RBCT Chapter 110: A Few More Customers
Chapter 110: A Few More Customers
Chapter 112: A Few More Customers
Returning to the vegetable market to set up a stall after so long made Zhou Miao feel a little dazed.
Thinking back to the first time I came here to sell black sea bream, I feel like time has flown by and things have changed a lot.
Back then, he was worried about funding for the renovation of the fish rafts and taking out loans, but now he has the money to invest in Yu Muzhou's fishing club.
These changes took place in just one month.
Zhou Miao placed the fish box on the ground and the electronic scale next to it, then called out, "Wild mandarin fish, freshly caught this morning, only 80 yuan per catty, limited quantity, first come first served."
Luo Hao said the price could be 100 yuan per catty, but he still took the initiative to lower the price to avoid the embarrassment of not being able to sell any at all.
In the eastern Zhejiang region, if it were my cousin's hometown, the price would really have to be reduced to forty yuan per kilogram.
As Zhou Miao called out, some people who had come to the market to buy vegetables in the afternoon gathered around and peered into the fish tank.
"Did you really catch all these mandarin fish yourself?"
"What kind of mandarin fish is this?"
Zhou Miao put on his gloves, then picked up a mandarin fish, pried open its mouth, and said, "Look, there are still wounds on its mouth. It was caught this morning."
"Moreover, wild mandarin fish have a slender body, while many farmed fish are fat and short, which is easy to tell at a glance."
"As for the variety, this is a mandarin fish with upturned mouth, also called a white mandarin fish."
There are almost no mandarin fish sold in this market, so Zhou Miao figured there was no need to wholesale since there were so few fish available, so he specifically went online to look up information.
Besides, I'm just killing time anyway, so I come here to sell fish when I have nothing else to do.
"Is this mandarin fish delicious?" one of the customers asked, seemingly interested.
"You've definitely heard of Squirrel Mandarin Fish, right? That's the kind of mandarin fish we use. The taste is definitely not bad. The meat of this kind, which weighs a little over a pound, is the most tender and tastes better than some lower-grade grouper."
Zhou Miao wasn't lying; mandarin fish have very high requirements for water quality, so they rarely have a muddy taste.
As long as it's not too big, the meat quality will be pretty good.
If it's too big, like a grouper, the meat becomes very tough, and you need a certain level of culinary skill to cook it well.
Hearing him say that, the one who was already interested immediately picked one: "This one!"
Zhou Miao grabbed it and put it in a bag, then weighed it: "One pound and six ounces, that's one hundred and twenty-eight yuan, you can give me one hundred and twenty."
"How should this mandarin fish be cooked? Steamed?" the customer asked after paying.
"Steaming is the simplest method. Just be careful not to steam it for too long, and the meat will be very tender. Of course, if you are a good cook, you can make a squirrel-shaped mandarin fish."
After Zhou Miao finished speaking, the customer smiled and waved his hand, saying, "I don't have the skill, so just take it home and steam it!"
Business did not improve after the customer left.
At 81 yuan per jin, it was too discouraging. Most people just came over to take a look, asked the price, and left immediately. Even the black carp at 30 yuan per jin went unnoticed.
Compared to farmed black carp in the market, the price is indeed more expensive.
Moreover, the fish is too big. A two- or three-pound fish is enough for most families, and there is no need for a five-pound fish.
Zhou Miao didn't mind that he couldn't sell the fish. Fishing for mandarin fish in the morning was a way to relax, and selling fish in the afternoon was another way for him to relax, as long as he didn't encounter those few exceptional fish like the ones he sold when selling ribbonfish.
"Hey bro, you're finally back selling fish at your stall! Your red sea bream and rockfish were really good before, why haven't you been selling them lately?"
As it approached 5 p.m. and the crowd grew, a man in his early thirties saw him, his eyes lit up, and he immediately came over to greet him in a friendly manner.
Zhou Miao turned his head in confusion, having no recollection of this person.
He smiled politely and said, "I only come here to sell fish when I have nothing else to do. I don't come here often otherwise."
"Oh, I see! Brother, you didn't catch all of these, did you?" Qin Han said, looking into the fish box. He was surprised to see a large black carp and more than a dozen mandarin fish inside.
"I just caught some this morning, not many, so I came here to set up a stall."
"I haven't had wild mandarin fish in ages, give me one." Qin Han immediately ordered one.
Although he didn't remember him, Zhou Miao knew he was a regular customer, so she specially chose the fattest one for him.
"One jin and seven qian, that's one hundred and thirty-six. You can give me one hundred and thirty!"
"Okay!" Qin Han paid readily, then opened his WeChat QR code. "Brother, add me on WeChat."
"I really dislike eating farmed products, so if you have any fish in the future, please let me know. Some of my friends feel the same way. I'll create a group chat, and you can send a picture to the group whenever you have any."
"Sure! I run a fish raft business. I can keep them if you want them. You can pick them up at the fish raft dock later."
Zhou Miao readily agreed.
I never expected that setting up a stall on a whim today would bring me a few more regular customers.
Once we've accumulated enough customers like this, we won't need to wholesale to Pang Hao at low prices anymore.
"So you run a fish raft, no wonder!" Qin Han suddenly realized, and then stood there and pulled several of his gourmet friends and Zhou Miao into a group chat.
He even took a picture of the mandarin fish in the fish tank and tagged everyone.
"Brothers, I found some wild mandarin fish today. They're all around 1.5 pounds each, and the meat is the tenderest and most delicious. The owner is only setting up his stall for a short time this afternoon, and they'll be gone tomorrow, so don't miss out."
Zhou Miao chuckled after reading it. This person was really nice; he helped promote the product as soon as he joined the group, and several people in the group immediately replied.
"Holy crap, Brother Qin, bring me one. Wild mandarin fish are not commonly seen in the market."
"I want one too."
"I'll be right there, it's at the market, right? Never mind, Brother Qin, could you please show me around?"
In an instant, seven mandarin fish from Zhou Miao's stall were reserved.
Just then, Yu Muzhou called again, saying that Farewell My Concubine had been sent out and that he should arrange for someone to wait at the dock.
Zhou Miao weighed the fish, collected the money, and then handed it over to Qin Han.
We decided not to sell the rest and headed home.
Qin Han had just heard that he had other things to do, so he was especially glad that he had arrived early today.
Otherwise, I don't know when I'll run into him again.
On his way back, Zhou Miao bought two foam boxes and a thick, transparent plastic bag.
I packed the remaining five mandarin fish into the container, paid for oxygen at the diving center I passed by, and then shipped the packaged fish directly home.
Only the black carp remained. There are many people here, and a five-pound black carp can be eaten in one meal.
Back at the dock, after waiting for about ten minutes, Zhou Miao saw a car parked next to him.
The person who got off the car was a young man, who looked a few years younger than him, like a college graduate who had just entered the workforce.
Seeing that he was the only one at the dock, the young man went up to ask him something.
"Are you Mr. Zhou?"
"Yes, you're the one who delivered the farewell gift to the King of Chu and his concubine, right?"
"Yes, yes, the stuff is in the trunk."
The young man quickly opened the trunk, revealing a transparent plastic box inside.
Inside the plastic box was a relatively large pot, completely wrapped in plastic wrap.
The pot was also surrounded by pearl cotton foam strips to prevent it from bumping around inside the box.
The young man simply pulled out the box, turned around, and asked him, "Excuse me, where do I put this 'Farewell My Concubine'?"
"Just leave it to me." Zhou Miao stepped forward and took the box, which felt quite heavy. "You've already paid, right?"
Given Yu Muzhou's personality, he would definitely have paid, but since there might be some delivery fee or something, he asked.
"I've paid, I've paid." The young man nodded repeatedly.
Zhou Miao nodded to him, then carried the box back to the small boat and sailed to Tingtao Fishing Raft.
"Ah Hao, come here and get the Farewell My Concubine."
He didn't go up to the fish raft because he had to pick up Lu Xingyu later.
"Coming, coming!" At this time, Luo Hao had already started preparing dinner. Upon hearing his shout, he immediately turned off the stove and ran out of the kitchen.
Seeing this, Luo Qianqian and the other girls curiously came over. Looking at the huge pot inside the plastic box, they exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this too much? Can the few of us finish it all tonight?"
"Look at the three of you, all so skinny. If you eat more tonight, you can finish it all," Zhou Miao teased, glancing at the three girls' wasp waists and beautiful legs.
"I call this being thin when I should be thin and plump when I should be plump!" Luo Qianqian stepped forward, head held high and chest out, showing off the children's cafeteria.
Upon seeing this, Lu Xiaoxiao immediately stepped forward to demonstrate as well: "I'm no worse than you."
Their antics actually embarrassed Pei Yunxi.
She glanced to the left and then to the right, muttered "numerical monster" under her breath, and took a step back without making a sound.
"I'm a tourist, and it's not appropriate for me to disturb your meal."
A hint of joy flashed in Luo Qianqian's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure and said politely, "Don't mention it. You're A-Miao's junior, so we're all friends. Why don't you stay for dinner tonight?"
"Isn't this a bit inappropriate?" Pei Yunxi hesitated, but her eyes secretly glanced at Zhou Miao.
Zhou Miao naturally saw through her little scheme, but he didn't care. He smiled and said, "Stay for dinner. Since you're here, we're all friends."
"Alright then..." Pei Yunxi gave him a reserved smile and agreed.
This made Luo Qianqian, who was standing next to her, freeze for a moment, and also made Lu Xiaoxiao pout.
Girls are sensitive, and although Zhou Miao didn't show anything, they still instinctively felt a greater sense of crisis.
Three women make a drama, and Luo Hao had already sensed something was wrong, so he quickly carried the box back to his little kitchen.
After persuading Pei Yunxi to stay, Zhou Miao immediately set sail and left.
Facing the three of them alone, who knows what kind of rivalry might unfold.
They should slip away first, and once Yu Muzhou and Lu Xingyu arrive, they will naturally behave themselves.
When Zhou Miao arrived at his fishing raft, he saw Lu Xingyu squatting in the middle of the raft, throwing small fish into the water.
The boat docked, and he quickly walked over: "What are you doing?"
"I'm feeding my godfather!" Lu Xingyu said, still throwing fish into the turtle's mouth one by one.
After learning from Zhou Miao that Yu Muzhou had told them to feed the sea turtle as much as possible and leave it behind, he has been fishing every time he comes over these past two days.
Fish are fed whenever sea turtles appear; otherwise, they are distributed among the workers.
This was the second time Lu Xingyu had fed his godfather, and both times it happened around 4 or 5 pm.
If this becomes a habit, the sea turtles might appear at this time every day.