Chapter Sixty: A Bountiful Catch at the Reservoir (Support Appreciated!)

After about fifteen minutes of practice, Zhong Di had basically gotten used to the fishing rod in his hands.

The rod was of good quality; as long as the fish weren’t too big, there would hardly be any issues.

“Want to test the waters with my bait?” Qian Weining, seeing that Zhong Di was almost ready, proactively offered some bait. It appeared to be a blended mixture, ground and combined from several things that fish loved.

“I brought some chicken; I’ll just use that,” Zhong Di replied, waving him off and pulling out the free-range chicken he had brought.

He’d already prepared the meat back in the garden, cutting it into small and large pieces for convenience. The larger chunks were in case he managed to hook a big one—if not, no loss.

“If you want, I can use my bait to prime a spot. Compared to your chicken, my bait doesn’t stand a chance; priming is the best I can offer.”

“That won’t be necessary. I have faith in my chicken. Let’s try without priming and see how it goes; if it doesn’t work, then we’ll prime.”

If not for the recent fish stocking, Zhong Di wouldn’t have been so confident. Normally, he’d be more cautious, but now…

“Very reasonable. Let’s begin.” Qian Weining laughed heartily, nearly forgetting the special tool he’d brought that day; if even with that, priming was required, it wouldn’t be much of a ‘special tool’!

Zhong Di hooked a small piece of chicken and casually cast it into the water.

“You didn’t cast the hook in the right spot. Might not get anything there; that spot’s no good,” an old man commented, stroking his chin softly as he walked by. He had been fishing nearby but was drawn over by the commotion.

“Zhong Di, quick! You’ve got a bite—pull, pull!” The old man had barely finished his advice when Zhong Di’s rod suddenly bent sharply. It was clearly a big catch; Qian Weining threw aside his own rod and started shouting excitedly.

For an angler, nothing is more thrilling than hooking a big fish.

With a splash, the excitement was cut short. Zhong Di lost his grip, and the rod flew from his hands into the reservoir.

“Uh, sorry—the fish was really strong, and I wasn’t ready,” Zhong Di said awkwardly, scratching his head. He hadn’t done it on purpose; the fish’s strength had taken him by surprise, and before he could react, the rod was gone.

“No worries, we have plenty of rods. Grab another,” Qian Weining replied, a little disappointed—not because the rod was lost, but because the big fish had escaped.

“Shaohong, let me use yours. If we get a bite, come help me out,” Zhong Di said, grabbing Shaohong’s rod. He baited it with another piece of chicken and cast again. Qian Weining abandoned his own fishing altogether, focusing intently on the float, ready to help at any sign of movement.

Beneath the float, a dark shadow circled, surrounded by many small fish darting back and forth—an intimidating sight.

Suddenly, the shadow grew larger. Zhong Di felt a heavy pull; he knew he had a bite. The float sank below the surface and didn’t reappear.

“Bite! Hurry!” Zhong Di, now prepared thanks to his earlier mistake, tightened his grip and braced himself.

“Let out the line! Quickly!” Qian Weining warned, watching the arc in the rod—any more force and the rod might snap.

Fishing for large fish isn’t just about yanking the rod when you get a bite; you have to balance reeling in and letting out line.

“Let out line? How?” Zhong Di was momentarily confused by Qian Weining’s instructions, but quickly remembered from fishing games he’d played: you have to let out the line, or it might break.

He quickly released more line, and in moments, the fish had pulled out a great deal before slowing. Zhong Di then began to reel in, tightening the line.

The commotion attracted attention. What kind of bait was he using, to hook two big ones in quick succession?

The first had escaped due to a mistake, but it had still bitten.

“Young man, your technique needs work!”

“It’s gonna get off the hook—watch out!”

The onlookers began to offer their advice.

Just as Zhong Di was struggling to hold on, a strange sensation came from the reservoir floor—a thought, clear and direct.

“Pull the hook left. Tighten. Loosen.”

The instructions came in waves, and Zhong Di was startled, glancing around. It didn’t seem to be coming from anyone nearby.

Soon, he realized the voice’s source: the reservoir’s aquatic plants. To his surprise, there were actually sentient plants in the reservoir.

After all, aquatic plants usually have short lifespans, making sentience rare. Zhong Di had clearly underestimated them—every life form has its reason for existing.

Once he understood, he followed the mental instructions, and soon felt the fish’s resistance weakening—the fish was exhausted.

“Zhong Di, pull! It’s coming up!” Qian Weining, breathless from excitement, was almost dizzy from all his shouting. For an angler, this was the ultimate thrill—more stimulating than seeing a beautiful woman.

Zhong Di reeled in the line with all his strength, moving backward as he did. At that moment, another thought from the reservoir floor made him feel as if something was watching him.

“Amazing!” it said.

He felt as though he could see through the surface to the bottom—there, a massive aquatic plant dominated the area, surrounded by shoals of small fish.

“My god, look at the size of that fish!”

“There’s actually a fish that big in our reservoir?”

“Am I the only one noticing this guy’s fishing skill?”

With Zhong Di’s efforts, the fish gradually surfaced, revealing itself to be over a meter long.

What did that mean? If it were from a fish farm, it would be normal to catch a big one, but this was wild—such catches were rare and usually only found in huge lakes.

Sweat was pouring from Zhong Di—he’d used every ounce of his strength, both arms aching. Without the aquatic plant’s help, he’d never have landed the fish.

For the first time, Zhong Di realized fishing was a real workout.

“Hurry, help me get it to the fish truck! Anyone who helps gets two hundred yuan!” Qian Weining cried out, eyes gleaming with excitement before the fish was even fully out of the water.

No one hesitated. Together, they wrangled the meter-long fish into the fish truck.

Afterward, Qian Weining handed two red bills to each of the helpers.