Chapter 005 – The First Live Stream
The night before, Zhao Zhao and Da Linzi agreed to go out to sea and live stream their dive today. This guy came knocking at dawn. Zhao Zhao remarked to Yaoguang that if all employees had this enthusiasm, their team would surely make money.
The team was formed overnight, and they registered a live streaming account on Panda TV, the top streaming platform in China, called "Jinshi Island Excellent Islander Little Bear."
The account's operation plan was to go with the flow.
Although she had long thought about live streaming fishing to promote Jinshi Island and accumulate their first pot of gold, she was an amateur. They couldn't compare with professionally packaged accounts, and their primary hope was the plug-in Yaoguang.
The night before, Zhao Zhao and Da Linzi planned to take him out for a sea diving live stream today. Early the next morning, just at dawn, he came knocking. Zhao Zhao commented to Yaoguang that if all employees had this drive, their team would surely make money.
The team was formed last night, registering a live stream account on the top platform, Panda Live, called "Jinshi Island Excellent Islander Little Bear."
The account's operation strategy was to go with the flow.
Although they had long planned to live stream fishing to promote Jinshi Island and accumulate their first pot of gold, they were amateurs. They couldn't compete with professionally packaged accounts, so their main hope was the trump card, Yaoguang.
The account's first on-camera host was Da Linzi, with Yaoguang as the primary host. Zhao Zhao took on the roles of assistant host, camerawoman, editor, and planner.
The siblings used a trailer to haul all their gear to the small dock, bringing enough fuel and a signal booster to venture farther out. The nearshore waters had little to show. With high spirits, the trio set out, secretly hiding the just-weaned puppy in a bracelet space.
In reality, a sampan shouldn't venture too far from the coastline. The vast ocean makes everything seem small, let alone a small sampan. Zhao Zhao relied on her skills and courage, while Da Linzi relied on blind trust in his sister...
Along the way, Zhao Zhao trained Da Linzi, the live stream host, with the main instruction being to follow her lead and be himself.
The male lead only found out this morning that he was the star of the show and was bewildered.
Zhao Zhao occasionally glanced at the seabed. For the first thirty minutes, there were few living creatures, a true reflection of the nearshore reality. After an hour and a half, they finally saw more activity, but nothing valuable—just some small fish and shrimp.
When Yaoguang alerted her to large fish below, they were two and a half hours away from the island. Da Linzi expertly cast the net while Zhao Zhao peered into the water. With her current skills, she could easily see underwater.
Yaoguang's large fish seemed to be a small group of yellow-brown spotted groupers, likely Epinephelus cyanopodus. These fish were better caught with a rod than a net, but the net was already cast. Fortunately, there were some stray sardines around, so the live stream might still have some harvest.
After casting the net, Zhao Zhao directed Da Linzi to head southwest to a large reef area. As they neared, Zhao Zhao realized their luck was extraordinary. The reef, possibly in a warm current, had a patch of brown coral with several sea cucumbers lying openly on the sand.
Zhao Zhao set up the live streaming equipment, instructing Da Linzi to grab a snack.
"Do you remember the diving techniques I taught you yesterday?"
"Yes, we practiced well yesterday, right?" Da Linzi replied confidently.
"Then let me emphasize again, Da Linzi. The bead I gave you yesterday is a consecrated artifact. Do not dive without it. Never take it off, even when nothing seems wrong. It's very important, very important. Keep it safe and don't lose it."
The bead was a hard-earned gift from Yaoguang, a shark pearl. Wearing it, the body would automatically repel water when fully submerged. This was the main reason Zhao Zhao dared to take a novice deep diving.
Da Linzi extended his arm, showing the bead, "I won't lose it. My mom wanted it last night, but I didn't take it off."
That’s Qin Yunmei for you.
After more nagging, Zhao Zhao started the live stream. Jinshi Island Excellent Islander Little Bear began their first broadcast.
The title randomly included tags like #Outdoor Seaside Live Stream, #Fishing Village Fishing Live Stream, and #Diving Live Stream.
The camera focused on Yaoguang posing at the bow. No viewers yet, the siblings donned their diving suits behind the camera.
New streamers are featured on the newcomer section, so soon 20-some people clicked in, casual visitors.
When Zhao Zhao finished dressing, she saw 35 viewers and some comments.
[What's this stream about?]
[Is that parrot alive?]
[Can parrots fish?]
To set an example and prevent mishaps, she checked Da Linzi's oxygen tank and valve one last time.
All set, Zhao Zhao called the host: "Yaoguang, we're starting!"
Yaoguang slowly flapped its wings, soared up, and did a slow-motion 360-degree display.
Comments rolled in.
[Whoa! That parrot is gorgeous.]
[Why is it so big? Looks like a phoenix!]
[It's a macaw, right?]
[So glamorous, I want one!]
[Another fake live stream. Which fisherman keeps a macaw?]
Yaoguang gracefully landed on the bow and asked Zhao Zhao, "How many fans now?"
"None, just 32 visitors," Zhao Zhao replied honestly, having lost three already.
The parrot rolled its eyes dramatically, stopped posing, waved a wing, and said, "Let's begin!"
Yaoguang didn’t care for these viewers.
Zhao Zhao focused on the task. "Finish your lines. We need enough footage for the video."
Yaoguang mechanically recited, "Welcome to the Little Bear Live Stream. We're fishing on Jinshi Island. We sell what we catch. I'm the host, Yaoguang. Please follow. Thank you."
Fair enough.
Zhao Zhao turned the camera to Da Linzi, fully geared up. "Say hi, host..."
Da Linzi instinctively raised a hand to scratch his head but stopped midway, awkwardly greeting, "Hello, everyone. I'm Little Bear. We'll dive and catch fish live. Follow our channel if interested."
That was it.
Zhao Zhao accepted her fate. "Our stream focuses on skills, not chatting. I'll attach the underwater camera to my helmet, and we’ll dive to catch fish. Little Bear, you go first."
Without a word, Da Linzi dove in.
[This guy looks kidnapped, not a willing participant, haha.]
[...]
[Such a pure, unpretentious stream, haha.]
As expected, reality differed from plans. The stream would have to go with the flow.
Underwater, Da Linzi waited obediently three or four meters down. Zhao Zhao signaled him to slow down, and they descended together.
In June's scorching sun, visibility underwater was high, perfect for diving.
A school of juvenile sea bass scattered, tiny transparent shrimp jumped away. This part of the sea was quite lively, and they saw many fish species as they descended.
When they reached about 30 meters, she turned on the headlamp, revealing the underwater scene to everyone. A stretch of yellow-brown coral reef appeared in view. Da Linzi cheerfully signaled to her and pulled out a diving knife, while Zhao Zhao followed beside him, focusing the camera on him.
The camera captured a lively underwater world with long seaweeds swaying as small fish darted back and forth. Her foolish brother ignored the valuable golden scallops in front of him and started trying to catch a group of colorful little fish with his net.
Zhao Zhao could only follow, watching him clumsily darting around underwater, catching a few worthless small coral fish after much effort. The good sister from China gave him a thumbs-up and then pointed at the golden scallops by his feet.
These sea scallops can grow as large as a palm and are very delicious. Despite their name, most golden scallops are reddish-brown, and June is their prime season. Fresh golden scallops can fetch a good price. The two of them started picking out the big ones, enjoying the fruitful harvest.
Zhao Zhao also found a few pearls in the sand, though their luster and shape weren't great, and they weren't worth much. She decided to take them back to make pearl powder for face masks.
Soon their collection bags were almost full. Zhao Zhao went over to Da Linzi, held his hand, and signaled to return. They slowly ascended, completing the dive in three stages before resurfacing.