10080 Urban New Farmers Chapter 127 Night Fishing by the River (Part 1 of 2) Completed
That afternoon, Huang Shuli didn't come to pick them up for dinner at the Huang family's house, and no police came to the door either, so everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Zhang Guodong, however, was puzzled. Given that woman's style, she didn't seem to have that much patience, did she?
Could it be that they're afraid? Or is there some kind of conspiracy?
If I can't think of anything, then I won't think about it for now.
"I'm going out for a walk!" After finishing his reunion dinner at two different homes, Zhang Guodong wanted to experience the night view, so he left the Huang family's courtyard and headed towards the river.
As soon as Zhang Guodong went out, his elder brother Zhang Guozheng and sister-in-law Huang Yi also got up.
Let's go out for a walk too!
The riverbanks weren't pitch black at this time; instead, they were illuminated, making the water sparkle beautifully. Many villagers had set up barbecue stalls along the riverbanks, creating a charming night market atmosphere.
Seeing this scene, Zhang Guodong thought about going over to sit down or explore the cool river water.
The weather here is much warmer now that month, and you can basically wear just a light layer in the evenings. The grass is lush and green. The air is crisp, and the river beside us adds to the wonderful experience.
Not only are there local children here, but also some tourists who spend money and even go night fishing!
Night fishing is a very fun activity!
However, night fishing in flowing water is usually quite difficult and often yields no results. But people still enjoy it immensely, and when someone does catch something, the scene becomes quite lively, almost like a competition.
The eldest brother and sister-in-law followed Zhang Guodong.
"If my second brother wants to go fishing, I'll go back and get the fishing gear. We have those tools at home," said the eldest sister-in-law, smiling as she watched Zhang Guodong looking at the crowd of people night fishing with great interest.
“No need to go back, just rent a few things here. Brother, how about the three of us have a competition?” Zhang Guodong’s eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this.
Going back would be too much trouble, even if the rental was well worth the money!
Sometimes, a person's interest arises in a fleeting moment, almost too late.
"It's good that I used to break the ice on the Yellow River to fish in the dead of winter back home, but I've never tried fishing on a small river before. However, the fishing conditions on this small river are much better than back home, haha!" Zhang Guozheng laughed.
"Guozheng, is your hometown by the Yellow River? Can you fish there?" the older sister-in-law asked with interest.
"Of course, but it's best to fish in winter. Then find a bend in the river where the current is relatively calm. Otherwise, it's not easy to fish in other places, but in winter, the fish are very easy to catch once they smell the food! My second brother also fished back then, but he usually couldn't catch as many fish as me, haha!"
Zhang Guodong was momentarily stunned, then said, "That was just bad luck. Now let's have a competition to see who catches the most. By the way, sister-in-law, are the fish caught here yours? Or..."
"I throw away 50 yuan worth of fishing gear and give away 10 yuan worth of bait every night. If I need more bait, I'll have to buy it. I can sell the fish I catch to them or take them with me!" the sister-in-law said.
She was very familiar with everything in her village.
She even greeted everyone she met. They were very familiar with each other and very warm towards one another.
The Zhang brothers followed their sister-in-law to an old man's stall and sweetly asked, "Uncle Luo, how much do you want for three fishing rods?"
"Oh, it's Huang Laosan's daughter. Here's the money, take it and go fishing!" the old man said in a very endearing way.
"How can that be? You still have to pay the cost. Three rods, ten yuan a rod, hehe!" the sister-in-law said.
"Take your pick!" the old man said with a smile.
Soon, all three fishing rods were chosen, along with three extra bags of bait. Each person received two bags, enough for twenty fishing rods. The owner was basically giving it away as a favor and didn't intend to make much money from it.
"Sister-in-law, you're really good at bargaining! You managed to get the price down from fifty-one yuan to ten yuan!" Zhang Guodong said admiringly, taking a fishing rod with him.
"That's because I'm planning to quit my job at the training school and open a boutique clothing store. I really enjoy running a business!" the sister-in-law said with a smile.
The eldest brother, Zhang Guozheng, also said, "It's good that he quit. The training school doesn't pay much and it's very tiring. If you do well on your own, it's much better than working for someone else."
Zhang Guozheng's work is now on track and he's basically earning an annual salary, although it's a bit low. He's only making around 40,000 to 50,000 yuan a year at the beginning.
This job, however, is quite promising – designing lighting. Designers are highly sought after here.
Zhang Guodong nodded and asked, "Brother, what are your plans? Are you going to go solo or stay with that company?"
"Me?" The older brother hesitated for a moment before replying, "I'll continue studying. There's no rush now. Once I've built up some connections, I can contract projects from bosses, and the annual income will be substantial. Besides, starting my own company would be too tiring; I wouldn't even be able to take care of my family."
Upon hearing this, the sister-in-law smiled slightly at the brother, clearly satisfied with the answer.
Balancing work and family can be a difficult choice at times.
Indeed, running your own company requires considering everything, and being a good boss is extremely difficult, especially for small companies. Zhang Guodong agreed after thinking about it, and besides, now that he had money, he didn't need his older brother to live such a stressful life anymore. With a house, a car, and a marriage, they could live comfortably—that was already a very good life.
Zhang Guodong has his own dreams, but after all, there's only one Zhang Guodong like him on this planet. He can't expect others to have the same unrealistic, grand dreams as him!
"Haha, brother, you've got a great mindset! This is really good, sister-in-law. If you really want to open a shop, you'll definitely be a master!" Zhang Guodong said.
The three of them, carrying buckets and fishing rods, found a spot to sit by the river. The green grass along the riverbank had long since grown, and now it had been leveled by hand, making it easy to place benches, buckets, and other items.
It's only a meter from the water's surface, allowing you to experience the water's scent up close!
As soon as Zhang Guodong sat down, he felt something was missing. Then he realized he really liked barbecue, and the smell of the smoke and aroma made his mouth water, even though he had just eaten.
"I'm going to buy some beer and barbecue, what do you guys want?"
"I'll just have beer, your sister-in-law's juice, and barbecue, okay? We just ate."
Zhang Guodong ignored him and ordered lamb chops, steaks, beer, and juice. Zhang Guodong then used this as an excuse to...
Sichuan cuisine is generally quite spicy; without spice, people here don't find it appealing, even with barbecue. However, although Zhang Guodong likes spicy food, he doesn't dare to ask for extra spice—it's best to order sparingly.
I sat down again and opened a can of beer. I took a sip. So refreshing! Perfect!
At this point, the eldest brother and sister-in-law had already started fishing. Zhang Guodong, seeing that he was the last to cast his line, quickly cast his own.
When night fishing, everyone speaks much more quietly, afraid of startling the fish.
Wow!
Not far away, someone felt their fishing rod sink and immediately pulled it up, and a half-pound clam flew ashore.
Some people saw this and immediately congratulated him, saying it's really not easy to catch a fish. That means he's really lucky!
Gillfish have very few bones! They are a popular fish among many people. And it's even more rare to find a wild, live-water fish like this.
Zhang Guodong remembers a flood in his hometown by the Yellow River. The fish in that river wouldn't sink, and the bearfish, usually with green backs and soft tails, swam very easily. However, they were difficult to catch when the river water wasn't too murky.
The two brothers immediately started talking about the fish from their hometown.
"Shh, you two brothers, keep your voices down. Focus on fishing!" the sister-in-law said, giving the older brother a disapproving look.
Zhang Guozheng smiled helplessly, and the two brothers stopped talking. Zhang Guodong thought to himself, "Finally, someone is taking care of my older brother!"
Waiting for the fish to bite is rather tedious for Zhang Guodong.
Gradually, Zhang Guodong became a little unsteady on his feet. Sitting like this for so long really tested one's patience.
Fortunately, the waiter grilled the lamb chops and steaks and brought them over. Zhang Guodong changed his target and quietly called out to his older brother. He then put the fishing rod on his knee and started eating.
"Second brother, you're definitely not going to catch anything like that. Look how much the fishing rod is shaking; it's scaring all the fish away!" the eldest sister-in-law teased.
Most women are afraid of gaining weight, so the older sister-in-law didn't eat the greasy barbecue food, which was then devoured by the Zhang brothers, Guodong and Guozheng, so she wasn't worried about gaining weight.
After finishing his meal, Zhang Guodong wiped his hands with a tissue and gripped the fishing rod again. Suddenly, he felt the rod sink, and he was immediately delighted. "What luck! I just finished eating and the fish is already biting!"
Hey, there really is some!
A crucian carp weighing over a pound, almost two pounds, flew through the air, its white belly dazzling under the lights.
The crucian carp have been brought ashore!
"Hehe, sorry big brother and sister-in-law, I caught one first!" Zhang Guodong immediately got up from the stool, picked up the bucket, and took out the fish.
The fish struggled fiercely, but Zhang Guodong easily removed the hook with a pinch and threw it into the bucket. The bucket contained a small amount of water, so the fish wouldn't die immediately.
"This young man is really lucky with his catch; he caught a two-pound fish in just a short time!" someone said enviously.
Fish weighing between half a pound and two pounds are best for grilling. Zhang Guodong had just caught one when a waiter came over and asked him whether he should sell the fish or grill it.
Wild mandarin fish are being sold for 30 yuan per jin (500g), and will be bought on the spot. Freshwater fish from this river have always been expensive because they cannot be caught in large quantities; however, the price will likely rise further if they are sold elsewhere.
There is a significant difference in quality between fish from rivers and fish from lakes; live-water fish have fresher flesh and are more expensive.
Zhang Guodong chuckled, even though he wasn't short of money. But wanting to join in the fun, he weighed the item and the other person immediately gave him fifty-five yuan!
"Fifty-five yuan a fish, and you can catch a dozen or twenty in one night, which is much more than the average wage! Haha!" Zhang Guodong returned and waved the banknotes in his hand to his elder brother and sister-in-law with great joy.
"It's not that easy. Sometimes you can't catch a single fish all night. The bait is all eaten and the fish just won't bite!" the sister-in-law said, both amused and exasperated.
"Is that so?" Zhang Guodong really didn't believe it.
It seems this fish was caught in less than ten minutes, right? It really didn't take long. Of course, you can't compare it to other anglers along the shore who sit for two or three hours without catching a single fish.
He changed the bait, cast the line, and went back into the water. Zhang Guodong knew he might have to wait quite a while longer. So he started sensing the surface of the river.
Could Zhang Guodong's sensory range, spanning a width of about ten meters, completely cover the slightest ripple on the water's surface? Could it even detect fish surfacing and blowing bubbles?
There really are fish in here. And quite a lot of them!
A faint smile appeared on her face.
As Zhang Guodong was sensing the water, he noticed a significant increase in bubbles around the fishing rod, indicating that the fish had all gathered there. Before he could finish his thought, the fishing rod suddenly sank again!
Zhang Guodong was startled and quickly lifted it up!
brush!
An even bigger fish flew out, struggling violently in the air! It weighed at least four pounds! It was a gillfish!
The eldest brother, Zhang Guozheng, was immediately stunned and said in annoyance, "Isn't this a bit exaggerated? Why are all the fish looking for the second brother?"
The eldest sister-in-law covered her mouth and laughed, "Second brother had good luck tonight, are you jealous? But he really was lucky!"
The eldest brother smiled wryly and said, "Why would I be jealous? I was secretly told by my second brother that I had a very high fishing record when I was a kid!"
"Really?"
Regardless of whether it's true or not, Zhang Guodong is very confused.
As soon as the big-gill fish came up, everyone's eyes were drawn to it, filled with envy and even jealousy. Who was this kid? He'd brought up two fish in just ten or twenty minutes!
The waiter, looking bewildered, came over to Zhang Guodong and said, "Sir, you're really lucky!"
The tone was full of envy! That's all money!
Second update! Please vote!
Tiandao will go back to continue writing, hehe, I'll keep what I write hidden for now and choose the right time!
Thank you, Big Beard, for the 6,000 update votes.
Please don't submit 12,000 or anything like that. Even if Heaven were to cough up blood, it wouldn't be able to keep up, and there's no stockpile of drafts.
Also, thank you all for your subscriptions and donations. Tiandao realized at this point that he hadn't done anything. He was surprisingly busy, constantly thinking about how to organize the content, which made him feel dizzy.
Finally, we are recruiting a deputy moderator for the comment section of "New Urban Farmers". The job is simple: interested and responsible individuals can join the group first and then contact Tiandao to discuss this matter.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com