Chapter 281: Chapter 181: The Old Man Tasted the Sweetness

There were a few boxes on the fishing boat. Gu Nan took four foam boxes, went to an ice shop to fill them all, then bought some food for dinner and Antarctic shrimp for chum.

After arriving at the dock and loading everything onto the boat, a taxi pulled up a short while later. To his surprise, Lin Zhijian stepped out, carrying a fishing rod and a tackle box.

“Sir, why did you take a taxi? You should have just told me, I could have picked you up!” Seeing this, Gu Nan rushed over to help with his things.

“That would be too much trouble. Besides, the fare is nothing to me. If I hadn’t been in a hurry today, I would’ve just walked,” Lin Zhijian said with a smile.

“Sir, I think you should buy a tricycle. It would be much more convenient, whether you’re going fishing or digging for sandworms,” Gu Nan suggested earnestly.

’I don’t know where he lives, but it seems like a waste to spend so much time traveling every time he goes fishing. It’s just not practical.’

Lin Zhijian just looked at him and smiled without a word.

It took Gu Nan a few seconds to process, but then it dawned on him. ’No wonder he insists on walking. It’s much more eye-catching to be seen carrying a big fish home!’

’From what he knew of Lin Zhijian, the old man wasn’t short on cash.’

’He could tell mainly by looking at the fishing rod.’

’The bamboo rod was one thing, but today he’d seen the old man holding the exact same sea-fishing gear as Wang Junhe.’

’And who was Old Wang? Would a guy like him use cheap gear?’

’So, walking was just a personal hobby. If he caught a big one, he’d release the small ones. Carrying a single fish home wouldn’t be too tiring.’

The two of them boarded, and Gu Nan started the fishing boat’s engine and set off.

“Sir, do you know any good fishing spots?” As he looked at Lin Zhijian’s rod, Gu Nan noticed another detail. The rod was well-maintained and looked new, but it also showed clear signs of heavy use.

’If this rod is his, then the old man must have spent a lot of time sea fishing.’

“How would I know any fishing spots? I’ve been out sea fishing maybe twice in my entire life, tops. Both times, someone else took me. I even borrowed this rod from my nephew,” Lin Zhijian said irritably.

’He really hadn’t done much sea fishing, or else he wouldn’t have been stuck fishing by the river all this time.’

’It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford it; he was just getting older and didn’t want to constantly bother the younger folk.’

’But Gu Nan was different. The kid was a hardcore sea angler himself. If it came down to it, he could just give Gu Nan all his catch to cover the boat fee and only take one fish home for himself.’

’Lin Zhijian simply enjoyed the process of fishing; he truly wasn’t too concerned about the haul.’

“I see. In that case, let’s head over to Big Rock Reef. We might be able to hook a grouper there.”

Hearing this, Gu Nan realized he had misunderstood. After a moment’s thought, he decided on Big Rock Reef, a spot he hadn’t visited in a long time.

’If they went too far out, his boat would lose its signal. With someone else on board, he couldn’t possibly fish for the marine life from his game map. Big Rock Reef had decent resources, was close enough to shore for a signal, and would allow Lin Zhijian’s family to reach him if there was an emergency.’

He wasn’t sure if it was because it was the afternoon or because the fishing season was about to open and everyone was busy preparing, but there was hardly anyone around today.

The fish don’t bite much in the afternoon, and the sun was scorching, but Gu Nan had his ways.

He angled the boat so the cabin blocked the sun, creating a patch of shade on the other side. That way, they could stand in the shade and fish, and with the sea breeze, it wouldn’t be too hot.

Of course, when it neared two o’clock, they’d have to retreat into the cabin for a little while. They could come back out to fish around three, once the sun started moving west.

They would have dinner on the boat as well; after all, he had already bought some ingredients.

Without needing to be told, Lin Zhijian moved into the shade, chummed the water with some Antarctic shrimp, then baited his hook with one and started fishing.

He’d checked the fish finder; there were fish at a depth of thirty meters, and a decent number of them too.

Gu Nan, meanwhile, ducked into the cabin to switch to a small jig. He then came out, stood beside Lin Zhijian, and began jigging near the bottom.

On a hot day like this, fish tended to stay near the bottom to escape the heat. Not many would swim up to the surface and expose themselves to the scorching sun.

Although Big Rock Reef was a popular spot for anglers, not many people came during the fishing ban, so the ecosystem had clearly recovered quite a bit.

The number of swimming crabs, lobsters, and various reef fish was now several times what it had been before the ban.

It couldn’t compare to Tail Island or Sanlian Reef, which were further out, but as long as their luck wasn’t too bad, they were guaranteed to catch something.

And sure enough, Lin Zhijian’s line had barely been in the water for a moment before he got a bite.

“Well now! This spot you found is great, kid. I just cast my line!”

He was used to freshwater fishing, where he might wait an entire afternoon or even all night without a single bite. Getting one as soon as his line hit the water was a real thrill.

“But of course. I’m out here sea fishing every day. Finding a good spot is a piece of cake,” Gu Nan chuckled, raising his rod and casting his lure.

He didn’t cast far, just ten or so meters out.

Once the line stopped spooling out, he flipped the bail. ’Probably no big fish here,’ he thought, tightening the drag all the way.

He then began a slow retrieve, jigging the rod up and down continuously.

“What are you doing there?” Lin Zhijian asked, confused.

He really wasn’t familiar with sea fishing. All he knew was to bait a hook and wait; he had no idea about techniques like jigging the bottom.

“This is called ’bottom jigging.’ I’m using a lure. By jerking it like this, it bumps against the reef and attracts nearby fish,” Gu Nan explained, his hands never ceasing their motion.

“You can actually catch fish that…” Before the word “way” could even leave his mouth, Gu Nan’s line suddenly went taut with a ZING, and his rod bent violently.

Gu Nan: “…”

Lin Zhijian: “…”

’Solid proof. This was an old man whose words immediately came true.’

Lin Zhijian glanced at his own rod, which was only slightly bent—clearly a small fish.

’Then he looked over at Gu Nan’s rod and suddenly felt a pang of bitterness. Why did all the luck go to someone else?’

Gu Nan gave a sheepish laugh. “Sir, from now on, just say whatever’s on your mind. Don’t hold back. When we head back, you can take your pick of the fish. Even a big grouper, no problem.”

Still feeling vexed, Lin Zhijian eyed him askance. “Feeling that generous?”

Gu Nan smiled and explained, “Fishing is mostly a hobby for me. I actually own a seafood shop, and business is great. We have plenty of big groupers in the store, so I’m really not hurting for one or two.”

“My newly ordered boat is just being fitted out. Once it’s done, we can go far out to sea. Even if we don’t catch tuna, we can still go for other big fish.”

Lin Zhijian grew thoughtful at his words. Now he was starting to understand Gu Nan’s true situation.

’At first, I thought he was just a professional angler of average means. I never expected I’d misjudged him so completely!’

“Alright. Since you’re not in need, I won’t be shy!”

’He decided he would talk more today. That way, when Gu Nan caught more fish, he could pick a good one without feeling bad about it.’

’Lin Zhijian never considered taking two fish. It wasn’t as if there wouldn’t be other chances to fish. Taking one for a nice meal was enough; he couldn’t bring himself to take advantage of a younger man.’

’Besides, he was well aware that this “power of suggestion” of his only seemed to work on Gu Nan. Otherwise, after so many years of fishing, he would have surely noticed it before meeting him.’

A short while later, Lin Zhijian pulled his fish to the surface. It was a small black porgy, probably only half a pound at most.

In reef areas, fish like black porgy and rockfish were the most common.

There might not be many large ones, but there were certainly plenty of small ones.

Lin Zhijian didn’t mind its size. Happy to have a catch, he grinned and hoisted the fish up by the line. The hook he was using was small, so it wasn’t realistic to hope for a big one anyway.

Once aboard, the small black porgy thrashed its tail wildly, sending water splashing everywhere with a PITTER-PATTER sound as the line vibrated.

Fortunately, he was wearing cut-resistant gloves, so he wasn’t worried about the line slicing his hand.

After unhooking the fish, Lin Zhijian tossed it into the livewell. Instead of casting out again, he just stood and watched Gu Nan.

Gu Nan was holding his rod high, struggling to reel in the line. ’I wonder what kind of buff the old man just gave me,’ he thought. ’How is the very first one a monster?’

’Usually, I’d get a couple of small ones first before the big ones hit. Now that his power has been exposed, is he not even pretending anymore?’

“What kind of fish is it? How big?” Lin Zhijian asked curiously.

“I don’t know, but it feels like it’s over thirty pounds. It keeps diving for the bottom!” Gu Nan managed to reply, still having some strength to spare.

’A fish over thirty pounds wasn’t easy to land, but for him, it wasn’t considered difficult either.’

’When he fished alone, as long as he had enough “daily attempts” from his ability, he could catch dozens, even hundreds, of fish this size in a single night. He’d long since stopped feeling any excitement over it.’

“Excellent, excellent!” Lin Zhijian was extremely satisfied. ’A thirty-pound sea fish! How long has it been since I’ve seen one of these? At least half the credit for this one is mine.’

’Caught on a line, that is, not in a net.’

The big fish was powerful at first, but as time wore on and the fight against the line drained most of its stamina, it quickly tired out.

All in all, it took Gu Nan about fifteen minutes to pull the thirty-pound fish to the surface.

The fish was a vibrant, purplish-red. It was clearly a type of snapper, known as a Red Friend Fish.

Gu Nan was a little surprised. He had assumed it was a large grouper, not a Red Friend Fish.

In these inshore reefs, a Red Friend Fish this large was even rarer than a big grouper.

Of course, if you went further out to fish the deep sea, large Red Friend Fish were much more common.

“I’ll get the net! I’ll get it!” Seeing Gu Nan pick up the landing net with one hand, Lin Zhijian quickly snatched it away and expertly scooped the fish up.

’How many times has he netted a fish for me now? He’s so precise every time; he’s clearly done this a lot.’

Gu Nan’s expression was a little odd, but he didn’t dwell on it. He set his rod aside and hurried over to help.

A thirty-pound fish was too much for Lin Zhijian to lift on his own. He might still have the strength at his age, but it would be easy to throw out his back.

Once they had the fish safely in the livewell, Gu Nan said magnanimously, “Sir, if we don’t catch anything else big today, this one is yours.”

“We’ll see, we’ll see. I’ll try to talk more, and you’ll definitely catch a few more. Then I can pick and choose when we get back.” Lin Zhijian was already enjoying the perks.

’It doesn’t matter if I can’t catch a big fish myself. I’ve got this young man here for that!’

’Besides, he didn’t want to take such a huge advantage of Gu Nan. A thirty-pound Red Friend Fish was worth at least two thousand.’

’What he truly valued was the fun of fishing together—it was much more interesting than fishing alone. It wasn’t about the fish.’

Gu Nan nodded at his words and didn’t say anything more.

’The day was still young. They would definitely catch more this afternoon and into the evening. He’d just let the old man take his pick then.’

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