Wu City is located in the midst of the Xi Xia plain, known as the "Jiangnan of the north"."
The Yellow River flows through Wu City for 69 kilometers, of which more than 30 kilometers pass through the urban area. It took less than 20 minutes to drive from Xu Yang's funeral shop to the riverside, which was very convenient.
"Xu Yang!"
"I spoke to Dr. Wan this afternoon. She said you should remember to take your medicine, get out more, and come back in three days for a review."
Ma Long took a small folding stool from the trunk of his BMW and placed it on the riverbank, swinging the fishing line into the river.
The two girls did not bring fishing rods.
Ma Long fished for a while, but caught nothing. He handed the fishing rod to one of the girls, cursing, "Damn, are there no fish in the Yellow River? Why haven't I hooked anything for so long?"
Xu Yang was speechless.
You are fishing without preparing a baited spot.
You've been fishing for less than ten minutes, constantly chattering away, and still, you expected to catch a fish?
Those girls were better at fishing than you.
Speaking of the girls, Xu Yang felt even more frustrated.
These two girls were not the same ones as last time.
Ma Long, this son of a bitch, spent two years on the mountain tending sheep and digging for treasure, becoming dark, ugly, and windswept. As soon as he came back, he started to flirt with girls, and surprisingly scored two at once. What on earth did these girls see in him?
Prepare the baited spot.
Xu Yang cast the rod.
The fish did not take the bait.
Xu Yang was not in a hurry.
Fishing is all about the ambiance, and with enough effort, you're bound to catch something.
Ever since his old man passed away, Xu Yang hadn't touched a fishing rod, and he was enjoying this moment.
But he hadn't been fishing for long when an old man on an electric bike stopped not far away. He shouted to Xu Yang and his friends, "Hey, you fishermen, go back! It's not safe here lately. Be careful, you might get into trouble!"
Ma Long was curious, "Old man, what do you mean by 'not safe'? You mean someone wants to rob us?"
"There's a ghost haunting this part of the river!"
The old man said, "Last month, someone drowned in the river, and his body still hasn't been found. In the past few days, people often heard someone crying for help in the river at night!"
Ma Long laughed, "There's no such thing as a ghost in this world. Old man, it's 2023. We have to believe in science."
"Hmph!"
The old man snorted angrily, climbed back onto his electric bike, and left.
The two girls, being more timid, whispered, "Ma Long, let's go back. We can't catch anything anyway..."
In front of the girls, how could Ma Long back down?
He boasted, "Even if there really is a ghost, I'm not afraid. You probably don't know what I've been doing in the mountains these past few years... not to mention, you've seen what my buddy does for a living, right?"
"If there really is a ghost, my buddy will just help him pass on!"
"Isn't that right, Xu Yang?"
As he spoke,
he glanced at Xu Yang.
As soon as Xu Yang heard that there was a ghost in the area, his eyes lit up. He nodded and said, "Ma Long is right. Ghosts aren't that scary. In fact, they should be afraid of us."
Upon hearing this, the two girls became even more frightened.
"Ma Long, we're going back first... or our teacher will check on us later!"
They made an excuse to leave, returning the fishing rod to Ma Long.
"Alright, let's keep in touch on a message later. Let's have a hotpot together this weekend, I'll treat you!"
Ma Long didn't try to keep them.
The man who rushes can't eat hot tofu, and the same goes for flirting. It's not just about money but also experience!
But as soon as the girls left, he became restless.
Craining his neck, he looked towards the center of the river.
The river water was murky and flowing slowly.
There were some reeds in the center of the river, and an unknown bird fluttered amidst the reeds.
When the night wind blew, it was chilly.
Ma Long shivered and said quietly, "Xu Yang, do you think there really are ghosts here? Should we leave?"
As he spoke, the weight of a fish pulled down his fishing rod, and he exclaimed, "I got a bite..."
"Holy shit!"
"Xu Yang, come help me, it looks like I've caught a big one!"
"Ahhhh..."
"Xu Yang, help me, I'm going to be dragged into the river!"
Xu Yang turned around and saw Ma Long lying on the ground, heels dug into the dirt, and both hands holding the fishing rod. The entire rod was bent into an arc due to the strong pull.
"How big must this fish be?"
A thought involuntarily rose in Xu Yang's heart.
He hurried over to help, grabbing the fishing rod together.
The pulling force on the fishing rod grew stronger and stronger.
"Something's wrong!"
Xu Yang's heart throbbed, "With such a strong pull, the fishing line should have broken long ago... and it seems like there is no fish in the water!"
If there really was a big fish, it would have splashed around in this situation; it was impossible that the surface of the water would be undisturbed!
Xu Yang looked carefully and saw that in the faint moonlight and lamplight from the distant road, a figure seemed to be skimming the surface of the water, with disheveled hair and covered in water plants.
"Could it be a Water Ghost?"
Xu Yang's heart leapt, and he shouted, "Ma Long, give it some more muscle, and when we pull that guy out, I'll treat you to a skewer feast!"
Perhaps he was startled by the shout, the ghostly figure gradually dissolved and disappeared like a wisp of green smoke.
The pulling force on the fishing line suddenly disappeared.
With a slight effort from both of them...
Splash!
A human-shaped silhouette surfaced.
Ma Long, who was lying on the ground striving, quickly got up. He looked at the water and exclaimed, "How come this fish looks like this? Is it a dollfish... bloody hell!"
He turned on his flashlight and shone it on the water. Ma Long jumped up and yelled, "A dead body... Xu Yang, let's run, it's a dead body!"
"Run for what?"
Xu Yang glanced at the floating corpse in the water.
The body had been soaked in the water for days and had swollen beyond recognition. He said, "Call the police."
As he spoke,
he looked at the water's surface but could no longer see the "ghostly figure," feeling somewhat disappointed.
Ma Long was quite frightened and quickly went ashore to call the police.
His shouts attracted many passers-by.
Some took photos, others took videos. It wasn't long before the news of the fishing trip turning up a body spread. Before the police arrived, a crowd had already gathered, pointing and whispering at Xu Yang and Ma Long
"It was them who fished out the body?"
"Amazing, it's just like in the movies!"
"This fisherman will have something to brag about for a year now..."
When the police arrived,
they questioned them in accordance with the procedure. One of the police officers speculated, "Could this be the person who fell into the river last month?"
The body was soon taken away for a forensic examination and identification, then waited for the family to claim it.
The crowd surrounding the area had mostly dispersed, but some people remained.
Ma Long looked pale and tugged at Xu Yang, "Xu Yang, let's get out of here... damn, this is really bad luck!"
Xu Yang looked at the river.
Above the surface of the water, the ghostly figure emerged again.
He picked up the fishing rod, didn't bait the hook, and sat back down by the bank, laughing, "Why go back? The fish hasn't bitten yet!"