Chapter 5

Standing among the crowd, Shi Qing was like a bright and beautiful landscape in the midst of ruins.

Wearing a white dress that fluttered in the breeze, with her black hair flowing like a waterfall, she exuded a fresh and extraordinary aura. Her exquisite and beautiful face was adorned with a faint smile, making people feel as if they were basking in a gentle spring breeze.

Not sure if it was a感应 or something else, she slowly turned her head and then saw Su Jing.

She was initially stunned, a hint of joy flashing across her face, but she quickly put away her smile, giving Su Jing a slight glare before turning away, ignoring him without any intention of greeting him.

"Uh, did I offend her in some way?"

The smile that had just appeared on Su Jing's face froze. After careful thought, he realized that since last year's Spring Festival, she had gradually stopped responding to his messages on QQ and WeChat. Su Jing had assumed it was due to the passage of time and the growing distance, but now it seemed she was angry with him.

To be honest, he didn't think he had done anything to offend her. Was she really angry for half a year?

"Ah Liang, what are you guys doing?" Su Jing walked up and asked.

"There's a Mr. Zhao who wants to buy wild, live seafood at the highest market price. He said he'll buy whatever we catch on the spot. We're preparing to set sail and try our luck. If we're lucky, we might make a fortune," Su Liang said.

"Really?" Su Jing was taken aback.

"Really, Xiao Lin just caught two swimming crabs, and he bought them for a hundred yuan per pound," Su Liang nodded.

"He's a rich man who wants some fresh, wild seafood for himself. He doesn't mind spending a bit more," Su Xiaolin added.

"Then why is there such a tense atmosphere?" Su Jing laughed.

"The people from Shi Family Village also want to join in and compete with us for business," Su Liang glanced at the people from Shi Family Village.

"What do you mean 'compete with us for business'? Mr. Zhao said he'll buy whatever we catch on the spot, no matter who catches it. When did it become your exclusive business?" A handsome young man from Shi Family Village said with a hostile tone, his eyes full of enmity when he looked at Su Jing.

His name was Shi Yun, Shi Qing's younger brother, a simple-minded and physically strong guy. He had been a fishing expert since childhood, able to stay underwater for more than ten minutes. Once, he dived into the sea and came up with a full bamboo basket of fish and crabs, shocking the nearby villages.

However, no matter how skilled he was at fishing, he never received much praise from his parents. They often compared him to Shi Qing and Su Jing: "Look at your sister, look at Su Jing from the neighboring village. How many points did they score on the exam this time? What good is it to only know how to fish? You'll be a fisherman all your life and won't amount to much." Shi Yun didn't resent his sister, but he resented Su Jing.

Especially since, as a child, Shi Yun had a bit of a sister complex. Seeing his sister get close to Su Jing and not play with him deepened his resentment. He couldn't stand the sight of Su Jing, and even now, as an adult, this resentment still lingered.

"Alright, everyone, stop arguing. Although it was your Su Family who first discussed this with Mr. Zhao, it looks like he needs a lot of seafood. We won't be able to catch enough in a short time, so he might buy it all. If you're worried, the Su Family can sell first, and the Shi Family can go later. Is that okay?" Shi Qing held back Shi Yun and tried to mediate.

"Still, our tour guide Xi Shi knows how to speak well," the Su Family's expression eased.

"Tour guide Xi Shi?" Su Jing was taken aback. When did Shi Qing become a tour guide Xi Shi?

"Didn't you know? Shi Qing worked part-time as a tour guide and was photographed for her beauty, earning the nickname 'tour guide Xi Shi.' Later, she even became the image ambassador for our beach," Su Liang laughed.

"Wow, impressive," Su Jing praised.

"Do I need to say it?" Shi Qing rolled her eyes at Su Jing.

The people from Shi Family Village and Su Family Village were eager to go fishing. Some went out on fishing boats to cast their nets, while others dove directly into the sea with their tools. It was rare for someone to come and buy seafood at such a high price, so everyone was as excited as if they had been injected with adrenaline.

Su Jing thought for a moment, took off his shoes and shirt, and prepared to dive into the sea.

He had decided not to use the fishing rod for two reasons: first, there were too many people watching, and he was worried that using the monster meat would be noticed; second, fishing was a bit wasteful of both his feelings and the monster meat, as he couldn't control which fish would bite, often catching fish he didn't want, and each catch would waste a small piece of monster meat.

Su Jing felt that diving directly into the sea might be more efficient.

"Uncle, are you not using this fishing rod anymore?" Su Yan, who had been holding the fishing rod lovingly, offered it to Su Jing, clearly eager to see how it worked.

"Uncle is going to dive directly," Su Jing smiled.

"Jing, you haven't been in the sea for a long time, right? Are you sure you're okay?" Zhao Mengxiang was a bit worried. Although Su Jing grew up by the sea, he rarely came back, and his swimming skills might not be as good as others.

"Don't worry, Big Sister. I went swimming a lot in school, and my swimming skills are still good," Su Jing reassured her.

"Be careful, don't stay underwater too long, and know your limits," Zhao Mengxiang advised.

"Got it." Su Jing handed the bucket to Zhao Mengxiang, put on his goggles, a bamboo basket, and a net bag, and walked into the sea. When the water reached his thighs, he dove in.

Su Jing continued to dive deeper. The water here was very clear, and he could see various small fish swimming by, as well as the sand and vegetation on the seabed. Being in the water made him feel like he was back to his childhood.

Su Jing took a plastic bag from his pocket, cut a small piece of monster meat from the large piece inside, and threw it into the water. Immediately, a swarm of small fish rushed over and quickly devoured the meat. However, most of these fish were small damselfish, not worth his effort.

Su Jing thought for a moment and cut another small piece of monster meat. This time, he didn't throw it into the water but placed it in the bamboo basket and sealed it with the plastic bag. Even so, the smell slowly spread, and countless fish gathered around, surrounding the bamboo basket and Su Jing in layers. The scene was spectacular. These fish, driven by the irresistible temptation, completely forgot their fear and were at Su Jing's mercy.

More and more fish swam over, including damselfish, mackerel, and sea bass...

Su Jing ignored these less valuable fish, finding them not worth his attention. After waiting for a while, his eyes lit up as he saw a row of yellow fish swimming over, each weighing a few ounces. He recognized them as large yellow croakers. Wild yellow croakers weighing a few ounces could sell for hundreds of yuan per pound, and these dozen or so fish were worth at least a few thousand yuan.

Su Jing put the bamboo basket into the net bag and opened it. The row of large yellow croakers, as if in a daze, rushed into the net bag, along with some other fish.

After the large yellow croakers were inside, Su Jing quickly sealed the net bag and dragged it to the shore. However, the bag was so full of fish that it was extremely difficult to drag. He had to be careful not to be pulled by the fish inside the bag.

With great effort, he finally dragged the large net bag of fish onto the beach and struggled to drag it to the shore.

Seeing the large net bag of fish he was dragging, Shi Qing, Zhao Mengxiang, and the others on the shore were stunned, hardly believing their eyes.