HLM – Chapter 952 Yellowfin Emerges from the Water

Grilled squid was a dish every fishing family could make, but Wang Bo was a bit tired of it. Back in elementary and middle school, the sea was full of it.

At that time, barbecue was just becoming popular in Linhai City, but his family couldn’t afford grilled meat. So, his father would grill squid for him instead, which eventually made him wary of it.

Zhong Dabao knew this and said, “This time the barbecue sauce is special. I got it from a Korean friend of mine.”

“You have a Korean friend?” Wang Bo was surprised.

Zhong Dabao grinned proudly. “Of course! But he’s actually Chinese. He works in foreign trade and often goes to Korea, so I asked him to bring some stuff back for me.”

“That counts as a Korean friend? Anyway, at least you have a proper New Zealand friend.”

Zhong Dabao sniffled and said, “I usually introduce you not as being from New Zealand, but from New Jersey, USA—New Jersey, America!”

“Why?”

“Who knows where New Zealand is? Doesn’t sound impressive. But America? That’s impressive!”

Wang Bo rolled his eyes. This way of dealing with the world was so typical of Zhong Dabao.

The squid needed to marinate for two hours. During that time, they hadn’t caught a single blue-spotted mackerel, though they had some silver pomfret, sea bream, sea bass, jack mackerel, and opium fish. But they had come to fish for blue-spotted mackerel, which wasn’t worth much.

By lunchtime, Zhong Dabao went to grill the squid while Mother Bo went to warm the rice.

Wang Bo said, “Looks like today isn’t going well. We probably won’t even cover the fuel costs.”

Father Bo, smoking his pipe, was relaxed. “I expected this. Trying to make money from catching fish on a boat like this? Forget it. These boats are for taking anglers out and making money from city folks.”

Their small boat had no generator, so they had to use a traditional coal stove. The squid had been marinated with soy sauce, cooking wine, and seasoning, then sliced and skewered. Zhong Dabao placed them on the stove to grill.

Dale squatted nearby with the gluttonous snow fox perched on her shoulder, its black gemstone-like eyes fixed on the fragrant squid.

“Brother, grilling like this isn’t healthy. Charcoal contains some carcinogenic substances that stick to the smoke. I suggest using an electric grill.”

Zhong Dabao chuckled. “I know, but where’s the electric grill? Besides, let me tell you, girl, food from an electric grill is for dogs. Wait and see—stuff from a coal fire is real barbecue.”

Dale shook her head firmly. “No, it’s unhygienic and not environmentally friendly. I won’t eat it.”

During grilling, they brushed oil and sprinkled seasoning continuously, finishing with a layer of white sesame seeds. The aroma was irresistible.

Wang Bo tried a skewer of squid tentacles and nodded. “Not bad. If the sea runs out of fish, Dabao, you won’t starve. Selling grilled squid could make you rich.”

Zhong Dabao retorted, “Are you out of your mind? If there’s no fish in the sea, where am I going to get squid to sell?”

Wang Bo smiled bitterly—he’d been mocked several times by Zhong Dabao for being “out of his mind.”

Seeing everyone else enjoying the squid, Dale took a skewer and bit into it. Immediately, she changed her stance, standing up and chewing and swallowing in large bites.

“Aren’t you afraid of cancer from charcoal grilling?”

“Let it go to hell. Dale isn’t afraid of anything. Mmm, delicious!”

Just as they were about to eat, a bell suddenly rang urgently. A fishing line straightened taut and shot out with a “swish, swish, swish.”

Father Bo immediately rushed over. “That’s a big fish for sure!”

Other bells started ringing too, and this one was even stronger. The fish line was being pulled too fast; the reel couldn’t let out line quickly enough, and the rod almost got dragged away.

Fortunately, the strongman reacted quickly, biting onto the rod handle to hold it steady.

Wang Bo rushed over, turning the reel while testing the pull. The force was immense. His heart sank.

No doubt, this was a big fish—but possibly too big. Their lines were designed for fish under fifty kilograms, and this one felt heavier.

Sure enough, the line soon ran out, and when he tried to reel it in, it snapped with a loud “pop!”

Father Bo’s line soon met the same fate.

Eva asked, “What kind of fish is that? So strong… it can’t be a shark, right?”

“The bait’s too small to attract sharks. It must be two fish,” Father Bo’s eyes lit up. “Quick, Bo, scatter bait around. This might be a sea chicken!”

“Sea chicken?” Eva and Dale were puzzled again.

Wang Bo explained, “That’s tuna. Locally, we call it a sea chicken.”

Because tuna is low in fat and contains beneficial nutrients like DHA, EPA, and taurine, its nutritional profile is somewhat like chicken, hence the nickname.

Of course, that’s a modern explanation. Wang Bo thought the real reason had nothing to do with that—the term “sea chicken” had probably been around for centuries, long before DHA, EPA, and taurine were known.

Father Bo urged, “Stop chatting! Change the lines and bait. Didn’t we just catch some sardines? Use the big ones as bait!”

In their local dialect, sardines were called “barangzi,” and they were a favorite food of tuna.

They retrieved all hooks. Mother Bo and Zhong Dabao efficiently replaced the lines and live bait in the water, while Wang Bo scattered feed around with Eva.

Two boats appeared in the distance, but no one paid attention—they focused entirely on catching tuna.

Soon, the bells rang repeatedly. Father Bo’s face lit up. “We’ve hit a school of sea chickens! Good luck!”

After changing the lines, the big fish didn’t escape as easily. Wang Bo braced the rod against the boat, reeling rhythmically. After testing a few times, he began to pull in the line.

Slowly, a pale yellow fin broke the surface, slicing through the water like a shark, moving at incredible speed.

Father Bo and the others were ecstatic. This time it was confirmed—yellowfin tuna!

Although yellowfin tuna is the least valuable among prized tunas, it’s still worth a lot. Compared to blue-spotted mackerel, a yellowfin selling for twenty to thirty thousand yuan is still a precious catch.

This one wasn’t huge—Wang Bo estimated around eighty kilograms and about 1.2–1.3 meters. He thought it would take over half an hour to reel it in, since tuna are powerful fish.

To his surprise, this one seemed tired. Within just five or six minutes, Wang Bo had it on board.

Meanwhile, Father Bo, mother, and Zhong Dabao each had a rod in hand, engaged in a battle of wits and strength with the big fish in the water.