The sea earthworm was very short, and he didn't believe it could grow to 20 centimeters.
So he looked at the marine life guide and learned that this creature was called a sandworm, scientifically known as the Delicious Ge Nang Star Worm, and that it was a different species from the sea earthworm.
The sandworm's growth environment requirements were very high, and he hadn't expected to find them in the sandy beaches here.
When dried, sandworms could fetch a price of 500 to 1,000 yuan per jin.
In the past, some people sold these sea earthworms as the precious sandworms, fooling many who didn't know better.
Mainly because sandworms looked very similar to this kind of sea earthworm, resembling little intestines, but they typically reached a length between 10 to 20 centimeters.
Most of them were found in the Yue Xi region, but now the wild ones were rare, unlike sea earthworms which could still be dug up in large quantities.
Having found the precious sandworms here, Chu Mingcheng immediately gave up on digging for sea earthworms and started searching for sandworms instead.
However, after wasting a lot of time and energy, he only managed to dig up three relatively large sandworms.
That's it, he thought, better stick to digging for sea earthworms, at least when you find a small pit, one shovel down would always yield something.
After continuing to dig for another hour and a half, he was starting to feel it. He took a sip of mineral water, pounded his lower back, and used Life Conversion once.
Suddenly, he who was previously hot and tired immediately felt much more comfortable.
But the soreness in his back wasn't completely gone, only much improved, so he had to use Life Conversion another time to fully recover.
Once he felt better, he naturally regained his energy.
Currently, the sea earthworms had completely covered the bottom of the bucket, but he estimated that it was barely over one jin.
The experience value in the marine life guide became 8 points, and the data panel for the sea earthworms had even risen to level 4.
[Delicious Ge Nang Star Worm, also known as sea earthworm, Earthworm, etc. (Level 4)]
[Current Experience: 11/50]
[Size +4%]
[Tastiness +4%]
[Catching Chance +4%]
Based on experience, he had captured 111 sea earthworms in an hour and a half, but there weren't that many in his bucket.
Mainly because he grabbed all sea earthworms regardless of their size, but he tossed the smaller ones back after they gave him the experience points.
In this regard, many places abroad do quite well; seafood that doesn't meet standards must be released, and if caught, hefty fines are imposed to ensure the sustainable development of seafood.
Unfortunately, there are still no such regulations in China, leading to near extinction of many types of wild seafood, leaving no option but to heavily develop aquaculture.
For now, he couldn't control what others did; he could only start with himself.
Chu Mingcheng continued to dig along the waterways, used Life Conversion two more times, and kept digging until five o'clock.
The main reason was seeing traders coming to buy the sea earthworms, and seeing other people selling theirs, he no longer felt like digging.
[Delicious Ge Nang Star Worm, also known as sea earthworm, Earthworm, etc. (Level 8)]
[Current Experience: 46/90]
[Size +8%]
[Tastiness +8%]
[Catching Chance +8%]
Even though the level had been raised to 8, in actuality, Chu Mingcheng had only dug up just over three jin that afternoon.
For a newcomer, this efficiency was decent.
Typically, an experienced person with a bit of bad luck would harvest about this amount in an afternoon, while on a good day, one might estimate about ten jin.
Chu Mingcheng first went to the water's edge to wash his boots and hoe, took out the sandworms to put them in a separate bag, and only after most of the others had sold theirs, he went to sell.
"What's the buying price here?"
When the peddler saw that the size of the sea earthworms in the bucket were all quite similar, he was slightly surprised, but he didn't say anything; he seemed even happier.
"These are quite big, I'll give you 35 yuan per jin, how about that?"
Did he think I was an easy target because I looked new to this?
The price would have been alright in summer, when the market price was probably around 45 to 50 yuan per jin. Now in October, the price had risen quite a bit. I had specifically inquired about it, and it was already over 60 yuan per jin, so the purchase price should be at least 45 yuan per jin.
"Forget it, I don't have much here, so I won't sell."
Chu Mingcheng thought about it and decided he wouldn't always be digging for sea earthworms. It would be better to sell them himself!
The owner of the noodle shop where I had earthworm soup before might take them. If not, I could take my time selling them in the vegetable market or at the docks.
"Hey, hey, hey, we can negotiate the price. How about 40 yuan per jin, that's higher than others."
"No, thanks, I plan to eat them myself."
Chu Mingcheng politely waved his hand to refuse and picked up his bucket to return home with his own things.
Driving to the noodle shop, I arrived a bit later today, and the business seemed to be good; all the seats were occupied.
Chu Mingcheng went directly into the kitchen with his bucket and electronic scale, which surprised the owners who saw him entering.
"Boss, do you buy these sea earthworms? I dug them up myself this afternoon."
The noodle shop owner handed the noodle cooking over to his wife and then squatted down to sift through the sea earthworms in the bucket. He found that each was fat and large—uniform goods like these were hard to come by in the market.
Usually, the market ones are mixed with some small ones, but they aren't that much cheaper.
"How much are you selling these for?"
"I'm only digging these to make some extra money recently. If you want them, I'll give them to you for 55 yuan per jin."
Before the noodle shop owner could speak, his wife chimed in, "55 per jin is a bit expensive, we'll take them all for 50 per jin."
"I'm not selling them for 50 per jin. I'm going to be digging for a while, and if you want them, I can bring more tomorrow. If not, then I'll sell them at the market or by the docks, where they're going for over 60 right now. It'll just take a bit more time."
Currently, the grades of various seafood products are too low, and Chu Mingcheng wanted to maximize the time to raise his level. He wasn't willing to waste time, otherwise why would he let others take advantage of him.
"Okay, if you have this quality in the future, I'll take it at 55 yuan per jin."
The boss knew he was getting a deal since he normally bought these from fishermen at market price, which offered no discount.
After all, fishermen needed to make money too, and they wouldn't foolishly give him a bargain. The best they'd offer was the first pick of the good-quality ones.
Selling to him was already a bit cheaper than the market price. Only a fool wouldn't take it.
Both sides had electronic scales, and after weighing twice, the reading was the same—3.26 jin, totaling 179.3 yuan.
A busy afternoon's work earned less than 200 yuan, less than what I made from fishing for crucian carp and more tiring, but Chu Mingcheng didn't mind.
After all, digging for sea earthworms increased his level quickly. Even though he was earning less than from fishing for crucian carp now, it might not be the case in a few days.
Moreover, he had planned well. He would dig for sea earthworms during the day and go fishing for crucian carp at night, without neglecting either.
"Boss, make me a bowl of seafood noodles."
Having not eaten dinner, he decided to eat there. Chu Mingcheng only took out 160 yuan, and the boss added some extra ingredients for him.
On the way home after dinner, Zhang Wei's call came unexpectedly. I only then realized something was missing—this guy.
"Ah Cheng, hurry and come pick me up. I'm totally out of money. If you don't come to get me, next year you'll only be able to chat with me over my grave."
"It's not that serious. If worse comes to worst, just show off your cooking skills. I'm at home now and won't come over."
Chu Mingcheng was too lazy to go pick someone up now and just hung up the phone without entertaining whatever Zhang Wei might say next.
After returning home, I made a point to check on the tabby cat in the front yard and found it resting in the corner under the eaves, with remnants of a mouse by the well—just two severed legs and a round, pink little ball, perhaps the mouse's basket?
It seemed the cat had already eaten tonight, so I left it be.
The tabby cat didn't run away when it saw me now, but Chu Mingcheng didn't rush to touch it. It was still a wild cat, after all. Best to continue building a good relationship for the time being.