The fish kept biting, leaving the young men in high spirits. The four of them watched with keen interest too, cheering excitedly whenever someone landed a good fish or a big one.
Before long, they had actually become quite friendly.
"Dong, does this Red Seabream of mine need bleeding?"
"Yes. I've bled all the fish you caught."
At first, he had only seen Yellow Drum, and it hardly mattered whether those were bled. Besides, he had thought they would head back after fishing for a short while, so leaving them unbled would have been fine. He hadn't mentioned it.
Now, judging by their enthusiasm, they probably wouldn't be heading back anytime soon. Since they had already started bleeding the fish, they might as well bleed them all. They would stay a little fresher by the time they reached shore.
"Sorry for the trouble, then..."
"Holy shit, holy shit... a grouper! A grouper! I finally caught something decent!"
The young man hadn't really been one to swear, but after listening to the people beside him saying "holy shit" all evening, he had picked it up too...
His companion laughed and teased him. "You lucked out too! You actually caught a grouper!"
"What kind of grouper is this?"
"How would I know? I've only eaten them cooked and seen them served at the table." He excitedly reeled it in, unhooked the fish, and turned to Ye Yaodong. "What kind of grouper is this?"
"A Honeycomb Grouper, I think? Light brown, with dark brown honeycomb-like spots all over its body. They like coming out to feed at night. Pretty common." Ye Yaodong turned the fish over and examined it carefully before answering.
He had spent the whole evening identifying fish for them. Whenever they caught one they didn't recognize, they asked him. They