Back at the house, Chu Mingcheng went upstairs for a proper shower and changed into fresh clothes. He'd originally planned to go night fishing, but a single use of Life Conversion hadn't completely erased his exhaustion, so he decided to wait until the next evening.

On the first floor, he sorted through his catch, setting aside the cuttlefish, scallops, and sea snails. He also kept three plump swimming crabs and the smallest sea bass, which weighed about a jin and a half. This would be more than enough for his guests. He took the rest of the day's haul to the pier to sell. It was a mid-tide day, so the fishing boats would be out and the pier would be busy.

Sure enough, when he arrived, the pier was bustling. It seemed a few days without fresh fish had left everyone hungry for more. He found an empty spot, opened his fish cooler, and called out, "Freshly speared fish from this afternoon's dive! All fresh—come take a look!"

Both the mention of spearfishing and the massive red snapper in his cooler were major draws. Most fishermen here used nets, and while some angled, no one he knew had ever seen a spearfisherman in person. Large fish were also a rarity. In no time, a crowd had gathered around Chu Mingcheng.

"How much for this red snapper?" a male customer asked first.

"One hundred per jin for this one," Chu Mingcheng replied, setting a price forty yuan higher than the normal market rate.

The customer frowned, thinking it was too expensive. "That's a bit steep. Red snapper should only be about sixty per jin right now."

Just then, a man who'd pushed through the back of the crowd laughed. "This fish is at least eight or nine jin, maybe even ten. A red snapper this big is worth a hundred per jin. Sixty is the price for the one- or two-jin ones."

With that, the man checked the fish's eyes, which were still bright and clear, then its gills, which were vibrant red. He immediately said he'd take it.

Having someone knowledgeable show up saved Chu Mingcheng considerable explaining. But just as he was lifting the red snapper, he heard the man gasp in surprise.

"Is that a black porgy? Holy cow, brother, where did you get that? I haven't seen one of those around here in ages. Weigh it up, quick—I'll take that one too."

The man's dramatic reaction made the surrounding crowd even more curious. Both red snapper and black porgy were uncommon in the local market, and fishermen rarely caught them.

A shrewd man in the crowd, though his eyes were fixed on the plump-bellied blackhead—a fish that just looked delicious—didn't foolishly try to outbid the other buyer. Instead, he asked curiously, "Sir, how much for that blackhead fish?"

"This one's not big. Five hundred per jin," Chu Mingcheng answered as he weighed the fish.

A collective gasp went through the crowd. Five hundred! In a way, that was more expensive than bluefin tuna. Only the highest quality, largest bluefin had a chance of fetching that price. They decided they'd stick to buying black bream and sea bass. But even those were so large in Chu Mingcheng's cooler that a few people hesitated to spend that much.

The fish were weighed. The red snapper was ten jin and seven liang, for a total of 1,070 yuan. The black porgy was heavier than he'd thought—one jin and four liang, coming to exactly 700 yuan. 【TN: A liang is 1/10 of a jin, or about 50 grams.】

The man paid 1,770 yuan via mobile transfer, then happily carried his two fish away. He'd just come down to the pier to try his luck. He never expected to find a black porgy and such a massive red snapper. Tonight, he'd call some friends, get good wine, and have something to brag about.

The rest of Chu Mingcheng's catch sold easily. Two lobsters, totaling one jin and eight liang—and being green spiny lobsters, they weren't too expensive—sold for 180 yuan. Three swimming crabs, weighing a combined two jin and four liang, averaged eight liang each. At sixty per jin, they sold for 144 yuan. Selling retail with mobile payments was great—he didn't have to worry about making change, which meant no need to round down.

Now he was left with five black bream, two yellowfin seabream, and three sea bass.

The three sea bass weighed a total of nine jin and six liang and sold for 384 yuan.

The two yellowfin seabream came to exactly four jin. Because they were large and relatively rare, the price was higher. Chu Mingcheng asked for 120 yuan.

"Come on, boss, give me a better price. One hundred twenty is steep. How many people can afford a fish that costs over two hundred yuan?"

The easy-to-sell items were gone, and while the remaining fish were good, the wealthy customers hadn't arrived yet. The people still gathered around him were either just watching the show or were fishmongers hoping to buy low and sell high. The speaker was a short, skinny man with dark, weathered skin—no stranger to sea wind.

But he was destined for disappointment. Just then, another car drove down to the pier. A portly, well-dressed woman got out, and seeing the crowd around Chu Mingcheng, she came over to look. The moment she saw the fish in his cooler, she stopped in her tracks.

"Sir, how much are your fish?"

The woman was exactly the type Zhang Wei would consider an ideal partner. The first thing Chu Mingcheng thought when he saw her was that she'd be perfect for his friend.

“The yellowfin seabream are one hundred twenty per jin. The two-to-three-jin black bream are sixty, and the biggest one is a hundred."

The wealthy woman didn’t comment on the price. Instead, she bent down to check the fish’s freshness by observing the gills. As she did this, she noticed a small hole near the fish’s belly, close to the gills. Curious, she opened her mouth to ask about it, but paused mid-question, momentarily taken aback as her gaze met Chu Mingcheng’s calm expression.

The quiet firmness of his features drew her attention away from her inquiry.

She quickly recovered. She'd seen plenty of handsome men and wasn't about to swoon like some love-struck teenager. "Sir, why is there a little hole here?"

Chu Mingcheng patiently explained, "I speared these fish while diving. I bled them in the water to make sure the meat wouldn't be tainted by blood and turn fishy."

The woman was astonished. "You speared them yourself while diving?"

"Yes. When I have free time, I either go out to sea to fish or dive to hunt."

The woman gave Chu Mingcheng a meaningful, head-to-toe look, as if trying to see through his loose-fitting sportswear to the good physique underneath, which made him shiver. But she quickly averted her gaze and pointed to the fish in the cooler. "These fish are very fresh. I'll take them all."

"You got it!" Chu Mingcheng grinned and deftly weighed the fish, calculating the price.

There were five black bream in total—the small ones weighing two jin and the largest over five. The smaller ones came to seven and a half jin, for 450 yuan. The large one was five jin and seven liang, for 570 yuan. The two yellowfin seabream were four jin, for 480 yuan.

"Sir, let's add each other on WeChat. Next time you have a good catch, you have to let me know," the wealthy woman said after transferring the money.

"Of course!" Chu Mingcheng agreed without hesitation. This was a wealthy customer. Even though he was planning to move to Xiamen, he could always ship fish to her. And if she wanted something more than just fish, well, he could always introduce her to Zhang Wei.

Chu Mingcheng packed up his things and headed back. Selling his fish had taken only half an hour, surprisingly fast.

"Hey, brother, wait up!"

As Chu Mingcheng was carrying his cooler up toward the road, a skinny man stopped him. The man looked only a few years older than him, but he was certain he didn't know him.

"Can I help you?" Chu Mingcheng asked with a frown.

The man was as thin as a dried-up monkey and gave off the vibe of a street loafer from his parents' generation, not making a good first impression at all.