"Not possible, you're such a jerk! Your cooking is so good, and you used to make me do all the cooking?"
Ai Bai picked up some chopsticks nearby, sounding both resentful and amused.
"Damn, I'm grinding the whole week, 9-to-9 every day. Finally got Sunday off, and you want me to relax by fishing with you? What's wrong with that? Besides, I really couldn't cook before, I just learned it today," Xiang Ye defended himself.
"Yeah right, you think I'd believe that?" Ai Bai gave him a skeptical look. Cooking skills just don't come out of nowhere — no matter what anyone says, Ai Bai wasn't buying it.
Xiang Ye shrugged helplessly. He was telling the truth, but if Ai Bai didn't believe him, there was nothing he could do.
Still, Ai Bai was devouring the fish dishes like a tornado. Whether the dry pot or the boiled fish slices, they were just too delicious. The only downside was that the fish had too many bones. After all, no matter how impressive the Grass Carp is, it's still a Grass Carp — lots of bones!
Even though Xiang Ye and Ai Bai ate steadily, they weren't especially fast. After all, a fifteen-Jin fish, after gutting and deboning, left about ten Jin of meat. Without any staple food, that was still a lot of fish — they couldn't finish it all.
But judging from Ai Bai's longing look, he definitely wanted more.
"Enough, you're going to hurt yourself if you keep going. Freeze the rest," Xiang Ye said, rubbing his full belly.
"Alright!" Ai Bai reluctantly agreed, and after cleaning up the leftovers, he took the initiative to wash the dishes. After all, since he ate for free, cleaning up was his duty.
Meanwhile, Xiang Ye stretched out on the couch. Suddenly, his phone vibrated — a message from the WePay fishing group that Huang Kai had added them to. The chat was buzzing because someone had posted a video.
Clicking it open, Xiang Ye realized it was the video of him weighing the fish earlier.
"Whoa, that's amazing! Should we go fish there tomorrow?"
"That must be over a hundred fish, four or five hundred Jin total?"
"The skin on those Common Carp looks good. Where's this spot?"
"Panshan Reservoir in the neighboring city!"
"Panshan Reservoir… Hey, isn't that Xiang Ye? @Xiang Ye, was that you? Did you compete today?"
Before long, Liu Guangqing logged on and immediately recognized Xiang Ye, tagging him.
"Liu Ge, yeah, that's me. Those fish are mine, but don't think I caught all of them — others didn't do so well. The reservoir's about 120-130 acres, with 20,000 Common Carp stocked. It's not easy fishing there," Xiang Ye replied, smiling.
He was just giving a heads-up, but if others wanted to go, he wouldn't stop them.
Compared to reservoirs, Xiang Ye was more interested in fishing at YueJing Lake.
"So, you competed today? How'd it go?" Ai Bai, hearing their conversation through WePay, popped into the chat, curious.
"Not bad — took first place. The trophy and medal are in my room."
"Nice! You actually compete?" Ai Bai wiped his hands and went to check out the trophy and medal. He'd never seen them before.
Xiang Ye smiled, pleased with his day's haul.
"I'm done for the day. Who's going fishing tomorrow? YueJing Lake? Let's go!" Huang Kai enthusiastically invited in the chat.
"Blank Fishing Lake… If Xiang Ye's not going, I'm not either. I'd rather fish at Xiaoye River — at least I can catch some whitebait there," Qi Hongbo chimed in.
Seeing Qi's reply, Xiang Ye typed back an "OK."
He'd been annoyed by farmed fish today; tomorrow, he wanted some wild ones to refresh himself. When Xiang Ye said he was going, a few others who had fished with him signed up.
Of course, some still wanted to try the pay-to-fish ponds, even though Xiang Ye had warned Panshan Reservoir wasn't easy.
"Hey Ai Bai, Huang Kai wants to know if you're coming tomorrow!" Xiang Ye asked after Ai Bai finished washing dishes.
"I'm busy moving these days. After I settle in, I'll fish with you. Otherwise, my wife might kill me," Ai Bai said resignedly.
Once a man has commitments, freedom becomes limited. Xiang Ye could only offer his sincere sympathy.
"Then focus on moving first. We'll go fishing when you're ready," Xiang Ye replied casually, then went back to chatting with Huang Kai.
Today, Xiang Ye gained a new buff and was eager to test it out at YueJing Lake tomorrow.
After Ai Bai finished washing up and Xiang Ye returned to his room, he scrolled through videos and soon fell asleep.
Since starting fishing, Xiang Ye noticed some benefits: at least he was going to bed early and waking up early. Now he was sleeping before 10 PM and getting up around 6 AM — a regimen he hadn't kept since elementary school. It felt surprisingly good.
The night passed quietly.
The next morning, when Xiang Ye woke, Ai Bai was still asleep. After washing up, Xiang Ye headed out alone.
Coincidentally, he ran into the girl from next door — she also went to work at the shop around this time every day.
"So early? Going fishing again?" she asked, curious.
"Yeah, I'm basically a pro now — fishing every day," Xiang Ye joked as they rode the elevator down together.
Today, Xiang Ye skipped buying breakfast on the way and instead planned to eat after arriving at YueJing Lake Park — it was just a short drive away.
This time, he chose not to buy buns but had baked flatbread and tofu pudding.
They barely spoke much, and after eating, Xiang Ye drove toward YueJing Lake Park.
The roads were clear, and at a red light, he instinctively opened his system to check the daily tasks.
Seeing them made him feel uneasy…
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]