The chubby angler thanked him profusely, being a firm believer in the esoteric. Chu Mingcheng giving up his spot felt like a sign that his luck for the rest of the night was about to turn.

Chu Mingcheng, meanwhile, packed up his gear, hoisted his fish container, and returned to the cockpit to tally his catch with He Zheng.

The twenty-odd jin of yellow croaker sold for about what he'd calculated—a little over 5,200 yuan.

Today's total income had just surpassed forty thousand. Added to his original seventy-two thousand, Chu Mingcheng's savings had temporarily swelled to over one hundred and ten thousand yuan.

Still, he planned to borrow the eight hundred thousand for the boat directly from his parents.

He was heading to Qiongzhou next, and getting his certifications would cost money.

After that, he planned a trip to the Xisha Islands, which would cost him about eight thousand yuan. He also needed to buy a powerful electric jigging rod, which would set him back another ten or twenty thousand.

As for the Nansha Islands, he decided to forget them for now. A single trip would take at least half a month.

There wasn't much time left in the year, and he still had to go to Xiamen to get his driver's license.

Renting an apartment in Xiamen and other expenses would also require money. All in all, the initial investment was significant.

He decided to keep the croaker and a few escaped yellow croakers from the aquaculture nets, along with four large yellow croakers that weighed six liang each.

Two of them were for dinner tonight with Zhang Wei and Chen Yang—he'd already promised them a meal.

He'd originally planned to catch a grouper, but substituting it with yellow croaker was just as good.

The rest of the fish would all be taken back for his parents. They probably wouldn't eat the farmed yellow croakers, though. People who live by the coast are incredibly picky about their seafood. The price of the fish doesn't matter, but it has to be fresh and tender.

His maternal grandmother had once sent over a farmed large yellow croaker. She claimed the water quality in her area made the fish taste better than elsewhere, and they sold for a higher price than typical farmed yellow croaker.

But it still had a persistent fishy smell that they couldn't get rid of. The family had one taste and refused to eat any more. So, these few would likely end up as a treat for Mini.

After resting in the cockpit for a while, the sun had already peeked over the horizon.

The all-nighter had left everyone on the boat feeling sluggish. When Chu Mingcheng woke up, his eyes felt even more sore, and his head was heavy.

The aftereffects of insufficient sleep were worse than pulling an all-nighter itself. But the conditions on the boat were what they were—he could only make do.

He took out a bottle of mineral water, rinsed his mouth, and washed his face, which made him feel a little better.

But having spent a night at sea, his whole body felt sticky and extremely uncomfortable.

Fortunately, the fishing boat was now heading back. He would soon be home to shower and catch up on sleep.

By the time they returned to the Wenzhou pier, the sky was bright. After bidding farewell to He Zheng, he drove home, his first priority being a shower and then sleep.

When he woke again, it was already noon. Chu Mingcheng had been woken by hunger.

As soon as he opened his bedroom door, the aroma of meat wafted toward him.

As he walked downstairs, the scent grew stronger.

He reached the kitchen and found his mother cooking.

An Xiuwen noticed her son at the kitchen door and smiled. "Son, you're awake! Go wash up, the food will be ready soon."

"Mom, what are you doing here?"

"I knew you'd be tired from fishing, so I came to cook for you. I'll help you pack your clothes this afternoon, too, so you don't forget anything."

"Thanks, Mom. I'm going to go brush my teeth!"

Chu Mingcheng accepted his mother's care without any qualms, because he knew that when they were old, he would care for them just the same.

He was very fortunate to have a harmonious and loving family.

After lunch, the afternoon was spent packing.

Considering the weather in the south, Chu Mingcheng packed not only autumn and winter clothes but also some for summer.

The weather this year had been a bit abnormal. It was already snowing up north, yet he was still wearing short sleeves.

He figured it would be freezing in the first lunar month after the New Year. The biting cold then would be an inescapable "magic attack."

Once everything was packed, An Xiuwen left with the fish, not wanting to disturb the young people's dinner party that evening.

It was past six in the evening when Chen Yang and Zhang Wei arrived.

The moment Zhang Wei walked in, he shouted boisterously, "Ah Cheng, what's good on the menu tonight?"

"Corn and pork rib stew, and some other side dishes to go with drinks."

"That's it?"

"What else?"

Zhang Wei decisively grabbed Chen Yang and turned to leave. "Let's go, let's go. He promised us a feast, and he's trying to fob us off with pork ribs."

"Pork is so expensive right now!" Chu Mingcheng continued to joke with him, a grin on his face.

Chen Yang, exasperated, pulled Zhang Wei back, pointing to the still-steaming pot in the kitchen. "You can see the good stuff is in there. Why don't you go look for yourself?"

"Hah, I was just messing with Ah Cheng!" Zhang Wei spun around, walked into the kitchen, and reached for the lid.

Chu Mingcheng quickly stopped him. "It needs to steam for another two minutes. Just wait."

"What kind of fish is it? Grouper?"

"Never mind what kind of fish it is. It's something we can't usually afford."

"Ooh, now I'm interested."

Zhang Wei stood by patiently. Two minutes later, he turned off the heat himself and lifted the lid.

"Whoa, large yellow croaker! It's not wild, is it?"

Chu Mingcheng was right beside him, heating oil. Hearing his question, he was speechless. "Of course it's wild. I caught it last night. Do you think I'd serve you farmed fish?"

He was a professional angler now, and this was their farewell meal for the year. Serving farmed fish would be treating his brothers like strangers.

"Damn, Ah Cheng, the best decision you ever made was quitting your job to become a fisherman!" Two large yellow croakers weren't enough to make Zhang Wei that excited—after all, the meal Chen Yang had treated them to the day before yesterday was even more expensive.

But having a friend who was a professional fisherman meant he reaped a lot of benefits. He was now eating precious fish he couldn't have afforded before.

Chen Yang nodded in agreement. Many fresh, rare, and valuable types of seafood weren't easy to buy. The timing and luck of the purchase were crucial.

He loved seafood himself. With a brother in the business, at least he wouldn't have to worry about not being able to buy fresh, high-quality goods in the future.

That night, the three brothers talked a lot. It was mostly Chen Yang and Zhang Wei doing the talking, reminiscing about their childhood and wishing Chu Mingcheng the best for his future in Xiamen.

…

The next day, at nine in the morning, Chu Mingcheng called his parents to say goodbye, then got a ride to the airport with Chen Yang.

His flight was at ten. After arriving at the airport, he didn't have to wait long before checking in and boarding.

Two hours and forty minutes later, he arrived at the southernmost tip of the country, Sanya, also known as Deer City.

Liu Jianjun's former comrade-in-arms, Lu Zheqiang, had settled here. The two were very close and had visited each other every New Year for years.

This was why Liu Jianjun had made the introduction. He wouldn't have introduced someone he hadn't kept in touch with.

Leaving the airport, Chu Mingcheng pulled his luggage, first calling Lu Zheqiang to confirm the address, then hailed a taxi and went straight there.

When he'd decided to come here to get his certification, he'd already added him as a contact and discussed the certification process and fees.

He was going directly for the AIDA two-star certification and also needed to get a spearfishing license. Thanks to Lu Zheqiang, he got a discount on the tuition, paying only eight thousand yuan, which also included accommodation.

Generally, a one-star freediving course costs around 3,800 yuan—that was the standard price for most clubs.

However, the one-star course was more suitable for complete beginners, covering only theory and calm water practice.

Those who were confident could go straight for the two-star. According to Lu Zheqiang, with his swimming ability, he could directly test for the two-star.

The two-star tuition was about 4,600 yuan, and the spearfishing license was also over four thousand. So, getting both for only eight thousand yuan was indeed a discount of over a thousand yuan.

The estimated study time was five days: two days for the two-star certification and three days for the spearfishing license.

The spearfishing course mainly focused on how to use various types of spearguns, and becoming proficient with them required a lot of time.