Chapter 31: Women Only Slow Down the Speed of Fishing

[Ding! Zhou Hong has caught a fifty-pound grass carp; system cash multiplier triggered at 120x!]
[Ding! He Qiang has caught a sixty-pound bighead carp; system cash multiplier triggered at 150x!]
[Ding! Huang Mao has caught a twenty-pound black carp; system cash multiplier triggered at 45x!]
[Ding! Ma Dongdong has caught an eighteen-pound bighead carp; system cash multiplier triggered at 30x!]
...
By the time they packed up their rods, almost everyone had caught large fish. Although the catches of He Qiang, Zhou Hong, and the others paled in comparison to Jiang Fan’s 358-pound and 110-pound monsters, they were still quite impressive for most amateur anglers. Given the resources in the Water Curtain Cave, they could have landed even bigger fish, but they had lost their spirit after their rods were snapped by that massive black carp earlier. Had they been using their original gear, while a 358-pound catch would have been impossible, landing something over seventy or eighty pounds would have been perfectly reasonable.

Still, catching dozens of pounds of fish was enough to make Jiang Fan’s pockets overflow once again. His system balance reached 4,880,000 yuan, and his emotional value points hit 12,000 out of 18,000. The only issue was that they couldn't transport all those giant fish out of the cave in one go. The kayak could only hold the weight of five people, and dragging a pile of massive fish along with it would surely capsize them halfway. Jiang Fan considered buying another kayak, but ultimately dismissed the idea. He didn’t want others to know about his system; it would be too hard to explain where a second kayak suddenly appeared from.

Just as they were planning to make two trips, Zhang Zhidong and his exploration team entered the Water Curtain Cave. They were stunned to see the pile of giant fish Jiang Fan and his group had harvested.

"Kid, you managed to bag all these big fish again today?!"
"Not much, really. Just reeled in two, that's all. One is 110 pounds, and the other is 358 pounds. Yes, I landed both of them all by myself." Jiang Fan shrugged, looking smug.
"Look at that cockiness. What a pity, what a pity. If he used that energy for exploration, he’d be a real talent!" Zhang Zhidong muttered to himself, rubbing his chin.
Xiao Li rolled his eyes. "Captain Zhang, what on earth does being cocky have to do with exploration? Stop pitying him; it's obvious he has no interest in joining us."
Zhang Zhidong ignored him, continuing to grumble, "What a pity, such a pity..."

Just then, Jiang Fan had a thought and suddenly asked, "By the way, Captain Zhang, there are too many fish. Would you mind lending us your kayak to help transport them out?"
Under normal circumstances, Zhang Zhidong would naturally refuse. But considering his affinity with Jiang Fan, he agreed and sent Xiao Li to help. Zhang Zhidong had initially thought of sending Liu Qiyan, who knew Jiang Fan, but Liu Qiyan refused point-blank. Jiang Fan couldn't be bothered to pay any mind to Liu Qiyan and left with the fish.

After they were gone, Liu Qiyan grumbled, "Just a poor, pathetic fisherman. Zhiling said Ruyan’s father is back. I don’t believe for a second that you and Ruyan won't be divorced this time!"

...

Once they were out of the Water Curtain Cave, He Qiang, Zhou Hong, and the others were incredibly excited. He Qiang, with a cigarette dangling from his lip, hoisted his sixty-pound bighead carp and strapped it to his motorcycle. "Ha! No bragging, no lying, this bighead of mine is at least a hundred pounds. All three of you lost—hurry up and call me Grandpa!"
Zhou Hong glanced at him. "If yours is a hundred pounds, then mine is two hundred. You're the one who should be calling me Grandpa!"
Huang Mao chimed in, "Exactly, mine is three hundred!"
Ma Dongdong patted his eighteen-pound bighead carp. "Mine is five hundred pounds!"
At these words, all three of them stared at him.
"Ma Dongdong, don't bother bragging about that one. Yours is the smallest of the lot; it probably doesn't even weigh twenty pounds."
Ma Dongdong reached into his pants, looking depressed. "Don't judge this fish by its size; it’s all lean meat and bone! Five hundred pounds, not an exaggeration at all!"
He Qiang blew a cloud of smoke. "You just don't want to call us Grandpa."
Ma Dongdong replied, "Even if I did, I wouldn't call you that. You cheated!"
He Qiang countered, "How did I? You guys didn't make a rule against using Brother Fan's bait!"
Ma Dongdong shouted, "Damn it! You old cheat!"
He Qiang shrugged. "Forget it. If you three don't want to call me Grandpa, I’m not short on grandsons anyway. By the way, where’s Brother Fan? How come he disappeared after tying up his fish?"
Huang Mao pointed over to the side. "Brother Fan’s iPhone doesn't have a signal in these desolate mountains, so he went over there to chat!"
He Qiang looked over and indeed saw Jiang Fan typing away on his phone. "Hey, hey, based on my experience, Brother Fan is most likely getting scolded by his wife."
"Heh, women. They only slow down us fishermen! I remember back when I was fishing, my wife..."
Zhou Hong interrupted, "Hey, wake up! You don't have a wife!"
He Qiang cursed, "I’ve been married twice, for God’s sake!"
Zhou Hong was skeptical. "Then how come your wife never shows any concern for you?"
He Qiang awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "We're already divorced. But even though we're divorced, my first ex-wife still cares about me just as much as ever—every time someone in our town dies, she goes around asking if it was me!"

"???"
"???"
"???"
Zhou Hong, Huang Mao, and Ma Dongdong collectively recoiled in shock.
He Qiang looked at them strangely. "What? You three are just jealous of me. Go find yourselves a wife or two and experience what marriage is really like!"
Zhou Hong chuckled. "Why bother with a wife? The cost of dating nowadays is higher than the cost of a prostitute, and the morals of the other party are even lower. There's no cost-effectiveness at all."
He Qiang said, "Don't try to make soliciting sound so refined, alright?"
Zhou Hong whispered, "I know a place, full of eighteen or nineteen-year-old beauties."
"Dad! Where is it?" He Qiang’s expression shifted instantly.

...

At this moment, Jiang Fan was busy chatting with his wife, Liu Ruyan.
Wife: Husband, when are you coming back from fishing?
Wife: My dad is back from abroad, and he wants to see you tonight.
Jiang Fan: Can I come back a bit later? I’ll buy you an iPhone.
Wife: I don't want an iPhone.
Jiang Fan: How about a Chanel bag then?
Wife: I don't want that either.
Jiang Fan: Surely you’ll take a Dior lipstick?
Wife: No.
Jiang Fan: Then I’ll buy you a Prada?
Wife: I don't want Prada either.
Jiang Fan: How can there be a woman in this world who doesn't want Prada?
Wife: I don't want anything. Just come back as soon as you can and don't make my father wait too long.
Jiang Fan: Alright, fine. Then I won't take the 358-pound black carp and the 110-pound bighead carp I just caught out for a stroll; I'm coming back now.
Wife: ...