The Chinese spiny lobster, once known as the divine shrimp in ancient times, is rich in protein, minerals, and vitamins A and C, with very low fat content. It is believed to have benefits such as tonifying the kidneys and strengthening yang, nourishing blood and solidifying essence, dispelling blood stasis and detoxifying, benefiting qi and nourishing yang, and unblocking meridians and relieving pain.
Due to its extreme rarity and difficulty in encountering and catching, its price is very high. Generally, one to three pounds cost between one hundred to over three hundred yuan per pound.
For those weighing over three pounds, the price is not even calculated by the pound. It is said that a Chinese spiny lobster weighing five to six pounds once sold for a staggering six hundred thousand yuan.
The few lobsters in front of Ye Feng, the smallest estimated to be over a pound and the largest around three pounds, with seven or eight combined weighing over ten pounds, represented an immense fortune.
Ye Feng was stunned, his excitement growing with every thought. He took a deep breath and quickly brought the coral trout ashore, placing it in a bucket.
After securing the coral trout, Ye Feng, holding his tongs, immediately plunged back into the water, heading towards where the Chinese spiny lobsters were gathered.
Soon, Ye Feng arrived at the spot where the seven or eight Chinese spiny lobsters had congregated. The lobsters were still there, as if holding a grand meeting.
"Haha, heaven is truly helping me!" Ye Feng exclaimed, and immediately began his capture.
Holding his tongs, he slowly approached, aiming directly for the largest one, exceeding three pounds, and clamped down.
He chose to capture the largest one first because, being the biggest, if he tried to catch the smaller ones, any disturbance would cause them to scatter. If he lost them, it would be a great pity.
Moreover, by targeting the largest, even if the others escaped, Ye Feng's losses would be minimized.
As expected, the moment Ye Feng clamped onto the largest Chinese spiny lobster, it thrashed violently. This startled the other Chinese spiny lobsters, causing them to flee in all directions.
Ye Feng, holding the largest one, did not immediately ascend. Instead, he carefully observed the escape routes of the other lobsters, memorized them, and then carried the largest one ashore.
After placing the largest lobster into the bucket, Ye Feng found that the entire bucket was nearly full. Helplessly, he quickly found some seaweed and bound the Chinese spiny lobster, placing it aside.
Having finished this, Ye Feng continued to dive down to catch the other Chinese spiny lobsters.
Ye Feng repeated this process of going up and down for about an hour before finally bringing up all eight Chinese spiny lobsters.
It was fortunate that he had come early. Had he arrived any later, other shore-fishing enthusiasts might have seen his Chinese spiny lobsters and taken them, which would have made him cry.
After catching the eight Chinese spiny lobsters, he did not immediately return but continued to search the vicinity for a while longer.
However, his luck was not as good. He only managed to catch some ordinary groupers, totaling about ten pounds.
Even so, Ye Feng was extremely happy, as the combined catch would fetch a considerable sum. He estimated that it would take him one to two years of working a job to earn this much.
Ye Feng looked at the catch on the ground, his mood exceptionally good!
At this point, he glanced at the sky, estimating it was nearing noon. He decided not to continue searching.
This was because he had already scoured four to five hundred meters of the coastline and found no more valuable catches. Even if there were any, they would be too difficult to capture.
After bringing all his catches home, Ye Feng had a simple meal and then called Mr. Xiao, the boss who had given him his business card.
"Hello! Who is this!" The person who answered the phone was not Mr. Xiao but a woman.
Ye Feng was stunned for half a second before saying, "Ah, hello, I'm looking for Mr. Xiao!"
"Who are you? What do you want with my dad?" the woman asked slowly.
Hearing this and recognizing the somewhat familiar voice, Ye Feng immediately knew who it was.
Wasn't this the woman who had been shore-fishing with Mr. Xiao by the sea the other day? Ye Feng remembered she was Mr. Xiao's daughter, named Fei something!
He had almost exposed himself in front of her then, and as they parted, she had kept looking at him unhappily, calling him a hooligan repeatedly.
"I, I'm looking for him..."
Before Ye Feng could finish speaking, a deep voice suddenly came from the other end.
"Feifei, who is it!"
"I don't know, but the voice sounds familiar. It's for you, you take it!" Xiao Feifei said, handing the phone to the man.
The man took the phone and said in a deep voice, "Hello, I am Xiao Qinghai, the general manager of Dragon King Hall. May I ask who you are?"
"Mr. Xiao, hello! I'm the young man Ye Feng who sold you the giant grouper by the sea yesterday. Do you still remember me?"
"Giant grouper? Ye Feng? Oh, I remember, it's you! What's the matter?" Xiao Qinghai asked.
Ye Feng replied, "What else would I be looking for you for, if not to sell fish?"
Xiao Qinghai heard this and asked, "Oh? You've got more giant grouper?"
Ye Feng shook his head, "Not this time!"
Upon hearing Ye Feng's words, Xiao Qinghai couldn't help but show a hint of disappointment.
This was because if it were ordinary seafood, they wouldn't need much, as they could easily purchase it.
"However, I've got a few Chinese spiny lobsters, a coral trout, and some ordinary groupers!" Ye Feng stated.
Xiao Qinghai, having heard that Ye Feng hadn't caught any giant grouper, was somewhat disappointed. Without listening carefully to what Ye Feng was saying, he replied, "Chinese spiny lobster, we don't really need..." Huh? What did you say? Chinese spiny lobster?"
Ye Feng nodded, "That's right, a few Chinese spiny lobsters, one coral trout, and a few small ordinary groupers! Do you want them? If not, I'll..."
However, Ye Feng was interrupted before he could finish.
Xiao Qinghai exclaimed excitedly, "Yes, yes, we want them all!"
After all, these were Chinese spiny lobsters and coral trout! Such items were rare and hard to come by.
Restaurants like Dragon King Hall didn't typically purchase ordinary seafood because it was readily available and inexpensive at most restaurants.
They specialized in collecting rare and expensive items! Chinese spiny lobsters and coral trout, such premium seafood, were what truly showcased the class of their Dragon King Hall.
After all, those who dined at Dragon King Hall were not short of money; they sought excellence and something unique.
Therefore, these relatively rare items like Chinese spiny lobsters and coral trout became highly sought-after dishes.
However, these items were rarely caught, making it difficult to maintain a consistent supply, so they could only be offered as specialty dishes.
Hearing that Ye Feng had seven or eight Chinese spiny lobsters and a decent-sized coral trout, Xiao Qinghai was overjoyed.
This meant that these items could once again satisfy the appetites of the wealthy and influential.
"Alright, will you come to pick them up, or should I send someone to deliver them!" Ye Feng asked.
Xiao Qinghai hurriedly replied, "I have some matters to attend to today, so could you please send them over? I'll send you the address right away!"
"No need for the address, I know where it is!" Ye Feng replied.
Xiao Qinghai said, "Alright then, just send them over. Someone will contact you directly..."