For the next while, Qin Lin kept the Game Character fishing by the river. Every so often, a notification popped up:
[You caught a Wild Black Carp (Quality 1)] [You caught a Wild Grass Carp (Quality 1)] ... [You caught a Wild Crucian Carp (Quality 1)]
At first, whenever Qin Lin controlled the Game Character, a fish would be caught almost immediately.
At that rate, he could probably catch hundreds in a single afternoon.
But while it was a nice idea, reality was a little harsh. As time passed, it took longer and longer to catch each fish.
After he'd caught more than thirty, a notification appeared in the game:
[It seems there are no fish left in the river. Please wait for them to return!]
"???" Qin Lin grumbled.
It was just a game. Why make it so realistic? Why not let players fish endlessly?
This was seriously ruining the gameplay experience.
Seeing that he couldn't catch any more fish, Qin Lin had the Game Character put away the fishing rod and bait. Then he went into the little restroom at the shop again and, with a thought, entered the game.
In the storage room, a school of fish was already swimming in one of the tanks. Just like before, an information sign beside it listed how many there were.
He'd caught thirty-five fish in total: fifteen Wild Crucian Carp, ten Wild Grass Carp, and ten Wild Black Carp.
Wild Grass Carp and Wild Black Carp could also sell for twenty yuan per half-kilogram, since both kinds of fish were quite nutritious.
Moreover, all ten Wild Grass Carp and all ten Wild Black Carp weighed over five kilograms each.
Wild Grass Carp and Wild Black Carp naturally grew quite large, and wild ones weighing several kilograms were common at the market.
However, wild Grass Carp or Black Carp weighing over ten or fifteen kilograms were rare in modern times.
But when Qin Lin checked the details of the fish, four of them surprised him.
[Wild Crucian Carp: Quality 2 (6 kg)] [Wild Crucian Carp: Quality 2 (5.5 kg)] ... [Wild Black Carp: Quality 2 (12.5 kg)] [Note: This is a purely wild Black Carp, a big catch, and a product of the game with no pollution. Boosts energy and replenishes deficiencies +2, strengthens the spleen and nourishes the stomach +2, nourishes the liver and improves eyesight +2, dispels dampness and harmonizes the middle burner +2, combats malaria +2, deliciousness +2, texture +2] [Wild Grass Carp: Quality 2 (15.5 kg)] [Note: This is a purely wild Grass Carp, a big catch, and a product of the game with no pollution. Physical weakness and a weak stomach -2, hyperactive liver yang -2, high blood pressure -2, headaches and tinnitus -2, deliciousness +2, texture +2!]
Looking at the four big catches, Qin Lin couldn't help feeling astonished.
These three kinds of wild fish seemed to qualify as big catches once they reached a certain size: over five kilograms for Crucian Carp, over ten kilograms for Black Carp, and over fifteen kilograms for Grass Carp.
Fish this size could be called kings of the catch at an angling competition. More importantly, the Quality 2 attributes from the game made the wild fish he'd caught far superior to even those prize catches.
If he sold these four fish, wealthy people with sick or frail family members would be willing to pay an exorbitant price for them.
They were the sort of fish people couldn't buy even if they had money. After all, even ordinary wild fish of this size were hard to come by.
Qin Lin checked the other thirty-one fish. They were all Quality 1.
Wild fish differed from regular fish, and the distinction was easy to see. Wild fish were slender, while farmed fish were short, plump, and round. Their coloring was different too: wild fish were paler, while farmed fish were darker. Even their droppings differed—wild fish droppings had a faint fishy smell, while farmed fish droppings smelled much stronger.
However, there weren't many wild fish, so Qin Lin wasn't in a hurry to do anything with them. He especially wanted to keep those four big catches to nourish his mother.
By evening,
the strawberries and okra had ripened. Qin Lin went to the warehouse and moved them out of the game, then sent them to RT-Mart again. The strawberries brought in another 18,505 yuan that day, while the okra earned 19,870 yuan, bringing his bank balance to 356,787 yuan.
After the delivery, Qin Lin returned to the shop to pick up Wangcai. He entered the game and netted the twelve-jin Wild Crucian Carp, threaded a rope through its gills, and carried it out.
He'd chosen this one to take home and nourish his mother.
When he got home, Qin Lin asked Lin Fen, "Mom, look what this is. It's to help build you up."
"A Crucian Carp this big—and it's wild?" Lin Fen took the twelve-jin fish, astonished. She knew her fish, and she also knew that a wild Crucian Carp this large would be expensive. They only gained half a kilogram every few years, and even people with money could hardly get their hands on one.
Some people who were lucky enough to catch one wouldn't even keep it for themselves. They'd rather sell it for a tidy sum.
One this big would probably cost more than two thousand yuan.
Of course, she had no idea that the fish also had attribute bonuses.
Thinking of this, she scolded him, "Xiao Lin, why are you so extravagant? I don't need to eat something this expensive."
"Mom, don't worry. I've been making good money from wholesale lately. We can afford to eat something like this. I'll clean it—I want to try a wild Crucian Carp this big too." As he spoke, Qin Lin carried the fish into the kitchen.
Hearing his mother scold him actually made him feel warm inside.
When he was a student, he'd found his parents' nagging annoying. Now that his father had passed away, all he could do was miss those days. He still had his mother to nag him, and he needed to cherish it.
"You!" Seeing this, Lin Fen could only follow him into the kitchen.
Cleaning fish wasn't difficult for Qin Lin, and he soon had it ready.
But the mother and son couldn't finish a twelve-jin fish, so they cooked half and put the other half in the fridge.
They still had tofu at home, and Lin Fen's specialty was Crucian Carp tofu soup. Even soup made with an ordinary wild Crucian Carp had a delicious, milky-white broth. With this game-produced fish's +2 texture and +2 deliciousness, it would taste even better.
And Qin Lin wasn't disappointed. After the Crucian Carp tofu soup was ready, he took a sip, and his eyes lit up.
The taste and texture were incredible. Even dishes made by chefs at five-star or international hotels with all kinds of seasonings couldn't compare.
"Mm! This fish tastes so good today." Lin Fen was surprised after trying it. She'd eaten plenty of Crucian Carp, but never one that tasted this good. Had her cooking improved?
What's more, after finishing a bowl, she soon felt faint currents of warmth running through her blood vessels and meridians. Her whole body felt more comfortable.
She didn't know whether it was her imagination, but she really did feel more at ease and relaxed.
Qin Lin also felt faint currents of warmth after eating a bowl of fish. The sensation was very real. If he hadn't known the Crucian Carp had the +2 blood circulation and meridian activation attribute, he would have thought he'd become a martial arts master, with inner energy flowing through him.
But for the effects to appear so quickly was astonishing, just like with the Quality 2 okra.
Qin Lin enjoyed his bowl of Crucian Carp soup so much that he immediately served himself another.
Lin Fen gave Wangcai a piece of fish. After finishing it, the dog kept licking the fish bones.
"By the way, Xiao Lin, there's something I need to tell you." Lin Fen suddenly turned to Qin Lin. "You know Qin Ren is getting engaged. When your father was sick, we borrowed fifty thousand yuan from his family. Now he's borrowing from other people for the betrothal gifts too."
"They know our situation and haven't come to ask us for the money. We may not have enough to repay them right now, but we can't pretend we don't know about it."
"Go to his place tonight and ask if there's anything you can help with. You can at least run errands for him."
Qin Lin nodded. "Okay. I'll go see him in a bit."
Qin Ren was his childhood friend. They'd lived in the same old house in the countryside, and after studying photography at university, Qin Ren had partnered with a friend to open an advertising and event-planning studio in Youcheng. They took all kinds of jobs, from advertising to wedding planning.
When Qin Lin's father fell ill, Qin Ren's family had lent them fifty thousand yuan without hesitation. That had meant the world to his family.
Now Qin Ren was getting engaged, so Qin Lin would go over that evening and pay back the fifty thousand yuan.
There were other people he'd borrowed money from too. Now that he could afford to, he needed to repay them as soon as possible.
A debt of gratitude had to be repaid with gratitude, not resentment.
So he also needed to find a time to pay back the rest of his creditors.
Before you continue