"Now that the wind is picking up and the water temperature is dropping, it's unlikely we'll attract the fish! Plus, grass carp are timid, using explosive bait for grass carp makes the bite even slower!"
"Let's give it a shot. If it doesn't work out, fine. But what if we catch a few more? I'd love to taste some fresh crab too!" Old Zhao gathered the last bit of bait from the bottom of the feed pan and dumped it all into the nest.
As expected by Zhang Yang, nothing happened without the bait, and even after setting up a new nest, there was still no response.
From a little after four until five thirty, as the sun was about to set, no one caught even a single fish.
"Let's pack it up, it's getting late!" Zhang Yang, sitting on the bank, rubbed his hands, his legs nearly numb from the light breeze.
Zhao Bingguang: "Pack it up! Today was as fruitless as a dog chasing its tail for us!
Are you guys coming back tomorrow? I'll bring a whole bag of fish pellets! Fishing for grass carp is way more fun than fishing for crucian carp!"
Meng Fan responded, "Of course, I'm coming! I'll take time off work if I have to; chances like this only come once a year!"
"But let's be clear, no one else has noticed this spot yet, so everyone keeps it quiet and doesn't blab all over the place. If too many people find out and come early, there won't be any place to drop a line!" Wang Jun made a special point to remind everyone.
...
Despite the chilly wind, Old Zhao and the others didn't seem bothered at all, their cheeks were rosy, and they were already gearing up for tomorrow's battle!
Zhang Yang frowned slightly as he looked at the fish net: "It's all good fun, but what are we going to do with all these grass carp we've caught? It's getting late to take them home—by morning they'll probably be dead!"
Zhao Bingguang, taking out his phone, said, "Don't worry, I have an idea! I'll call the guy in the seafood business to come with his truck to collect the fish!
We might get a lower price, but they deal with grass carp regularly; they'll figure something out!"
Zhang Yang frowned: "Uh, that might not be a good idea! If a fish truck drives into the warehouse district, none of us will be able to come back tomorrow, the warehouse owner won't be blind to it!"
Old Zhao was momentarily stunned by Zhang Yang's words.
At the entrance fee checkpoint to the warehouse district, it was indeed stated that all types of fish for the East Warehouse District are allowed within thirty days.
However, the appearance of this grass carp shoal was obviously beyond the owner's expectations.
If it's unknown it might be fine, but if the owner finds out, the fish could be taken today, and the chance to return and fish again tomorrow would be nearly impossible. The rates might rise or fishing could be banned!
After a brief calculation, Zhao Bingguang said, "I have two large storage boxes in my car, they should hold about three hundred kilos when full. Let's have the fish truck wait at the entrance to the warehouse district!
It's cold this season, so the fish's activity is low, they shouldn't die!
If some do die, we can just pick them out and take them back. At two or three pounds each, they're perfect for home cooking. These free-range grass carp from the reservoir are surely tasty this season!"
"Alright, let's do it!"
...
Having settled on a strategy, everyone quickly got busy.
Old Zhao emptied all the bait from the large storage boxes in the car, then used them to store the fish. The group packed away each of their fishing platforms and equipment, and finally worked together to haul the fish catch onto the shore.
Zhang Yang, who had caught at least forty to fifty pounds of crucian carp in the morning, added over a hundred more pounds in the afternoon, filling two and a half sections of the fish net.
They took out the crucian carp and packed them into their own small fishing buckets, while the grass carp, all mixed like a pot of porridge, were dumped into the storage boxes with lids secured. The two boxes and a large live fish bucket barely held it all.
By the time they finished and drove back, it was already completely dark.
Thanks to previous "offline" fish-selling collaborations, Old Zhao had gotten familiar with the seafood vendor. Hearing there were four to five hundred pounds of free-range reservoir grass carp for sale, the vendor immediately agreed to drive over.
It was too problematic to weigh and trade in the dark, so they simply loaded the fish into the tank and oxygenated them, planning to sort it out back at the market.
The four cars followed all the way to the market, where they re-netted the fish and got a total weight of 432 pounds.
Live grass carp, at four and a half per pound, fetched a total of 1944 dollars! The result of four rods' worth of work for an afternoon. If the reservoir owner knew, he'd probably be sick with regret.
The feared issue of the fish dying turned out to be minimal, with only about ten larger individuals actually expired—perfect for the guys to split among themselves and take home.
After everything was settled and they were about to leave, the splashing noises from a small live fish bucket in Old Zhao's trunk caught the seafood vendor's attention.
"What's up, Zhao? You still have fish in the back?"
Zhao Bingguang smiled and nodded, "Big crucian carp from the reservoir, quite rare in size, planning to take them home as gifts!"
"Big crucian carp? How big?"
"Not really big, the small ones are about half a pound, the big ones just over a pound! We've got about thirty to forty pounds!"
"Wow! Seriously? Let me see!"
Catching these words, the seafood vendor's eyes lit up, suddenly excited. He hadn't been this excited even upon seeing two large boxes of grass carp.
Old Zhao, wanting to show off a bit, opened the trunk to give him a look.
"These crucian carp are great! So rare! Just by looking at their size, you can tell they're pure wild ones! Selling them? I'll offer a high price!"
Old Zhao smiled and shook his head: "There aren't many fish, even if I share them with friends, it won't be much! Maybe next time!"
"Eight bucks, eight bucks a pound!" The aquatic shop owner blurted out quite an exaggerated offer.
Bear in mind that the market price for carp and grass carp, cleaned and ready, is only six or seven bucks a pound, so this offer was genuinely sincere!
Upon hearing this price, Zhang Yang and Wang Jun exchanged a glance, feeling a bit tempted.
Old Zhao has many friends, and he certainly can distribute them when he takes them home, while the others would find it a bit wasteful to carry so many crucian carp. They can't eat them all, and freezing them once they're dead isn't fresh.
Zhang Yang said, "I don't have that many friends to give fish to, if the price is right, I'll pick out the ones weighing over a pound, and the rest can be sold!"
"I can sell too!"
"Count me in! I have to clean them myself at home! A few as a gesture are enough!"
Wang Jun and Meng Fan joined in agreement.
"Did you catch a lot? Ten bucks, for ones this big, at most ten bucks!"
Any higher and I won't have any profit; a boss making postpartum meals asked me to find wild crucian carp, otherwise, I wouldn't offer this price!"
Zhang Yang and his companions exchanged a glance: "Deal!"
Soon, each person took out their catch from the car, Zhang Yang picked out seven or eight large ones over a pound, and dumped the rest into baskets.
These crucian carp have a terrifying vitality at low temperatures, still lively and jumping.
After weighing, Zhang Yang had 49 pounds, Wang Jun 41 pounds, and Meng Fan 35 pounds, each pocketing several hundred bucks.
Zhang Yang asked, "Do you need a steady supply of these fish, or just this batch? We'll go fishing again!"
"A steady supply, just this size, I'll take as many as you have!"
"Done! We'll bring them to you next time!"
...
With four cars and five people, they left the aquatic market and quickly stopped again by the roadside.
"Hey guys, what's the plan? Find a place to grab some food? Hungry all day long!"
Zhang Yang said, "There's a new mutton soup shop in our town, pretty authentic, how about some mutton soup? It's on me!"
"Let's go, and while we're there, stock up on some ammo, ready for more action tomorrow!"
Encouraged by Zhang Yang's invite for mutton soup, everyone agreed.
Four cars revved up, heading toward Zhang Yang's town.
Once seated, Zhang Yang took out the fish sale earnings and handed it to Wang Yan sitting in the passenger seat.
"Half for each, everyone shares!"
"What's this for? You guys went fishing for fun, I was working, and I'm already paid, I don't need this money!" Wang Yan was a bit puzzled, not taking the money.
Zhang Yang pursed his lips: "Why be so pretentious? If I weren't working, you'd definitely come fishing too, Meng Fan caught fewer but still made a big few hundred bucks!
What is a team, it can't be all about facing hardships together, but sharing good fortune is definitely essential, it can't be just me eating meat while you watch empty-handed, not even having the soup!
Stop dithering, half for each! You count it, what's left is mine!"
With just a few words, Wang Yan felt a warmth in his heart.
Honestly, having worked hard all day alongside them, seeing four people make several hundred each while Wang Yan got nothing, it'd be dishonest to say he wasn't envious.
Zhang Yang proactively shared the earnings from selling fish, showing he'd considered Wang Yan's feelings, making Wang Yan's appreciation for Zhang Yang's character rise another notch.
"Alright then, I'll take it!" Wang Yan nodded, slightly moved.
"Sharing the money is one thing, the edited footage can't be delayed, work still needs to be diligent!" Zhang Yang reiterated.
"Don't worry, I'll head home later, and no matter how late, I'll edit the footage tonight!" Wang Yan promised.
"Get an extra portion of mutton soup to-go before leaving, heat it up when you get hungry, treat it as a late-night snack while working overtime!"
"Alright!"
...
Unknowingly, Zhang Yang had begun to consider others' perspectives in his dealings, and it was these ordinary yet subtle interactions that earned him the respect of the group, even as the youngest on the team.