After cleaning the crocodile's internal organs yesterday, aside from the heart, kidneys, and liver being distributed, the remaining organs were basically discarded.
Arriving at the place where the organs were discarded, only some bloodstains remained on the ground. Those bloody pancreas and intestines had all disappeared without a trace.
Though somewhat disappointed, after all, a whole night had passed.
The two families walked several dozen meters downstream along the riverbank. Qin Ziwen said to Deng Guang, "Wait for me a moment, I'll go back to get the fishing rod."
Deng Guang looked at the black bag Qin Ziwen was carrying and said in surprise, "You didn't bring your fishing rod?"
"No, this is a fish trap." Qin Ziwen shook the bag.
Deng Guang's eyes widened as he nervously observed their surroundings and whispered, "You actually have such a treasure!"
Qin Ziwen smiled, "I just remembered it myself."
Deng Guang first urgently warned, "You need to hide it well. If someone spots it, you'll probably be in trouble."
Then he sighed with emotion, "Brother Qin, you really trust me. Don't worry, I, Old Deng, definitely won't leak this information."
Then he instructed his wife and daughter not to reveal that Qin Ziwen had a fish trap.
Xiao Meixue crossed her arms and looked at him with displeasure, "When have I ever had a loose mouth?"
Deng Wen nodded like a chick pecking at rice. After all, she was a high school student of the new era, bombarded with online information.
She might not understand much else, but she knew at least one thing - if the fish trap was with Qin Ziwen, maintaining good relations between their two families meant she might get a chance to share some extra fish meat. If it were with someone else, she could only stare longingly.
"Brother Deng, do you know how to set up a fish trap?"
Deng Guang patted his chest, "Of course I do! My hometown used to be in the countryside. Back then, regulations weren't so strict, and many people set fish traps. Now policies are stricter, and they're not allowed in my hometown. I haven't seen this thing in a long time."
Deng Guang instructed, "This fish trap is different from fishing. Unlike fishing where you can catch something immediately, you need to leave it for a while to get a catch."
As soon as he finished speaking, the other four people looked at him with strange expressions.
Deng Guang felt embarrassed, "The reason I can't catch fish is because of bad luck."
Xiao Meixue sneered, "Hah, at least you didn't say there are fewer fish."
Deng Wen burst out laughing.
In this undeveloped primitive forest river, other things might be scarce, but fish definitely wouldn't be.
Deng Guang snorted proudly, "Fishing might not be my greatest strength, but setting fish traps is absolutely my specialty. Choosing the right location is crucial. If it's a small stream, you place it near water plants or rock piles. If it's a river, you place it by a river bend with gentle currents and abundant water plants, with the opening facing the flow direction."
"Then put some snail meat or frog meat inside. Pig offal that others don't want also works well. Guaranteed to be full of catches the next morning after one night."
Qin Ziwen raised his thumb, "Brother Deng, impressive!"
Deng Wen giggled and quickly played along, "Brother Qin, solid!"
Unexpectedly, after this exchange, Deng Guang and his wife simultaneously turned to look at Deng Wen with puzzled expressions.
Deng Wen flushed with anger and embarrassment, "It's just a meme! Oh, you old folks don't understand!"
Xiao Meixue sneered, "Yes, yes, Mom doesn't understand."
Deng Guang let out a long sigh, shook his head, and said nothing.
Deng Wen pouted, rolled her eyes, then her gaze fell on Qin Ziwu's back.
The group walked to the southeast corner of the residential complex, which was relatively close to the east gate.
"Xiao Wu, go home and get my fishing rod for me. It's on the living room table."
"Got it." Qin Ziwu jogged toward the east gate.
Compared to the bustling south gate, the east gate was much quieter.
Come to think of it, since the residential complex had crossed over, Qin Ziwen had explored quite a bit in the north, south, and even west sides of the complex, but had visited this east gate, which was farthest from home, the least.
Occasionally, they could see neighbors from the complex carrying backpacks and heading deeper into the forest together.
A short while later, Qin Ziwu came running over with the fishing rod.
"Let's go, I still have earthworms from last time in my box."
Deng Guang waved his hand, and the two observed the downstream area for a long time, eventually finding a small backwater eddy.
This type of terrain easily gathered fish.
The backwater eddy had abundant water plants, with gentle surrounding terrain. They needed to be careful not only of crocodiles but also potentially hidden snakes inside.
The two stayed four to five meters away from the water's edge, adjusting their fishing lines to be longer.
The other three squatted nearby, helping to observe the surrounding environment.
A cool breeze blew, and the large trees behind them blocked the sunlight.
Qin Ziwen said, "Fishing is still stable now, but later there will definitely be more and more homemade fishing rods. There might even be skilled people who can make fishing nets. By then, the advantage of fishing won't be so great."
Deng Guang remained silent for a moment, unwilling to think about distant matters, "Whatever, let's fish while we can. As long as I'm here, I can guarantee those two won't go hungry."
Qin Ziwen pulled his fishing rod, "Got one!"
Splash—
Water sprayed up.
A small silvery-white fish was hooked perfectly.
The water surface broke as a larger figure bit the small fish.
"Splash~!"
The tip of the fishing rod bent into an arc.
"Holy crap, what is this!"
Looking at the nearly meter-long huge dark shadow beneath the water surface, Qin Ziwen gripped the fishing rod tightly.
Deng Guang shouted, "Let go quickly, or the rod will break!"
As the words fell, snap!
The fishing line broke, and the fishing rod sprang upward.
Qin Ziwen fell hard on his butt.
Fortunately, there were no rocks behind him.
Holding the fishing rod, Qin Ziwen looked at the empty broken line, heartbroken. He suddenly understood how fishing enthusiasts felt when losing a big fish. "Did you see that? That was definitely a meter-class giant!"
Deng Guang also felt regretful, "I saw it. That thing was fierce, actually eating other fish."
As the words fell, the fishing rod in Deng Guang's hand suddenly tightened, and he quickly lifted it.
"Splash!"
The water surface broke as a large fish emerged, shaking wildly.
Looking at its appearance, it was seventy to eighty percent similar to the big fish from earlier.
Deng Guang froze, instinctively tightening his grip on the fishing rod.
Qin Ziwen said, "Let go quickly, or the fishing rod will break."
Deng Guang's eyes shifted, ultimately gripping the fishing rod tightly and saying through gritted teeth, "My line is thicker. I want to try."
If such a big fish got away, he would sit up in the middle of the night and slap himself awake from his dreams!
And such a huge fish meant food!
A tremendous force came from the water, causing Deng Guang to stagger and nearly fall into the river.
Qin Ziwen quickly grabbed his waist from behind, pulling backward.
Having fished for so many years and frequently watched videos of various fishing masters online, Deng Guang had learned a lot of experience about catching big fish. "Can't use brute force, need to tire it out."
First, he sharply lifted the rod tip to set the hook more firmly, then leveled the fishing rod, letting the reel spin wildly.
Splash splash—
The big fish wanted to escape.
Deng Guang held the fishing rod tightly, letting it make its first powerful run.
After the initial burst of energy passed, he raised the fishing rod again, making the rod tip point upward, using the rod's natural flexibility to absorb the impact.
In the river, the big fish occasionally darted left and right.
Deng Guang's mind raced. Facing such a dream catch, he felt his intelligence at this moment was approaching Einstein's level.
When the fish ran, he let out line; when the fish stopped, he slowly reeled in.
So nervous that sweat beaded on his forehead.
Fighting with a big fish consumed a lot of energy. After a while, Deng Guang felt his waist, legs, and arms getting sore.
Qin Ziwen volunteered, "Let me help you."
Deng Guang hesitated for a moment, then handed him the fishing rod.
"Alright, just do what I was doing. Don't pull hard, just wear down its energy."
Although he'd given the fishing rod to Qin Ziwen, Deng Guang still kept his eyes firmly on the water, ready to take over at any moment.
Half an hour passed.
Below the water surface, the big fish's movements grew weaker.
Deng Guang said, "You can reel in now."
Qin Ziwen began reeling in. As the line was retrieved, a bronze-colored big fish, showing its belly, was dragged back by the fishing line.
Deng Guang wanted to take back the fishing rod, but considering how long Brother Qin had helped tire out the fish, and how excited he seemed right now...
He couldn't bring himself to speak up.
Qin Ziwen noticed Deng Guang's gaze and said with a smile, "Brother Deng, don't worry, the fish is yours. I've just never caught such a big fish before."
As he spoke, the fishing line had almost reached the shore. Seeming to sense something wrong, the big fish on the hook suddenly mustered strength, flicked its tail, and tried to struggle back into the river.
"Thwack!"
Qin Ziwu raised a stick and gave the big fish a hard hit.
The big fish lost all its strength.
After the fish was brought ashore, everyone realized that not only was this fish large, nearly a meter long, but it also had a mouth full of sharp teeth.
(Picture: African Tiger Fish)
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