Back home, Zhou You started shopping for fishing gear. His old setup had been simple because the trunk was too small to hold much. Now he could pack a lot more, so there was no need to skimp on himself.
It was kind of sad, really. When he was a kid, all he needed for fishing was a few earthworms, a rod, and a line. Gradually, it evolved into needing a fish basket, a landing net, all kinds of floats and hooks, and rods of different types—3.6-meter, 5.4-meter, 7.2-meter—made from bamboo, carbon fiber, or even rebar. Then came the fishing chair, cooler box, sun umbrella, rain umbrella. The more hardcore anglers even brought clearing tools like shovels and knives to carve out their own spots.
Bait got even more complicated—different brands, different recipes for catching crucian carp, catfish, or bighead carp. Later, there were remote-controlled boats for chumming and little inflatable rafts to paddle out to deeper waters. It was a tear-jerker—he just wanted to fish simply, but it kept getting more complex. The worst part? Catching nothing, and people saying he had more gear than skill.
At one point, Zhou You got so frustrated he almost rented his own pond, stocked it with fish, let them grow wild, and fished whenever he wanted. But that wasn't realistic—if no one watched a remote pond, the fish would all get poached.
He decided to buy three rods for different waters. Hooks, lines, and sinkers came in sets—nothing too thin, all above 1.0 gauge. Forget the cooler box; it wasn't comfortable to sit on. He'd get a fishing chair instead. As for bait, he'd stock up on a variety for backup.
All that junk added up to a few thousand yuan, but fishing was still one of the cheapest hobbies and a refuge for middle-aged folks. No one escaped the fishing bug once they hit middle age.
Zhou You used to love fishing because it relaxed his mind. He'd just stare at the float, letting his thoughts drift away. Whether he caught anything depended on the resources. Plenty of fish, even a kid could catch them; scarce fish, it came down to luck and skill.
Lake Chao wasn't off-limits to fishing yet, so they planned to go there. He'd been a few times before, and Huang Yu had too—the resources were decent. They'd wake up at 5 a.m., pack some bread, water, and snacks, and head out. People needed to eat, and so did fish—around 6 or 7 a.m., there was usually a feeding window.
They met at the neighborhood gate and drove Zhou You's car. The roads were empty, and they arrived before 6 a.m. Only to find all the good spots already taken. He hadn't realized fishing had gotten so competitive. Seriously, was it worth it? Why not sleep in at home? They were pushing each other—you show up at 6, I'll come at 5; you come at 5, I'll be there at 4. If it got bad, he'd show up at 3 a.m.—just kidding, though. This was supposed to be about relaxation, not a race. It wasn't worth it.
They found a few decent spots, unloaded the gear, and started setting up. Chumming, adjusting the float, tying the line—all that nonsense took nearly half an hour. He remembered as a kid, half an hour by the river was almost enough time to finish fishing. Now, with too many people and too few fish, it lost a lot of the fun.
Later, when video platforms took off, he'd watch foreign fishing videos—resources weren't exactly overflowing, but they were way better than in China. After all that fuss, they finally started fishing.
Zhou You sat in a wide reclining chair—way more comfortable than a small cooler box, at least it didn't dig into his butt. He let his mind relax, watching the float bob gently on the water. According to beginner's luck, this was technically his first time fishing with this setup. He wondered if he'd get any.
While his mind wandered, the float suddenly plunged under. Zhou You grabbed the rod with both hands and yanked hard—it didn't budge. A big fish was pulling the rod underwater. He hugged it tight, stood up, and slowly backed away, yelling for Huang Yu to get the landing net. The fish's strength underwater could drag an unprepared person in. This one felt like at least 5 jin or more. Looked like the heavens were being kind, giving him a beginner's bonus.
After about ten minutes of playing the fish, he slowly guided it to the shore and netted it—a golden-yellow carp. "Take a picture, take a picture! Huang Yu, use my phone to snap one. I want this as a souvenir—a great start!" Zhou You didn't mind the fish being dirty; he held it with both hands and posed.
Whether the big fish had stirred up the spot or his beginner's luck had run out, he waited a long time without seeing the float move again. Only after re-chumming a few times did he get sporadic bites, but they were just crucian carp. Huang Yu, fishing all day, only caught a few scattered crucian carp too. Was it a skill issue or a resource problem? Looking around, the other anglers were in the same boat. This area probably had fewer fish; they'd need to find a new spot next time. The water surface was too wide, with no backflow, making the fish activity unstable.
Still, a day of fishing smoothed out his recent restlessness, leaving him feeling relaxed again. Money should be earned slowly, life lived at its own pace, and goals weren't achieved overnight. He'd adopt an attitude of "if I get it, it's my luck; if I don't, it's my fate." Not everything in the world could be bought with money.
They drove home, having told Wang Fangfang and the others earlier that they'd eat fish for dinner. On the way, chatting revealed that Huang Yu and Li Jingjing were from the same hometown, knew each other since childhood, and ended up in the same city as adults, slowly becoming a couple. "What's Jingjing doing now?" "She's a teacher at a school. She did well academically, so she went into teaching—now she's a PE teacher at a middle school, teaching swimming." "That's nice. You two being together is pretty stable."
Huang Yu worked in sales, mostly within the province since their brand wasn't strong enough for wider reach. His love for fishing often got him criticized for lacking ambition. Zhou You didn't feel right commenting. In recent years, housing prices hadn't skyrocketed, so they could still afford a place with some effort. But once prices rose, they'd have to work themselves to the bone. For them, marrying and buying a house early had its advantages. Some of their classmates had done just that right after graduation, saving themselves a lot of trouble. One guy finished his PhD and found he couldn't afford a house anymore.
Back home, since Zhou You was there, Li Jingjing held back from complaining about Huang Yu. He had to admit, their cooking skills were impressive—in just half an hour, they whipped up a table of dishes that looked and smelled amazing. Zhou You didn't hold back: "Everyone knows this fish is good—it's wild-caught." His first fish of the day—how could he not eat it?