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After finishing the Xiao Long Bao, Shi Tian moved a chair to sit at the door, watching as the neighboring Gold Shop displayed their goods. He glanced at the back of his landlord, Uncle Zhang, and suddenly felt an urge to drag him into the fray!
If Shui Bi Zhang could pull his boss into the water for fishing, why couldn't he do the same with Uncle Zhang for selling fishing gear? However, there was no rush; first, he needed to hire an employee. With staff on board, he would truly be liberated! Otherwise, everything he did felt constrained and troublesome.
In recent days, the fishing conditions across the street had been quite good, attracting many anglers. Before opening his shop, a few people were already squatting over there.
Chang Guadi hadn't shown up today. It seemed that things weren't as easy and carefree for him as he had claimed; otherwise, he would have been over by now.
On the other hand, Shui Bi Zhang had brought his boss along again. At this rate of fishing, Shi Tian doubted whether Shui Bi Zhang's company could last until the end of the year—having employees dragging their boss into idleness was a recipe for disaster!
After finishing their tasks, without Shi Tian needing to entice him, Uncle Zhang approached Shi Tian's door. He offered a cigarette and took a puff before looking at the group across the street and asking, "Do you think those people can catch any fish?"
With Uncle Zhang coming to him like this, Shi Tian naturally wouldn't hold back. If they couldn't catch anything, they wouldn't be squatting there suffering! Picking up a couple of shells from the beach and hanging them on a hook to cast down patiently could yield a big fish after waiting half a day—this was a guaranteed profit!
Just two days ago, that Hei Pangzi caught a sea fish weighing over ten pounds; that one fish could sell for nearly a thousand yuan! Adding in other catches, he must have made over a thousand yuan that day!
Hearing this from Shi Tian, Uncle Zhang turned to him with disbelief: "Is it really that profitable?"
Seeing Uncle Zhang intrigued, Shi Tian chuckled and replied, "Fishing depends on luck and skill. Sometimes you can sit all day without even catching a scale. Other times, you drop your line and hook a big one right away. Anyway, it's not like there's any investment involved; you can't really lose money!"
"I'm tied down by this shop and can't leave; otherwise, I would have gone fishing long ago. Just a few days ago at South Beach, I caught a Longfin Grouper weighing over thirty pounds—one fish sold for more than five thousand!"
When it came to skill, Shi Tian had none; his catches were purely due to luck. He hadn't expected his luck to be so good; perhaps it was because he was still within his Beginner Protection Period, having landed several big fish in succession!
"Hey! Someone's got a bite over there! That looks like a decent size!" Before Shi Tian could finish his sentence, Uncle Zhang pointed across the street and shouted. It was only then that Shi Tian noticed Shui Bi Zhang's boss's rod bent into a perfect arc as he engaged in a tug-of-war with an unseen large fish!
Watching others catch fish made Shi Tian itch even more.
"Uncle Zhang, how about you watch my shop for a bit? I'll take two casts over there; if I hook something, I'll treat you to drinks!"
Shi Tian had been cooking in the shop every day lately; the aroma wafted down the street—surely Uncle Zhang had caught wind of it! Unfortunately, Uncle Zhang wasn't particularly sensitive to good food and remained unmoved by Shi Tian's offer.
"You stay here and watch your shop! I'll take a quick look across the street; I'll snap some photos for you so you can enjoy them later!" Giving Shi Tian's shoulder a pat, Uncle Zhang strolled leisurely across the street with his characteristic gait.
He moved quickly and returned just as fast! In no time at all—barely five minutes passed.
As he watched the big fish struggle, excitement filled the air, only to be replaced by disappointment as it slipped away! The fish was undoubtedly substantial; from across the road, Shi Tian could tell by the bend in the rod that it must weigh over ten pounds, perhaps even more. Unfortunately, such a large catch had vanished before he could even catch a glimpse, leaving the angler frustrated.
However, nearby, Fishing Buddy and Shi Tian, who was sitting at the entrance of a shop enjoying the spectacle, couldn't help but feel a sense of amusement. The fish had escaped, but there was always a chance it might bite again later. It seemed imperative to cast a few lines after closing time that evening!
Shi Tian wondered if this was a common trait among fishermen—seeing someone else reel in a big fish made them wish for nothing less than broken lines or snapped rods for their fellow anglers. It was as if that fish had ultimately ended up in their own Yu Hu!
Though Shi Tian recognized this mindset was unproductive, he couldn't suppress a flicker of hope deep down inside him.
Uncle Zhang returned, and Shui Bi Zhang accompanied him. The line had snapped, but fishing must go on! With such a large fish having escaped, it was likely to be on his mind for months to come.
"Boss, I need a new line!" Shui Bi Zhang exclaimed as he stepped inside.
His Fish Hook had been given to him by Shui Bi Zhang, while Shi Tian had gifted him a Line Setup. Yesterday, Shui Bi Zhang had come over feeling regretful that he hadn't been able to snag a Line Setup when Shi Tian opened his business. After spending three Ten Dollars on Live Shrimp, Shi Tian generously gifted him a set of Hooks.
Shui Bi Zhang's Rod still had the Hooks that Shi Tian had previously given him. Since he didn't need that set anymore, he planned to use it to reimburse his boss for the Live Shrimp purchase. Now that the fish had escaped and the main line was fine but the leader line was broken, frustration bubbled up.
"Are you sure about the line? Can your Rod handle it?" Although Shi Tian questioned him verbally, he still retrieved a spool of line from behind the counter and handed it over.
Even the smallest mosquito is still meat; a spool of line cost Ten Dollars—every bit counted. Shi Tian didn't want to ruin this deal by speaking out of turn.
The Rod would be fine; it was branded gear! "Let’s get an Abo and some Hooks too! What about the leader line? Is this Hook reliable?"
After losing one fish, the boss seemed ready to play hardball; however, this felt excessive! Was he trying to catch Tuna?
"You can rest assured about the Hook; it's definitely reliable! Do you need me to tie it for you?"
In fact, his shop didn’t have pre-made Finished Line Sets; he wasn't out at sea fishing for Tuna. Regular Freshwater Fishing and shore fishing didn’t require such setups; he needed to tie them himself.
"No need; just give me the stuff. I can tie it myself!"
While Shui Bi Zhang’s boss exchanged Line Setups at the counter, Shui Bi Zhang busily scooped up Live Shrimp. Judging by their demeanor, it seemed they weren’t planning on leaving anytime soon!
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