"Doesn't matter what you catch, just being able to catch something isn't bad. And you're still hoping to catch several?" Qian Feiyang ridiculed.
After a few back-and-forths, the three of them settled down to fish in silence.
Young people in their twenties, like them, would usually spend vacations sightseeing and taking photos, discovering interesting things to then show off on social media and other platforms. Very few were willing to go fishing. That's why fishing was labeled as a "middle-aged and elderly game."
Wu Ji had been brought up fishing by his dad and had developed a bit of a hobby for it. But he rarely caught anything, facing failure after failure, yet he persisted.
Feng Yi didn't have this hobby, nor the time for it, with part-time jobs and working at the studio. The few occasions he went fishing with them were all about relaxing and treating it as a vacation from his busy work. It wasn't about fishing; it was about resting.
This time was no different, so Feng Yi's state of mind was still quite serene.
Wu Ji, however, came with the purpose of recovering his lost dignity.
However, half an hour past.
There was no movement at all.
The people who had been fishing near them, due to the lack of catches, packed up their things and moved to another spot to try their luck. Considering the size of the fishing area, switching spots might turn their luck around.
Qian Feiyang could no longer stay patient and pulled out his phone to search for a nearby spot with fewer people and better scenery, where he might go to take photos later.
Feng Yi was daydreaming. He was still pondering over what the old butler had said. What exactly were the small changes? Were they noticeable?
And Wu Ji, waiting from left to right, even went through the fishing secrets his dad had written for him—timing, spot selection, bait—and everything seemed right. He tried N different positions and techniques, but why wouldn't the fish bite?
Noisy cheers came from a distance.
Wu Ji looked over.
It was a group of elderly fishermen, laughing extremely loudly; their triumph could be heard from afar.
"Steady! Keep it steady!"
"Good!"
"Where's the net? Scoop it up! Don't let it escape!"
"Strong in old age as in youth!"
"Ah haha, you flatter me!"
In contrast to their lively atmosphere, Wu Ji's group seemed a lot quieter, almost as if they had ended up in a decoy fishing spot.
Wu Ji looked at his companions.
One with half-closed eyes, sitting motionless for a long while like an old monk deep in meditation.
The other was scrolling through his phone, laughing stupidly to himself about something.
Unable to contain himself, Wu Ji moved closer to Feng Yi and Qian Feiyang and said, "Look at that group of old men over there, they've already hit jackpot mode, while we haven't had a single bite all day. This spot must have bad feng shui today; it's been fished out by others. How about we try a different spot?"
"You can try over there. I'll stay here," Feng Yi said.
He actually did feel a bit lost, as if his consciousness was somewhere else. His sensitivity had recently been disrupted and wasn't functioning. The quiet around him was conducive to contemplating his problems.
Yawning, Qian Feiyang said, "Nah, I still can't get used to this dull activity. I'll keep playing with my phone for a bit longer. The phone is more entertaining."
Wu Ji choked, then ran off to watch others catching fish one after another, before coming back to try again!
Soon, the last two fishermen near them stood up and headed toward the livelier areas.
As they left, they grumbled, "We used to complain about only catching small fish, and now we can't even catch those!"
"What do you do when no matter what you try, you don't catch any fish?"
"It's not a matter of skill anymore, there are just no fish! I suspect those old men over there have done something to lure all the fish to their side!"
When the two of them had gone far, only Wu Ji, Feng Yi, and Qian Feiyang were left steadfastly guarding their spot.
Feng Yi suggested to Wu Ji, "You should try a different spot too."
Unwilling to give in, Wu Ji said, "No! I must catch something here! I just sent a voice message to Uncle Liu, and he said it's right here that he caught a big one! Hey, that old man even ridiculed me, telling me not to waste my time!"
After standing guard for a while longer, Wu Ji's patience was exhausted. He felt a surge of frustration, his physical strength having no outlet, so he had to find something to do.
Scrolling through his phone, he came across a news story about someone who had taken a photo of a wild rabbit while on an outing.
Wu Ji curled his lip, "Calling it a 'bunny'? How shameless for grown men to play cute!"
He found a brightly blooming flower, took photos from three different angles, and sent them to his girlfriend who was on a business trip in another province: "[Shy] Sending you a little 'flower'~"
After that, he felt one flower was too meager and not grand enough, Wu Ji stood up to look around and noticed a cluster of flowers blooming nicely not far from Feng Yi's right side, so he walked over.
"It really lives up to being an eco-tourism farm stay; this grass is so lush. They say it's trimmed regularly, but looking at this height, it hasn't been maintained for a while, has it?"
As he spoke, he parted the weeds, considering how to capture a more artistic shot.
This study led him to an alarming discovery.
The brown and green patterns blended into the dense undergrowth and were not conspicuous, but Wu Ji's entire body seemed to activate radar-like cells, sending out signals of fear!
In the quiet and desolate area, a broken, chicken-like squawk suddenly erupted:
"There's a snake!!!"
Startled nearly out of his body, Wu Ji's brain told him to run, but his legs wouldn't obey, frozen in place. That was until someone yanked him away with considerable force.
By the time he caught his breath and looked again, Feng Yi was standing there, holding the snake with one hand.
Wu Ji's face turned pale, his mouth opened and closed several times without making a sound, his teeth chattering.
Meanwhile, Qian Feiyang, who was looking at the distant scenic area, contemplating where to go next to find natural subjects for a photo shoot, was startled by Wu Ji's cry and accidentally threw his fishing rod into the water without bothering to retrieve it. Seeing what was happening here, he scrambled over in a panic.
Qian Feiyang approached but didn't dare to come close, gesturing to Feng Yi, "Do you, you, you need two hands?"
Looking at the snake's triangular head, he was very worried about Feng Yi's hand.
Wouldn't your hand be ruined if it got bitten?
Although he didn't understand snakes, the shape of the head indicated that it was venomous!
Such a large snake must be over two meters long; even using both hands, he wouldn't be able to hold it!
Feng Yi was pinning it with one hand, which seemed secure for the moment, but it was terrifying to watch, fearing it would break free and bite at any moment.
"Be careful it doesn't coil around you!" Qian Feiyang looked at the snake's tail, thinking of how to help.
He also noticed that the snake's tail tip was white.
Next to him, Wu Ji finally managed to pull his startled soul back, his teeth still chattering, and he didn't dare to look at the snake's menacing head, "Hold steady! Hold it steady! I'm looking for something like a forked stick..."
"Right, and call the police! I'll call them right now!" Wu Ji's trembling hands nearly dropped his phone.
Feng Yi's face was stiff; he himself didn't know how he had managed to grab the snake in that instant, it was like a reflex action, or an instinct.
He was, of course, worried that one hand wouldn't be enough, but after that moment passed, he didn't know how to use the other hand—
So, not knowing what to do, he could only maintain the status quo, keeping the grip and position from before, holding the snake, motionless.
He gestured with his other hand to Wu Ji and Qian Feiyang, signaling them to stay back, as the snake looked very dangerous.
Others from the fishing area had heard the commotion and were starting to come over.
Taking a deep breath, Feng Yi glanced at Wu Ji, who was now babbling incoherently on the phone to the police, and turned to Qian Feiyang, "Quick, bring my bag over!"
Qian Feiyang, too frantic to care, rushed over to grab Feng Yi's backpack from the ground, nearly falling in his haste.
"Do you have any tools? A snake hook, gloves, or something?" Qian Feiyang said as he unzipped the backpack to search for tools.
Feng Yi responded, "Quick! Hand me my sunglasses!"
Qian Feiyang: ???
Hand over what now???