49: Fishing in Xijiang River

"Okay, just let me know in advance when the time comes, so I can free up my schedule. Hurry back, Xin Yi hasn't eaten yet, she'll be hungry soon."

"Alright, we'll be going now. Xin Yi, quickly say goodbye to Xiangbei Gege." Wang Ziyi said to Wang Xinyi.

"Goodbye Xiangbei Gege, I want to come play at your house again next time!"

"Okay! Next time you come over, how about Brother takes you to the amusement park?"

"Okay! I like amusement parks, pinky promise." Wang Xinyi said while extending her finger.

Chen Xiangbei made a pinky promise with her and sealed it, the agreement between the two of them was made.

Wang Ziyi left with his sister, and Chen Xiangbei returned to the house to start cleaning.

A house with children is always a bit messy. He tidied and cleaned it from top to bottom, and the house was restored to its original state.

After finishing things at home, Chen Xiangbei went out to eat.

He had been eating lightly lately, his taste buds felt a bit bland, and he wanted to eat something with a stronger flavor.

So he found a Sichuan-Chongqing hot pot restaurant to experience a feast for the taste buds.

Sichuan-Chongqing hot pot, also known as tripe hot pot or spicy hot pot, is one of China's traditional ways of eating. Its main ingredients include beef tripe, pork throat, duck intestines, beef blood curd, etc.

Sichuan-Chongqing hot pot is famous worldwide for its spicy, fresh, and fragrant characteristics, and is one of China's four great hot pots.

Many people travel thousands of miles, specifically flying there from other places, just to have a taste of authentic Sichuan-Chongqing hot pot.

He couldn't eat very spicy food before, but ever since his physique strengthened, the food he eats has become more and more flavorful, and he enjoys eating everything sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and salty.

He ordered over a dozen portions of fatty intestines, layered tripe, fresh tripe, throat, duck intestines, duck blood, beef rolls, lamb rolls, shrimp paste, fresh tendons, lotus root slices, enoki mushrooms, and more.

Each item was the kind that could be eaten with three bowls of rice. Paired with the special dipping sauce, taking a bite felt incredibly satisfying!

Chen Xiangbei felt that if he didn't dislike being in the spotlight so much, he could have become a food streamer with his looks.

His table was by the window. It was lunchtime, and there were many people eating.

People waiting for tables around him watched him eat so deliciously, their mouths watering, wishing it was their turn to eat immediately.

...

After eating, Chen Xiangbei drove to a high-end fishing gear store. He planned to update his equipment to prepare for future sea fishing.

The sea fishing rods he bought before could only catch fish of average size. If he were to catch a giant, the rod would break instantly, so he needed to prepare for emergencies.

Entering the store, Chen Xiangbei asked, "Shop Owner, do you have any recommendations for giant fishing rods? The quality must be good, price is not an issue."

"Yes, yes, we just got a new fiberglass rod in the store recently, specifically for catching giants. There are several styles, I'll show them to you."

After speaking, he took out three rods from the display cabinet and introduced them.

"These three rods are the latest developed models, specifically designed for fishing large fish."

"Deep Sea No. 1 rod is used for catching fish weighing over 10 pounds, up to a maximum of 300 pounds."

"Deep Sea No. 2 rod is used for catching fish weighing over 30 pounds, preferably not exceeding 500 pounds."

"And this Deep Sea No. 3 is amazing. It's suitable for giants weighing from 50 pounds to 1200 kilograms, with a maximum load capacity of 1500 pounds. Most people can't use it; it requires considerable strength to handle it like an extension of your arm," the Shop Owner introduced them one by one.

Chen Xiangbei tried out the feel of each rod and found them all quite good, with excellent grip points, anti-slip, and waterproof features.

"Shop Owner, what are the prices of these rods?"

"Deep Sea No. 1 single rod is 12,000 yuan, the set is 16,800 yuan; Deep Sea No. 2 single rod is 18,000 yuan, the set is 23,900 yuan; Deep Sea No. 3 single rod is 31,800 yuan, the set is 38,800 yuan."

"You can buy the single rod, and you can match the other accessories yourself to your preference. Most sea rod accessories are compatible," the Shop Owner said to him.

Chen Xiangbei thought carefully for a moment and decided to buy two extra sets, one for regular use and one as a backup. Fishing for giant fish is risky; you never know when the rod might break.

"Shop Owner, I'll take one set each of Deep Sea No. 1 and No. 2, both with the full rod sets. Give me the best quality accessories."

"Give me two sets of Deep Sea No. 3, and give me three extra sets of accessories as backup," Chen Xiangbei said.

"How... how much? You should think carefully. Don't buy too much and then come back to me for a refund; it affects the mood greatly," the Shop Owner thought he had misheard and confirmed with Chen Xiangbei.

"I'm buying this much, don't worry. If the rods don't have major issues, I'm too lazy to come back for a return. Please get the goods ready for me," Chen Xiangbei confirmed.

"Alright, alright, please sit down and have a cup of tea. Wait a moment, and I'll get everything ready for you as soon as possible," the Shop Owner said excitedly.

This was the first time he had sold this model of rod. The price was too high, and it hadn't sold, which had been worrying him to death. Today, he finally sold them, and it was four sets!

The Shop Owner was very fast; he had everything ready in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

He showed the rods and accessories to Chen Xiangbei one by one and informed him of some other functions.

Chen Xiangbei listened carefully. He needed to be familiar with the equipment to operate it better, lest he regret it if a fish got away later.

After confirming that the items were okay, the Shop Owner calculated the total price.

"The total is 126,800 yuan. I'll round it down to 126,000 for you."

Chen Xiangbei didn't haggle either and paid directly by scanning the QR code.

The Shop Owner was extremely happy upon receiving the transfer and said to him.

"If you have any problems in the future, you can come find me. I'll help you fix minor issues for free. If you need any equipment, you can also come find me, and I'll give you a discount."

"Okay, I'll come find you if I need anything else. I'll be going now." He said and left with the items.

He put the equipment in the back seat of the car. He usually keeps his equipment in the back seat, except for the fish cooler which he takes home to clean. The fishing rods are usually left in the car so he doesn't forget them when he goes out.

Around two in the afternoon, with nothing to do after returning home, he had a cup of coffee and went out to find a place to fish.

Getting into the car, he navigated to a relatively remote river. The map showed the name as Xi River. It wasn't too far from Baiyun Lake, so fishing here and then going directly to Baiyun Lake would be perfect.

After driving for half an hour, he arrived near the Xi River basin. Looking from afar, the river was about a dozen meters wide and seven or eight meters deep. This depth often hides large fish.

He parked the car, took his equipment, and walked towards a random direction nearby.

This area was already far from the city, sparsely populated, and the vegetation was quite lush.

After pushing through several bushes, twisting and turning, he finally saw an open space. Besides that, there was also a Brother fishing, who looked tanned.

He looked like one of those Master Jeremy Wade types who often stay out all night, fishing for entire nights.