Zhang Yang glanced over, and wow, old Zhao's QQ nickname was 'Fishing Alone in the Cold River Snow,' and he was actually the owner of this large group with 500 members.
"Impressive, Brother Zhao, you're the group owner! I didn't realize you were so low-key!"
Zhao Bingguang smiled slightly and said, "I started this fishing group with friends for fun, to share fishing spots and such. I never expected more and more anglers from the area to join. Now, we're almost at 500 people!
I'll think of a way to upgrade the group later and make it a thousand-member group, bringing all the local anglers together!"
Soon, 'Fishing Alone in the Cold River Snow' posted an announcement to @everyone in the group.
Brothers in the group, here's an advertisement interruption!
Yesterday and today, while fishing with Wang Jun and Liu Shulin at this section of the Zhang Family Village on the Wen River, we found a homemade bait made by a local angler brother. I've personally tested it with several brothers, and it works very well!
I've brought the original seller into the group, if you trust me, old Zhao, check it out! @ZhangYangFishing
Zhang Yang timely posted a smiley face in the group: "Hello everyone, I'm new here, please take care of me! Thank you all!"
Riverbank Breeze: "What's going on, Old Zhao, why are there ads in an interest group?"
"Wen River, Zhang Family Village waters? Why'd you go there? We're at Li Family Manor today, fish bites are okay, just small ones, one or two-ounce crucians! Had I known, I'd have joined you!"
Lonely Ash: "How do I contact the little brother? How do you sell the bait Old Zhao mentioned? Let me try some!"
Angler Liu Shulin: "I was with Old Zhao today, Zhang Yang's bait is indeed effective, I've caught seven or eight pounds of big crucians by now!"
The group was bustling, and soon Zhang Yang received several friend requests, all asking about prices, no doubt.
Seeing this situation, Zhang Yang straightforwardly said in the group: "The normal price is 15 yuan per 500 grams, but for all group friends, if you buy two pounds, I'll throw in an extra 200g pack for free! Those near W City can pick up, or I can send it via coach freight, shipping at your own cost!"
Hearing this offer, many anglers who were originally eager immediately lost interest.
The usual commercial bait for 'Rice for Making Wine' is 150g for three yuan per pack, and even the slightly more expensive ones are about eleven or twelve yuan a pound.
In real life, paying a few extra yuan doesn't matter to folks, but in the group, there's originally a lack of trust, and if you add shipping fees, one pound of bait costs over twenty yuan, which isn't worth it.
Zhang Yang was busy adding friends and quoting prices privately, and after half a day's work, only two pounds of bait were sold, and he even needed Zhao Bingguang to help with the payment and take it back.
After more than half an hour of busy work, Zhang Yang finally replied to all the messages.
"Just sold two portions?" Zhao Bingguang confirmed with curiosity.
Zhang Yang nodded, "Two pounds is not bad, you can't become a chubby guy in one bite, take it slow! Brother Zhao, thank you, you don't have any plans for lunch, right? I'll treat you to a meal!"
"It's just a small favor, what meal? It's hard to find time to fish on the weekend, who's got time for a meal!" Zhao Bingguang waved his hand, not picking up on Zhang Yang's invitation.
"I don't have much money for a big meal either, how about I go to the village and buy some small dishes and ready-made foods for a quick bite? The fish bites aren't good this noon, it won't waste too much time!
Even though we aren't related, I'm grateful for your help! It's just a home-cooked meal, please don't refuse!"
With the conversation reaching this point, Zhao Bingguang had no way to refuse, saying, "How about this, you handle the food, and I'll bring the drinks! Keep it simple, earning a few bucks isn't easy for you!"
"Okay, please keep an eye on the gear for me! I'm off to get the food!"
Zhang Yang glanced at the time, it was almost 11 o'clock, so he got on his bike and quickly headed to the village.
There was a store selling ready-made dishes in the village. While the quality wasn't high, it had been in business for many years, offering affordable prices and generous portions, and it was quite clean. So Zhang Yang chose this as his destination.
He bought three meat dishes, three cold dishes, and two orders each of fried chicken skewers and stuffed eggplant. He also bought over ten hard surface pancakes and grabbed a bunch of disposable chopsticks before leaving.
This pile of food cost over a hundred yuan, but Zhang Yang didn't feel bad at all.
Old Zhao originally could do nothing about it, but despite being strangers, he actively helped Zhang Yang several times. Regardless of the results, in Zhang Yang's eyes, this person was at least someone worth knowing.
Having seen too many unpleasant people in society in the previous life, Zhang Yang increasingly valued the rarity of such friends.
It was a bit past 11:30 when Zhang Yang returned. A bag of ready-made dishes and food was hanging from the left handlebar of the bike, and two thermos flasks from the right, giving him the look of a countrywoman delivering meals to the fields.
Seeing this setup, Zhao Bingguang smiled and thought better of Zhang Yang.
This guy wasn't old but was meticulous and generous in his actions.
Bringing so many chopsticks and plenty of food was obviously considering the other four or five anglers too.
Seizing the opportunity, Zhao Bingguang said, "So much food, we can't finish it all by ourselves, right? Let's invite the other anglers to join us for a bite!
You've even considered hot water, your thoughtfulness is impressive! Xiao Wang, bring out our canned drinks and peanuts too, let's drink a little together!"
Zhang Yang nodded, "Sure, as you say!"
Seeing Zhang Yang nod, Old Zhao raised his voice to call out, "Brothers, if fish don't eat, we eat! Time to gather for a meal, Xiao Zhang is treating us for lunch to make friends, so don't be shy or polite!"
With Old Zhao calling out like this, eight or nine people fishing near the bend were brought together.
Ordinary people going fishing typically muddle through lunch, bringing bread, peanuts, beer, soft drinks, or indeed nothing, just enduring with bottled water until heading home.
Today's lunch, with hot meals, hot water, and drinks with meat, was already above and beyond, surpassing what most anglers experience.
The others felt awkward about just enjoying Zhang Yang's meal, so they brought out their own peanuts, sausages, chicken feet, and whatnot.
With two fishing platforms set side by side, hot and cold dishes were laid on the table, beers were opened, disposable cups filled, surrounded by a group of people.
The dishes were average, but the atmosphere was excellent. Sharing a common interest, these anglers found it easy to connect once they started talking, quickly forging strong connections.
Wang Jun had two cases of Tsingtao Beer in his car, and over the course of one meal, they drank them all, eating and drinking, growing closer.
Zhang Yang took the opportunity during the meal to remember everyone's names, adding QQ numbers when possible, fully integrating into the group.
For the entire meal, Zhang Yang barely spoke, spending most of the time patiently listening to others, and only speaking occasionally when there was a lull in conversation, casually redirecting the mood.
All of this was noticed by Old Zhao, who further increased his good impression of Zhang Yang.
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Thanks to Yiqie, Suiyuan, and Qing00yi brothers for the rewards on Qidian, adding another chapter, the boss is generous! Thanks for the support!