I Can Fish Up Everything!

Chapter 11: Chapter 11: New Daily Quests

”Then why are you stocking these? Shouldn’t you get more imported stuff?” An Jun asked, even more confused.

”I don’t have much capital, so I can’t get a large stock of imported goods. The shop felt too empty, so I had to fill up the space with something.” Gu Nan wished his shop was full of imported seafood, even if it was just Star Chicken Fish and Bushi Golden Needlefish.

Unfortunately, fishing was still a bit slow. Over the past two days, quite a few customers had seen how few fish he had in the shop and just walked out.

But if he only sold the fish he caught himself, what was the point of opening a seafood shop? He might as well just be a professional angler—at least he wouldn’t have to pay taxes.

”Anyway, get back to what you were doing. I’m going to go get some shrimp.”

Gu Nan then headed out with a live fish container and a small aerator to buy farmed prawns from a shrimp farm.

Shrimp was very cheap this year. This particular variety of farmed prawn was the South American whiteleg shrimp, popular in the market for its tender meat and large size.

The wholesale price was just twenty-five yuan a pound, and they could be sold retail for forty while still alive.

The only issue was that they were hard to keep alive. Fortunately, the price for chilled shrimp didn’t drop much—they could still be sold for thirty-five.

The profit margins looked great, and they were popular on the market. However, with so much shrimp available, competition was fierce. He hadn’t been able to compete effectively before, so his business had been just so-so.

But now that he had imported fish, which young people clearly liked, maybe it could boost the sales of his other seafood.

With that in mind, Gu Nan bought twenty pounds, spending five hundred yuan.

Yangjiang Port also had farms for grouper and mud crabs. But while common giant grouper was cheap, it wasn’t a bestseller with individual customers; it was usually supplied to hotels.

Mud crabs were too expensive, with a wholesale price of a hundred yuan a pound. Since it wasn’t a holiday, there was no need to stock them. He could just get some to sell when the holidays came around.

The more expensive the seafood, the harder it is to sell to individual customers. Seafood shops usually partner with hotels and restaurants to supply them directly.

After finishing his errands, Gu Nan returned to the shop, pulled out a reclining chair, and started his afternoon nap.

He still had most of the fish he’d caught yesterday, and he hadn’t slept well. It was too hot to go fishing in the afternoon anyway, so he decided to rest up and continue at night.

An Jun was busy editing videos at the counter, so he wouldn’t disturb his nap.

”Ah Nan, wake up! Ah Nan, a customer is here for you.” In a daze, Gu Nan heard An Jun’s voice and felt someone shaking him, slowly pulling him from his sleep.

He opened his eyes and saw the man standing in front of him. He froze for three seconds, then was instantly wide awake.

He rubbed his face and immediately put on a smile. ”Hey, you’re back! Are you here for those ornamental fish?”

The man nodded. ”That’s right. I’ve got the tank at home ready, so I’ve come to pick up the fish.”

He had already checked when he arrived; the ornamental fish were in excellent condition, showing almost no change after a day. He was very satisfied with that.

”The clownfish are twenty yuan each, and the Five-color Tang is a bit more expensive at one-eighty. Is that acceptable?” Seeing that he was serious about buying, Gu Nan stated the price upfront.

’If it were me, I’d never spend hundreds on fish you can only look at, not eat,’ he thought, worried the customer would find the price too high.

However, the man showed no reaction to the price. He simply transferred the payment, sending three hundred yuan.

Hearing the payment notification sound, Gu Nan quickly grabbed a bag and started adding water to it.

He scooped out the six clownfish and the Five-color Tang, placed them inside, and then filled the bag with oxygen.

After sealing it, he put it inside a second bag for good measure before handing it to the customer.

The man took the bag and was about to turn and leave.

But after a moment’s thought, he pulled out his phone and said to Gu Nan, ”Boss, can I get your contact info? My wife loves fish. In the future, if you get any new imported seafood or ornamental fish, could you send me a picture or video first?”

”Of course!” There was no reason for Gu Nan to refuse. This customer was clearly wealthy and a decisive buyer.

’If I can develop long-term customers like this,’ he thought, ’one isn’t enough. Bring on more!’

After seeing the customer off, An Jun came over, clicking his tongue in amazement. ”Not bad. You made three hundred from just a few ornamental fish. Looks like your business is more than just ’turning around.’ Forget treating me in a couple of days, how about you treat me to a late-night snack tonight?”

”Not tonight. The shop is still too low on fish. I found a great new fishing spot recently, so I need to catch more. The fish I catch myself are almost pure profit, so I can earn more that way.” Gu Nan shook his head, declining.

He’d spent the afternoon getting stock and taking a nap, so he hadn’t done his daily tasks yet, nor had he used his eleven guaranteed catches. He planned to go early and come back early to avoid letting sleep deprivation affect his health.

”Alright then, I’ll take off. I have a reservation at a new restaurant tonight. I need to film a review video, so I won’t be having dinner with you.” An Jun packed up his laptop and got ready to leave.

Gu Nan had wanted to ask him to stay for dinner, but since he said he was going to review a restaurant, there was no reason to make him stay.

He checked the time. It was already 4:30 PM. He sat back down at the counter, opened the game, and started checking the day’s daily tasks.

[Daily Task 1: Catch ten fish of any species from the Fengqi Coast. Reward: 5 EXP, 150 Gold Coins.]

[Daily Task 2: Catch five two-star fish. Reward: 5 EXP, 200 Gold Coins]

[Daily Task 3: Unlock a new three-star fish in the Fish Guide. Reward: 10 EXP, 300 Gold Coins]

After reading the three daily tasks, Gu Nan’s eyes lit up. He hadn’t expected the EXP and Gold Coin rewards to have increased.

The EXP was ten points higher than before, and the Gold Coins were up by one hundred and fifty.

If his luck was good tonight, he might be able to complete all the tasks. With the bonus Gold Coins from unlocking the Fish Guide entry, he might even be able to buy the Fengqi Bait as well.

Closing the game, Gu Nan called to order some takeout for himself.

He ordered braised pork belly, tomato and egg soup, and two servings of rice. It wasn’t good to eat too much at night.

The restaurant was nearby, so the delivery arrived quickly.

After he finished eating, the seafood market gradually started to get busy, but not in the way Gu Nan had expected.

He thought business would pick up in the evening, but he only ended up selling two Star Chicken Fish, both just a little over a pound.

Seeing the time was approaching 7:00 PM and the seafood market was emptying out, Gu Nan shook his head and prepared to close up shop.

He hadn’t used much of the crushed ice he’d bought in the morning, so he poured it all into a bag and put it in the freezer.

After mopping the floor, he grabbed his Fengqi Fishing Rod, tackle box, and other gear. He still had leftover bait and Antarctic krill from yesterday, so he didn’t need to buy any more today. Time to go fishing.

When he arrived at the reef where he’d fished the previous night, Gu Nan had just put his things down when his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.

He took out his phone and saw that it was a message from his old classmate, Qiaoya.

”What are you up to?”

Gu Nan typed back: ”Fishing.”

”Fishing???” The three question marks made her surprise obvious.

”Yep.”

”Fishing is nice. A relaxing hobby for after work. By the way, where do you work? I should come hang out sometime!”

”I opened my own seafood shop. The fishing ban is on, so I can’t source any fish, which is why I’m out here catching them myself!”

After replying, Gu Nan noticed that a lot of the Antarctic krill had thawed. He scooped some up and tossed it into the water to start chumming.

It takes time for the chum to work, so chatting with a girl seemed like a good way to kill time.

”A seafood shop? Nice, old classmate, you’re a boss now! Do you guys usually sell your fish to places like hotels and seafood restaurants?”

”Not really. I just opened this year, so it’s a small-scale operation. I mostly just serve individual customers.”

”Oh, I see! But what a coincidence, I actually know a few seafood restaurant owners. Want me to introduce you? (￣︶￣)”

Gu Nan’s heart skipped a beat. ’So Qiaoya, who I thought was just being friendly with the goal of turning me into a customer, might be useful in other ways!’