Chapter 291: Selling Fish

Chapter 291: Chapter 291: Selling Fish

In the Disaster Years, nothing was more exciting than harvesting food.

Everyone who got the notice couldn’t wait for the rain to stop. They grabbed their tools and set out for the Third Territory, passing through the Northern Isolation Zone to reach the reservoir.

When the crowd arrived at the reservoir and saw the countless fish floating on the surface, they were all stunned.

This wasn’t a divine punishment from a lightning strike; this was the heavens smiling down, showering Xiaqing with points!

Xiaqing, who was building a raft with Ji Li using bamboo poles, saw more than twenty people arrive from Territories 5, 6, and 10 and quickly greeted them.

Shi Zhong, who had fishing experience, took over for Xiaqing and started making rafts with his son. Qi Fu led a group to cast nets and haul in fish by the reservoir’s edge, while Xiaqing, Yuan Yan, and Zhu Li led another group to test for Harmful Element levels and sort the catch.

Ten minutes later, Tang Huai, Chang Li, and Hu Zifeng’s team arrived. Fifteen minutes after that, people from Territory Land No. 7 also showed up with their tools. The reservoir was filled with constant gasps of amazement and bursts of laughter.

Fish, crabs, shrimp, loaches, frogs, leeches, and other unidentifiable evolved aquatic creatures were hauled up, net after net.

There were too many aquatic creatures smaller than a finger to test one by one. They were sealed directly and classified as Red Light.

Anything larger than a finger was tested, sorted into three categories based on its Harmful Element content, quickly sealed, and the edible ones were placed directly into a large freezer.

Where did the freezer come from? Of course, the extravagant Brother San had Da Ya and the others haul it over. When it came to eating delicious food, Zhang San spared no expense!

Tang Huai didn’t compete with Zhang San for the edible fish. Instead, he sidled up to Xiaqing and asked in a low voice, "What do you plan to do with all these Red Light fish?"

The moment Xiaqing saw the fish, she had a plan. "Can you ask Chairman Tang if he’s buying?"

"Sure, I’ll ask." Tang Huai made a show of running to the side to call his dad, then trotted back to Xiaqing. "My dad says they’ll take as many as you’re selling. These fish and shrimp are dead, but they’re very fresh. Regardless of the species, how does 26 points per half-kilo sound?"

"Deal."

Xiaqing had made Tang Zhengpo her first choice for this deal because No. 1 Territory still had a large batch of captured migratory birds to process.

Fish and shrimp spoil quickly after death, requiring immediate processing and freezing, which incurred costs for labor and electricity. For this reason, Xiaqing had originally planned to sell them to Tang Zhengpo for two points below the Safe Zone’s public trading price per half-kilo. Since he was offering a point more than that, Xiaqing of course agreed.

One extra point per half-kilo meant she could earn several thousand more points from this one reservoir of fish!

"Great, I’ll have people come over to move the fish right away." Tang Huai cheerfully sent another message to his dad. Seeing Shi Zhong haul up another net of fish, his eyes lit up and he rushed over to help with the testing.

"Here’s a Green Light one!" After testing nearly a hundred fish, Shi Du finally found an edible one. He howled with excitement and handed the fish to Ji Li.

Ji Li deftly sealed it and stuck it in the freezer.

Workers paddled the fish-laden bamboo rafts to the shore. Shi Du and Guan Tong lifted the rafts directly, dumping the fish onto a rainproof cloth spread out on the bank for the others to test.

Hu Zifeng and Jing Kuan stood on opposite sides of the reservoir with guns, continuously shooting down birds that were attracted by the smell and tried to snatch the fish. The division of labor was logical, and everything was orderly.

Qi Fu held up an eel over half a meter long and reported the good news, "Brother Ji, a Green Light eel!"

Holy cow! Another Green Light! The crowd cheered and quickened their pace.

Zhu Li tested a Yellow Light evolved crab and held it up, shouting excitedly, "This must be an evolved mitten crab, right? I’ve been in the territory for half a year and I never knew we had mitten crabs in our river!"

"Let me see!" Chang Li, who loved crabs, ran over and took a look under the light. "It really is!"

Nearby, Kuang Qingwei held up a dark, patterned fish for Tang Huai to see. "Brother Huai, look, isn’t this a goby? It’s Green Light."

Tang Huai took it and glanced at it a few times. "It’s a goby alright. This is good stuff. A live one can sell for 280 points a half-kilo. We have them in our shop. Xiaqing’s really hit the jackpot this time."

Hearing everyone’s frequent shouts of good news, Xiaqing called out loudly, "All edible fish, shrimp, and crabs harvested today are twenty percent off! Take as much as you want, everyone!"

Chang Li immediately chimed in, "I won’t fight Brother San for the Green Light ones, but I’ll take all the Yellow Light mitten crabs! Thanks!"

Zhu Li followed up, "I want four half-kilos of eel! I’ve been groping around the territory for half a year and haven’t found a single edible one."

Xiaqing heard her phone buzz twice in her pocket and then stop. She took it out and saw it was indeed Xin Yu. She immediately picked up the two large, sealed bags of Red Light fish she had prepared, hurried to the Northern Isolation Zone, and handed them to Xin Yu. "They’re all Red Light, seventy-five kilos in total. I didn’t have time to go home and get the Chestnuts and pine nuts, I’ll bring them to you tomorrow."

"Thanks." Xin Yu took the bags and gave Xiaqing six heads of Green Light Garlic. "Are there more fish? If so, I’ll take another seventy-five kilos. I’ll trade you for more Green Light Garlic."

Of course, Xiaqing agreed. "Can you carry it all back in one trip? I can go get it now."

Xin Yu shook her head. She wasn’t a Strength Evolver; carrying seventy-five kilos at once was already a lot for her.

"Do you want any edible fish and shrimp? I’m selling them at a twenty percent discount off the Safe Zone price," Xiaqing asked.

"I don’t eat aquatic food," Xin Yu refused, hoisting the two large bags of fish onto her back and leaving.

Xiaqing called out, "Just bring four heads of garlic next time! I’ll give you the twenty percent discount on the Red Light ones too."

"No need." Xin Yu’s two words drifted back as she walked away.

’Another one who’s not short on cash.’ Just as Xiaqing was about to return to the territory, she heard footsteps from the east. She immediately hid behind a tree to observe and recognized the person’s identity. "Sister Yan?"

Yan Long, dressed in a diving suit, responded, "I’m here to relieve Ji Li."

"Oh, right!" Xiaqing led her into the territory and over to the reservoir. Ji Li clearly knew Yan Long was coming; he gave her a nod and then looked at Xiaqing.

Before Ji Li could ask, Xiaqing answered directly, "As long as it’s something Brother San likes to eat, Brother Ji, you can take it all back."

"Thanks." Ji Li weighed all the tested Green Light fish, shrimp, and crabs, and then hauled them back to Territory Land No. 7.

Zhu Li whispered to Yuan Yan beside her, gossiping, "This newcomer, she’s that Level 9 Olfactory Evolver from Territory Land No. 7, right? Do you remember her? We saw her last time when she went with Brother San to No. 9 Territory to search for contraband."

The last time they met, Zhu Li had learned she was a High Level Evolver and was incredibly envious, though she didn’t know her name.

Yuan Yan nodded slightly. She had recognized her too. She used to envy Yan Long as well, but she felt much better about it now. That was because she herself was now an Evolver—and a Dual System one at that, which was extremely useful for farming.

Yan Long consulted Xiaqing in a low voice, "Should I go take a look at the bottom?"

Seeing Yan Long arrive in a diving suit, Xiaqing already knew she planned to go into the water to look for goods. After nodding, she added a quiet reminder, "The reservoir is over ten meters deep in some places. Please be careful, Sister Yan."

Yan Long nodded and jumped straight into the water, shocking everyone who saw it.

Although the reservoir had just been cleared out by lightning, this was the evolved Blue Star. Who could guarantee there weren’t evolved species in the water that were resistant to electricity? Going in was too dangerous.