Before casting, Li Haochen, as always, first deployed his traps.
Li Haochen didn't use the fish finder today, nor the electric reel, nor many rods. He simply held his very first fishing rod, the Haddas Assassin.
Tonight, he wasn't fishing for the sake of fishing, but for introspection. At this moment, Li Haochen was having a soul-searching moment: "I have money, and my house is almost done. Even if I don't go out to sea, relying on the coconuts and conchs in my space is enough to surpass 90% of people globally. Why do I still go to sea? For fame and fortune?"
Li Haochen fell into thought, not even noticing the bent rod tip or the line buzzing against the water.
Ten minutes passed, the rod had long since returned to normal, the fish having escaped. Only a bewildered Li Haochen remained. He closed his eyes, letting his mind wander. Soon, his eyes opened, his expression unchanged. "Still can't figure it out. Oh well, let's keep fishing."
He reeled in the line, the bait long gone. He re-baited, loosened the drag, and cast. The reel's line hissed as it spun out.
"Plop~"
A crisp splash could be heard. Judging by the flight of the line, it was nearly a hundred meters.
Li Haochen pulled with his left hand and slowly turned the reel with his right, teasing the fish below. Suddenly...
"Whoosh~"
The rod tip bent, and the line tightened with a hum. The pull was decent, the feel good. Li Haochen didn't lock the drag, releasing some to play with the fish.
He pulled and reeled a few times. Sensing danger, the fish struggled more fiercely. The resistance in his hands was excellent. "This is what I want, your wildness. Come on, hahaha!"
However, the fish didn't cooperate for long. In less than a minute, it surrendered. It was as if it said, "Damn it, I'm just one and a half pounds. Why fight so much? You've worn me out. I'm done. Do whatever you want, old fish isn't serving you anymore."
Sensing the lack of resistance, Li Haochen was greatly disappointed. He quickly reeled in, and in about ten seconds, the fish was pulled in – a Black Seabream, weighing a pound or two. Seeing it wasn't large, he didn't use the net and simply swung it onto the deck.
Inside the cabin, the shrimp paste, under the effect of the steam, had its aroma fully released. The scent had already spread through the cooker's vent, filling the boat with fragrance.
Outside the boat, Li Haochen could smell the cooking. His stomach rumbled incessantly. Carrying the newly caught Black Seabream, he entered the kitchen. Gutting, de-scaling, and removing gills were done in one fluid motion.
The fish was not small, so it couldn't be steamed whole. Otherwise, the middle part would be cooked while the outer parts would become tough.
Li Haochen made a cut along the fish's back, poured in some peanut oil and soy sauce, and steamed it in boiling water for eight minutes. Then, he poured some hot oil over it, which sizzled, forcing out the fresh flavor.
With the food ready, Li Haochen didn't eat in the kitchen. Instead, he took it out to the deck, set up a small table, and opened the only bottle of Golden Ice Valley he had. This wine, paired with shrimp paste and white rice, was a beautiful story.
Good wine doesn't always need fine food; do as you please. When the mood is good, everything is beautiful.
The wine wasn't strong, only 11% ABV, and the bottle was only 375ml. Li Haochen drank it all, but this low alcohol content got him drunk. The wine didn't intoxicate him; he intoxicated himself.
After tidying up, he washed his face and did nothing else but sleep soundly.
That night, Li Haochen had a dream. Thick fog enveloped him, and he couldn't find his direction, running endlessly without finding an exit. Just as he was hesitating and lost, a fleeting cry echoed, the fog dispersed, and a line of text flashed through his mind.
Li Haochen woke up with a start, sitting on the edge of the bed, unable to calm down for a long time. "Born as the sea, to live for the sea?"
These eight characters, simple in meaning yet profound, reflected his inner choice, his inner longing? Li Haochen had found his answer. With firm confidence and a full smile, he pushed open the door. Warm sunlight and the familiar salty air rushed towards him. "The smell of home, it smells so good."
He took a few deep breaths and headed towards home, all his thoughts pouring out with a resounding shout.
"Ah..."
"Damn, you crazy person, you scared me."
A small hoverboard zipped past, startled by Li Haochen's shout. It glanced at the Star Gazer, showing envious eyes, and then at the person standing on the deck. "He looks a bit familiar?"
The hoverboard was fast and quickly sped away. The youth didn't have time to think carefully and was already far away.
But Li Haochen recognized him – Li Wenhao, a brother from his village. They were quite close, having done all sorts of mischief together. For some reason, he had a big change later, turned over a new leaf, and became very filial.
"That guy ran off without even a chance to say hello."
Li Haochen put on his gloves and walked over to untie the ropes fixing the traps. The water here wasn't deep, only seven or eight meters. It was a soft mudflat, and the traps would slowly sink into the mud, making them difficult to pull out.
Just as Li Haochen was pulling at the trap, an 8-meter small fishing boat sailed over. A young man in a plaid shirt emerged. He appeared to be a few years older than Li Haochen, with swollen bags under his eyes and messy hair, suggesting he had spent the night at sea.
"Haochen? Is that really you? I thought I was seeing things."
"Li Linfeng?" Li Haochen called out, looking at the gaudy Lin Feng with a frown.
"Yo, I didn't expect our top scholar to remember me. I'm truly honored, hahahaha!"
Li Haochen had no good feelings for this hooligan from the neighboring village, who had left teeth marks on him. Back then, when he was struggling, the only trap he had was stolen by this scoundrel, and it was destroyed. Later, upon finding out, Li Haochen had even gone to their village with a knife to cause trouble, but it yielded no results. Although Li Linfeng was a scoundrel, his village sided with him, and it ended inconclusively. However, afterward, many fishing nets and traps from their village were destroyed, and everyone knew Li Haochen did it, but without evidence, no one dared to confront him.
Ignoring him, Li Haochen continued to pull the trap.
"Damn it, what are you so proud of? You just got lucky and caught seventh place, and you dare to ignore me? Brother is living in a villa now, driving a car, and earning tens of thousands a month. What right do you have to feel superior, you useless runt, spit!"
Li Haochen initially didn't want to respond, but the last few words deeply stung him. His anger erupted instantly. He threw the trap back into the sea, rushed into the driver's seat, and started the engine. Li Linfeng, sensing something was wrong, quickly started his boat and fled.
Li Haochen pushed the throttle to the limit, chasing Li Linfeng at maximum speed. The Star Gazer was fast, and the distance was closing. Li Linfeng broke out in a cold sweat. "Damn lunatic, I'm such an idiot for provoking him."