He paid them no mind, as he needed to focus on fishing. After all, he was representing the country and couldn't slack off. Moreover, he desired a good result to bring back. Just as Liu Changhe had said, such an achievement would greatly benefit his future development.
After rigging the appropriate line setup, the mussel meat had thawed. He baited the hook, adjusted the drag, and let the lead sinker pull it down. About thirty seconds later, he felt the fishing line slacken, indicating it had reached the bottom. The lead sinker he used was only 100 grams, so based on this time, the depth was around 100 meters, suggesting no big fish were present.
Li Haochen shook his head, reeled in a few meters, inserted the rod into the fishing holder, and waited.
"Whoosh~"
The fishing line suddenly tightened, and the tip of the rod bent slightly. There was no need to panic; this kind of pull was only from a fish weighing eight to ten pounds. Li Haochen calmly walked over, braced the rod handle against his abdomen, and prepared to reel. He hadn't fished in a while and wanted to practice his feel for it, as well as land a fish to improve their meals.
The other two men saw Li Haochen hook a fish. However, upon witnessing his relaxed reeling, they chuckled. "I say, do you even know how to fish? There's no need to look; this force indicates it's not up to standard. Why are you even pulling?"
Li Haochen ignored them, continuing to twitch the rod and wind the reel. Seven to eight minutes later, he dragged a spotted grouper, about 50 centimeters long with a black-purple body, onto the fishing boat.
"Not bad, not bad. I didn't expect to catch a peacock grouper."
This peacock grouper, called a spotted wrasse, is known locally as "roi." It's a type of grouper, but it's not very popular here because it's an invasive species. It was originally introduced in the 1960s near Tahiti to develop aquaculture. Later, it proliferated in Hawaiian waters. They gnaw on coral reefs, damaging the local ecosystem, so the local government encourages their capture.
Peacock grouper have excellent taste and texture. Despite the local government's reservations, the fish commands a decent price, fetching $30 to $40 per pound, and many people eat it.
Li Haochen took out a caliper and pretended to measure it. This was to be seen by the boat's cameras. Here, fish that don't meet the size requirements cannot be eaten, or you'd go to jail.
He unhooked the fish and, carrying the peacock grouper, walked into the kitchen, smiling. "Chef, we're having an extra dish tonight, hehe!"
"Not bad, a peacock grouper of this size is rare. But I must criticize you, Xiao Chenchen; you're not focusing on your main task."
"Alright then, if you won't eat it, I'll throw it back into the sea for the fish."
"Hey, hey, don't! Every grain is hard-earned. We can't waste food."
Xu Qing snatched the fish, flicked her wrist, and the entire fish landed on the cutting board. Li Haochen was stunned by her wrist strength. It was better to keep a distance from her.
Coming out to continue, he unexpectedly saw Tang Shengtian wrestling fiercely with a fish. Judging by the rod's performance, this one definitely met the standard, and his movements indicated a very solid foundation.
Li Haochen walked over, filled a thermos with water, and took some chocolate outside. "Eat something to replenish your energy first. This will take some time."
"It's fine, I'll be done in half an hour. But thank you anyway, hehe!" Tang Shengtian said confidently.
"Yeah, Shengtian is the most skilled among us. During simulations, he can handle forces of four to five hundred pounds in under half an hour. You should learn from him."
"Simulations? Half an hour?"
Li Haochen sighed inwardly but said nothing. He placed the water and chocolate down and returned to the cabin.
"Dinner is ready."
Xu Qing's call echoed from the kitchen. A moment later, she saw Li Haochen and asked, "Where are they?"
"They've hooked a big fish and are reeling it in."
"Really? That's great! I'm going to see!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Qing became instantly excited and vanished like a gust of wind from the kitchen. Her speed was as if she had used the 'Ghost Shadow Footwork,' and even Su Shen would have to concede defeat.
Since they weren't present, Li Haochen felt awkward eating alone. However, it looked like it would take a while, so he decided to keep the dishes warm.
The warming period turned out to be quite long. Three and a half hours later, he finally opened the pot, his mood already dejected. What else could have happened? Tang Shengtian had run out of stamina, the fish had turned the tables, and the line had snapped.
When the two men came in, they wished they could find a hole to burrow into upon seeing Li Haochen. Thinking back to their earlier boasts, their faces burned with shame.
Li Haochen, of course, didn't mock them. They were a team, and he wasn't so narrow-minded as to dwell on such minor issues.
"You worked hard. I'm sure you'll catch something better next time."
Tang Shengtian was taken aback. He remembered Li Haochen bringing him water and chocolate earlier and realized Li Haochen had already considered these issues. He felt ashamed. "I was ignorant. I didn't expect reality to be so different from simulations. I should have listened to you about eating something; perhaps..."
"Don't blame yourself. Being able to persist for several hours shows your skill level is quite high, you just lack practical experience. With this experience, I believe you'll have a harvest next time."
"Alright, let's eat first, then get some good rest. We'll try harder at the next fishing spot."
After eating, Tang Shengtian and the others went to rest. Li Haochen naturally steered the boat towards deeper waters. Here, it was only a hundred meters or so, and the chance of encountering large fish was too small.
A few hours later, the sky gradually darkened. Li Haochen casually chose a spot to anchor the boat. It was dark, so why bother looking for fish? However, it wasn't a lonely spot; he could see several warning lights in the distance. It was obvious they were boats participating in the competition.
"Alright, let's stop here for now. After we eat, we'll try fishing in this area."
Li Haochen was beginning to exhibit the demeanor of a captain. Zhu Wenxuan and the others had no objections to his suggestion, which surprised Xu Qing. However, she felt this was good; she was happy to see the team developing positively.
After dinner, all four of them prepared their gear and went out to fish. However, they were curious why Li Haochen was using mussel meat as bait.
"Why aren't you using live bait?" Xu Qing asked curiously.
"Because... that's my secret, hehe!"
"Hmph, if you won't say... Oh, I've got a bite."
Xu Qing's pink fishing rod was bent into a large arc, and the taut fishing line vibrated with a hum that made Li Haochen's teeth ache slightly.
The moment Xu Qing gripped the fishing rod, her entire demeanor changed dramatically. The powerful pulling force managed to dislodge the rod from its holder. However, what followed made Li Haochen's jaw drop, and he couldn't bear to watch.
She braced the rod handle between her thighs. She was wearing tight yoga pants, for goodness' sake. The hem of her pants had flipped up. Did she have a special penchant for this?
Li Haochen shivered, reluctantly averted his gaze, and thought to himself, "See no evil!"