The journey up the mountain was silent, and Chen Yang's brow remained furrowed.
No fish in the reservoir?
This mountain reservoir was huge. It was hard for him to imagine how much damage the people from Zhujia Village must have done to completely empty the reservoir of fish.
But he knew the reputation of Zhujia Village well. Not every village was as peaceful as Chenjia Village or Wangjia Village.
Even in Chenjia Village, there were always a few bad apples. But that was normal.
Zhujia Village, on the other hand, wasn't normal.
He had seen the news recently about Big Brother Dà Yī being kicked out of his house by villagers, and honestly, he wasn't surprised.
Because Zhujia Village had always been like that.
When he was a child, he had heard countless stories about the village. One time, two households fought over their sheep. One man killed the other's sheep with a shovel, and when the other came to confront him, they ended up fighting.
There were many such petty squabbles in the village, all escalating into huge conflicts.
"I'll try fishing in the reservoir first. If there's no fish, then we'll head to Girl's Lake," Chen Yang said.
"Uncle Zhu said there are no fish in the reservoir. I don't think he's lying," said someone.
"Master Chen, why don't we just go to Girl's Lake? I've been wanting to see it."
"Yeah, let's go to Girl's Lake. It's fine if we don't catch any fish, we can at least enjoy the scenery," another added.
Chen Yang smiled. "The reservoir's view is also quite nice. Besides, the reservoir and Girl's Lake are only a few kilometers apart. If I don't catch anything here, I can quickly run over to the lake."
Seeing Chen Yang so determined, no one argued.
They trekked through the wild paths and finally arrived at the reservoir.
This reservoir was massive, nestled in the mountains.
Surrounding it were thick weeds, wild trees, and thorny bushes, but there were also several areas that had been cleared.
"Look, these spots have all been cleared," Chen Yang pointed out.
"These weren't cleared by the villagers—they don't have time for that," someone remarked.
"Those are areas cleared by fishermen," Chen Yang explained.
The sight of the vast, deep-blue water brought a smile to his face.
"Fishermen cleared it?"
"Are they that bored? Why clear all this for no reason?"
"You don't understand. You have no idea what it's like to love fishing."
"Clearing fishing spots is nothing. When I go fishing, I wear half a wetsuit and wade into the water."
"Since I started fishing, I wake up at four in the morning. I don't even care what I eat. All I think about is what the fish like to eat. When I see a little creek, I wonder, 'Could there be fish there?'"
"I've finally found a kindred spirit! Ever since I started fishing, I don't care about rtrips anymore. I've stopped shopping. I've even quit playing mahjong. I don't even want to pay my grain tax anymore. All I think about is fish."
"Stop it. Ever since I started fishing, I've only gone out half the month, and I'm mostly catching air. On the rare occasion I catch a few fish, my wife scolds me. Honestly, I don't even like eating fish. I just love the process of fishing."
"Sigh, it's so sad. Ever since I got into fishing… I haven't bought new clothes for a year. All my money went into fishing gear. Damn, I haven't caught many fish, but at least my equipment is top-notch. I've spent at least 7,000-8,000 yuan on it."
"Fishing is this expensive?"
"Wait, are you serious or just joking?"
"Who has the time to joke? Fishing is the most addictive sport. Didn't you know?"
Chen Yang chuckled. "Us fishing enthusiasts have an old saying: 'Spending your whole life on pole fishing, ruining three generations on lure fishing.'"
"Those who've never fished won't understand this kind of joy."
"In fact, fishing is a lot like digging for bamboo shoots, especially winter bamboo shoots."
"When you start digging for bamboo shoots, you're full of confidence. But after half a day of digging, you finally strike something. You pull up a bunch of fresh shoots, and the feeling you get—it's like a roller coaster ride. It's like you're at a dead end, but then suddenly you see light at the end of the tunnel. It's incredibly satisfying."
"Fishing is similar. When the fish bites and the float goes down—that moment feels like your whole life is complete."
The viewers, however, were still a bit confused.
"Can fishing really be more fun than video games?"
"I don't believe it."
"My dad goes fishing every weekend. He leaves early in the morning and comes back just before dark, reeking of fish."
"My dad's the same. He's been fishing every weekend. Mom's threatening to divorce him, but she can't stop him."
"Same world, same dad."
"Youngsters, whatever you do, don't get into this. Once you fall into the fishing trap, it's impossible to get out."
"Fishing is one of those things where if you don't catch anything, you still want to try again. If you do catch something, you'll want to fish even more."
Some of the veterans gave their advice.
Chen Yang stood at the water's edge, scanning the area for the best fishing spot.
"When you go fishing, the first thing you have to do is find a good spot."
"An old saying goes: 'Spring fish the shallows, summer fish the pools, autumn fish the shade, winter fish the sun.'"
"Generally speaking, that's right, but it depends on the situation. The best spots are usually the areas where water flows back into the main reservoir—those are places where fish tend to gather. If you don't know about water flow areas, you can look it up online."
"Then you have to consider water depth. In spring, fish are found in shallow waters because the temperature is higher there. But now, it's already afternoon, so I'll fish in the deeper water."
"And deep water usually holds bigger fish."
"Alright, I've found my spot. It's right over there."
Chen Yang pointed to a bend in the reservoir.
He ran over, tied the fishing line to the bamboo pole, and, without a float, simply attached a blade of grass.
"Fishing involves a lot of steps, but one of the most important is setting the depth of the float."
"And you also need to figure out what kind of fish you want to catch."
"If you're going for crucian carp or carp, you fish the bottom. If you're fishing for bream or grass carp, you fish the float."
After setting everything up, Chen Yang cast his line. He didn't bother with baiting the area first.
"I've watched over twenty days of Master Chen's livestreams, but I never said much. Today, since we're fishing, I'll finally speak up."
"I always thought Master Chen was just fishing for fun, but from the way he talks, it's clear he's an experienced angler."
"Even though he's young, he seems to know a lot. What exactly has Master Chen been doing all day?"
"Yeah, did you fail all your university exams or what? Stop messing around with all these weird things."
The viewers were baffled, as Chen Yang had displayed expert-level knowledge even in fishing.
He seemed to know everything off the top of his head.
"Hold on, don't jump to conclusions. Today is just theory. Whether or not Master Chen is an experienced fisherman will depend on the catch."
"Wild fishing is tough. Honestly, nine out of ten times, you come home empty-handed. Plus, Uncle Zhu already said the reservoir has no fish."
Meanwhile, Chen Yang was focused on his fishing, staring intently at the blade of grass floating in the water.
He was using earthworms as bait, the universal bait that could attract almost any fish.
But at that moment, he had a sinking feeling—the reservoir really might not have any fish left.
...
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]