Chapter 1514: Fis.h.i.+ng
One day.
Two days.
Three days.
This afternoon.
Around noon.
Dong Xuebing and Jiang Min had been traveling and sightseeing all the way. They finally reached the border of Xishan Province, heading towards Beihai Province and Beijing, which were very close by.
In the car.
"Teacher Jiang, we"re almost there."
"Yeah, we won"t make it today."
"It"s doubtful. We"ll probably reach Beihai Province by tonight."
"Then let"s find a place to eat and stay."
"Sure, I"ll follow your lead. Tomorrow morning, I"ll take you to Beijing."
"No need. I"ll take a bus by myself. You were supposed to return to Beihai Province to see your mother first, right?"
"I"m not in a hurry. I still have twenty days of vacation. I can go back whenever. I must ensure I drop you off at your doorstep first."
"You"re too much. I"ll go by myself."
"No, no. If you insist, then I"ll pay for today. You"ve been spending money on me the whole trip."
"It"s my filial duty."
"Today, I"ll foot the bill. If you try to pay again, I"ll be upset."
They arrived at the resort.
As the car pulled in and stopped, Dong Xuebing got out and handed the car keys to the attendant. "We couldn"t find the parking lot. Can you help us park? Thanks."
The attendant immediately responded, "Of course."
Another waiter approached, "Sir, madam, please come inside."
Dong Xuebing said, "Do you still have rooms available? Book a suite with at least two bedrooms."
"Sure, please register inside. Are you two planning to have a meal? We have Chinese and Western cuisine and a fis.h.i.+ng pond for fis.h.i.+ng and grilling." The waiter introduced him.
Dong Xuebing looked at Jiang Min, "What do you think?"
Jiang Min smiled, "Let"s go fis.h.i.+ng. It sounds interesting."
"Alright, let"s go. I"ve never been fis.h.i.+ng before. Let"s head straight to the fis.h.i.+ng pond since we"re hungry."
Ten minutes later.
The group entered the fis.h.i.+ng pond.
It was a small artificial lake, but gorgeous, even more so than natural lakes. The sunlight s.h.i.+mmered on the greenery, creating a picturesque scene. The lake was divided into several areas, and many people had arrived. Men, women, old, and young, primarily families, had come together. Some were preparing fis.h.i.+ng rods, while others were already grilling the fish they caught. The aroma of grilled fish wafted through the air, enticingly fragrant.
"Which area would you like to go to?"
"Let"s go to the innermost area, where there are fewer people and more fish."
"Alright, please follow me. I"ll let you know that our professional staff will come by later. If you need fis.h.i.+ng rods or bait, ask her. As for the fish you catch, we"ll weigh them and settle the price. There will also be a processing fee for grilling the fish."
"Got it."
"Okay, this way, please."
Area 28. Dong Xuebing and Jiang Min sat by the lake.
Before long, a female staff member brought them fis.h.i.+ng rods and bait and taught them the basic fis.h.i.+ng techniques. After a brief demonstration, Dong Xuebing learned quickly and felt confident. He let her go, and she a.s.sured them they could ask her if they had any problems before heading off to a.s.sist the next guest.
Only Dong Xuebing and Jiang Min were left by the lakeside pavilion.
"Teacher Jiang, here."
"Coming. I"m not good at fis.h.i.+ng, though."
"I"m not either, but let"s try it."
"Hehe, if we don"t catch anything, we"ll go hungry."
"Don"t worry, they must have ready-caught fish. We can buy some."
"It"s more fun to catch them ourselves."
"Yeah, store-bought fish is no fun. Let"s go. I"ll go first."
Dong Xuebing baited his hook, cast it out into the lake, and sat there motionless, staring at it.
Jiang Min smiled and also began fis.h.i.+ng.
One minute.
Five minutes.
Dong Xuebing was not the type to sit still for long. He alternated between holding the fis.h.i.+ng rod and smoking a cigarette, chatting with Jiang Min from time to time. But after half a day, he hadn"t caught any fish. Eventually, he tried shaking the fis.h.i.+ng rod, only to find that the bait had been eaten without catching any fish. He wasn"t sure if it was a problem with the hook or something else. Despite seeing many fish in the lake, he hadn"t caught one after all the effort.
Meanwhile, Jiang Min suddenly felt a tug on her fis.h.i.+ng line.
"I"ve got one!"
"Quick, reel it in!"
"It feels heavy."
"Hurry, or it"ll get away!"
Jiang Min reeled in the line effortlessly, then stood up excitedly to pull in the fis.h.i.+ng rod. Though clumsy, she managed to pull up a lively carp. "Got it."
"Wow, you"re amazing!"
"Hehe, how do we unhook it?"
"I"ll do it for you. Wow, it"s quite big."
"Yeah, at least two kilograms. It looks like enough to eat."
"We"ll need more than just this. Let me try again. I don"t believe I can"t catch another one."
"You"re too noisy. I"m not criticizing you, but at your age, you should be learning better habits, not picking up smoking."
"Cough, I"ll smoke less from now on. I"ll listen to you."
They tossed the caught fish into a bucket and continued fis.h.i.+ng.
As amateurs, they might have had beginner"s luck the first time, but it wasn"t as easy the second time. After a while of trying, they still hadn"t caught anything.
Dong Xuebing"s stomach growled.
"I"m hungry," Jiang Min said, smiling at him. "Let"s eat."
The lights in the fis.h.i.+ng pond came on, and the sky darkened, leaving only the sunset.
Dong Xuebing reeled in his rod. "It"s getting late. You keep fis.h.i.+ng. I"ll clean up the fish and get them ready. Let"s wait for the next catch."
Jiang Min nodded. "Sure, let"s grill them."
Dong Xuebing walked over to the grill and called a staff member over. He lit the charcoal and brought out several bottles of seasoning. While he wasn"t good at fis.h.i.+ng, Dong Xuebing had no problem grilling fish. He didn"t need the staff member"s instructions and skillfully cleaned the fish, removed the innards, washed them, made cuts in the fish, and skewered them onto sticks for grilling.
Crackling sounds filled the air as the charcoal crackled.
Dong Xuebing blew on the flames.
"You"re quite professional," Jiang Min commented, turning to look at him.
Dong Xuebing chuckled. "When we lived in the courtyard, we used to grill lamb skewers all the time. I"ve become quite skilled."
"Then I"ll look forward to tasting your cooking."
"It"ll be ready soon. How"s it going on your end?"
"No luck yet. Two fish baited, but no catch."
"No worries. Let"s eat this one first. It smells delicious already."
In the glow of the fire and smoke, the grilled carp was ready. Even without any seasoning yet, it emitted a tantalizing aroma. Dong Xuebing sprinkled some seasoning on it and walked over to Jiang Min with the skewers, blowing on them to cool them down before offering them to her.
"Alright."
"It"s ready to eat. You go first."
"No, you go ahead and eat. I"ll catch another one."
"Don"t be like that. Since the fish is already grilled, you go ahead."
After several attempts to push it back, Jiang Min took the skewer. "Then let me have a taste." She took a bite and inhaled deeply, savoring the flavor. "Mmm, delicious."
"It smells perfect."
"It"s delicious, very flavorful. You should try it."
"Alright, I"ll try a piece."
Dong Xuebing took it back and took a bite from the other end. After chewing for a moment, he exclaimed, "It"s delicious, perfect."
"Hey, there"s a fis.h.!.+" Jiang Min suddenly exclaimed, reaching out to reel it in.
This fish seemed even more significant than the last one. Jiang Min didn"t have as much strength, and perhaps she hadn"t mastered the proper technique, so she struggled a bit. The fis.h.i.+ng rod seemed like it might slip out of her hands. With all the movement, Jiang Min"s blouse was jolted, and suddenly, with a click, the third b.u.t.ton on her s.h.i.+rt popped off, sending her bosom bouncing into the water with a small splash. Her s.h.i.+rt loosened around the b.u.t.ton, revealing a dark blue bra underneath.
Dong Xuebing blushed at the sight.
If the b.u.t.tons are popping off, you must be pretty well-endowed.
No one else was around, and Jiang Min didn"t seem embarra.s.sed. Instead, she urged him, "Xuebing, help me out here. It"ll be done soon."
"Oh, uh, coming." Dong Xuebing hurriedly put down the grilled fish to help her.
After a few attempts, they managed to pull up another fish weighing over five kilograms. It was one of the largest fish in the artificial lake. Dong Xuebing was ecstatic. Although he hadn"t caught it himself, he still felt accomplished. He quickly went to clean the fish.
Meanwhile, Jiang Min put down her fis.h.i.+ng rod, looked down at her chest, adjusted her s.h.i.+rt, and tightened the area where the b.u.t.ton had come off, barely covering her bra.
"Your s.h.i.+rt…"
"I"ll change it later. Let"s eat first."
"Okay, then you go ahead and eat the first fish. This one will be ready soon."
Jiang Min probably didn"t see Dong Xuebing as a stranger, or perhaps she didn"t see him as a man, so she didn"t seem to mind much. She picked up a skewer and started eating. Although she managed to cover up most of the time, her bra was still visible under her s.h.i.+rt with Jiang Min"s movements.
Dong Xuebing didn"t dare to sneak a peek.
Around seven o"clock.
They caught three fish and enjoyed a hearty meal, finis.h.i.+ng them all.
Even Jiang Min, who had no big appet.i.te, ate more than one fish this time. It shows that eating is also about the atmosphere and environment. Fish caught by oneself always tastes better.
In the evening, the two returned to their suite.
"We ate a lot today," Jiang Min smiled. "Let"s rest."
Dong Xuebing nodded. "Okay, take the main bedroom, and I"ll go to the guest room."
Jiang Min didn"t refuse. She stretched lazily, yawned, then turned and walked into the main bedroom, her ample b.u.t.tocks swaying as she went.
Dong Xuebing also went back to his room to sleep.
Today was a good day; it was very relaxing and enjoyable. He fell asleep almost as soon as he lay down.