Chapter 78

The wind was blowing even more fiercely than before Xia Hai set out to sea.

Lei Xihuan did not return to the Wanghai Hotel but instead found a small inn.

When he poured the seawater from the plastic bag into the basin, the large yellow croaker was still lively, which was simply an incredible miracle.

He had to get rid of it as soon as possible; this was not just a wild large yellow croaker, it was real gold.

After resting for a while, he put the large yellow croaker back into the plastic bag and hurriedly left the inn.

On the street, he bought a basin and then began his grand plan to make money.

In the most bustling city center of Haishan City, two luxurious restaurants, surrounded on all sides by the sea, stood side by side.

One restaurant was called "Haitian Yise" (Sea and Sky in One Color), and the other was called "Tinghai Lou" (Listen to the Sea Tower). Both were top-tier restaurants in Haishan City.

During the peak tourist season, the competition between these two restaurants was fierce. Even though it was the off-season, the large screens at the entrances of the restaurants were still working hard to advertise.

The waiters from both restaurants, led by their respective dining managers, were diligently handing out discount flyers to the sparse passersby.

Lei Xihuan also received one.

He squatted in the corridor between the two restaurants, took out the basin, and poured the large yellow croaker from the plastic bag into the water basin. Then he silently read the flyers.

"Big discount, the original price of 3888 yuan for a luxurious seafood banquet is now only 3088 yuan..."

"Celebrating the third anniversary of Haitian Yise, a special gratitude banquet is now only 3088 yuan..."

The prices were the same? Looking at the menus, they were almost identical. Had the two restaurants planned this together?

At first, Lei Xihuan did not attract much attention.

Fishermen often did this, carrying a basin with some seafood to try to attract business and earn some money for drinks.

But this young man was a bit younger and his attire did not resemble that of a fisherman.

More importantly, he was not trying to attract business.

After all, it was not the fishing season; what good catch could there be?

But since the young man neither tried to attract business nor left, the dining manager of Tinghai Lou finally became curious. Seeing the sparse passersby, he thought there was nothing to do, so he decided to see what the young man was selling.

When he walked up to the young man, he let out a "ya" in surprise.

His cry immediately piqued the curiosity of the manager of Haitian Yise. The two restaurants were always in competition, and they were very concerned about each other's actions. Hearing this, the manager of Haitian Yise quickly walked over as well.

A moment later, she also let out a "ya."

"Young man, what are you selling?" the two managers asked in unison.

Lei Xihuan looked up at them: "Aren't you running a hotel? Don't you recognize a large yellow croaker?"

Large yellow croaker? Is this a large yellow croaker?

They had been in the hotel business for a long time; how could they not recognize a large yellow croaker?

But the question was, was this really a large yellow croaker?

A large yellow croaker weighing fifteen or sixteen pounds?

That was one thing, but the bigger issue was:

This large yellow croaker was still alive?

Was it the strong wind that made them hallucinate?

The manager of Tinghai Lou reacted the fastest, quietly instructing a nearby waiter: "Quick, go get Mr. Gu."

Despite the low voice, the manager of Haitian Yise heard it: "Quick, go get Mr. Xu."

"Young man, why don't you come to Tinghai Lou for a sit?" The manager of Tinghai Lou decided that regardless of whether the large yellow croaker was real or not, he had to at least get the young man to his restaurant.

"Come to our Haitian Yise; we have a better environment."

"This is what I saw first."

"What do you mean you saw it first? Is he your relative?"

Seeing the two managers arguing, Lei Xihuan did not say anything and continued to study the two restaurant flyers with great interest.

Hmm, so this is how you can prepare Australian lobsters... The picture of the mud crabs looks quite appetizing...

He completely ignored the two managers who were arguing.

They were really being silly; they couldn't make the decision anyway.

Soon, a fat man and a tall man hurried out of their respective hotels. These were probably Mr. Gu and Mr. Xu.

"Brother, hello, I am the owner of Tinghai Lou." The tall man, with long strides, quickly came to Lei Xihuan and handed him a business card.

Gu Feibo, General Manager of Tinghai Lou.

The name sounded nice, much better than his own name, Lei Xihuan.

"Brother, I am the owner of Haitian Yise." Another business card was handed over.

Xu Yongzhong, General Manager of Haitian Yise. Hmm, this name was a bit lacking.

"Cigarette." A Zhonghua cigarette was offered.

"Cigarette." Xu Yongzhong did not back down and also offered a cigarette.

Lei Xihuan recognized the Zhonghua cigarette, but he had never seen Xu Yongzhong's cigarette before: "What kind of cigarette is this?"

"Chongcao, 100 yuan per pack." Xu Yongzhong glanced at the Zhonghua in Gu Feibo's hand with a victorious look, showing off.

Lei Xihuan stuck out his tongue.

Good grief, a 100 yuan per pack cigarette; they really had the means to buy it: "I don't smoke."

"Come to my place for a cup of tea; I have good tea." Gu Feibo said, his eyes constantly looking at the basin.

He was both surprised and puzzled.

Is this really a large yellow croaker? He had been in the restaurant business for 20 years and had never seen such a large, live yellow croaker!

"Come to my place, come to my place." Xu Yongzhong's eyes were also fixed on the large yellow croaker.

Heaven, what kind of fish is this?

When he heard the waiter say that, he thought the waiter was joking. A fifteen or sixteen-pound live yellow croaker?

Talking in broad daylight?

But now that he saw it with his own eyes, he began to doubt whether he was dreaming.

Regardless of whether it was real or not, he had to at least keep the young man there and not give his competitor any chance.

Seeing that the two owners and their dining managers were about to argue, Lei Xihuan smiled and said: "I'm not going anywhere; I'm selling fish here."

The two presidents did not say much.

They no longer continued to argue and did not seem to be preparing to buy. They just stood there, staring intently at the "large yellow croaker" swimming freely in the basin.

Occasionally, they would look up and look into the distance, as if waiting for someone to arrive.

Lei Xihuan was not in a hurry.

He knew who they were waiting for. A large yellow croaker they had never heard of; the two presidents were probably unsure whether it was real or not and would need to call in an expert.

And it couldn't be just any expert.

After about 15 minutes, a car stopped, and the driver respectfully helped an old man out of the car.

"Mr. Xu, you brought Old Cui here?"

Xu Yongzhong smiled and said: "If I didn't bring Old Cui, wouldn't you have to bring him too? With such a fish, no one here can tell if it's real or not."

No one knew Old Cui's real name. He was a solitary old man, 75 years old, who had been fishing since he was young and had only recently stopped going out to sea.

But no matter what strange fish, as long as it passed through his eyes, he could accurately name it.

Therefore, in the restaurants of Haishan City, when there were rare fish that no one could identify, they would often call him. As long as he nodded, the fish was guaranteed to be genuine.

Neither of the two presidents wanted to be left behind, and they quickly walked to Old Cui, each offering a cigarette.

Old Cui did not hesitate, putting one cigarette behind his ear and holding the other in his hand: "Where's the fish?"

The two presidents pointed at Lei Xihuan simultaneously.

Old Cui came to Lei Xihuan, took out a lighter, and was about to light his cigarette, but his movements froze.

"Old Cui, do you think this fish is real?"

In response to the two presidents' questions, Old Cui did not say a word, just staring intently at the fish in the basin.

For about ten minutes, Old Cui did not blink, and finally, his voice trembled: "Young man, where did you catch this fish?"

He spoke in the local dialect, and Lei Xihuan had to rely on the translation of those around him to understand.

Understanding, he smiled foolishly: "I found it by the sea."

"Old Cui, what do you think of this fish?" the two presidents asked cautiously.

"I've been fishing all my life and have seen thousands of fish. I can confidently say that in all of Haishan, no one knows more about fish than I do," Old Cui's voice and hands trembled: "But this is the first time I've seen such a large, live wild yellow croaker."

This one sentence already proved that Lei Xihuan's fish was a genuine wild yellow croaker.

Xu Yongzhong was still a bit skeptical: "Old Cui, we all know that yellow croakers die as soon as they are caught."

"There are exceptions, there are exceptions." Old Cui struggled to light his cigarette, took a deep puff, and seemed to be calming himself:

"There's an old story among fishermen. It's said that in the early Ming Dynasty, a fisherman caught a 12-pound yellow croaker, and it was still alive after being pulled out of the water. Everyone was shocked, and an old fisherman said it might be a spirit, possibly sent by the Dragon King.

Fishermen live by the sea and respect the Dragon King. If he were angry, no one could survive. And in those days, yellow croakers were not valuable; only the poor ate them. So, to avoid offending the Dragon King, the fish was released back into the sea, and incense was burned on the beach to ask for his forgiveness..."

Old Cui puffed on his cigarette: "A large yellow croaker is not rare; as they age, they naturally grow larger. What's rare is that it doesn't die when pulled out of the water. In recent years, wild yellow croakers have been hard to find, especially one this size. I, Old Cui, would be content to die after seeing a legendary yellow croaker with my own eyes."

"Brother, I'll take this large yellow croaker for 50,000 yuan!"