The Fishmonger

Bie Shengtao's impression of the other shop was much fainter.

"I remember it being the one next to Old Li's fruit shop, supposedly selling food ingredients."

Uncle Bie chimed in, "That's a shop specializing in aquatic products, mainly fish and shrimp. I heard business isn't very good."

Chen Miemie nodded and didn't pursue the topic.

Mrs. Jin wasn't very popular, but Mr. Jin had a good reputation in this area.

He worked in the transportation industry, had wide connections, and occasionally got hold of inside information. He knew how to speak with tact and was quite well-received in the local circles.

After the couple made their rounds to each table, everyone gathered in small groups to chat.

Chen Miemie didn't know many people, so there was no need for him to socialize. He buried his head in his food while pricking up his ears to gather some intelligence from the neighborhood gossip around him.

Surprisingly, there were a few very peculiar pieces of information.

For example, the following:

"Don't you find it weird? The fishmonger downstairs is so unprofessional at killing fish; he can't even clean off the scales properly."

"Exactly. That Boss Zhang is even absent-minded when collecting time, who knows what he's thinking about."

"Haha, that's fine too. Last time I went to buy fish, he couldn't even remember the unit price himself and just gave me a massive discount."

Chen Miemie silently analyzed this: one person saying it might be an exaggeration, but if more than three people at a table were saying the same thing, it seemed that Boss Zhang, who ran the aquatic product shop, definitely had some issues.

After the banquet ended, Chen Miemie walked out of the restaurant.

Looking up, good heavens, there was a long line outside the pineapple roast chicken shop across the street.

Those who managed to buy some were standing right by the road, tearing into the food and showing expressions of sheer enjoyment as they ate.

Chen Miemie's face darkened with exasperation.

This Bobo wasn't doing proper work at all.

Why make it so delicious? With business this good, where would he find the energy to keep watch when it got busy? It wasn't as if he was really there to do business and earn time.

Of course, Chen Miemie couldn't do anything about it now; he could only bring it up when he got home tonight.

For now, he walked into Old Li's fruit shop.

"Uncle Li, give me two catties of green honeyberries."

"Oh my, Chen Miemie, you actually know about green honeyberries. These are quite expensive."

"Hehe, Uncle Li, I've graduated now and I'm a member of a society. I can already achieve fruit freedom."

"You've made something of yourself, kid. Wait a moment, I'll pick out some good ones for you."

As Uncle Li bent down to put the fruits into a bag, Chen Miemie leaned in closer:

"Uncle Li, how's the fish at the fish shop next door?"

Uncle Li's hands paused slightly.

"The fish is okay, but the person is not."

"No way, Uncle Li, you're actually speaking ill of someone behind their back. That's not like you."

"Hmph, I've said it to his face. He doesn't do business properly every day. He either wanders off to who knows where, or just sits there in a daze ignoring customers. Who does business like that?"

"What does he wander off for?"

"How would I know? He just loses contact for no reason, leaving the shop unattended. Customers often run over to my place asking where he went. It's so annoying."

"No, Uncle Li, there must be more to this. Him not doing business properly is his own problem; where did you get all this resentment from?"

"Of course I have complaints, Chen Miemie. Do you know, aquatic products are just like fruits—they both require timely sales. Otherwise, the aquatic products will die and the fruits will rot, causing huge losses.

Every day, there are special sanitation workers who come to collect spoiled products for disposal.

My shop is right next to his, and I've never seen him report any spoiled goods. He actually claims they're all sold out.

Hmph, with the way he does business, I know very well whether he's sold out or not. He's definitely reluctant to throw away the spoiled products and is using them for some shady deals.

I just can't stand this kind of dishonest business practice."

"That's true."

"Here, your green honeyberries. Two catties and two taels, I'll just charge you for two catties."

"Alright, thanks Uncle Li."

Carrying the fruit, Chen Miemie walked into the aquatic product shop.

The interior was filled with terraced fish tanks, with different compartments holding various species of fish.

The shop owner, Boss Zhang, was lying on a recliner, seemingly lost in thought, as if he hadn't noticed anyone entering the shop.

His hair was wrapped in a headscarf, a mask covered his face, and he was wearing waterproof rubber overalls along with rubber boots.

"Boss, I want to buy a fish," Chen Miemie said, staring into the boss's eyes.

"Pick whatever fish you want yourself."

Boss Zhang didn't get up. Because of the thick mask, his voice sounded muffled.

"I'll take a bitter pufferfish. Cut the head and tail into chunks, and slice the body thin. I'm making raw fish slices."

The bitter pufferfish was a large, greenish fish that weighed dozens of catties.

"Okay," Boss Zhang's tone was flat, showing no joy at getting a big order.

Chen Miemie didn't ask for the price.

Boss Zhang didn't quote a price either; he just selected one and started killing it.

His movements were very skilled—a slam, a smack, and a chop, and the fish quickly stopped moving.

However, his slicing technique was quite mediocre, even a bit poor.

Raw fish slices needed to be cut into thin pieces. Under Boss Zhang's knife, the slices varied in size and thickness, and some parts even needed extra cuts.

"Boss, how long have you been in the aquatic product business?"

"A long time. My family has dealt with fish since I was little. But I'm not very used to this knife."

"I see your fish are quite fresh. This species is rarely seen around here."

"These are cold-water fish. They need to be raised in very cold reservoirs. They can't survive for many days once transported to the shop, so normal shops rarely stock them."

"Then Boss, you still have two or three left. These fish are so big, regular families wouldn't buy them much. Aren't they likely to go bad on your hands?"

"Not a problem. I'll turn them into processed food before they die."

Processing a fish weighing dozens of catties took a lot of effort. By the time it was all done and packaged, nearly twenty minutes had passed.

As Boss Zhang processed the fish, he spoke less and less, until finally, he didn't reply at all.

When he handed the bagged fish to Chen Miemie, his whole body seemed to be trembling slightly.

"How much time?"

"1... 1 year."

"Here, payment."

Chen Miemie put down the bag of fish with one hand, forming a moonlight thread behind his back with a loose grip, and extended his watch with the other.

Boss Zhang revealed his watch with one hand, while his other hand still held the fish-killing knife.

Throughout the entire process of their watches touching.

Chen Miemie kept his eyes on Boss Zhang's knife-holding hand, while Qinghua around his neck was ready to strike at any moment.

The transaction was completed.

The two pulled apart again.

"Take your time, Boss."

"Take care."

Chen Miemie carried the bag and walked out of the aquatic product shop.

"Qinghua, what do you think?"

"Too abnormal. It's so conspicuously abnormal that it doesn't seem like someone keeping watch."

"Yeah, I felt the same way. When I entered the shop, he completely ignored me. If he was pretending not to know me, it was a bit too deliberate."

Inside the aquatic product shop.

As soon as Chen Miemie left.

Boss Zhang's slight bodily tremors immediately became violent.

"Fish... fish... fish..."

His pupils dilated, and his eyes were bloodshot.

He glanced toward the door, and after confirming there were no customers, he pulled down his mask.

Beneath the mask, saliva flowed uncontrollably down the corners of his mouth, revealing two rows of sharp, cone-shaped teeth like those of a shark.

He could no longer hold back.

He snatched a large fish from the tank, completely ignoring its violent thrashing, and bit directly into it. The sharp bones pierced his mouth, drawing blood.

A mixture of saliva, fish blood, and his own blood dripped onto the floor as he dragged the fish into the restroom at the back of the shop.

Faint sounds of chewing drifted out from within.

A few minutes later, a customer's voice called out from outside the door.

"Old Li, where did Boss Zhang from the fish stall next door go? I want to buy a fish, but there's no one around."