Page 28

Several of them held fishing rods, jerking them up and down, making the wooden shrimp lures bounce to attract squid.

Tan Junhao stood nearby with a large landing net, waiting eagerly.

"They're here," Lu Ao reminded them.

Everyone perked up, their eyes fixed eagerly on the rod in Lu Ao's hands.

Lu Ao gently lifted the rod, and sure enough, a squid two fingers wide dangled beneath it.

Lin Manzhang hurriedly said, "Careful! Don't let it spray ink!"

Lu Ao knew that already and had prepared for it. As he lifted the rod, he deliberately paused before bringing it out of the water.

Sure enough, the squid took the bait and sprayed all its ink beneath the surface. By the time it was lifted out, it looked like a deflated balloon.

A patch of sea beside their boat was instantly dyed black.

Lu Ao reached out to remove the squid.

Seeing how casually he moved, Lin Gongshang quickly warned, "Be careful. Don't let it bite you."

When removing a squid, you could not put your hand directly beneath it. Its mouth was there, and a careless move could get you bitten.

Lu Ao gave a quiet acknowledgment, deftly removed the squid, and tossed it into the livewell.

The translucent little creature rapidly wiggled its tiny legs, darted away with a whoosh, and hid in a corner of the fish hold.

Lu Ao ignored it and continued casting his line.

The others began catching squid one after another as well.

Lin Gongshang removed a squid from his hook and tossed it into the fish hold. Wiping his hands on his clothes, he excitedly started fiddling with the induction cooker beside him. "Come on, come on, we're really firing it up this time. It's been ages since I had freshly caught squid."

Lin Qiyan aimed the camera at him.

He swiftly opened a large bottle of mineral water and poured it all into the pot, then set the big pot on the stove and turned on the heat.

To get rid of the fishiness and chill, he deliberately added several slices of ginger.

There were plenty of squid this season. Once they had found the right fishing spot, the squid were as numerous as shrimp.

Drawn by their fishing lights, more and more squid gathered around.

Their rods kept bringing up catches one after another, and satisfied smiles appeared on everyone's faces.

Tan Junhao stood to the side with the large landing net, scooping now and then.

Before long, there were already more than thirty squid in the fish hold, and the water in the pot had begun to boil.

Lin Gongshang hurriedly scooped up the squid from the livewell with the landing net and tossed them all into the pot.

The squid, freshly hauled from the sea, were incredibly lively and cooked after only a brief boil.

The squid they had caught were only a few fingers wide, just right for eating one at a time after cooking.

Lin Gongshang took a look, then quickly opened a plastic bag and pulled out the disposable bowls and chopsticks they had brought. He also took out soy sauce and garlic chili sauce, calling, "Come eat the squid! They'll get tough if you wait!"

Everyone set down their rods and gathered in a circle with grins.

Lu Ao took a bowl and chopsticks, poured himself some soy sauce and garlic chili sauce, and scooped squid from the pot.

The freshly cooked squid were faintly pink and still steaming.

He dipped a squid into the sauce, rolled it around, and put it into his mouth.

The savory saltiness of the soy sauce and the fragrant heat of the garlic chili sauce perfectly masked the squid's fishiness. Once he bit down, all that remained was fresh, crisp sweetness.

That incomparable crisp tenderness burst across his tongue. Even Lu Ao could not help narrowing his eyes in satisfaction.

"Fuck, this is so good!" Lin Gongshang slurped while blowing on the hot squid. "I've been craving this for over half a year. I finally get to fish for squid again."

"Eat more."

"Hehehe, obviously. Hey, Zhang Ge, where's the beer? Crack open the beer!"

Lin Guixiao pulled out some beer from the plastic bag and handed it over. "Careful, that's a gout combo."

"I'll eat it even if I get gout. Hah—hot and amazing. This flavor is unreal!"

Lin Manzhang said, "Squid only tastes good right after it's hauled up. Leave it in a market, and it won't taste like this anymore."

"Exactly. Let's catch more and eat more tonight. It's too good!"

Lu Ao rapidly cleared squid at the side without saying a word.

In just two or three minutes, he had eaten half the squid in the pot.

He stood, wiped his mouth with a tissue, and said, "I'm going to scoop up more."

Lin Gongshang hurriedly called, "There's still some left. Eat a little more."

"I'll eat later."

Tall and long-legged, Lu Ao reached the side of the boat in a single stride with the landing net in hand.

Lin Qiyan no longer had time to eat squid. Still huffing and blowing on the heat, he quickly raised the camera and aimed it at Lu Ao again.

Lu Ao had exceptionally sharp eyes and excellent aim. He dipped the landing net beneath the sea surface and lifted it, and five squid instantly appeared in the net.

Lowering his head, he sorted through them with long, jade-white fingers, efficiently tossing the squid into the livewell one by one.

After picking out the squid, he stared at the sea, chose another spot, and cast the net again. This time, he caught another three or four squid.

After two or three rounds like that, Lin Gongshang and the others were stunned. Holding their bowls, they shuffled over in quick little steps. "Your aim is pretty damn good!"

"That's way faster than fishing!"

"Hey, hey, hey, Lu Ao, over there! There's another group there."

Lu Ao said nothing. He merely raised his eyes and cast the net where they pointed.

The squid could not flee in time and crashed straight into the net. This haul brought in another six squid.

Lin Gongshang got fired up. He stuffed the last squid in his bowl into his mouth, crunching away as he said indistinctly, "My turn."

Lu Ao had just caught thirty or forty squid in one go and did not compete with him. He handed over the landing net and turned to cook more squid.

Squid cooked quickly. While Lin Gongshang and the others shouted and yelled as they scooped squid by the boat, Lu Ao sat on the other side, happily stuffing himself with squid.

Most of the squid were not very big, just right for eating in one bite. They had an indescribably refreshing crunch when bitten into.

Lu Ao's cheeks were puffed out as he narrowed his eyes in contentment, eating one after another and taking a sip of beer now and then.

Tired from scooping squid, Lin Gongshang and the others came over and dropped down with a thump, panting. "Same sea, same landing net, same squid—how come we only get two or three per scoop, while you get four or five, Lu Ao?"

"Young."

"Hey, what does that have to do with age?" Lin Gongshang straightened his back indignantly, his gaze circling Lu Ao's waist. "Which one of us isn't young?!"