Chapter 34: Even Liu, Guan, and Zhang Would Have to Break Up

Jiang Fan, "..."

Liu Ruyan, "Dad, what are you doing here?"

Liu Zhoucheng, "Just came to see my daughter and son-in-law!"

Didn't they have dinner together just last night?

Actually, Liu Ruyan didn't mind her father coming over.

She just worried that after drinking too much last night, he might regret her being with Jiang Fan today.

But Liu Zhoucheng was not oblivious to his daughter's little worries. He said, "Daughter, rest assured. This son-in-law of yours may be ordinary, but he’s good enough to join the Liu family."

Hearing this, Liu Ruyan finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Yet, what exactly did her father want so early in the morning?

Liu Zhoucheng explained, "Actually, I didn’t come for anything else. Last night, I came across a video..."

"Cough, cough, Xiaodeng, I heard you caught a 358-pound big bluefish yesterday, is that true?"

Jiang Fan furrowed his brows, then, with a hint of pride, replied, "Old Deng, how did you find out? Yes, 358 pounds, about this big!"

As he spoke, he gestured with his hands to indicate the size to Liu Zhoucheng.

Liu Zhoucheng was delighted. "Ha ha, so the Douyin user called Xia Shuai Bi is you? Ha ha, Xiaodeng, come, come, let’s sit down and have a chat."

Soon Jiang Fan understood what was going on.

It turned out that Liu Zhoucheng had seen the big bluefish video posted by Zhou Hong and the others, then found Jiang Fan’s Douyin account through inquiries, and came knocking early in the morning.

Could it be that Old Deng was also a fishing enthusiast?

Liu Ruyan asked, "Dad, do you want to go fishing with Jiang Fan? I thought you always hated fishing."

Liu Zhoucheng waved his hand, "Hey, hey, don’t say too much... Actually, I don’t hate fishing. It’s just that your mother used to detest me going fishing. After she passed away, I never went again."

"You wouldn’t know, but there’s an old legend in Yuanshan Town. It says a man once sat by the shore fishing for three days and nights straight, catching a ten-pound carp with no hook at all. Because of that, he was called Liu Taigong—and that man was me, your father."

Liu Ruyan was speechless.

Jiang Fan said, "Catching fish with no hook? Sounds like a tall tale."

Liu Zhoucheng waved dismissively, "That’s why it’s called a legend..."

"But young people, don’t get too obsessed with fishing and shrimp-catching, alright? You need to study hard and serve the country in the future. So, I’m going to test your geography knowledge: what’s the name of the place where you caught that 358-pound big bluefish?"

Jiang Fan glanced at the sky, thinking it was about to rain, but found himself dumbfounded by Liu Zhoucheng’s question.

Liu Ruyan said, "Dad, don’t embarrass yourself. Hurry back to work. Jiang Fan is taking me to the office."

Liu Zhoucheng said, "A young lady at twenty-four or twenty-five still needs her husband to take her to work? Ride your bike yourself. If not, go home and choose a fancy car to drive!"

"If that’s still no good, just take a day off. Actually, the big boss behind your company is me!"

Liu Ruyan was stunned.

No wonder she had so little work to do at the company and could easily earn six thousand yuan a month—her father had arranged everything in advance?

"Xiaodeng, come on, tell me where that place is."

Liu Zhoucheng looked at Jiang Fan again.

He was already prepared with all his gear. The Dodge Durango was ready to go—he was definitely aiming to catch a big fish.

Jiang Fan was thinking about buying a car today and maybe looking at a house.

Unexpectedly, Liu Zhoucheng’s arrival stirred up his fishing passion again with just a few words.

"Old Deng, that place is hard to get into. Let me take you there."

"But first, I’ll take Ruyan to work."

Liu Zhoucheng said, "Alright, alright. Hurry up and come back. Girls are so troublesome!"

Liu Ruyan was speechless.

Half an hour later, Jiang Fan contacted He Qiang, Zhou Hong, and the others.

But today, apart from He Qiang, Zhou Hong, Huang Mao, and Ma Dongdong all had other commitments.

Zhou Hong couldn’t go because his father was home and forbade him from fishing.

Huang Mao was busy helping his grandmother harvest rice.

Ma Dongdong was still waiting anxiously for news about passing the "Douyin Fishing Cup" audition and was watching movies at home instead.

At the outskirts of the Water Curtain Cave, Jiang Fan and Liu Zhoucheng met He Qiang.

He Qiang limped as he approached, a cigarette dangling from his lips, grinning, "Haha, Brother Fan, I was about to celebrate my girlfriend’s birthday, but you suddenly called me out for fishing."

Jiang Fan said, "Why celebrate a birthday for an inflatable one!"

He Qiang replied, "Even inflatables have production dates, you know."

"Hey, who’s this... Chairman Liu?"

Liu Zhoucheng frowned, "He Qiang? What are you doing here, kid?"

Jiang Fan looked puzzled, "You two know each other?"

He Qiang nodded, "Yeah, we went to the same elementary school. I used to fish with Chairman Liu all the time. After graduating, we went our separate ways. Now, Chairman Liu is the big boss, and I’m still the same old loser."

Liu Zhoucheng scoffed, "Don’t talk nonsense! He Qiang, the fishing blogger with a million followers, if you’re still a loser, what are the rest? Losers too???"

He Qiang laughed, "Haha, Chairman Liu, you’re as witty as ever."

Liu Zhoucheng snorted, "Let’s go. If we wait too long, the fish will sink and be harder to catch."

"By the way, He Qiang, you can still fish with a limp?"

He Qiang said, "I can. Even if I had three broken legs, I’d still fish."

Liu Zhoucheng asked, "Did a dog bite your leg when you were a kid, just like before?"

He Qiang looked embarrassed, "Well, to be honest..."

Liu Zhoucheng interrupted, "If you’re ashamed, then just don’t say it."

He Qiang grinned and walked ahead, "Chairman Liu, there are many venomous snakes here. I, He Qiang, will lead the way!"

Liu Zhoucheng glanced at him, "Hmph! Don’t think that makes me forgive you for letting that thirty-pound silver carp slip away back then!"

He Qiang chuckled, "So you never forgot that, huh?"

Liu Zhoucheng snorted again, "Forgot? Thirty pounds! Even Liu, Guan, and Zhang would have called it quits!"