Chapter 26 Dahua and Siyi Made Money
“Zimo, how can I help?”
Ma Siyi looked a little flustered. She must have been startled by the sudden pull earlier!
“Just stay away, that’s the biggest help you can offer.”
“Mm… then you be careful!”
Bai Zimo loosened the fishing line a little. When he felt that the fish’s struggles had weakened, he carefully reeled the line in. But the fish immediately started thrashing again, splashing water as large as a basin.
Bai Zimo quickly loosened the line again. It was a back-and-forth battle of tightening and loosening. Bai Zimo and the fish engaged in a test of wits, but in the end, he managed to take control of the situation.
“Hey, Zimo, I heard from Dahua that you’ve hooked a giant!”
At this point, Dahua and Old Master Huang finally arrived. He was always curious about rare things. Just this morning, he had told Bai Zimo that he wanted to collect wild turtles and rare river seafood.
“Not sure, but it feels like it’s not small. Maybe around 30 to 40 kilograms. It still has a lot of strength, so I need to keep wearing it out.”
This was Bai Zimo’s first time catching such a large fish. If he hadn’t had a bit of real skill, today, it wouldn’t have been him reeling in the fish, but the big fish reeling him in.
“My goodness, a black fish this big? This is the first time I’ve seen one around here. I bet it’s over 40 kilograms.”
After half an hour of exhausting the fish, it finally began to show signs of tiring. Bai Zimo slowly reeled it in toward the shore.
“Wow, that’s huge, so scary!”
Dahua was shouting excitedly from the shore.
“This fish head, this fish meat, this tail… My mom will make long fish noodles, Granny Lin will make braised fish, and Wang He’s mom will deep fry it.”
Bai Zimo and Ma Siyi exchanged glances, their faces dark.
Is this what scary looks like?
Dahua was the real one scaring them—he looked like he wanted to bite into that terrifying creature. He was definitely a foodie!
A dark figure appeared in the water, looking like a small monster, quite terrifying.
“I think it’s more than 40 kilograms. Kid, your luck is really something…”
By now, a crowd had gathered to watch. After an hour had passed, the word must have spread all over the Flower Street dock. The joy of fishing meant that everyone knew about your shocking achievement. It wasn’t just about catching fish, it was about fishing pride!
“Zimo, with such a big fish, I’ll offer 300 bucks, how about selling it to me?”
“Don’t be silly, rare things are precious. Imagine how many customers it would attract if it were in a fancy hotel.”
“This is a wild giant, last time I went boating in Wuxi, they sold wild fish for 18 a kilo!”
Bai Zimo didn’t respond. He was still slowly reeling in the line. The giant fish hadn’t been landed yet, so it wasn’t his yet.
The firehead seemed to sense the danger, and with one final burst of strength, it thrashed violently, clearly at its limit. With envious glances from the people around Flower Street, Bai Zimo finally pulled the giant fish onto the shore.
Dahua was so excited that she yelled again,
“Zimo, Zimo! Wait! Let me help!”
“You promised, I have to help, or else I’ll feel bad sharing the money. Siyi, come and touch it too!”
Bai Zimo’s face darkened!
This giant fish was not easy to keep.
Unless they dug a pond in the Flower Street courtyard, but the amount of work involved would be too much.
“This big fish is for sale, everyone can make an offer!”
“Auction, auction! Starting now, the big firehead from Zimo is up for auction!”
She stood confidently in front of the giant fish, fearless. She was a born social butterfly and ready to be the auctioneer!
Master Zhou also showed up!
“600, Zimo, I’ll take it to my canal restaurant!”
“700, Master Zhou, you run an Huaiyang restaurant. Why not sell it to my River Fresh restaurant?”
“Zimo, Old Master Huang treats you well. Let me make a call first!”
Though Old Master Huang was just a big fish merchant, he had quite a bit of wealth. He was one of the few men from that era who had a mobile phone. He pulled out his Ericsson and made a call.
“Kid, don’t hurt the fish. Make sure it’s in good condition. A boss has offered 1,000. A small boat will come to drag it away.”
Dahua grinned, “Uncle Zhou, why don’t you add a bit more!”
Master Zhou grunted, “Uncle’s money doesn’t grow on trees.”
He ran a restaurant, and buying it would be for attracting customers, so he had to consider the cost.
How could he be like those big bosses who spent money to flaunt their wealth?
“Let’s talk about the money!”
Bai Zimo was true to his word and handed out five bills to Dahua and Ma Siyi. Compared to the ten-cubic system space, 500 bucks was insignificant. Maybe the luck of catching such a giant fish was brought by Ma Siyi.
“I’ve made money today?”
Ma Siyi felt like she was in a dream.