Chapter 554: Chapter 548: Boats Gather from All Directions (Part 2)

Lao Pi is part of the management in a state-owned enterprise. Lao Pi is a nickname rather than a real name, kind of like a pen name. After crawling and rolling through the enterprise for so many years, he’s become quite adept at speaking and handling things, and his flattery made Wang Fan feel quite embarrassed.

However, Wang Fan has always been reluctant to take free things; he insists on paying.

Lao Pi insists on giving it for free, since it’s not really worth much anyway.

In the end, seeing that Wang Fan’s attitude was particularly firm, Lao Pi didn’t want to waste everyone’s time on this matter and sold it to Wang Fan at the market price of 20 yuan per jin.

No need to actually pay, just offset it with the purchase money. The five jin were directly offset by 100 yuan, which is considered waste utilization.

As the two chatted, the fish skin was already roasted, and the rich aroma spread to every corner of the boat, making everyone on board swallow their saliva involuntarily.

Wang Fan didn’t make them wait long. The roasted fish skin was placed on a plate and was ready to be served. After cutting, the fish skin is weighed, with very little discrepancy. Whoever liked a piece could directly take the plate and dig in.

Lao Pi and Old Jack paid, and casually took a plate that was closest to them, brought it under their noses, and took a deep breath. The aroma, enough to captivate one’s senses, filled their nostrils.

The two held their breath, letting the rich aroma wander in their nasal cavities. They weren’t willing to exhale until they couldn’t hold it anymore.

"Geez, my goodness, this flavor is just too amazing!"

Old Jack exclaimed with native dialect in awe of the roasted fish.

A palm-sized piece of roasted fish skin weighed over a jin, making it perfect for lunch. If it wasn’t enough, there was also a big bowl of fish balls waiting for him.

Having adapted to the taste of one place, eating other regions’ flavors might feel slightly uncomfortable. Especially when accustomed to spicy food, milder flavors can feel tasteless. However, this roasted fish skin was evidently an exception. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

The fish was roasted on the night it was caught, since Wang Fan had marinated it and hung it to dry overnight, like air-dried bacon. This not only enriched the texture but also allowed the herbs to be thoroughly absorbed, letting every seasoning shine fully on the taste buds.

Old Jack, with his beard-covered mouth wide open, took a massive bite, almost consuming a third of the meat on the plate, with a corner squeezing out of his mouth.

But Old Jack didn’t care, he felt as if he had been starving for a century.

Fortunately, the fish skin was roasted extremely tender, making it easy to chew, or else he might have choked.

None of the ten-plus people present laughed at him; after all, they were all in the same boat.

Fishing by the river might cultivate character but sea fishing is a skill. When passionately fishing, you might not notice it, but once you stop, the hunger strikes like never before.

Eating the carefully prepared and slow-roasted fish by Wang Fan made it understandable if their eating manners were not the most graceful.

Shen Teng handled it more gracefully because he had just finished a piece of roasted fish and was now savoring fish balls.

The fish balls were made from the freshest spotted grouper fish meat with a hint of Fujian five-spice powder, then cooked in a broth made from strong stock. With such a strong combination, the taste was undeniably delicious.

Carefully spooning a white, round fish ball into his mouth, Shen Teng nibbled a dent into it before taking a full bite, as the fish ball was so bouncy that it might bounce out otherwise.

The Q-tender fish balls had great texture. You could feel the soft, bouncy touch fully with your teeth while chewing. After being chewed, the texture turns exceptionally delicate and soft, seamlessly transitioning between two textures.

The taste of the fish balls was equally impressive, with the five-spice being a familiar seasoning, complemented by the richly flavorful deep-sea fish meat, completely releasing the aroma of the ingredients through the broth, making Shen Teng’s taste buds too lazy to resist.

"Gulp..."

After a bite of the fish ball and a sip of the broth, the sweet broth was rich and fragrant, perfectly merging with the residual taste of the fish ball in the mouth. Each bite brought a sense of satisfaction, creating a snug feeling as if lying in one’s bed even in the expanse of the sea.

Shen Teng found everything around him became irrelevant; only the food in his mouth mattered.

Old Jack entered a state of deep self-doubt.

"Not spicy enough" was his catchphrase, something he would say whenever he went out to eat. Yet, the roast fish he just had wasn’t even mildly spicy, and the fish balls weren’t spicy at all.

But this taste left him speechless, unable to utter his usual catchphrase.

The roasted fish and fish balls were just supposed to taste like this!

"Famous, indeed! Is this the caliber of the best outdoor food boss?"

"Eating this roasted fish skin is just too satisfying, slightly crispy fish skin, soft and glutinous collagen, a thin layer of fish meat with a bit of chewiness! The taste is simply amazing!"

"The fish balls are also particularly delicious, especially paired with the broth; the flavor is just too rich. Drinking a sip gives you a warm feeling all over. If we could eat this kind of food every day while sea fishing, I’d rather live out at sea forever."

"If we post this online now, wouldn’t a lot of people envy us?"

"Definitely, they’d be green with envy."

"Hehehehe... So, what are you all waiting for?"

The dozen or so anglers exchanged mischievous glances and took out their phones, snapping pictures of the grill in front of Wang Fan and posting them on various fishing groups and Weibo.

"What does it mean when luck is unstoppable? Just as I caught a large tuna, I ran into Boss Wang. The roasted grouper skin is just too fragrant; brothers, don’t be jealous, hahaha!"

"Boss Wang’s roasted grouper skin, 300 bucks a serving isn’t cheap, but compared to the taste, even 3000 wouldn’t be too much."

"With Boss Wang’s sea restaurant, I feel totally pumped. This time, we’re sure to return fully loaded!"

This act stirred a hornet’s nest. Seeing what Wang Fan had on the grill and the fish balls someone posted, and then looking at the self-heating hotpot and bread they had in hand, those near the sea couldn’t sit still.

"Captain, get our boat closer to Boss Wang’s coordinates."

"Right, we want roasted fish, we want fish balls, and we all agreed to head full speed towards Boss Wang’s location immediately!"

"If there really is a ’one piece’ at sea, if there’s really an ’all blue,’ it must be in the sea area where Boss Wang is. Brothers, full speed ahead."

Most people who love sea fishing aren’t just in it for the money. Many do it for fun and for the thrill.

Chasing down Boss Wang at sea for food—just the thought of it sounds really interesting!

Participate, we must participate.

Captain Wu’s phone almost exploded, with captains from everywhere asking for his specific coordinates. After getting Wang Fan’s approval, Captain Wu quickly sent the coordinates out.

And the people on Captain Wei’s boat, being full and content, gave Captain Wei a firm order—this time, even if it means having no catch, they must stick to the boat where Boss Wang was.

Not catching fish is fine, but missing out on Boss Wang’s food would be fatal!

Before leaving, Lao Pi specifically found Wang Fan. His social media circle was buzzing, filled with requests to invite Wang Fan to come and play in Wudu and perhaps set up a stall.

Seeing all those messages made Wang Fan quite happy, and he agreed with Lao Pi to head to Wudu next.

He did plan to go to Wudu, though originally he intended to go from Jiangxi to Hunan and then to Wudu, but faced with Lao Pi’s warm invitation and his curiosity about Wudu, he ultimately decided to head straight to Wudu once ashore.

After all, with names like the "8D Magic City" and "Yellow Ferrari," he was quite eager to see it.

But what he was most eager to see wasn’t the famous Hongya Cave, but rather an inconspicuous subway line.

He had seen this subway numerous times online. It was full of life and warmth.

Especially the officials’ bold response to complaints: "If you can carry a briefcase, you can carry a basket." This made him develop quite a fondness for the place.

Decision made, next stop—Wudu.