Early morning of the second day.
The air in the mountains carried a slightly cool dampness.
Everyone gathered in the courtyard of the Mushroom House, faces still bleary with sleep.
The program crew had already neatly arranged today's "combat equipnt" on the table.
Brand new fishing rods, boxes containing bait, and several plastic buckets.
Huang Yulei picked up a fishing rod, checking the reel while starting to hype up the atmosphere. "Let tell you, the reservoir behind our mountain is seriously weird."
He lowered his voice, making it all mysterious.
"The fish in there have practically beco spirits, extrely intelligent, only choosing those who are fated."
He Jiongjiong added with a laugh from the side, "So, whether we eat today depends entirely on how deep your connection with the fish is."
Peng Yanchang and Zhang Zilan, the two youngest, imdiately felt a huge survival crisis.
"Teacher Huang, which one has a greater 'fate' connection, earthworms or this comrcial bait?" Peng Yanchang asked with a serious face.
Zhang Zilan, anwhile, leaned close to the box of still-wriggling earthworms, craning her neck, her face filled with tension and curiosity.
Luo Yu did not participate in their discussion.
He had already taken out his phone and opened a complex-looking fishing app.
Watching the data flashing on the screen, he looked up to observe the clouds on the horizon and the direction the wind was rustling the leaves, muttering to himself.
"Air pressure is low today, southeast wind, water is turbid. Theoretically, the fish's desire to bite shouldn't be strong."
He pushed up his glasses, starting to use scientific thodology to try and crack the taphysics of "fate."
Jiang Ci was the complete opposite of everyone else.
Taking his set of fishing gear, his first reaction was to heft it to gauge its weight.
Hmm, not bad, not too heavy, convenient for carrying later.
His gaze swept over the group, finally landing on Su Qingying.
The Best Actress stood rooted to the spot, motionless.
She stared at the comrcial bait in front of her, unsure how to proceed.
He Jiongjiong noticed her predicant and quickly walked over.
"Qingying, it's okay, let help you with this."
In the end, under He Jiongjiong's hands-on guidance, she managed to get the bait onto the hook.
The group set off in a grand procession towards the Back Mountain Reservoir.
The reservoir scenery was beautiful, with a wide expanse of water.
But no one was in the mood to appreciate the view.
Luo Yu took the lead, holding his phone, pacing back and forth along the reservoir edge, finally selecting a spot he deed to have the "best feng shui."
"Based on water flow and sunlight analysis, this is a backwater area, a feeding ground favored by large fish."
He explained his scientific reasoning to the following cara with a straight face.
Peng Yanchang and Zhang Zilan also chose their spots, the two of them nervously discussing whether to use fishy-slling bait or sweet-scented bait.
Su Qingying chose a clean stone platform far away from everyone else.
She casually tossed the baited line into the water, then simply set the fishing rod aside.
Jiang Ci was the last to act.
His goal was clear: find the tree with the largest shaded area.
He found it quickly.
A huge camphor tree, its dense canopy casting a large patch of shadow on the ground.
Perfect.
He simply propped the fishing rod on the bank with a rock, tossed the line into the water without even looking, then pulled down the straw hat on his head, covering his entire face. He leaned his body against the tree trunk, adjusting into a comfortable position.
Everything was ready, all that was needed was the east wind.
This ti he didn't activate the deep sleep skill, just wanted to go with the flow.
Just before completely losing consciousness, the last thought in Jiang Ci's mind remained.
*This* is the life to aspire to.
Getting paid, having als provided, and even getting exposure for the movie.
Ti passed minute by minute.
The entire reservoir was so quiet you could only hear the wind and the occasional bird call.
An hour passed.
On the water's surface, everyone's bobbers were as motionless as the legendary stabilizing needle in the sea.
Luo Yu's expression began to turn grave.
His scientific theory seed useless in the face of "fate."
"It shouldn't be like this," he muttered to himself, reeling in his line and moving to a second "golden fishing spot" he had analyzed.
Peng Yanchang and Zhang Zilan had already tried five different bait combinations, switching from earthworms to corn kernels, and from corn kernels to comrcial bait.
But the fish simply refused to cooperate.
"Bro, what do we do? Are we really going to have to eat wild vegetables for lunch?" Zhang Zilan asked anxiously.
Huang Yulei also began to get restless. He joked, trying to ease the tense atmosphere, "It's fine, later we can gather so stones. I'll make you a pot of stone soup, guaranteed to fill you up!"
Just as everyone was about to give up hope and start seriously discussing which type of wild vegetable would be most filling for lunch, a sudden change occurred.
"Whirrrr—"
A sharp, urgent sound tore through the reservoir's tranquility.
It was the sound of a fishing reel spinning wildly!
Following the sound, they looked.
There, in the corner, the fishing rod Su Qingying had forgotten by the stone was now bent at the tip into an exaggerated arc!
Su Qingying was startled by this sudden turn of events, letting out a short, sharp gasp.
She even instinctively took a step back.
"Fish! Fish on!" Huang Yulei was the first to react, shouting excitedly.
"Qingying! Pull! Reel it in!" He Jiongjiong also began remote voice commands.
Amid the urging, Su Qingying snapped out of her daze and grabbed the violently shaking rod.
A trendous force transmitted from underwater, almost dragging her entire body into the water.
She had no technique whatsoever, and couldn't care less about posture.
Only one thought filled her mind: can't let it get away.
She gripped the rod with all her might, using every ounce of strength in her body to wrestle with the behemoth below the surface.
Luo Yu, Peng Yanchang, and Zhang Zilan all dropped their own rods and rushed over, forming a circle, watching the man-versus-fish showdown with bated breath.
"Steady, steady!"
"Don't let the line snap!"
"Take it slow, tire it out!"
To Su Qingying, everyone's voice commands beca background noise.
After a period of tug-of-war, a huge silvery-white figure was finally dragged out of the water by sheer force!
"Splash—"
Water sprayed everywhere.
A huge, lively grass carp!
Su Qingying didn't stop. She continued backing up, dragging the big fish directly onto the muddy ground of the bank.
The fish flopped desperately on the ground, its tail slapping the earth.
Panting heavily, Su Qingying let go, looking at the massive trophy before her.
Her face showed shock, bewildernt, and a hint of delight.
Everyone crowded around, exclaiming in amazent.
"Oh my god! This is huge!"
"Sister Qingying is aweso!"
Luo Yu looked at the grass carp that weighed at least five pounds,
then looked down at the dense notes of "scientific analysis" in his notebook,
falling into a long silence.
Peng Yanchang and Zhang Zilan, however, cheered and jumped for joy.
"We have food! We have fish to eat!"
The huge cheers finally reached Jiang Ci's ears.
He was woken up.
Pushing the straw hat aside with sleepy eyes, he sat up.
He looked at the crowd gathered not far away and the big fish still struggling on the ground.
He stood up, stretched lazily, and slowly walked over.
He looked at Su Qingying, her face filled with excitent and a sense of accomplishnt, still smudged with a few flecks of mud.
"Teacher Su, pretty good luck."
He paused, delivering his final appraisal.
"This fish is plump enough. We can make Sour Fish for lunch."
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