121: Anglers' complaints

Gao Xiaofan and Li Shuai walked ahead, chatting and laughing, while Qiu Gu followed beside them, looking for camera angles.

Big Fly followed obediently behind, shaking water droplets off his body from time to time.

As the group stepped out from the path by the pond, they saw two people aggressively rounding the corner from a van parked on the road.

"Xiao Shuai, is this the big client you were talking about?"

The woman spoke first. Before Gao Xiaofan could react, Li Shuai's expression changed, and he hurried over to pull the two toward the fishing ground's small cabin.

"Brother Wo Zi, my parents and I have something to take care of. I'll be back to talk to you in a bit."

The three of them quickly disappeared. While Gao Xiaofan was still dazed, a car pulled up in front of him.

Two middle-aged men got out of the car. Gao Xiaofan took one look and knew they were Anglers.

Their skin was as black as charcoal.

"Brother Wo Zi, I didn't expect to have the chance to meet you today!!!"

"Brother Wo Zi, can we take a photo together?"

Even though both men looked older than Gao Xiaofan, they were very enthusiastic.

Gao Xiaofan grinned and nodded.

"Of course. It's no big deal; this is actually the first time someone has asked for a photo with me."

After the photo, they had barely chatted when the sound of a car came from the gate; more fishing buddies had arrived.

As more people arrived, the fishing ground became lively. However, no one went to fish; they just started chatting by the roadside.

"Hahaha, don't rush with the photos, take your time. Thank you for your support and for liking my content."

Gao Xiaofan smiled happily.

"Hey, some people in our fan group have wanted to come for a long time, but they were afraid of disturbing you, especially since your left hand hasn't healed yet."

"Yeah, yeah. As soon as we heard Li Shuai say you invited us all, we came right away."

The fishing buddies chatted away. Those who smoked gathered in one group, while the non-smokers formed another.

"Hahaha, Li Shuai said he's arranging lunch. We can all get together and have a meal then."

Gao Xiaofan said with a smile. He loved a lively atmosphere; perhaps only that bit of noise could drive away the deep-seated loneliness in his heart.

Why hasn't his old man appeared in his dreams lately?

Gao Xiaofan, who had drifted off, was suddenly interrupted by the content of the fishing buddies' conversation.

"No way, there's lunch? Are his parents not at the fishing ground anymore?"

"Probably. Otherwise, how could there be food? Those two elders, hahahaha..."

"Alright, pipe down. You're getting a meal and you're still complaining."

Gao Xiaofan blinked. Just now, he was wondering where Li Shuai had gone, not coming out to host so many guests. Recalling Li Shuai's hurried look, he couldn't help but ask curiously.

"What are you guys talking about?"

Everyone looked at each other, and then one person whispered.

"Brother Wo Zi, it's mainly his family situation. Tsk tsk, it's really hard to explain."

Before he could finish, someone interrupted.

"What's there to be hush-hush about? We're not gossiping behind his back; we're just telling the truth."

"Li Shuai is a good guy, and his Wife is admirable too. But his parents... honestly, I really can't understand them."

"Their own kid is running a business; if they won't help, fine, but they actually sabotage their own son's place."

With that opening, the other fishing buddies chimed in one after another. As Gao Xiaofan listened, his brow began to furrow.

"To be honest, when we first came to this fishing ground, we all admired Li Shuai. The Young man had a lot of guts for someone so young, and we were grateful to him for providing us Anglers with such a good place with a great environment."

"But after his parents arrived, ask anyone here—who hasn't been given a hard time by them? We put up with it once or twice because they're Li Shuai's parents, but it can't always be like this."

"It's fine if you don't catch anything, but if you do, they'll hover behind you and annoy you from time to time."

"Yes, exactly. At first, we thought we shouldn't bicker with the elderly, but it's constant. We all have jobs and just want to relax when we finally get to fish. Even though the environment is good and the fish are decent, there's no need to pay money just to be miserable."

Gao Xiaofan finally understood why a fishing ground with such a good environment, run by a couple who knew how to handle people, had ended up like this.

Turns out Li Shuai's parents were the ones interfering.

Gao Xiaofan couldn't help but shake his head. Truly, every family has its own problems.

Just then, Li Shuai came over from the direction of the cabin with a forced smile, greeting everyone.

He had put in a lot of effort to convince his parents that Brother Wo Zi was indeed a big client, even showing them the payment record from earlier before they finally settled down.

After dealing with his family issues, Li Shuai hurried out. This gathering was very important; it would determine whether his fishing ground could be brought back from the brink.

"Oh, I was a bit busy just now, so sorry about that. Guys, give me a hand and get the camping gear out. Let's find a spot to sit."

As Li Shuai greeted them, he opened packs of cigarettes and handed them out by the handful.

A few fishing buddies skillfully ran to the warehouse to bring out the camping canopy and folding tables, then found an empty space to set them up.

It seemed these were regulars who had visited often before and had a good relationship with Li Shuai.

Gao Xiaofan found the scene interesting and went over to help.

Soon the canopy was set up and the folding tables were in place. The fishing buddies took out their tackle boxes and chairs from their cars to use as stools—they were surprisingly perfect for the job.

Qiu Gu also brought out a brand-new fishing chair from the car, unpacked it, set it up, and handed it over.

As everyone sat chatting, Gao Xiaofan asked Qiu Gu to grab a tackle box and join them, but Qiu Gu shook his head with a smile and pointed to the Gimbal in his hand.

New fishing buddies kept arriving, and they instinctively went to the warehouse to grab a folding table and set it up themselves.

Before long, there wasn't enough room under the canopy. But since the weather had been cool lately, they just set up the tables outside.

"Bosses, come help carry the food!"

A Little Flying Tiger truck screeched to a halt in front of them. Yatou Mei sat in the driver's seat, shouting with a happy smile.

The truck bed was packed full: a side of pork, a side of mutton, bags of vegetables, and crates of beer. Everyone was stunned.

After a cheer, everyone rushed over and nimbly unloaded the truck, emptying it in no time.

"Anyone who can cook, come help! If you can't, bring out the grill and start skewering the mutton!"

Yatou Mei shouted, her silver braces gleaming in the sunlight. Then, she floored the gas and drove the Little Flying Tiger away.