Aqing asked, "Brother, do you know anything about fishing tackle?"
Wu An shook his head.
I've hardly ever fished in my two lifetimes, so while I can't say I don't understand fishing gear, I'm completely clueless about it.
I heard the water in here is quite deep.
Aqing was a little worried: "What if we get scammed?"
Wu An casually replied, "Let's compare prices from different vendors and take a look first."
They bought two ice creams and ate them as they walked.
He had been preoccupied with paying off his debts and had been rushing along the way. Only after resolving this major concern did he feel at ease to walk slowly. Fuyuan Town in 2012 was no different from what he remembered. In his previous life, he had left his hometown not long afterward, and now he was revisiting his old haunts.
There's not much to see.
There are only two streets, shaped like an L, with shops on both sides selling all kinds of things. There are also quite a few stalls at this time.
It's quite lively.
There were some discordant elements, with some vendors seemingly being ostracized, causing quite a commotion that drew crowds of onlookers.
Wu An stopped to look and saw that it was a girl being pushed. She looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't remember her for a moment. He figured she probably wasn't anyone important. A Qing cursed at the vendors for bullying a girl.
Wu An shook his head. Yan Zu was right. In this world, you have to have influence. It's the same in every industry. He didn't want to watch the show anymore, nor did he have any intention of meddling in other people's business.
After passing the area with stalls, we arrived at the area selling general merchandise.
Because it's near the sea, there are quite a few fishing tackle shops.
I asked around at several stores, and sea fishing rods are really not cheap. A complete set of fishing gear costs at least several hundred yuan, and some can even cost tens of thousands.
Wu An wasn't afraid of being scammed.
Why?
He discovered that he could use the system to filter fishing rods by combining the owner's quote with the system's maximum add-on points.
For example, a fishing rod priced at 1299 only has a maximum luck bonus of 4 points from the system, which is even worse than a beachcombing clip.
He trusted the system's judgment more than his boss's words.
Anyone who buys this fishing rod is a complete idiot.
I decisively left the fishing tackle shop and went to the one next door.
As the two men turned to leave, the shopkeeper spat and said, "Damn, you two poor bastards are trying to fish. Go home and find a bamboo pole to fish with."
Aqing was furious and wanted to curse.
Wu An pulled him outside, pushed the sliding door all the way up, and then left.
The shop owner, sitting behind the counter, got up and went to close the door, grumbling as he did so.
The fishing tackle shop next door is smaller.
Wu An ran his hand along the fishing rod and found a fishing tackle that could add 20 luck points. He asked the price and it was 3999.
pass.
It's not that I can't afford it, it's that it's not cost-effective.
He pointed to a fishing rod that had an added 5 points of luck and asked, "Boss, how much is this?"
The boss was bald and looked a bit fierce. He glanced at him and said, "399."
Wu An's eyes lit up.
This is pretty good value for money.
After asking around, the shop owners answered all the questions without showing any impatience. So, Wu An took A Qing to other fishing tackle shops.
After wandering around for a while, we returned to the bald boss's fishing tackle shop.
When the bald boss saw him return, he greeted him warmly, "Handsome, what brings you back again?"
I didn't greet Aqing.
Ah Qing looked silly and dazed; he was obviously a lackey.
Wu An said, "The boss looks kind, so he probably won't cheat people."
The bald boss stroked his chin. He knew exactly what he looked like. Hearing Wu An say that, he was amused and thought the kid was quite interesting. He said, "Well, you're pretty good at judging people."
"So, which one do you want to buy?"
Wu An pointed to the 399 fishing rod and asked, "How heavy a fish can this... catch?"
"I'm a rock fisherman."
The bald boss asked, "A newbie?"
Wu An nodded.
The bald shopkeeper asked again, "How heavy are you planning to catch?"
Wu An thought for a moment and said, "It's hard to say, but I'm worried that the fishing rod won't be able to withstand a giant catch."
The bald boss laughed and said, "You think giant fish are so easy to catch?"
"This fishing rod is pretty good; it can definitely reel in sea fish weighing 20 or 30 pounds."
"When rock fishing at the beach, you rarely see giant fish, so this is more than enough."
Whether or not you can catch a big fish depends on a combination of factors, including the fishing rod, the fishing line, and the hook.
Wu An said, "Then I'll trouble you to prepare it for me, boss."
The bald boss was surprised, not expecting Wu An to trust him so much. He immediately stood up and said, "Okay, I'll prepare it for you."
He certainly lived up to Wu An's trust; a complete fishing tackle set cost only 612 yuan.
Wu An said, "I want two sets."
The bald boss was surprised, not expecting Wu An to be such a big customer, and said with a smile, "Alright, I won't bother with the change."
"1200 will do."
Do you need a fishing box?
Wu An took out cash to pay, then shook his head to indicate that he would not sell the fishing box.
The bald shopkeeper said, "Then I'll give you a fish basket. It's convenient to carry, but it can only hold fish, unlike a fishing box which can be used for multiple purposes, such as holding bait and serving as a stool."
Wu An didn't stand on ceremony and readily thanked him, accepting the fish basket.
After leaving the fishing tackle shop, Aqing, carrying two sets of fishing tackle, deliberately wandered around the fishing tackle shop next door. Wu An called him to come, and he responded and left. In his haste, he forgot to close the sliding door that he had opened.
The shop owner, grumbling, came to close the door again. Seeing the bald shop owner smoking, he asked, "Bought two sets?"
The bald boss nodded.
The shop owner scoffed, "They must have bought the cheap stuff."
The bald boss didn't say a word.
The boss said to himself, "Dude, you can't do business like this..."
Blah blah blah.
The bald boss stubbed out his cigarette, flicked the butt into the trash can, where it landed precisely in the hole, and then turned around to close the sliding door.
You know nothing.
He even told me how to do business?
Do you understand the concept of low profit margins and high sales volume?
Do you know how valuable a beginner's work is?
He dared to say that once Wu An got hooked on fishing, all the fishing gear would come to him to buy, and the business would flow in continuously.
The bald boss scoffed at the owner of the fishing tackle shop next door and was already planning how to expand his store in the future.
Seeing this, the shop owner next door shut up in annoyance and cursed, "What are you showing off for? So what if you opened for business? I'm not envious at all."
...
Wu An was unaware of the love-hate relationship between the two fishing tackle shop owners. Passing by a pharmacy, he told the pharmacist about his sister-in-law's hand condition. The pharmacist recommended an ointment, which wasn't expensive, only a dozen yuan, so he bought two boxes.
He gave one box to Aqing and said, "This box is for your mom."
“I remember your mother’s hands also had cracks.”
Aqing was taken aback: "Brother, I can't accept that. I'll give you the money."
Wu An waved his hand: "No need to be embarrassed."
"You'll get tired later."
"I saw some tables and chairs for sale by the roadside, so I'll buy a set to use."
"We don't have a car, so we have to carry it all the way home."
Fortunately, the tables and chairs were all made of rattan and were handcrafted. An old man made and sold them himself, and he set up a stall on the roadside. When I asked the price, a table and two chairs only cost 60 yuan.
I bought it without hesitation.
Aqing carried two sets of fishing gear and a table, while Wu An carried two chairs and a fish basket. The two walked home in the sunset.
The setting sun cast their shadows longer and longer. The sun was no longer scorching, and the mountain breeze carried a slight coolness. Their steps home quickened considerably compared to when they arrived.
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