newbobooks Chapter 836 - 564: Team Building, New Friends
Chapter 836 - 564: Team Building, New Friends
"Hey big brother, is there any action over there?" Zhang Yang saw the guiding brother coming over and took the initiative to greet him.
The middle-aged brother shook his head: "Not yet, today is the first day here, and I haven’t figured out the fish situation here yet! You guys seem quite professional, your equipment is well-equipped!"
Zhang Yang grinned: "Hehe, all the outdoor equipment belongs to our elder brother. He’s an enthusiast. We just follow him and play around! By the way, we’ve known each other for a while, but I haven’t asked your name yet. May I ask, how should I address you? I’m Zhang Yang!"
"My surname is Ma, full name Ma Ruming, you can just call me Old Ma! Zhang Yang... your name sounds a bit familiar, doesn’t it?"
Old Ma reported his name while frowning slightly in thought, always feeling like he’d heard the name Zhang Yang somewhere before.
"Haha, maybe it’s just a common name! How long are you planning to stay and play here?" Zhang Yang asked with a chuckle, trying to be modest and low-key.
Old Ma took out a pack of cigarettes, offered them around, and answered: "It depends on the fish situation. If the fish are biting well, I might stay for an extra three to five days. My son has gone to college, so I’m all alone now. I have plenty of time on my hands!"
"Alright, let’s team up then. It’ll be good to look out for each other!" Zhang Yang didn’t press on the sensitive topic further but instead changed the subject directly.
Middle-aged men who go out fishing, if not restricted by family, can live quite carefree lives. Zhang Yang didn’t know Old Ma’s personal history, but in any case, they were mere acquaintances. A gentleman’s friendship is as light as water, and speaking deeply when the relationship is shallow often backfires.
Just as Zhang Yang was chatting with Old Ma, he heard Han Qiang calling from not far away: "The rod, the rod is being dragged into the water! Hey, the big brother next to Zhang Yang, your rod is being pulled into the water by a fish!"
Zhang Yang next to Old Ma heard the call, and Old Ma immediately turned back to look at his fishing spot several dozen meters away.
Sure enough, the rod was dragged into the water by a fish. Fortunately, it was tied with a lost lead rope, or else recovering the rod would likely require going into the water.
"Damn! My rod went into the water!" Old Ma exclaimed as he sprinted back.
Soon, Old Ma was back at his fishing spot, grabbing the lost lead rope to pull the rod back from the water. Once the rod was upright, he slowly maneuvered it.
From a distance of dozens of meters, Zhang Yang could tell Old Ma caught something that wasn’t ordinary crucian carp, as the bend in the fishing rod had already reached the lower part of the third section. It likely had some weight to it.
Noticing his difficulty catching fish alone, Zhang Yang grabbed a net and walked over to Old Ma.
"What’s the situation? Is it a big one?" Zhang Yang asked.
"Yeah, it’s got some weight! Shouldn’t be a crucian carp!"
Old Ma lowered his body, carefully controlling the rod. From his technique, it was clear he was absolutely an experienced angler, controlling the fish very steadily.
In early spring, when the fish have just thawed, even if they are large, their strength won’t be too exaggerated. After a few minutes of maneuvering, the fish in the water had been drained of energy and was soon pulled out of the water.
"Hey, not bad luck! In water this cold, a big carp is biting! Just in time to add a dish for tonight!"
Old Ma held the rod with both hands, retreating slowly, soon pulling the fish to the water’s edge. Zhang Yang then easily ended the battle with a net.
This carp was estimated to weigh four to five pounds, wild and male, with a very slender body, displaying a standard streamlined shape. Its scales were silver and shiny, and its tail was a vibrant red, looking very beautiful.
"Tsk tsk, really beautiful! This fish has gone hungry all winter, it’s definitely tasty!" Zhang Yang couldn’t help but exclaim.
"We’ll eat it tonight! Do you have the materials to make fish on your supply truck?"
"I think we do, there’s pickled cabbage and some regular seasonings."
"Then that’s fine. You go ahead, I’ll finish preparing the fish! Tonight, we’ll have pickled fish! In spring, it’s hard to catch black carp and grass carp, but this big carp will do for pickled fish!" Old Ma said confidently.
"Got it!"
Soon, Old Ma changed the bait for the fishing rig and cast it out, squatting by the water to start preparing the fish.
It was Zhang Yang’s first time seeing a fisherman handle fish so deftly, like a magician taking a tool knife from the car, tapping the position on the fish’s head lightly with the back of the knife, and the previously lively carp instantly went still.
Then it got a bit gory, with scaling, gutting, a quick rinse, and within a few minutes, the carp was neatly prepared.
"Nice, Brother Ma, are you a professional chef? Your speed in processing fish is impressive!" Zhang Yang hadn’t gone back, witnessing the entire process of Old Ma handling the fish.
"Something like that, I used to be a chef. Later on, I ran cafeterias and did catering! This whole life has been about dealing with food! Freshly caught fish are clean, see the belly, not a hint of a black membrane!"
"Can’t wait to taste your cooking!"
"No problem, with carp in the nest stirring things up, the chances of catching crucian carp are slim. Let’s solve dinner first; if you don’t mind, I’ll handle dinner!"
"Sounds good!"
The two chatted a bit more and soon reached a consensus.
Among Zhang Yang’s group, only Zhang Yang, Lao Zhao, and Zhou Chu could really cook, while the others combined only had the level of culinary skills to make instant noodles and beat eggs, definitely not up to par.
From Zhang Yang’s perspective, inviting Old Ma to join them for fun and meals was just the matter of adding chopsticks, but Old Ma didn’t see it that way.