Beachcombing: The beach is full of amazing seafood, but my wife won't let me get out of bed!

The noisy discussions that had been taking place on the dock had ceased.

The live water tank was filled with plastic baskets. Sunlight shone on them, and the silvery sheen of the ribbonfish made the onlookers on the shore squint.

"God……"

Someone in the crowd swallowed hard.

Chen Fugui was standing at the front with his hands in his pockets, a sneer on his lips as if he were watching a joke unfold.

At that moment, he felt like he had been hit on the head with a blunt object; his neck was frozen in mid-air, and his chin almost hit the back of his hand.

How is that possible?

Wu's second son brought back a hold full of ribbonfish in one night.

"It's fake, right?" Chen Fugui snapped out of his daze, embarrassed, and took two steps forward, muttering under his breath.

"Ribbonfish die as soon as they're taken out of the water. If they stay in the water overnight, they'll rot and stink. They might look shiny, but their bellies are definitely full of water!"

The old fishermen nearby ignored him and stared at the cabin.

Lin Tao jumped onto the boat and carefully lifted the topmost ribbonfish.

Five fingers wide!

The fish, which was over a meter long, was held horizontally in Lin Tao's hands. Its body did not sag or limp at all; its back was straight, firm, and strong.

The most important thing is the fish skin.

Not a single piece was damaged; the silvery-white fat layer remained intact, gleaming with a cold, metallic sheen in the sunlight.

"Great stuff...top-quality!"

Lin Tao's voice trembled, and his eyes were red.

Having been involved in the dried seafood business for so many years, he has seen plenty of broken ribbonfish caught in nets.

He had never seen so many fish pulled up one by one by longline fishing in his entire life.

The old fishermen on the shore were in an uproar.

"The meat is firm; it must have just died recently. The live water tank kept it fresh by cooling it down."

"Which one was caught with a net? A net-caught one would definitely have its skin torn. This one was caught by hook and line."

"My goodness, a fishing line five fingers wide, won't this one fetch three or four times the price?"

Hearing the exclamations of those around him, Chen Fugui felt a burning pain on his face, as if it had been scalded.

He just said it was a dead fish, but now every compliment he receives feels like a slap in the face.

Chen Fugui's face turned from red to green as he gritted his teeth and stared at the thick ribbonfish, his fingernails almost digging into his flesh.

Lin Tao had no time to pay attention to the gossip on the shore. He put the fish back into the water and turned to yell angrily at his companion.

"What are you all standing there for? Move all the insulated boxes down."

"Xiao Zhang, layer crushed ice, then add a layer of fish, and be gentle!"

"Anyone who rubs off a single piece of the silvery coating on the fish will have a day's wages deducted!"

The two men laughed heartily, completely unconcerned about their boss's attitude, and went back to their car to get a large styrofoam cooler and rushed it onto the boat.

They like these high-quality goods, so how could they bear to damage them?

Wu Gang and Chen Yang immediately got to work, and the four or five of them became an assembly line on the narrow deck.

First, a thick layer of crushed ice was laid at the bottom of the foam box. Then, Wu Sui and Lin Tao personally took out the ribbonfish from the live water tank one by one, neatly arranged them inside, and covered them with another layer of crushed ice.

"Watch out for the tail, don't break it."

"Lift this basket slowly, two people help each other."

Only the sounds of ice shattering and panting as people carried crates remained on the dock.

One box, two boxes, ten boxes...

The white foam insulated box was sealed, and the worker and Chen Yang took turns sending it to the refrigerated truck on the shore.

The refrigerated truck's rear door was wide open, and white, cold air billowed out.

Chen Fugui stood three meters away, watching as boxes filled with top-quality ribbonfish were loaded onto the truck one trip after another.

38箱。

A total of 38 boxes!

Chen Fugui felt his heart was bleeding, and his breathing became heavy.

According to the current market price, a five-finger-wide fishing line of this quality would cost at least thirty yuan per kilogram.

That box weighs forty or fifty pounds. How much would this truckload cost?

Tens of thousands? Or a hundred thousand?!

He emptied his pockets to repair that dilapidated boat, but Wu Lao Er made a fortune in one night – enough to fill a refrigerated truck!

"Pah! You lucky bastard..."

Chen Fugui cursed inwardly. The mocking looks from the old fishermen around him made him feel so uncomfortable that he could no longer stand.

He lowered his head, slunk out of the crowd, and left the dock.

On the ship, the last basket of ribbonfish was finally packed into an insulated box.

The live water tank was empty, leaving only cold seawater.

Chen Yang plopped down on the empty plastic basket, his arms hanging limply at his sides, too weak to even lift them, but a broad smile spread across his face.

"That's all, brother-in-law, it's all packed."

Wu Gang was also wiping his sweat on the side, looking at the refrigerated trucks that were packed full on the shore, his dark face glowing red.

Lin Tao, soaking wet, waved to the waiter: "Drive back to the shop first."

The refrigerated truck's rear door slammed shut, and it started up and drove off.

Wu Gang and Chen Yang were tidying up the deck on the boat when Lin Tao called out to them, telling them to go back to the purchasing station for dinner once they were done. He then pulled Wu Sui along, eager to go back and settle accounts.

The refrigerated truck was already parked in the backyard, and the workers were loading boxes onto the scale one by one.

Lin Jing was counting when she saw them return. She nodded but didn't have time to say anything.

"After deducting the weight of the box and ice, the net weight is forty-eight pounds."

"Fifty-two catties."

Lin Tao smiled and asked Wu Sui to sit down, poured him tea, and the two chatted casually.

"Ah Sui, there should be some progress on the matter concerning your courtyard."

Wu Sui glanced at him with some surprise, clearly not expecting the case to be closed so quickly.

Those are contraband items! And the case has already been classified in just a few days?

Seeing his confusion, Lin Tao moved closer and lowered his voice.

"I heard that someone from above has said that the matter is considered closed, but I don't know the specifics."

"If you have time soon, you can go to the Maritime Bureau and ask; the area should be able to be unsealed."

Wu Sui nodded, not taking it seriously. Anyway, he had only bought a courtyard, and the specific reason was none of his business, nor did he want to get involved.

They were chatting when Wu Gang and Chen Yang came over.

The two didn't even drink water before helping to move the fish into the cold storage.

Wu Gang appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was pounding with each number on the electronic scale.

Although we knew we'd been wiped out last night, no one really knew how heavy the losses were until the final assessment.

It took more than an hour to weigh all 42 foam boxes and then put them back into the large cold storage in Lin Tao's backyard.

Lin Jing sat at the table, her fingers flying across the calculator, making a particularly loud "tap tap tap" sound.

"Brother, Ah Sui."

"A total of 42 boxes, excluding a few small ones and slightly damaged ones, the net weight is 2128 jin."

Lin Tao took it, glanced at it, and spoke with a smile.

"Ah Sui, this batch of ribbonfish is of very good quality. I'll give you the highest market price, 30 yuan per jin."

"You made 63840 yuan in one night, I'm even tempted to go out to sea with you."

More than 60,000?!

Wu Gang and Chen Yang exchanged a glance, both somewhat incredulous.

Including the stonefish and grouper they caught yesterday, they made over 100,000 yuan in just two days!

At this rate, the remaining payment for the large ship will be recouped in just a few days.