42: Chapter 42 He's my nemesis!

Chen Sheng looked around, put his arm around Old Yu's shoulder, and whispered in his ear, "To stop me from fishing, the boss just called me over to refund the fishing fee I paid earlier."

"Damn, just a refund? That's way too easy on him." Old Yu grumbled, disappointed. "Didn't you think about asking for some compensation?"

"How do you know I didn't?" Chen Sheng held up a finger. "He gave me this much."

"A thousand?" Old Yu asked tentatively.

"You're thinking too small."

"Holy crap! You've got some serious luck." Old Yu wanted to slap himself again for being so talkative.

"Damn! You have to treat me. A proper restaurant, too." Old Yu waved him away impatiently. "Scram, scram, scram. I don't want to see you again today. No... I don't want to see you for a long time."

"You're not planning to fleece me anymore?" Chen Sheng laughed.

"Wait until I've recovered. Don't talk to me right now; I want some peace and quiet."

"Alright then! Enjoy your peace and quiet." Chen Sheng glanced at the camping trailer next to Old Yu and prompted, "Shouldn't someone be giving me the spoils of war now?"

"Holy crap! You're a total beast! You've made so much today, and you're still eyeing my 'wife'? Do you have any humanity left?!" Old Yu completely lost it, cursing up a storm without repeating himself once.

Chen Sheng wasn't annoyed, though. He said sarcastically:

"A gentleman keeps his word!"

"A real man!"

"Accept your defeat!"

Old Yu's eyes darted around before he looked Chen Sheng straight in the eye, saying firmly, "Our bet was that you'd fill three nets today. In the end, you only filled two. Clearly, you're the one who lost."

"What 'fill three nets'? I clearly said 'borrow a net.' When did I ever say 'fill three nets'?" Whether it was true or not, this was his final answer.

"Bullshit 'borrow a net.' You clearly said 'fill three nets' earlier."

Well, Old Yu thought the same thing.

Regardless of what was said before, what he claimed now was his final answer.

"Going back on your word, are we?"

"You're the one going back on your word!" Old Yu raised an eyebrow. "What, you already fleeced the boss and now you won't honor our bet?"

"Is this about fleecing the boss? This is about what we agreed on!"

"Exactly! It's about what we agreed on, but you're the one changing the story!"

"Stop!" Chen Sheng waved him off. "Fine, you're amazing. I can't win against you. Let's both take a step back. Forget the bet, and I'll treat you to a big meal another day."

"What do you mean you 'can't win'? I'm just standing on the side of truth." Old Yu then waved his hand magnanimously. "Forget it! Because I'm so generous, I won't hold the bet against you. But you definitely can't forget about the meal."

"Call me when you're ready to see me."

Ignoring the intermittently erratic Old Yu, Chen Sheng went back to his fishing spot to pack his gear. He returned the borrowed net to Old Yu, left all the cigarettes in his pocket for him, and then carried the trash to the parking lot.

"I'm really leaving now."

"Just go already. Drive slowly on the way back."

Old Yu wouldn't admit he was worried about Chen Sheng. He just felt that since Chen Sheng had come out fishing with him, he had an obligation to make sure he got back in one piece.

Watching Chen Sheng leave, Old Yu immediately grinned slyly. He quickly loaded all his fishing gear onto the trailer and moved it all to Fishing Spot No. 23 where Chen Sheng had been.

Then he took out all his basins. Aside from one for making groundbait, he used the rest to prepare various fishing baits.

Each bait had a different ratio. He figured that no matter how picky the fish in the reservoir were, one of the baits was bound to work.

While waiting for the bait to ferment, Old Yu took out two more rods from his trailer. Combined with the one he already had, he planned to use three at once.

He would fish the upper, middle, and bottom layers of the water. His motto: I want it all.

Then he scooped several spoonfuls of his secret loose groundbait from a gunny sack...

Tsk tsk!

Mine, mine, it's all mine!

At this thought, Old Yu's grin stretched from ear to ear.

Soon, the bait and rods were ready. Old Yu sat on his fishing box, staring intently at the floats on the water. He couldn't wait for a "Big Black Float" to appear.

He waited and waited, hoped and hoped, throwing spoonfuls of groundbait into the water as if they were free. He watched from 5:30 until 6:30, feeling like he was turning into a stone statue.

Finally...

The long-awaited "Big Black Float" finally appeared.

He struck the rod. The familiar sound of the line cutting through the water was like a beautiful symphony reaching the depths of his soul. His stiff face instantly broke into a brilliant smile.

Using everything he had learned in his life, Old Yu constantly switched between various fish-playing techniques. Soon, a 9.4-pound Silver Carp was netted and brought ashore.

Looking at the Silver Carp struggling in the net, Old Yu's face was wrinkled with laughter.

"I knew it! How could my fishing skills be worse than Old Chen's? It was just that bastard jinxing me today."

Just then, another Big Black Float appeared. Old Yu quickly threw the fish into his net, lifted the rod with one hand, and the sound of the line cutting through the water rang out again.

This scene only further convinced him of the theory that "Old Chen jinxes me."

Otherwise, why was it that when he was around, Old Yu only caught small Hemiculters or Topmouth Culters, but as soon as he left, Silver Carp came one after another? It was practically a non-stop catch.

However, happy times are always brief.

While Old Yu was immersed in the joy of playing the fish, dark clouds quietly covered the last rays of the setting sun. The clouds gathered more and more until...

Patter, patter...

A light drizzle began to fall from the sky.

"Holy crap!" As raindrops hit his face, Old Yu couldn't help but curse.

Rain itself wasn't scary to a Fellow Angler. What was scary was that rain would lead to insufficient oxygen in the water, which meant the fish wouldn't bite. That was the real issue.

Sure enough, the Big Black Floats that had been appearing constantly quickly became less frequent once the rain started.

Half an hour later, Old Yu looked at his motionless float again. Standing under his umbrella, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He looked up at the completely dark sky and the scattered lights around the reservoir—other kindred spirits who, like him, were still persevering.

"Phew—" Old Yu exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, pulled out his phone, and dialed Chen Sheng directly.

"Old Yu?"

"Old Chen! You deserve to die! You were born to jinx me, weren't you? If I ever go fishing with you again, I'm a dog!" They say you either die in silence or explode in silence; Old Yu chose the latter.

Beep, beep—

Looking at the suddenly disconnected call, Chen Sheng shrugged helplessly. Beside him, An Xiaonuan laughed without any restraint. "Haha! You're really something. You've taken all the 'bamboo shoots' off the mountain!"

...