The people on the shore panicked when they saw Yan Bugui struggling desperately in the water, only to sink deeper and deeper.
Several men, young and old, who knew how to swim realized something was wrong and quickly jumped into the water, swimming towards Yan Bugui.
Others also called for help and searched for rescue tools.
Fifteen minutes later, thanks to everyone's efforts, Yan Bugui was finally rescued.
Yan Bugui lay soaking wet on the shore, spitting out water and sobbing, his face a mixture of water and tears.
"God, I'd rather just die! How could this happen? They won't even give me a single fish! This is going to kill me..."
"Since you gave me hope, why take it away? I don't want to live anymore..."
Listening to Yan Bugui's nightingale-like lament, the surrounding crowd sighed in sympathy.
"No wonder he was wailing like that. Who could bear this situation? He caught two big fish, each one bigger than the last, but in the end, he didn't reel in a single one. How much suffering must he be going through!"
"That's true. If it were me, I might not be as good as him. I'd never be able to go fishing again in my life. It would be a real psychological trauma."
"It's all fate. Even God doesn't allow people to catch such a big fish. It's not easy for it to live this long. Let this fish live well in Shichahai!"
"That's all nonsense. People are already struggling to make ends meet, why would they care about a fish?"
"I heard this guy is the manager of the Red Star Courtyard. I think he's a complete waste. Two big fish took the bait, but he didn't catch a single one. He still dares to say he knows how to fish. He's just a piece of trash who wasted his time."
Yan Jiecheng was watching over Yan Bugui, unsure how to comfort him, when he suddenly heard someone call his father a good-for-nothing. He immediately stood up and looked in the direction of the sound.
The person didn't argue with him; they simply stopped talking.
Yan Jiecheng glared at the crowd, then squatted down again. "Dad, don't blame yourself. Haven't you heard people say that God is protecting that fish? We ordinary people can't catch it at all."
"Jie Cheng is right, Lao Yan, try to think more positively."
Yi Zhonghai had a lot to say to comfort Yan Bugui, but when he heard someone cursing Yan Bugui and then cursing the entire Hongxing Courtyard, his heart skipped a beat and his face darkened.
His original intention was to use this once-in-twenty-years-long giant fish to increase the popularity of Hongxing Courtyard.
The result is quite the opposite; now that we've gained recognition, it's actually the opposite of what we expected!
Haven't you heard people say that the steward of the Red Star Courtyard is a good-for-nothing?
"Old Yan, stop crying here. Get up and go back. So many people are watching and pointing fingers. It's not good for our compound's image." Yi Zhonghai sighed and looked at Yan Bugui, who was barely breathing, on the ground with a serious expression.
Yan Bugui slowly raised his arm and pointed at Yi Zhonghai: "Old Yi, are you even human? I'm already like this and you still say such things to me. You might as well let me die."
As he spoke, Yan Bugui was about to climb back into the water.
Yan Bugui felt terrible. If he could catch both fish, he estimated that selling them and paying for the meat would be worth a year's salary.
He's always scheming and plotting, but what's the point? It's all about ensuring his family has food to eat.
But today, a tremendous opportunity slipped through our fingers. We were already on the shore, but the cooked duck flew away. Who could bear that?
"Dad, Dad, can't you just pretend we didn't come fishing today? Why are you being so stubborn?"
Yan Jiecheng was also scared. Seeing his father's demeanor, he realized he was truly traumatized. He turned to Yi Zhonghai and said, "Uncle, please say less. Let my dad calm down first. He's having a hard time accepting this blow."
Looking at Yan Bugui, who was silently wiping away tears on the ground, Yi Zhonghai really didn't know what to say.
He's supposed to be the head of the compound, yet he's whining and shedding tears in front of dozens or even hundreds of onlookers. How embarrassing! You might lose face like that, but the Hongxing Courtyard can't!
Seeing Yan Bugui's appearance from a distance, Wang Dabao sighed inwardly, thinking, "Old Yan still needs more training!"
This is nothing. If you can handle it, I can show you a fish that's three or four meters long.
It only lasted two rounds before it gave out and lay flat on the ground, unable to move. It's really disappointing!
Wang Dabao squeezed through the crowd and stopped Yi Zhonghai, who was still trying to persuade Yan Bugui to get up quickly. "Old Yi, I know you're anxious, but don't rush. Let me say a few words to Old Yan."
When Yan Jiecheng saw Wang Dabao approaching, he immediately stepped aside. He knew that his father and Wang Dabao had a good relationship, and perhaps his father would listen to what Wang Dabao said.
“Old Yan, you are a rare cultured person in our compound. You should understand the principle of ‘as long as the green hills remain, there is no fear of firewood.’”
"What you need to do now is adjust your mindset and prepare for the next challenge. Don't keep thinking about not catching any fish; instead, think about why you're the only one who can catch fish out of so many others."
Yan Bugui's body trembled, his voice strained and choked with sobs, "Why...why?"
"Because you have experience and talent, you may have become so used to it that you don't even realize your fishing talent. But think about it, how come this big fish specifically targets your hook to bite!"
Wang Dabao reached out and helped Yan Bugui sit up. "What you need to do now is go home and review the day's events. Remember everything you did before fishing, including your fishing posture, the position of the float, the weight of the bait, and so on. Write it all down in your notebook."
"Once you've recovered, come back and fish for those two big fish. They're right here in Shichahai Lake, they can't possibly escape, don't you think?"
Yan Bugui started sobbing again, but this time it was out of emotion.
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