In the afternoon, Qin Ziwen went to the riverside with Deng Guang's family.
"Are you alone? Where's your neighbor?"
Deng Guang smiled awkwardly.
Xiao Meixue didn't hold back, "Hah, that Liu Changgen, I've said all along you can't get too close with someone like that. That meat might as well have been fed to dogs! You risked your life to get that crocodile meat, gave him two jin of it, and he's still not satisfied. From the way he acted, he might as well have wanted it all! A grown man like him, with hands and feet, acting like some shameless stray dog!"
Qin Ziwen understood now. When Liu Changgen came asking for meat yesterday, he'd already felt somewhat displeased. It was their first meeting, they weren't familiar, and he directly opened his mouth to demand it.
At that time, everyone could sign up without any restrictions.
Old Deng came, so he got forty jin of meat, regardless of how many times he stabbed the crocodile.
But the moment he was willing to step forward at that critical juncture made him worthy of that share.
Qin Ziwen teased, "Brother Deng, you're quite generous. Did you lend him that meat or give it to him?"
Xiao Meixue got angry just thinking about it, "He said he was borrowing it, but I think he just gave it to that Liu guy."
Deng Guang laughed it off, "We're all neighbors, after all."
When they arrived at the riverside, Deng Guang couldn't smile anymore.
Over the past few days, he and Liu Changgen often fished together on a large bluestone by the bank. The top of the bluestone was somewhat wide, able to accommodate two or three people.
But now, the top of the bluestone was completely occupied.
Besides Liu Changgen, there were two other strangers holding fishing rods.
Xiao Meixue sneered, "So this is your so-called good neighbor?"
Deng Guang stared blankly at Liu Changgen's back, smiled self-deprecatingly, and quietly explained, "I didn't come this morning, maybe others came instead."
Xiao Meixue said, "Then go ahead, see if he'll give up the spot for you."
Deng Guang hesitated for a long time, but ultimately didn't go ask.
He turned around and said cheerfully to Qin Ziwen, "Brother Qin, when I was fishing here before, I spotted another good spot. We can go there."
Qin Ziwen nodded, "Either way is fine, as long as we're not easily ambushed by crocodiles."
"Haha, definitely."
Deng Guang carried the bucket and fishing rods, walking dozens of meters along the riverbank before stopping at a small elevated slope.
The south side of the small slope faced the river, with a three to four meter vertical drop to the water surface. For crocodiles to approach, they'd have to circle around from the gentle slopes on either side.
According to area division, this place was considered directly below the residential complex, not too far from the riverbank.
The north side was covered with shrubs and small woods; passing through them would lead to the southeastern wall of the residential complex.
Deng Guang found a long stick and stirred the grass to scare away snakes, "With all the commotion these past few days, there probably aren't any large animals left in there. As long as there are no snakes hiding, we're good."
Qin Ziwen crouched down and grabbed a handful of the soft black soil, "Can we dig up earthworms from this soil?"
Deng Guang smiled confidently, "Yes! The earthworms here aren't just plentiful, they're fat too."
Then he instructed the Qin brothers on how to dig earthworms from the soil. Demonstrating personally, he quickly dug up over twenty plump, large earthworms.
Just as he said, the earthworms here were not only thick but also long.
Deng Wen hit the nail on the head, "Dad, you're not that great at fishing, but you're pretty skilled at digging earthworms!"
Deng Guang's face reddened, "Nonsense! Your dad is good at fishing too. How many people have touched a five-meter-long crocodile?"
Then he muttered something about crocodiles also being fish, which made everyone laugh cheerfully.
Liu Changgen's child was digging earthworms nearby. Hearing the commotion, he spotted Deng Wen at a glance and wanted to come greet her, but then remembered something and awkwardly stopped, lowered his head, turned around, and ran off to Liu Changgen's side, saying who knows what.
Liu Changgen turned his head to look toward Deng Guang's group. Seeing Deng Guang and Qin Ziwen chatting and laughing happily, he snorted coldly and turned back around.
Deng Guang helped Qin Ziwen bait the hook with earthworms and adjusted the float, "You haven't done much fishing before, have you?"
Qin Ziwen thought back. If he had to recall his most memorable fishing experience, it was when he took his younger brother to the park to catch goldfish back in middle school.
Other than that, he hadn't really been involved with fishing as a sport.
Qin Ziwen took the fishing rod, "Not really."
Deng Guang patted Qin Ziwen's shoulder, "No problem, fish with me a few more times and you'll get the hang of it."
Not long after gripping the fishing rod, Qin Ziwen saw the float moving.
Like a chick pecking at rice,
Sinking and rising repeatedly.
He instinctively lifted upward, and resistance came from the other end of the rod.
"Got one."
Deng Guang, who was still waiting patiently for a bite nearby, quickly placed his rod on the support stand, walked behind Qin Ziwen, and stared intently at the water surface.
"Splash~"
The fishing line pulling a silver fish broke through the water surface.
The silver scales shimmered dazzlingly under the sunlight. After being brought ashore, the fish, as long as two palms, was still frantically thrashing its tail.
Deng Guang sighed, "Probably about three liang."
This was just the beginning. Soon, within less than half an hour, Qin Ziwen hooked several more fish in succession.
Qin Ziwen marveled, "Should've come earlier. There are so many fish here."
Deng Guang glanced at his own empty bucket and felt like the sun was particularly noisy today.
Xiao Meixue pointed at the river surface, "There's a crocodile."
A crocodile arrogantly glided across the water surface. Judging by its outline, it was slightly smaller than the one killed at the south gate of the residential complex, but its intimidating presence in the water was no less.
The crocodile patrolled around the water surface once, as if inspecting its territory.
After it swam past, the fish in the water stopped biting. Qin Ziwen didn't catch anything for the rest of the afternoon.
Until evening, when cool breezes drifted along the riverbank.
The water surface rippled with wrinkles.
The fishing rod suddenly jolted violently, and an immense force far greater than before instantly surged from underwater, pulling the rod into a sharp curve!
Qin Ziwen instinctively gripped the rod with both hands.
"It's a big one! Judging by this strength, it's definitely not small!" Deng Guang quickly came over to help, "Slow down, don't rush. Just tire it out. Whatever you do, don't let it dive into the tree roots by the bank."
After nearly ten minutes of stalemate, the fish underwater gradually lost its strength.
The commotion attracted the attention of many fishing enthusiasts along the bank.
Some even came over to watch.
When the big fish underwater was finally pulled up, an old man among the onlookers exclaimed, "Whoa, this carp is almost half a meter long, isn't it?"
Deng Guang helped lift the bucket to catch the fish, full of envy, "Wow, look at the size! Is this the so-called beginner's luck? Catching such a big one on your first try."
After stuffing this fish vertically into the bucket, it was almost full.
"This fish is quite plump, probably over ten jin."
Qin Ziwen grabbed a few small fish from his own bucket and put them into Deng Guang's bucket, then returned the fishing rod to him, "Brother Deng, let's head back."
Deng Guang, who had only caught one palm-sized small carp all afternoon, felt somewhat ashamed.
Qin Ziwen comforted him, "No big deal. Next time I have a dry spell, you can share some with me."
Deng Guang accepted the fish, but absolutely refused to take back the fishing rod, "I have more at home. You keep using this one."
When they returned to the residential complex, an elderly man and woman were sitting at the property management front desk by the south gate, telling everyone they encountered, "Hey! There's a full complex homeowners' meeting tonight at 7 PM. If you have time, it's best to send a representative from each household."
"A homeowners' meeting? Who organized it?"
......