A casual meal by the Wen River wrapped up close to one o'clock. With full bellies and plenty of drink, Zhang Yang felt he truly got to know this group of fishing enthusiasts.
After the meal, they sat down to rest, but in the distance, an angler's rod was pulled into the water by a fish, and everyone immediately lost interest in chatting, hurrying back to their fishing spots.
Truth be told, the fish activity this weekend was better than previous days. Based on Zhang Yang's experience, fish usually bite around two or three in the afternoon, but today they started biting around one.
Once the fish started biting, it didn't stop.
Zhang Yang replenished his bait spot roughly every hour. The carp were practically jumping out, occasionally pulling up double tails, the fishing condition was pretty impressive.
Before he realized it, evening was now casting its shadow, and by the time Zhang Yang checked the clock, it was already past five.
With some time before nightfall, Zhang Yang thought about grabbing a spot at the night market to sell fish, so he couldn't continue fishing.
"Brother Zhao, everyone else! I need to head to the night market to sell fish, so I'm wrapping up! Who needed some Rice for Making Wine? Let's settle so I can get going!"
Zhang Yang called out, and soon the folks, who had caught their fill, put down their rods and gathered around.
The Rice for Making Wine bait worked really well, with some asking for a packet and others for two. The stock of over a dozen bags was quickly divided up among everyone!
"Hold on! Let's take a picture to show off our catch in the QQ group!" Zhao Bingguang suggested, bending down to pick up Zhang Yang's fish guard.
Zhang Yang was using a competitive fish guard with a 30 cm diameter now (Note 1). Old Zhao casually tried lifting it, but it didn't budge on the first try.
Realizing Zhang Yang's catch was quite heavy, Zhao Bingguang put more strength into his pull, and with a steadier stance, managed to lift the fish guard out of the water.
Whoa, the bottom section of the fish guard was nearly full, an estimated forty kilos or more, through the mesh you could see most were sizable crucian carp.
"Whoa! Not bad, young Zhang, this catch weighs at least forty kilos!" Old Zhao couldn't help but exclaim.
"Hehe, got lucky today!"
Zhang Yang scratched his head, feeling quite pleased inside, as these fish could sell for over two hundred yuan.
"Brothers, young Zhang is about to leave, we shouldn't let him feed us for nothing. Let's help with his fish guard and take a group photo of our catch for some advertisement!"
At Zhao Bingguang's call, everyone at the fishing spot lifted their fish guards too.
Goodness, even the one with the least catch had over ten kilos of fish. Guys like Old Zhao and Liu Shulin each had a section of fish guard full, weighing an estimated twenty to thirty kilos.
The group chose a relatively flat sandy patch to lay down the fish guards, holding the bait packaging in hand, while Zhang was made to stand in the center for a "C position" in the photo. Old Zhao then took out his phone and snapped a "catch display" photo.
Soon after, the photo was uploaded by Old Zhao to their QQ group and his social feeds.
Seeing everyone caught so many big crucian carp today, the group of fishing buddies went wild!
In a rush, Zhang Yang cycled back home to drop off his gear and head for the night market, while the instigator, Old Zhao, regretted uploading the photo in less than ten minutes. Before nightfall, his phone rang non-stop with group members asking about the catches and Zhang Yang's bait!
This weekend turned out to be a lucky one for Zhang Yang. Selling Rice for Making Wine by the Wen River brought in quite a bit of money, and the evening at the night market went surprisingly well.
Over forty kilos of crucian carp, and he came across a few big buyers who preferred wild carp, clearing him out before nightfall. He earned an extra 273 yuan from selling fish!
In just one day, Zhang Yang sold all 23 packets of Rice for Making Wine from his backpack, bringing in a total of 345 yuan.
Combined with the 273 yuan from selling fish, the total income reached 618, and after deducting the 133 spent on lunch, he still had 485 yuan left!
At this moment, Zhang Yang's total capital had risen from the initial 13.5 yuan to 821 yuan! He was on the verge of reaching a thousand.
As Zhang Yang packed up, preparing to go home after closing his stall, his phone rang; it was Zhao Bingguang calling.
The main point from Old Zhao's call was that after posting the advertisement, Zhang Yang's Rice for Making Wine had become a hit.
Currently, confirmed orders in the group totaled at least thirty packets, and in total, the fifty kilos of Rice for Making Wine should have no trouble selling!
Zhang Yang found it hard to believe at first. But when he turned on his mobile data and logged into the group to take a look, he realized Old Zhao wasn't kidding. The group was in a frenzy! Fifty kilos was definitely a conservative estimate!
Zhang Yang felt a bit uncomfortable now!
The next batch of herbal Rice for Making Wine would take three more days to be ready. At most, there were only twenty to thirty kilos stocked at home.
The unexpected surge in sales left a shortfall. What should he do?
After deliberating with Old Zhao, they quickly came up with a compromise: repackaging the one-kilo bags into half-kilo ones, selling them at 7.5 yuan each. Interested buyers could try a half kilo first, and if satisfied, could order more from the next batch!
This arrangement barely managed to satisfy the initial enthusiasm of the fishing buddies!
Hanging up the phone, Zhang Yang turned and headed to the herbal medicine store and small supermarket, bringing back two more barrels of high-proof alcohol and two sets of herbal wine materials.
When Zhang Yang cycled back home and saw the motorcycle in the hallway, he paused for a moment—his father was home early today?
Steeling himself, he parked the bicycle and saw his dad, wearing slippers, walking out from the northern room, frowning at the bottles of liquor Zhang Yang was carrying.
"Why buy so much alcohol? Put it in the side room and come with me, I have something to tell you!"
"Okay!"
Zhang Yang nodded, put down the alcohol, and obediently went to the northern room.
"Your uncle called earlier, and tomorrow morning, Monday, you are to go to the town's textile factory for a job interview! Just like I mentioned before!" Zhang Guofu said with some anticipation.
"That soon?" Zhang Yang nodded.
"What's soon? You've been home for a week now! Since you've been out all day recently and not even home for lunch, you've tanned like a coal ball!"
While saying this, Zhang Guofu raised his hand to tousle Zhang Yang's head, his tone a bit stern but his eyes full of overflowing love.
"Alright, what time tomorrow should I go for the interview?" Zhang Yang had no intention of resisting, letting his dad tousle him.
"Be smart when you get to the factory, think before you speak, do more work, talk less! Got it?"
"Got it! But whether they want me is still uncertain! I've heard that the noise at the weaving factory is quite loud, and some people's constitutions can't handle it, giving them headaches after being there a while!"
Zhang Yang had long decided not to take this job, using this opportunity to "prepare" his dad for the rejection.
"The son of Zhang Guofu wouldn't fail that easily, would he? No way! Now wash up, time for dinner!"
"Okay!"
After dinner, Zhang Yang returned to his room, secretly planning. Whatever comes must be faced eventually. After the interview tomorrow, which would hopefully dispel his parents' idea of him working, things might settle down!
Note 1: Competitive fish guard: A type of fish guard design common in angling competitions. It is stitched with a rubberized mesh, with circular rings serving as the support frame for the fish guard. The sections between the rings are considered a segment. Depending on the fish guard size, the number of segments and the fish storage capacity vary.