"Oh my god, what kind of fish is that? It's huge—and looks so fierce!"
Startled by the thrashing fish, Fu Yuan couldn't help but approach, wanting to grab it for a closer look. But Jiang Hai quickly stopped him.
"Don't touch it—especially not with your fingers. You don't even know what kind of fish this is!"
Fu Yuan paused, a bit confused. It was just a fish, wasn't it? Sure, it was big, but it didn't seem dangerous enough to bite off a finger.
"That's a barracuda—also known as a sea wolf. Look at those fangs," Jiang Hai explained, seeing the puzzled looks from the others. "It's extremely vigorous and aggressive. If it's not completely dead and you put your hand near its mouth, it wouldn't hesitate to take a bite."
He then picked up a stick he'd prepared in advance and struck the fish dead with a single blow. After that, he pried open its mouth and pulled out the mangled remains of a small tuna it had bitten. The bait was ruined, so he casually tossed it back into the sea to feed other fish. To catch more, they'd need fresh bait.
"My god, that thing's brutal! I've got to get a picture with it. Xu Wei, help me out here," Fu Yuan said, his eyes lighting up as he posed with the fish.
One by one, Xu Wei, Huang Yunfei, and Lu Jiao followed suit, taking photos with the nearly meter-long catch. It didn't matter that they hadn't caught it themselves—the excitement was still real.
Following Jiang Hai's instructions, they placed the fish into an ice-filled storage box. As he explained, this method—called "ice fresh"—would preserve the flavor well for later cooking.
With the fish handled, the group resumed fishing, though now their attention shifted to Jiang Hai. They were eager to see what else he might reel in.
They didn't have to wait long. About ten minutes later, Jiang Hai began rapidly pulling in the line. Seeing this, the others quickly gathered around.
Jiang Hai moved fast—faster than one would with a regular rod. Soon, the fish at the other end broke the surface. This time, it wasn't another barracuda, but a sea bass.
It was the same species Fu Yuan had caught earlier, but the difference in size was enormous. If Fu Yuan's catch had been a grandchild, then this was the grandfather. Fu Yuan's sea bass had only been about ten centimeters long, but this one was nearly a meter—comparable in size to the barracuda from before. No wonder it had managed to swallow a small tuna whole.
Unlike the long, slender barracuda, this sea bass resembled a bighead carp, with a large head, wide mouth, and a thick, meaty body. Jiang Hai silently hoisted it onto the deck and swiftly ended its struggle with a stick.
Lifting the fish up, he nodded in satisfaction. It was about one meter long and weighed close to 15 kilograms—about 30 catties. The barracuda earlier was around 20 catties. Combined, the two fish totaled roughly 50 catties. After removing the head, guts, and bones, they'd still get more than 20 catties of meat—plenty for a meal.
Since this was Jiang Hai's private fishing ground, he had no intention of overfishing. These two big catches were more than enough.
Naturally, the sea bass drew its own share of photo ops and excited chatter. Once everyone was done posing, Jiang Hai dumped the rest of the small tuna bait into the sea and began cleaning the fish.
He decapitated them, drained the blood, scraped off the scales, and removed the innards. Then came the butchering.
Unlike river fish with lots of tiny bones, sea fish typically have one large spine and fewer bones overall. Jiang Hai sliced skillfully along the back, carving out neat fillets. There was still meat left on the bones, but Jiang Hai, having adopted a bit of American wastefulness, didn't bother with it.
With four solid fillets ready, he began marinating them. Meanwhile, Huang Yunfei and the others lost interest in fishing for the day. They packed up their rods and headed to the upper deck.
There, they lounged in the living room, watching satellite TV and sipping cold beers while Jiang Hai worked on the fish. The yacht's satellite dish picked up Chinese programming—though only major networks, not local channels.
Sitting on a luxury yacht off the American coast, enjoying the sea breeze, drinking beer, watching familiar TV shows, and anticipating a fresh-grilled meal—what could be better?
Soon, Jiang Hai finished marinating the fish and set up a charcoal grill on the deck. Since they were grilling today, everyone pitched in—lighting the charcoal, setting up tables and chairs, and arranging utensils. Many hands made light work, and before long, everything was ready.
While waiting for the coals to burn down, Jiang Hai took the group to the yacht's cabin to prepare for the next step. When the grill was ready, they brought out the marinated fish and some beef from home and got started.
Even though Jiang Hai hadn't raised these fish himself, they had absorbed the spiritual energy from his waters. Grilled over charcoal, they turned out delicious—while perhaps not on par with prime beef or lobster, they were at least as tasty as standard yellowfin tuna. And far more satisfying, considering they'd caught them themselves.
For Huang Yunfei and his friends, the meal was amazing. They eagerly shared photos on their social media feeds, drawing envious reactions from friends back home.
"Jiang Hai, your life is seriously decadent…" Huang Yunfei said, shaking his head with a smile as he sipped his beer.
Sure, he didn't earn as much as Jiang Hai, but he wasn't exactly short on money either. Still, his own life—stuck in a cycle of routine work—couldn't hold a candle to Jiang Hai's. There was no comparison.
A massive villa, beautiful women, wild animals in the mountains, birds in the sky, cattle and sheep on land, fresh seafood in the ocean… whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. When life got dull, he could sail out on his yacht, ride horses, or shoot targets at home. It was a dream life.
Just a year ago, none of them would have guessed Jiang Hai's life would turn out like this. Back then, their most optimistic hope for him was maybe getting together with Qi Li and joining her company. Who could have predicted he'd end up living like a fairy-tale character?
Jiang Hai just laughed at the comment. Honestly, he'd never imagined living like this either. But sometimes, life changes in an instant—unexpected, unpredictable.
The group enjoyed their grilled lunch thoroughly. Any leftovers were rinsed and tossed into the sea—not to feed ornamental fish, but because in the wild, cooked or raw, it would all be eaten eventually.
By around 2 p.m., they returned to the dock. After switching to a smaller boat, they headed toward the coral reef.
Jiang Hai had arranged a snorkeling trip for the afternoon. Deep-sea diving wasn't an option—they didn't have training, and Jiang Hai couldn't guide them through it. But snorkeling was simple enough.
Since the sea had been infused with spiritual energy, plankton flourished—and in turn, the coral polyps that fed on them grew rapidly. Since March, Jiang Hai's coral reefs had nearly doubled in size.
Now, not only were there deep-water coral beds at depths of around ten meters, but also large clusters in shallow waters just two to five meters deep. The only downside was the color—mostly dull gray, lacking visual appeal.
Jiang Hai planned to introduce some vibrant coral species next summer to brighten up his underwater world.
Large yachts couldn't navigate the shallow reef waters, but their small boat could glide through effortlessly. After arriving, they changed into swimsuits and geared up with goggles and snorkels.
Jiang Hai gave them firm instructions before entering the water:
Do not touch—sea scorpions, sea snakes, jellyfish, anemones, sea slugs, colorful fish, or any large crevices in the reef. These could house moray eels or sharks. Stay safe!
After repeating the precautions and confirming everyone understood, they dove in. The grayish coral world wasn't new to Jiang Hai, but to the others, it was a marvel. They remembered the rules and kept their distance from dangerous creatures—mostly chasing small fish just for fun.
They played in the water for nearly two hours before climbing back aboard, exhausted but satisfied. They returned to the dock for dinner, grateful for the recent improvements in their health and energy. Just a few days ago, they probably wouldn't have lasted more than an hour.
(To be continued...)