"Mmm~! This place is nice." Jiang Luoluo surveyed her surroundings, nodding in satisfaction. They had arrived at the mountain in Shi Town, the same spot where Chu Mingcheng had fished for Spotted Creek Chub with Yao Xin.

"Luoluo, can you organize our things? I'm going to make a trap."

"A trap? I'll help you."

Compared to organizing things, Jiang Luoluo was more interested in making a trap to catch fish.

Seeing her enthusiasm, Chu Mingcheng led her to a spot downstream from the pool. Having been here before, he was familiar with the layout. About ten meters downstream from the pool, the stream had a nearly vertical drop of about a meter.

Chu Mingcheng used a rope to tie the small net to two bamboo poles, creating something that looked like a large hand net. He then placed this net over the stream, with the mesh part suspended in the air and the bamboo poles resting on the banks, weighted down with rocks.

He and Jiang Luoluo each took a side. This way, the stream's water would flow into the net and then through the mesh, while any river shrimp, creek chub, or other aquatic creatures carried by the current would be trapped.

Next, they used more rocks to block the sides of the stream, leaving only the net as an outlet.

After they finished, Jiang Luoluo watched for a while but saw no fish swimming down. "Are you sure any fish will come this way?" she asked.

"There's one more step," he said.

Since they had planned for a barbecue in the afternoon, they had both eaten a light lunch. Chu Mingcheng had no intention of waiting patiently for the fish to come to them.

He led Jiang Luoluo to the upstream inlet of the pool, picked up a rock that probably weighed around ten jin 【TN: about 11 pounds or 5 Kg】, and hurled it into the water.

Splash!

The water’s surface erupted violently as the stone struck.

"What are you doing?"

"Blast fishing, of course. We'll throw rocks from the top down. The startled fish will naturally scatter, and some will flee downstream!"

Jiang Luoluo immediately understood his plan. She strained to lift a large rock and, with a grunt, threw it into the water.

However, she had overestimated her strength and underestimated the rock's weight. She threw it too close, and the resulting splash drenched Chu Mingcheng, who was standing in front of her before he could even react.

Pfft~!

Jiang Luoluo, realizing her mistake, quickly hid behind Chu Mingcheng. She couldn't help but burst out laughing when she saw him wiping the stream of water from his face, looking exasperated.

"Hey, big sister, if it's too heavy, pick a lighter one. Are you trying to blast the fish or blast me?"

"I know, I know. And who are you calling big sister? Do I look that old?"

Chu Mingcheng glanced at the "pouting" girl and felt he hadn't been wrong.

The two continued their gleeful "blast fishing." The startled fish and river shrimp did indeed swim downstream, and a portion of them ended up in the net.

"Wow, so many fish! And river shrimp!"

Chu Mingcheng picked out the small fish and shrimp and threw them back into the water, along with some stoneflies. Then he carried their makeshift trap net back to cook.

The net held five or six jin of fish and shrimp, all of a decent size—more than enough for the two of them.

Chu Mingcheng sorted the fish and shrimp. He took the fish to the water's edge to clean them, while Jiang Luoluo was tasked with skewering the shrimp for the barbecue.

As he was cleaning the fish, he happened to glance at his Aquatic Species Codex and noticed his experience had gone up by one point. The river shrimp caught in the trap today had counted.

Was it because I made the trap myself?

But he was here to camp today, so he decided not to dwell on it for now.

They grilled the fish and shrimp over charcoal. As Chu Mingcheng sprinkled on the seasonings, a delicious barbecue aroma filled the air.

River delicacies were still delicacies. They didn't have the taste of the sea, but they had a different kind of fresh sweetness.

Jiang Luoluo felt she had made the right choice in coming. It was another new and very relaxing experience.

After they finished eating and cleaning up, it was only three in the afternoon.

Jiang Luoluo suggested they explore further up the mountain, and Chu Mingcheng readily agreed.

They walked side by side, slowly climbing the stone steps as if on a stroll.

"Are you still planning to buy a boat?"

"Probably not. At least, not for now, I guess?"

Chu Mingcheng hadn't expected her to bring it up. He hesitated for a moment before giving an answer he wasn't even sure of himself.

A ten-meter Category III fishing boat, fully equipped with radar, fish finders, and everything else, would cost at least four or five hundred thousand yuan. For a hundred-something thousand, you were getting an empty shell. A more comfortable boat would probably be in the seven or eight hundred thousand range. And those were just the domestic ones. An imported boat would be over a million, no question.

Chu Mingcheng was the type who liked to buy better quality if he was buying at all. Spending half a million on a poorly configured boat? He'd rather spend an extra two or three hundred thousand for a good one.

Furthermore, the annual maintenance costs for a boat would probably be around a hundred thousand. Each trip out to sea would burn at least a thousand yuan in fuel, probably more like two thousand under normal circumstances.

When he did the math, Chu Mingcheng's confidence immediately shriveled.

How many fish would he have to catch in a day just to cover the fuel costs? How long would it take to earn back the cost of the boat?

He wasn't confident he could make that much every time, which was why he had shelved the idea of buying a boat for now.

"I think you could try spearfishing. Go for the high-end market."

Jiang Luoluo had learned today just how incredible a swimmer Chu Mingcheng was, and the idea of spearfishing had immediately come to mind. Now was the perfect time to suggest it.

If he were only an angler, she wouldn't have advised him to buy a boat. Angling was too unstable. But with his swimming skills, he could get a freediving certificate, and once he leveled it up, he could get a spearfishing license.

Then he could take his boat to more distant waters. If he couldn't catch anything with a rod, he could use a speargun to hunt fish in designated areas.

Spearfishing generally targeted the mid-to-high-end market, allowing him to specifically hunt valuable fish. With both methods combined, his daily income wouldn't be low.

As for net fishing, Jiang Luoluo wouldn't recommend it from the bottom of her heart. It was too tiring for one person to do, and spearfishing just sounded more high-class—better suited for making social media content.

"And after you buy a boat, you can also charter it out. When you want to go angling, you can rent it to other anglers. The fees from the fishing spots alone should cover your fuel costs, right? You could hire someone to help with the odd jobs, and you could continue to fish and increase your income."

"When you want to go spearfishing, you can find a group of people who also have spearfishing licenses. And you can buy their fish from them at a low price, then sell them at market price when you get back to shore, making a profit on the difference."

"As for making videos, that goes without saying. Not only can you earn from the platform, but you can also build a fanbase. A small portion of those fans can become your regular customers."

"In the beginning, if you don't have enough customers, you can sell to restaurants. Taking a small loss is fine. Once you've built up your customer base, your only problem will be not having enough fish to sell."

Jiang Luoluo's suggestions were like a ray of light, instantly opening up Chu Mingcheng's mind.

He had originally planned to slowly level up his Codex and rely on the increased capture chance to ensure a stable daily income before buying a boat.

But after hearing her words, he realized that while the maintenance and fuel costs for a boat were high, he could guarantee a stable income by chartering it out.

And with the abilities his Aquatic Species Codex granted him after leveling up, he was confident his efficiency at spearfishing would be much higher than others—several times higher. How could he not catch enough fish then?

With this realization, Chu Mingcheng's path became clear. "Thank you, Luoluo. If you hadn't reminded me, I probably would have wasted a lot of time before buying a boat!"

"Don't mention it. We're friends, right?"