and his team were relishing in their bountiful catch on the way back, meanwhile, the owner of Junfeng Fishing Tackle, Lang Junfeng, was also leading his angler clients back from the reservoir.
Yinma Reservoir is Lang Junfeng's private ground. With a friendship connection to the reservoir owner, the relationship is well maintained. Early spring when the ice just melts is the best time to catch big carp. The East Warehouse District of the Yinma Reservoir has been closed for four or five years and hasn't been opened, let alone net fishing, so the fish conditions are very good.
The anglers who fished with Old Lang today all caught over fifty pounds, mostly wild big carp caught in the reservoir weighing between half a pound to seven or eight ounces.
Angler Xiao Li brought a nine-meter-long rod today and caught the most, weighing about sixty to seventy pounds. With many fish caught, Xiao Li spoke with extra confidence.
"Boss Lang, can you find a way to help the brothers deal with today's catch? So many carp can't all be taken home. Leave a few big ones, and find a place to sell the rest!" Xiao Li suggested.
"Yeah, Old Lang, I also have about fifty or sixty pounds! The fishing conditions are good, maybe we can come back tomorrow! Let's find a way to deal with today's fish."
Old Lang, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, pretended to ponder for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll call a friend to check!"
Soon, Lang Junfeng took out his phone and made a call to a familiar contact at the seafood market.
Old Lang and the other party are old acquaintances, and acting uninterested is just a tactic of "creating demand through reluctance."
After some theatrical negotiation and bargaining over the phone, they reached an agreement.
"There's a demand for wild carp on that side, but only the big ones are valued. The small ones won't fetch a good price! I tried my best, and they agreed to take all, as long as they're alive, for four yuan a pound!" Lang Junfeng announced seriously.
"Damn, only four yuan a pound? We caught all big carp, each averaging over half a pound!"
Upon hearing the price, Xiao Li was not pleased.
He had just been calculating how selling the fish could cover the fishing costs, but now it seems like they'd barely make two or three hundred yuan.
The fishing fee is one hundred fifty, the car fee fifty, and after deducting bait and other normal expenses, this bountiful catch surprisingly doesn't result in much profit.
Though people say fishing is for peace of mind and enjoyment, once money gets involved, few can truly remain indifferent.
Among the group fishing with Lang Junfeng, none are the kind who are so wealthy they don't care. Otherwise, they wouldn't be finding places to sell several dozen pounds of fish.
"What's wrong? Too cheap? I also think it's too cheap. Otherwise, why don't you find someone offering a higher price? Everyone will listen to you!"
Old Lang, with the cigarette in his mouth, pouted, feigning some dissatisfaction.
"Damn, fine, four yuan it is! Let's sell and be done with it! We've got so many fish, we can't eat them all!" An older angler was the first to agree.
Xiao Li, who raised objections, didn't have connections to sell fish, and venturing to the market blindly at this time would make it hard to find a buyer, let alone sell the fish. If they didn't find anyone after wandering around, these fish would likely go to waste.
"Alright, four yuan it is. There's not much time to fuss. If we had time, we could set up a stall at the community entrance, sell each for five yuan, and they'd sell out instantly!"
Xiao Li muttered while accepting the situation.
Having reached an agreement, everyone swiftly packed up and, led by Old Lang, headed to the city's seafood market.
When they arrived at the seafood market gateway, a small truck equipped with oxygen pumps and water sacks was parked on the side with its hazard lights on. Old Lang got out, greeted the other party, and quickly directed his five or six angler friends to park their vehicles orderly.
Four yuan a pound, weighed on the spot, and transferred straight to the oxygenated water sacks in the truck bed. The group's catch was quickly traded.
The actual weight was lighter than they visually estimated, but at this point, no one cared too much. Each earned less than two hundred yuan from the fish, but getting the money was a source of happiness for all!
After selling the fish, they exchanged a few words of farewell, ready to turn the car around and head home.
Right then, Zhang Yang's van pulled up at the seafood market's entrance.
Lang Junfeng remembered Zhang Yang's van's license plate, one so memorable that it left a deep impression.
In the local fishing pits, nine times out of ten, Old Lang would get bested by Zhang Yang's team during competitions, which left him with quite the bitter sentiment.