The water pump was running, making a loud rumbling sound.
The sound was quite loud.
The coastal highway is not far away, and vehicles and pedestrians occasionally pass by. Most people are used to hearing the sound of water pumps.
Occasionally, people would stop to watch, but they would leave after a short while.
Compared to fishing or beachcombing, pumping water into a pond is actually quite boring, mainly because you have to wait.
We can only wait.
Wu An and A Qing had nothing to do, so they played on their phones to pass the time.
Aqing took out a cigarette: "Brother, want one?"
Wu An shook his head.
After almost a month, my body's addiction to nicotine was basically gone.
He doesn't plan to smoke anymore.
Health is the foundation of everything; he doesn't want to drink himself into oblivion.
Aqing failed to quit.
Especially when I have nothing to do, I want to smoke to pass the time, otherwise my mouth always feels empty.
Ah Qing, smoking a cigarette, said, "Brother, I remember when we were kids, we used buckets and ladles to make puddles."
Wu An nodded.
Looking back now, I find it quite interesting.
Although I didn't manage to get much seafood after a whole day of work, I felt that every day was fulfilling and happy.
After waiting for about ten minutes, the water level dropped significantly. I checked the water pump and found that the water level wasn't moving at all.
There's a problem.
After thinking for a moment, he decisively turned off the water pump.
Aqing turned her head and asked, "Brother, what's wrong?"
Wu An said, "I don't think there's much seafood in this puddle."
"I'm planning to move to another one. Come help me move it."
"That one, I'll go with."
Aqing looked in the direction Wu An was pointing and saw that the puddle was slightly larger than the one they were pumping out now.
Apart from that, there's nothing particularly special about it.
He didn't say anything, threw away his cigarette, and hurried over to help.
Soon the water pump pipes were laid out, and it started working again with a rumble.
Wu An kept watching.
Only 5 minutes had passed, and my luck value dropped by one bar.
His face lit up with joy.
After waiting for about 10 more minutes, my luck level dropped again.
Seeing this, Wu An breathed a sigh of relief. If nothing unexpected happened, the puddle should be safe now.
Seeing Wu An's smile, Aqing asked, "Brother, is there a chance with this puddle?"
Wu An nodded.
Ah Qing stared at the puddle, silently praying in her heart, "Please, please ...
Judging from the rate at which the water level is dropping, it will probably take an hour of pumping to reach the bottom.
Wu An took out his phone and started playing Temple Run.
This game is quite popular right now; once you start playing, you can't stop.
I get disturbed occasionally, with passersby asking how my harvest went.
If you pay even a little attention and reply to a single sentence, the game character dies.
Just as he was about to let Aqing handle it, he heard someone call his name.
Looking up, I saw my classmate Cao Zhiqiang riding a scooter with a woman I didn't recognize on the back.
Wu An greeted them and then lowered his head to continue playing his game.
"Are you pumping water from a puddles?"
Wu An responded.
"Can this thing make money?"
Wu An nodded.
"You're not making money off this now, are you?"
Wu An ignored him.
Seeing that Wu An did not respond, Cao Zhiqiang assumed that Wu An was having difficulty speaking. He was secretly pleased, thinking that his chance to turn the tables had come. He smiled and said, "Wu An, why do you seem to be ignoring me?"
“We’ve been classmates for three years, and it’s been so long since we last met. Last time we were in such a rush, we didn’t even have a chance to chat.”
"I didn't mean anything by it, I just wanted to chat and catch up."
Wu An frowned.
It wasn't because Cao Zhiqiang kept nagging, but because Mai Hangyu called, which caused the game character to die again.
The call was connected.
Mai Hangyu excitedly said there was progress, that he had some information about the house, and hoped to meet to discuss it.
Wu An said he couldn't leave, and asked where the sump was. Mai Hangyu asked where it was, and Wu An gave him the location. Mai Hangyu then said he would be there soon and hung up the phone.
Wu An put away his phone. A Qing glanced at Cao Zhiqiang and asked in a low voice, "Brother, I feel like this guy is talking in a sarcastic tone."
Wu An nodded.
It was obviously hypocritical, but as the saying goes, you can't hit a smiling face, so he couldn't say anything.
Cao Zhiqiang parked his scooter by the roadside, walked over with the woman, and looked at the water pump in operation, clicking his tongue in amazement: "Wu An, your equipment is quite complete. Are you really planning to become a fisherman?"
Wu An said, "Yes."
Cao Zhiqiang smiled and said, "There aren't many fishermen these days. You're probably the only one among our classmates who's still a fisherman."
"Honestly, you should find another job as soon as possible."
"If we weren't desperate to make a living here, no one would want to be a fisherman."
"How could the student whom the teacher once praised be doing this kind of work?"
Wu An squinted.
This feeling...
It looks very familiar.
It's a bit like a skit a blogger might make on a future short video platform, where someone, desperate and delivering takeout, runs into a former classmate...
In many people's eyes, delivering food is not a glamorous or respectable job.
Fishermen are the same.
Fishermen work harder at sea, enduring wind and sun, sometimes even more arduous than food delivery workers.
Not to mention fishing at sea, which involves facing the unpredictable environment of the ocean and has a high risk factor. Almost every year, there are accidents at sea.
Cao Zhiqiang is right. Few young people these days are willing to do this kind of work.
People like Cao Zhiqiang mostly work in factories, where they have a guaranteed income regardless of drought or flood, and are protected from wind and rain.
It's more respectable to talk about your job.
The woman beside him looked surprised: "He...a prodigy?"
Cao Zhiqiang said in an exaggerated tone, "Don't let his current appearance fool you. He used to be an excellent student in school, and the teachers used him as an example to educate us every day."
Ah Qing looked annoyed: "Brother, this kid's up to no good."
"He was still smiling... I wanted to punch him because of that smile."
Wu An nodded.
In fact, Cao Zhiqiang didn't have any bad intentions. It was just that when he was in school, his teachers and parents used him as an example of "other people's children" to educate him every day.
Seeing him in such a sorry state, he naturally wanted to "get revenge" and gain some "superiority."
Faced with this situation, he felt it was necessary to teach Cao Zhiqiang the lesson of "never looking down on others."
Cao Zhiqiang seemed to suddenly remember something, put his arm around the woman's shoulder, and said, "After saying so much, I forgot to introduce her. This is my girlfriend."
"We work at the same factory."
"I've secretly liked her for a long time, but I never had the courage to confess."
"I was recently promoted to team leader, and my salary increased significantly. Now that I'm able to support my family, I finally mustered up the courage to confess my feelings, and to my surprise, I succeeded."
Wu An suddenly realized that Cao Zhiqiang's "successful person" attitude was no wonder he had a promotion and a raise, and his confession was successful. He felt that he had reached the pinnacle of life.
It's a pity he drank a lot of water earlier, otherwise he would have peed his own urine until it turned yellow and made Cao Zhiqiang realize just how far he was from the "pinnacle of life".
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