Chapter 81 - 82: Having a Master at the Fishing Spot is Not Bad Either

Chapter 81: Chapter 82: Having a Master at the Fishing Spot is Not Bad Either

"Brother Wang, what do you think of the custom rods I ordered?"

After exchanging a few jokes with the anglers, Chen Yuan made his way over to Wang Heng and lit a cigarette before asking.

He didn’t know much about fishing rods himself, and since the rods were meant for the anglers anyway, it only made sense to get some customer feedback — and Wang Heng was the perfect person to ask.

Input from a seasoned pro carried a lot of weight.

"Pretty good~"

Wang Heng’s answer was short and sweet.

Chen Yuan blinked. Compared to Heavy Chummer’s already brief responses, this was on a whole different level of sparse.

"Come on, Brother Wang, give me a little more than that~"

Chen Yuan plopped himself down on the concrete beside Wang Heng. The last sliver of the sun was nearly gone by now, so the ground had cooled off enough to sit on comfortably.

"Well, if you want to talk about how to tell a good rod from a bad one, I’ve got plenty to say."

Wang Heng glanced over at Chen Yuan, lit his cigarette, and began at a leisurely pace. "Color doesn’t matter — that’s personal preference, just pick whatever you like."

"Then there’s the shape of the handle and how it feels in your grip. A good rod can last you years of fishing, so if it’s uncomfortable to hold, that’s a dealbreaker right there."

Chen Yuan nodded along, listening carefully.

Nearby, a few other anglers had perked up their ears to catch what the expert had to say.

Every angler eventually needs to buy a rod, and most of them have a hard time telling a good one from a bad one — it’s not like they made the thing themselves, so you really have to know your stuff.

Pick up a few tips now, and next time you’d know exactly what to look for.

"Next is weight and balance. The weight of a rod determines how comfortable it is to cast. A heavy rod is hard to work with — difficult to cast, difficult to lift, and it demands a lot of technique. Take a 6.3-meter rod, for example: you generally want to keep it under 200 grams. Beginners should stay away from heavy rods."

Wang Heng used the 6.3-meter rod as his example, then pointed at the rod in front of him.

"I figured since you had this super rod custom-made with the Fish King in mind, it would have to weigh more. But it really doesn’t — it’s surprisingly light, and it handles great."

Chen Yuan didn’t fully understand all the technicalities, but "handles great" came through loud and clear. A smile crept onto his face.

As long as the customers were happy, that was good enough.

"Balance point matters even more. When you’re buying a rod, always extend it fully and rest it on your index finger to find where it balances. For a 3.6-meter rod, the balance point shouldn’t be past one-fifth of the length; for a 4.5-meter, no more than two-ninths; for a 5.4-meter, no more than one-quarter — and so on. Of course, different rods balance differently. A carp rod is harder to control than a crucian rod, so it really depends on what you’re fishing for."

Wang Heng was mid-sentence when his float suddenly dipped under. He lifted the rod in one smooth motion and pulled up a big slab crucian. Chen Yuan grabbed the landing net and moved to scoop it.

"No need."

Wang Heng swung the fish up effortlessly, slipped the hook out, and tossed the crucian back into the pond.

Chen Yuan didn’t say anything.

Too many pleasantries would just start sounding hollow.

"Then there’s the action."

Wang Heng baited the hook and cast again, picking right back up where he’d left off.

"Go for a hollow tip whenever you can — it keeps the rod from feeling top-heavy. The action has to taper gradually from section to section. The worst thing you can have is a dead-soft first section and a dead-stiff second — that kind of rod will snap right at the second section every time."

That part went a bit over Chen Yuan’s head.

The anglers nearby, on the other hand, were completely hooked.

A crowd of them gathered around to ask Wang Heng more about rod action.

"Test each section separately. For the first section, hold both ends and bend it slowly and evenly — feel the resistance. Then let the tip go and watch it spring back straight — feel the rebound, and check whether it holds its shape. For the second section, lay it across your four fingers and press down with your thumb..."

Wang Heng held nothing back, sharing everything he knew about rods without a moment’s hesitation.

Plug stops, tapered collars at the top of each joint, tapered collars at the bottom, inner wall stops — Chen Yuan was completely lost, but the anglers were eating it up.

As more and more of them crowded in to listen, Chen Yuan quietly slipped away.

"Having a master at the fishing ground — that’s actually not a bad thing."

Chen Yuan stepped back and watched Wang Heng, now surrounded by a ring of eager anglers, a thoughtful look on his face.

If the fishing ground could offer some kind of instructional sessions — like having an expert like Wang Heng on hand as a resident pro — he wondered if that would draw more anglers in.

But that wasn’t something you could just make happen on a whim.

For a professional angler like Wang Heng, fishing technique was his livelihood. Convincing a master to teach his trade wasn’t going to be easy.

"How is one fishing rod this complicated? Back when we used to fish, we didn’t even have three-section rods — a bamboo pole was all you needed."

Chen Dequan clicked his tongue from nearby.

Times really had changed across the board. Fishing wasn’t what it used to be. Back in the day, a goose feather pulled from a wing was all you needed for a float — now look at them, each one sleek and pretty.

Glow-in-the-dark floats that actually light up, and when a fish touches the line, they flash red to alert you.

Fancy wasn’t even the word for it.

"Uncle Chen, come here a sec."

Chen Yuan waved Chen Dequan over and walked to where the light switch was.

"From now on, if I’m not around for the evening session, just keep an eye on the sky and switch the lights on when it gets dark."

As he spoke, Chen Yuan flipped the lights on.

The pond, which had been slowly dimming as the sun went down, lit up in an instant. Every angler stopped what they were doing and looked up at the lights.

"Nice one, Boss Chen — four lights and the whole pond is bright as day. Who needs a glow float now? Way easier on the eyes."

"These lights are great — plenty of brightness but still easy on the eyes. You can stare at them and not get a headache."

The anglers couldn’t say enough good things.

The lights were brighter than anything on the street outside. You couldn’t call it daylight, but the entire pond was clear as could be — landing fish wouldn’t be nearly the struggle it used to be.

And the light itself was remarkably soft. Even staring straight at them didn’t cause any glare — you could actually make out the individual LEDs inside, which appeared to be multicolored and capable of changing hues.

Boss Chen had really splashed out on this one.

"Serving our guests is the guiding principle of Chen Yuan Fishing Ground."

Chen Yuan let out a laugh.

As long as the customers were satisfied, the service was worth every penny.

"Maybe throw in a little money laundering on the side while you’re at it — perfect~"

The angler cracked the joke as he headed back to his spot. Most of the questions had been answered, and now with the lights on and the pond well-lit, it was time to get back to some serious fishing.

"These lights really are something. No more stumbling around in the dark — makes keeping an eye on the place a lot less nerve-wracking."

Chen Dequan nodded approvingly at the lights.

With a pitch-black pond, every little sound or flicker of movement put you on edge. You had to stay wound tight the whole time, couldn’t let your guard down for a second.

But now that was a thing of the past.

With the lights flooding the entire pond, everything was visible at a glance from one end to the other. Even working the evening shift, you wouldn’t have to stay on high alert all night — it would be a whole lot easier on your nerves.

"Once the hillside structure is finished in a few days, you and Aunt Liu will have somewhere to eat and sit, Uncle Chen. When things are slow at night, you can even take turns getting some rest."

Chen Yuan pulled out a cigarette and offered one to Chen Dequan.

"What kind of person eats their meals next to a toilet?"

Chen Dequan gave a wry smile.

His reaction was exactly the same as Chen Yuan’s had been when he first saw the blueprints — completely baffled as to what kind of person would design a dining area right next to the bathroom.

But once you actually understood the design, you realized just how brilliant it was.

"Uncle Chen used to work in construction — you should be able to get a rough idea from the foundation, no?"

Ahem, ahem~

Chen Dequan cleared his throat.

Working in construction — that was a generous way to put it. He’d just been a general laborer, doing whatever odd jobs needed doing. Heavy lifting he could handle, but anything technical or mentally demanding was a different story entirely.

"You’ll see for yourself once it’s done, Uncle Chen."

Seeing the look on Uncle Chen’s face, Chen Yuan didn’t bother pressing the topic. But he was confident that when it was finished, it would knock everyone’s socks off.

After chatting for a bit, Chen Yuan said his goodbyes and headed home.

It was barely past eight — the Fish King wasn’t in any rush to bite, and he still needed to observe how often it fed. Better to go rest up first.

The lights were on inside, so Chen Jun was still home.

The moment Chen Yuan stepped into the main room, he saw Chen Jun tipping a bottle of liquor over his hand. There was a gash on his palm near the base of his thumb, still seeping blood, and several tissues on the table had already turned red.

"What happened?"

Chen Yuan hurried over to help.

"Wasn’t paying attention when I was using the rice mill. Caught my hand on the machine."

Chen Jun winced as the alcohol hit the wound, but didn’t let out a sound.

"Still trying to rush out to the vegetable patch, were you?"

Chen Yuan gave him a sideways look and shook his head. "Don’t bother going out there in this state. And don’t worry about closing up tonight either — I’ll handle it."

"It’s a cut two, maybe three centimeters long and it’s not even deep. You’re not putting me on the injured list over this. Back when I was on construction sites, this kind of thing happened all the time. Stop making such a big deal out of it."

Chen Jun let out a quiet laugh. They were both rough-and-tumble country boys — a little cut like this was nothing.

He got it wrapped up, grabbed his flashlight, and headed out to the vegetable patch.