The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Grouper Overload

”This lady here wants to hire a car long-term. You two can discuss the price,” Uncle Liu said, looking at Han Xiaorui. ”Don’t you worry, ma’am. He’s my own nephew. I know him and his family well; they’ve been good, honest people for three generations.”

Liu Sihai quickly chimed in, ”Ms. Han, I have a family of seven to support. With paychecks unreliable these days, I’m counting on driving to make a living for them. I’ll value this job more than anyone, you can rest assured. I’m a very steady driver.”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Yesterday, I took a taxi home with my kids, and it cost two-eighty. I’ll give you three yuan per trip. From Monday to Friday, you must be here by 11:55 AM sharp. At noon, after my children get out of class, they’ll get right into your car, and you’ll drive them straight home.”

When Liu Sihai heard this, he realized he’d make a profit of one-twenty on this single trip. He was, of course, delighted. ”Alright, then come with me to the taxi office next door to fill out the paperwork.”

Han Xiaorui was taken aback. She hadn’t realized that hiring a car long-term in this day and age still required such formalities. ”Alright!”

’This makes it even more secure!’

After they finished the paperwork, class was just letting out.

Han Xiaorui and Han Xiaoqing took the two girls home in Liu Sihai’s ”turtle car.”

On the way, Liu Sihai learned that Han Xiaorui had married a local man, which made him even more respectful.

Han Xiaoqing was even more attentive to the children than Han Xiaorui was, so Han Xiaorui felt at ease leaving them in her sister’s care.

”Xiaoqing, you stay home and play with the kids. I’m going to the docks to check on my boat.” Han Xiaorui couldn’t wait to get out on the water and launch her fishing career.

Han Xiaoqing chuckled. ”Okay, Sis. Be careful.”

Wearing a straw hat, Han Xiaorui arrived at the docks and found her boat. It had been purchased just a year ago, so it was still very new.

People on the docks were pointing at Han Xiaorui and whispering among themselves.

Han Xiaorui had no desire to pay them any mind. They were undoubtedly just gossiping about how she’d been abandoned by Yang Jianming, now a pitiful divorcée.

’Heh. Compared to a cheating scumbag, the fish in the sea are far more lovable, wouldn’t you say?’

Han Xiaorui familiarized herself with the boat inside and out, glanced at the instruction manual, and then skillfully started it up. The vessel moved smoothly across the water, steadily picking up speed.

The air, tinged with the faint, briny smell of the ocean, rushed to meet her, sending a thrill through Han Xiaorui. She felt as comfortable as a baby in its mother’s womb.

She began to test her Water Ability, scanning her surroundings. She discovered it could only probe an area with a five-meter radius and a fifty-meter depth.

’Even so, that’s more than enough!’

As she ventured deeper into the ocean, the underwater world became richer, and the number of colorful fish of all kinds increased.

’Now that I’m out here, there’s no way I’m going back empty-handed.’

Even without bait, she cast her net once and hauled in two buckets of thrashing shrimp, each one half the size of her palm.

Han Xiaorui kept half a bucket to cook for dinner that evening and used the rest for bait.

Untangling the net was too much of a hassle. She decided to go line fishing, not net shrimping.

She stopped the boat over a reef. Below, there were many groupers, whose flesh was known to be delicious and nutritious.

The small shrimp, enhanced by her Water Ability, were now several times more attractive to fish.

The moment her fishing line reached the reef, nearby groupers swarmed it.

A big, fat grouper forcefully shoved aside the smaller ones trying to get to the bait, opened its maw, and swallowed it in one gulp.

The shrimp was indeed delicious, but the hook inside it snagged the fish’s mouth.

Seeing the grouper on the hook, Han Xiaorui immediately started reeling in the line.

But this grouper was a big one, weighing more than twenty pounds.

The bigger the fish, the stronger it struggled.

Han Xiaorui gleefully played the fish for a while before slowly hauling the large grouper out of the water.

The thrashing grouper wasn’t just a delicious meal; it was a valuable catch she could sell for a good price.

Han Xiaorui tossed the flopping grouper into the livewell. Live fish always sold for a better price.

For Han Xiaorui, fishing felt like an extension of her own body. Following her instincts, she began to speed up.

Her catch rate accelerated, pulling in fish of all sizes.

Some were two or three pounds, most were five or six, and only a handful weighed more than ten pounds.

Tirelessly, Han Xiaorui savored the joy of fishing. There were no mutated sea monsters here, the weather was perfect, and the sea was calm, making it very safe for her.

As the sun began to set, Han Xiaorui had filled both of her livewells to the brim with groupers.

The trip back would take over an hour, so Han Xiaorui packed up her fishing gear and prepared to head home.

Jinshan Bay was a well-known harbor in the suburbs of Shencheng, where many buyers waited for the fishing boats to return.

Although she had never sold fish before, her former father-in-law, Yang Zhigang, owned a fishing boat and ran a wholesale seafood stall at the market. By sheer exposure, Han Xiaorui had picked up a decent understanding of the local seafood products.

However, if she returned to Jinshan Bay with such a massive catch, word would spread through the entire village in no time.

’What if my former mother-in-law, Zhang Xiufang, gets greedy and decides to contest the divorce? Wouldn’t I be stuck dealing with that cheating scumbag for even longer?’

At that thought, Han Xiaorui steered the boat directly to a pier in the county seat. She covered her face with a scarf as she docked.

The fish buyers on the shore were mostly men. Seeing that the fisher was a woman, most of them looked down on her. Only one or two drifted over to inquire.

”Got any fish, Miss?” asked a man in his fifties who had just arrived and hadn’t bought any fish yet. He made a point to ask anyone with a boat.

Han Xiaorui wanted to sell her catch quickly and get home early. ”Grouper. Interested?”

”Grouper?” Uncle Zhang’s eyes lit up. That was one of the pricier kinds of seafood. ”How much do you have?”

Because these fish lived near reefs, they couldn’t be caught with nets and had to be line-fished.

Han Xiaorui lowered her voice. ”Two full livewells. About two hundred pounds.”

Hearing this, Boss Zhang’s small eyes went wide. ”Miss, I’ll take all of it! I’ll give you a great price!”

”Come with me to get the fish.” Han Xiaorui just wanted to go home.

Boss Zhang followed her to the livewells. When he saw the contents, he almost fell to his knees. ”Good heavens, Miss! Did you stumble upon a grouper den?”

Han Xiaorui cut straight to the point. ”The price depends on the size. If you’re fine with my prices, you can start bagging them. If not, get off my boat.”

’Good fish attract high-end customers. His restaurant was newly renovated and upscale, but he just couldn’t source top-quality ocean fish.’

’His wife managed the restaurant while he came to the docks to buy fish himself.’

’If he bought all these excellent fish, even if he couldn’t use them all today, he could put them in the glass tanks at the entrance to draw in more patrons.’

”Under two pounds, three yuan per pound; between two and five pounds, five yuan per pound; between five and ten pounds, seven yuan per pound; over ten pounds, ten yuan per pound.”

”Miss, that biggest one you have must be over twenty pounds. I’ll give you twelve yuan a pound for it. I run a restaurant, so my prices are higher than the standard wholesale rates. If you agree, we can start weighing them.”

Han Xiaorui thought the prices were fair. Filled with hope for the future, she nodded. ”Alright. Weigh them on the boat. Cash for the fish.”