Reborn in the Great Northern Wilderness in 1982, I farmed and hunted to support my whole family.

Li Mu glanced back at the fish basket covered with a white cloth, and Li Ganzi instinctively replied, "Yes..."

Li Mu's tone shifted abruptly after his foot was stomped on. "These are all that's left. Everyone, take a look and see if there's anything you want. Let's pack up and head back."

Upon hearing this, everyone crowded around, eager to buy the remaining fish.

Li Mu and the others maintained order while quickly weighing and collecting money.

In no time, the remaining fish were snapped up.

Looking at the large wad of banknotes in his hand, Li Mu licked his lips, feeling incredibly happy, as if he had eaten honey. He counted the money and realized that he had earned quite a bit from this fishing trip, enough for his family to live a good life for a while.

Li Mu put the money away, while Li Ganzi, clutching his foot that had been stepped on, grimaced and said, "Muzi, why did you step on me?"

"Brother Ganzi, we need to keep a low profile and not let others know we still have fish, otherwise the price will drop."

Upon hearing this, Li Ganzi suddenly realized, "Oh, right, you're right. We need to be discreet and not let them rip us off. Should we not sell them? The fish in this basket are still very fresh."

"Let's sell this fish to the Lakeside Hotel."

Li Mu's ambitions went beyond simply selling the fish individually; he wanted to build a reputation and let more people know that the fish they caught were of high quality and fresh. This way, he could have more sales channels and fetch better prices in the future.

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

If this fish could be sold to a restaurant, the price would be much higher than if it were sold individually.

Li Mu easily navigated the small back entrance of the Lakeside Hotel, where Jin Dajiang was squatting leisurely smoking. Seeing Li Mu and his group approach, Jin Dajiang's eyes lit up, and he quickly came to greet them.

"Hey, what brings you here today? What good catch have you brought this time! Haha, I've been waiting for your fish. These past few days, the restaurant customers have been asking if we have any fresh fish. I'm getting tired of it." Jin Dajiang laughed, but his eyes were fixed on the fish basket in Li Mu's hands.

"Brother Jin, what a coincidence! We just caught some fish today, they're very fresh, so we brought them over especially for you." Li Mu replied with a smile, lifting the lid of the fish basket, and a fresh fishy smell immediately wafted out.

Jin Dajiang leaned closer and saw that the fish were still jumping around in the basket, their scales shimmering in the sunlight. He couldn't help but nod repeatedly, "Good stuff! Good stuff! These fish look so fresh, the quality is absolutely top-notch. Mu Zi, how did you catch these fish? How come they're so fresh?"

Li Mu smiled and said, "Brother Jin, don't worry about how we caught it. Just tell me, will you buy this fish or not?"

Upon hearing this, Jin Dajiang laughed heartily: "I'll take it! Of course I'll take it! How could I not take such good fish? Name your price!"

Li Mu thought for a moment and said, "Brother Jin, you're a regular customer, so I won't beat around the bush. We'll charge you five yuan a pound for the fish, just like the market price. How does that sound?"

Upon hearing this, Jin Dajiang frowned: "Five yuan a pound? Mu Zi, that's a bit high. You know, even though the fish is fresh, restaurants have to consider costs when buying them. Can you lower the price a bit?"

"To be honest, Brother Jin, we brothers carried this all the way here. We were worried that the fish would die if it left the water and wouldn't be fresh, so we rushed to deliver it to you. You know, if the fish dies, it's worthless. We wanted to make sure you received the freshest fish."

"Look at this fish, it's still lively and jumping around, so full of energy. If you think this fish is fresh and of good quality, then it's worth the price. Don't you think so, Brother Jin?"

Looking at Li Mu's sincere expression and then at the lively fish in the basket, Jin Dajiang couldn't help but waver. He thought for a moment and said, "Mu Zi, your fish are indeed fresh and of good quality, but five yuan a pound is a bit too high. How about I give you four yuan and fifty cents a pound? What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Li Mu considered the price in his mind. Although it was a bit lower than five yuan, it wasn't too low, and Jin Dajiang was a long-term customer; there would be opportunities to sell fish to him again in the future. So, he nodded: "Okay, Brother Jin, it'll be four yuan and fifty cents a pound. How much do you want?"

Jin Dajiang smiled and said, "Muzi, your fish are of good quality, so of course I want more. How about this, I'll take all of your fish, and you can calculate the total price."

Upon hearing this, Li Mu was overjoyed. He quickly took all the fish out of the basket, weighed them one by one, and then calculated the total price.

"It's 560 jin in total, Brother Jin, do you think this number is correct?" Li Mu told Jin Dajiang the total price he had calculated.

Jin Dajiang took the bill from Li Mu, looked at it carefully, and then nodded: "Mu Zi, your calculations are correct, it is indeed 560 jin. Okay, I'll give you the money now."

As he spoke, Jin Dajiang took out a wad of red banknotes from his pocket, counted them, and then handed them to Li Mu: "Muzi, this is two thousand eight hundred yuan. Count it."

Li Mu took the money, counted it carefully, and after confirming that there was nothing wrong, he put up a sign for himself.

"Brother Jin, with spring approaching, are there any new dishes the restaurant plans to launch?"

“Muzi, you’ve really hit the nail on the head. This spring, our restaurant plans to launch a series of seasonal spring dishes, one of which requires fresh sea bass like yours.”

"Sea bass? Is it fresh sea bass that we just caught here? That's such a coincidence. Brother Jin, what do you think we should do with this sea bass? Steamed or braised?"

Sea bass is his favorite fish; its flesh is tender and delicious, and it's excellent whether steamed or braised.

Jin Dajiang smiled and said, "Muzi, you really are an expert. That's right, we plan to use this sea bass to make a steamed sea bass dish, and also a braised sea bass dish, so that our guests can have a taste. Your fish is fresh and of good quality, so the dishes you make will definitely be delicious."

The restaurant's fish dishes mostly feature sea bass, with steamed sea bass being fresh and delicious, and braised sea bass being rich and flavorful. However, Li Mu felt that it was monotonous, as every restaurant did the same thing. To attract diners, they needed to come up with something new.

Li Mu thought for a moment and said, "Brother Jin, how about we try to be innovative in how we cook sea bass? For example, we can make a two-way sea bass dish, steaming one half to retain its original flavor and making the other half into a spicy and sour flavor. This way, we can satisfy customers who like light flavors and also attract the attention of those who like strong flavors."

Upon hearing this, Jin Dajiang's eyes lit up: "Hey, that's a great idea! Spicy and sour sea bass, that sounds really interesting!"

Li Mu wasn't a chef, so he stopped talking at that point.