Chapter 64: A Merchant Ship
Rui Mengmeng rode his bike according to Tom's instructions and visited several fish shops on Island No. 59, but he couldn't find any fish that interested Tom. Either the fish were not fresh or he had eaten them too many times.
"Let's go to 58GR. Old Bob has a friend who opened a seafood store there," Zhang Da also suggested. "We can also go to the beach and see if we can buy the fish they just caught."
Tom nodded in agreement, remembering the six old men fishing and how much fun it was to fish with their rods.
As for the incident of being beaten by the fish, Tom chose to forget about it.
Altria remembered that the grilled fish Tom made that day was delicious, and she wouldn't mind going there again.
It was the same small bay as last time, and Rui Mengmeng parked the car steadily.
As expected, the six old men were all there, and Zhang Da also jumped out of the car: "Meng Meng, squeeze the bell twice."
"Oh, okay."
Ding-ling, ding-ling. The crisp sound attracted the attention of the old men. Old Bob turned his head impatiently, his face quickly turned from cloudy to sunny: "Isn't this Tatsuya-kun!"
"It's Brother Tatsuya, you finally made the trip!" The other five old men also looked happy, set up their fishing rods and came forward.
"You're so polite..." Zhang Da was a little flattered. When did I become so popular with the gentlemen? He was a little embarrassed and wondered whether he should bow or shake hands with them.
Then six old men passed by him and surrounded Tom. Tom looked left and right and felt that these old men were not simple.
"Hurry, hurry, we have a good harvest today, come and take a look, pick whatever you like!" As they said this, the six old men carried Tom over and placed him next to the bucket.
Zhang Da was also embarrassed. Why are you calling my name if you are not welcoming me?
Altria had already followed because she knew that there was food to be had by following Tom.
Rui Mengmeng poked Zhang Daye: "Boss, it seems they are not here to greet you."
"Ah, I understand, Mengmeng." Zhang Da also felt that his heart was stabbed by Nuo Xing's sharp knife.
On the other side, Tom was already making a fire. Even though the cat had just finished his meal, how could he resist the temptation of fish?
A few old men helped to process a few fish, and then they talked to Zhang Daye: "Brother, is there anything else you want to inquire about?"
Zhang Da also replied: "Nothing special, I just came out to buy some food today. Tom wanted to find some fresh fish or rare and special fish. He happened to be passing by, so he came over to say hello."
"Fresh fish is readily available! I gave my bucket to Tom."
"Take all of mine, too. You're welcome."
The old men were very generous, so Zhang Da declined, saying, "You have worked so hard for so long, what will you do if I take everything away?"
"We don't fish to eat. Even if we bring some home, we'll probably give it to our neighbors." Old Bob smiled as he watched Tom flip the fish. "Besides, what do you care about what we give to Tom?"
"That's right." Others chimed in.
Rui Mengmeng whispered: "Boss, you seem to be disliked."
"Oh, I get it, Mengmeng." Zhang Da also wanted to deduct her salary. Why didn't he know that she was so good at finishing off the enemy when he was watching anime?
There were ten fishes on the small fire, and nine people sat in a row watching Tom's performance.
The ten fish were of different sizes, types and thicknesses, but Tom was able to master the cooking of each one.
He often flashed from one end to the other to turn the fish over, and sometimes took out a knife to score the fish and sprinkle seasoning on it.
Smelling the aroma that was slowly spreading out, Bob choked and asked, "By the way, I haven't had time to ask, is this the new employee?"
Zhang Da also nodded: "Yes, business has been good recently."
Friends took the opportunity to criticize him: "Look at how good he is at business. Bob, you are right to retire. You are wasting such a good location!"
"You bastards are not much better than me!"
The guys were arguing and no one wanted to give in. The owner of the seafood store turned around and said, "The guy just said he wanted a special fish. You can go to my store and have a look. I just got an elephant tuna last night. It's a fish that is special to the South China Sea and it's rare here."
After taking the time to advertise his own store, he didn't even wait for Zhang Da's reply and turned back to continue bickering.
Zhang Da also knows about the elephant tuna. It has a nose like an elephant. The Straw Hat Pirates once caught it, but Luffy ate it until not even a bone was left. In real life, it is an ornamental fish, but it seems to be delicious here.
The few people kept making noise until Tom distributed the fish to everyone, and then they quieted down and enjoyed the food.
"Such delicious grilled fish, what a pity there is no wine." The restaurant owner sighed after taking two bites of the fish.
Bob chuckled, took out a portable hip flask from his pocket, opened the lid and took a sip happily. His smug look made the other guys want to beat him up.
"Old man, good things should be shared!"
"Yeah, what's the point of eating alone!"
Bob began to act coyly: "Hey, you guys weren't like this . Now you just want to drink."
The restaurant owner, who was very particular about food and drink, knew at once that the wine in Bob's hand was good, and he said nice things with a grin, just wanting to have a sip of the wine.
The others followed suit, and the old kids started making a scene.
Zhang Daye and the others were only concerned with eating, especially Altria, who ate the most elegantly and the fastest.
Tom knew how much Altria ate, so he gave her the biggest one. Even so, she had already eaten half of it in small bites in a short while.
After eating the grilled fish, several people wiped their mouths. Zhang Da also said goodbye, "Then we will leave first and go to the store to take a look at the elephant tuna."
At the request of several uncles, Tom picked out some of his favorite fish and put them in the car to take away.
Seeing that he was not going to be polite, Zhang Da thanked him on his behalf, but the other uncles all felt that they had actually made a good deal.
After putting away the things, Tom squatted back into the basket, Zhang Da also jumped into the car from one side, and Altria jumped off the car from the other side, as smoothly as a replacement reaction equation. ??? Are you disliking me?
Zhang Da asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
Altria looked out at the sea in the distance: "A ship is coming."
"Really, there is a black shadow that is getting bigger and bigger!" Rui Mengmeng saw the ship that Altria mentioned.
Zhang Daye put his hands on the awning and looked into the distance. Tom stood on Zhang Daye's head, looking into the distance in the same posture.
"I can't see what ship it is. I might need a telescope."
As soon as he finished speaking, a pair of binoculars was handed down from above. Zhang Da took it and held it up to his eyes: "Thank you."
After observing for a few seconds, Zhang Da also put down the telescope and looked up. Tom happened to be looking down, and their eyes met.
"When did you go up there?"
Tom spread his hands and moved down from Zhang Daye's head to sit on his shoulders.
Zhang Da also felt that he might mean that the higher you stand, the farther you can see.
But now is not the time to care about these things. Zhang Da also said: "The white flag, I can't see what logo is painted on it, and there is 'Blake Chamber of Commerce' written on the sail. Is this what a merchant ship looks like?"
