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It was nearly evening now, and the vegetables and meat were no longer as fresh. Lu Ao did not buy much, only carrying a little over ten jin of meat and vegetables before going to the supermarket for hotpot soup base, noodles, and other things.

Turning left from the small supermarket in town led to a row of fishing tackle shops.

There were quite a few fishermen from the surrounding villages, so the fishing tackle shops did brisk business. Even now, quite a few people were browsing inside.

Lu Ao looked over a few more times.

In a couple of days, he would also need to buy some fishing nets, rods, and the like, then officially begin fishing.

Besides that, he needed to buy a spearfishing gun.

He had found the spearfishing gun very useful while snorkeling the past few days. At this stage, it was probably the most suitable fishing tool for him.

The shop owner's wife behind the counter met his gaze, and her eyes immediately lit up. Her voice grew noticeably more enthusiastic as she called him in. "Handsome, feel free to look around. You can leave your things on the counter, and I'll watch them for you."

Lu Ao stepped inside.

The owner's wife took a basket for his things and poured him some water. "You just got back from outside, right? What fishing gear are you looking for? We have everything here. Come, have some water first."

The fishing tackle shop had all sorts of nets—trawl nets, seine nets, fixed nets, fish cages, and more—piled throughout the twenty-square-meter shop.

Lu Ao looked around but had no idea where to start.

The owner's wife moved a fan over to blow on him and warmly asked, "Which one catches your eye? Our nets are especially sturdy and cheap. I can take them down for you to look at."

"I need floating nets for the sea. Do you have those?"

"Yes, yes. How many fingers?"

"What sizes do you have?"

"One-finger, two-finger, three-finger, four-finger, five-finger, six-finger, seven-finger—they're all here." The owner's wife pulled out the nets for him to inspect. Seeing that he was not dressed like a fisherman, she specifically explained, "This is a seven-finger net. It can catch fish from three to fifteen jin. This is a six-finger net, for fish from two to eight jin. This is a five-finger net, for fish from one to three jin."

Lu Ao gave them a quick look and asked, "One five-finger net and one six-finger net. How much are they?"

"They're both the same price, two hundred seventy each."

Lu Ao frowned slightly. "Too expensive. Two hundred each, and I'll buy both."

The owner's wife was just about to agree when the owner, who had just finished attending to another group of customers nearby, hurried over. "Hey, that won't do. We're a small business; we can't cut that much. At most, I can take twenty off each. Five hundred for both. Honey, go ring up their bill first."

The owner's wife had no choice but to go settle the bill for the customers who had finished choosing their items.

Lu Ao did not mind changing salespeople and asked, "Do you have spearfishing guns for diving?"

The owner sensed the prospect of a big sale. His face broke into a smile, and he became just as enthusiastic. "Yes, yes, yes. They're in the storeroom. Come take a look."

As he spoke, the owner led Lu Ao toward the storeroom.

Lu Ao was much taller than him and even had to duck his head to enter.

The owner brought Lu Ao to a shelf and pointed at a long row of rubber-band spearguns. "All the spearguns are here. Thickened stainless-steel spearguns with barbs. Their maximum range is twenty meters, and they're very accurate within five to eight meters."

Lu Ao picked one up and weighed it in his hand. The speargun was rather heavy and looked to be of good quality.

"How much for this one?"

"This is the largest model. The rubber bands are imported, very sturdy and durable. If you want it, I'll give it to you for two hundred eighty. I sell it to everyone else for three hundred twenty."

The owner smiled. "Spearguns are used underwater. Do you need a wetsuit? I can get wet, semi-dry, and dry suits. Around here, a three-millimeter wetsuit is enough right now. If you'll be going into the water in winter too, just get a five-millimeter one."

Lu Ao said, "Let me check the quality."

"I don't have the full stock here, but I have a three-millimeter XL set. Take a look first."

Lu Ao took the diving suit from the owner.

The diving suit was indeed quite good. After inspecting it carefully, Lu Ao asked, "How much would a five-millimeter set like this cost?"

"I won't overcharge you. Six hundred ninety-nine. If you buy it, I'll throw in a snorkel and mask. They're both good quality."

Lu Ao asked, "Do you have fins? Long fins."

"I can get those too. We have fiberglass and pure carbon ones, depending on what you want. I usually carry soft fins here, but I can also order extra-soft, medium-stiff, and stiff fins for you."

"Do you have any in stock?"

"Yes, yes. I have one pair each of fiberglass and pure carbon, size forty-two. Take a look. The fiberglass ones are cheaper, five hundred eighty a pair. The pure carbon ones are a little more expensive, seven hundred fifty a pair. You can look them up online—even Taobao shops don't sell them as cheaply as I do."

At that price, there was no such thing as good fiberglass or pure carbon. They were probably not pure materials at all.

Lu Ao's expression did not change. "Fiberglass, four hundred eighty a pair."

"That really won't work. Five hundred thirty at most, and I'll throw in a pair of diving socks."

"Four hundred eighty, with a pair of diving socks." Lu Ao said, "If you agree, I'll buy the diving suit from you too. Take another hundred off, five hundred ninety-nine for a set."

The owner gritted his teeth. "Fine, you can have it. I'm only doing this because you're buying so much. Keep coming back next time, okay?"

Lu Ao nodded. "If the quality is good, I'll definitely come back."

"Don't worry about that. My shop has been here for ages. We do business with the local folks, and we care a lot about our reputation." The owner went on for a while before saying, "Why don't you leave a deposit? I'll go get the stock for you tomorrow."

Lu Ao's heart stirred, and he asked, "Where do you get your stock?"

"In the county seat. My brother-in-law does this too." The owner said, "Our shop has been open for nearly ten years, so quality is guaranteed. Don't worry."

Lu Ao said, "I'll go with you tomorrow. I need to apply for a fishing license anyway."

The owner immediately asked, "Have you bought a boat yet? A friend of my brother-in-law sells boats too..."

Lu Ao glanced at him.

The owner chuckled. "It's fine if you're not buying one. You can come find me when you want one."

Lu Ao finalized the deal with the owner.

He bought two fishing nets, one speargun, one diving suit, and one pair of long fins from the owner, for a total of 1,709 yuan. After rounding it down, the final price was 1,700 yuan.