Chapter 227: Fishing and Sightseeing Wishes

With An Sheng's instructions, Yu Xueqing watched as the Changping Mountain hunters conducted the salvage operation.

The massive mermaid battle that erupted after the rod exploded seemed extremely dangerous, but overall it was safe.

Especially as afternoon approached, crowds of anglers rushed to the Changle River section immediately after work.

Vast quantities of bait were dumped into the river, and the fish population in the Changle River section grew steadily.

The popping sounds of exploding rods even startled the village chief of Changping Village.

It even drew security officers to come and maintain order.

Most anglers who go out fishing, like women going to the bathroom, form groups, then evolve into fishing squads, eventually entering black pits or deep-sea fishing pits.

Anglers who watched Yu Xueqing's livestream rushed to the group chat to report the explosive fish activity.

A ten-kilogram fish? Call it shit!

The Changle River starts at twenty kilograms; every Kingfish weighs at least one hundred thirty kilograms. Local streamer Yu Xueqing personally lifted them onto the scale—some even weighed two hundred kilograms!

As soon as local anglers finished work, they all came running.

Some local streamers also came to ride the hype; "Changle River Mermaid Rivalry" shot straight to number one on Yinfu Platform's local hot search in Jiule City.

"Yu Xueqing!"

"Let my old man have a spot—I can't squeeze to the riverbank!"

Yu Zhenghong, holding a threaded-steel fishing rod, had somehow slipped into Changping Mountain and was frantically pushing his way forward.

Yet.

The commotion drew even non-anglers from Changping Village to come watch the spectacle. Yu Zhenghong, hampered by his bulky gear, could only shout to Yu Xueqing, who was livestreaming ahead, asking her to help.

Yu Xueqing was indeed quite good at studying.

But if Yu Zhenghong were to judge, his daughter's greatest talent was claiming positions.

No matter what blocked her path, Yu Xueqing could lift it aside and squeeze right into the crowd.

"Dad? Why'd you run off?"

Yu Xueqing stared at Yu Zhenghong in surprise: "It's only four-thirty—what about the tea competition?"

"I've finished hosting today. I signed off. Your mom agreed I could leave to fish."

Yu Zhenghong spoke with full confidence; since opening the tea house, his entire demeanor had sharpened.

Now that the tea house was open, and Yu Xueqing's livestreams were driving traffic to the Yinfu online store, business had improved.

Ever since Yu Xueqing invited Master Fuli home.

Their family's luck had become so good, even their bowel movements flowed smoothly.

"May Master Fuli bless us."

Before casting his line, Yu Zhenghong bowed before An Sheng, then turned toward the river and cast his rod.

"Threaded steel?"

An Sheng, seeing Yu Zhenghong's rod, froze in shock and asked Yu Xueqing:

"Has our family fallen so far that we're fishing with threaded steel costing two yuan per jin?"

Threaded steel is used solely for construction, commonly poured into concrete for buildings.

When in use, it's threaded steel; when discarded, it becomes scrap iron at recycling stations.

Even new threaded steel sells for two yuan per jin at recycling stations; now, they'll pay one yuan per jin—only if it's not rusted.

"Maybe… we should buy Dad a nine-yuan carbon fiber rod for tomorrow? I'm afraid he'll get tendonitis using this threaded steel rod." An Sheng grumbled.

Though An Sheng's comment was sharp, the squeak in his voice was delightfully cute.

Yu Zhenghong mistook it for Master Fuli cheering him on and instantly felt a surge of strength.

With a one-and-a-half-meter threaded steel rod, Yu Zhenghong swung it like a lure rod, sending the hook flying five to six meters out onto the river, then reeling it back.

"Got one! Got one!"

As the line tightened, Yu Zhenghong beamed; other anglers nearby burst into laughter.

But when they saw it, they were stunned.

No exploding rod appeared—instead, they saw a painted threaded steel rod flailing on the bank.

"What the hell is this threaded steel deity? Who the fuck uses a rod that heavy?"

"Boring."

Given the current fish activity, you could throw a bare hook into the river and catch fish—anglers who exploded rods didn't just want to catch fish themselves; they wanted to see others explode their rods too.

Some had already blown up five or six rods.

Though they were all domestic rods, cheap and unremarkable, they still felt a twinge of resentment.

Then—

Yu Zhenghong's threaded steel rod made every angler freeze.

"Yu Xueqing! Help me! I can't pull it back!" Yu Zhenghong braced one foot against the stone railing, the reel spooling out uncontrollably—he strained with all his strength but couldn't budge the fish gripping the hook deep in the riverbed.

"Xiao An, Mo Mo went to the bathroom—hold my phone for me."

Yu Xueqing, hearing her father call, shoved the phone into An Sheng's arms, then stepped forward to ask how she could help pull the rod.

"You don't fish—you'll snap the line if you hold the rod. I'll hold it; you just pull me back a little."

"Oh."

Yu Xueqing reached out both hands, grabbed her father's belt, and slowly stepped backward. Yu Zhenghong suddenly felt a violent tug—his arms nearly gave out from the strain, and he gasped sharply.

The fish pulled forward.

His daughter pulled backward.

Yu Zhenghong felt like Lao Ai, experiencing the legendary punishment of being torn apart by five horses.

"Stop!"

"Here, take the rod—I'm done."

Yu Zhenghong's face twisted in despair; he hurled the threaded steel rod to his daughter.

He'd just lied.

The reel on his threaded steel rod was originally designed for sea fishing—bought by Chen Peipei from a scrap yard and welded onto the steel by someone.

Not only could it catch freshwater fish—it could haul a shark ashore if you had enough strength.

Yu Zhenghong claimed it was easy to snap the line because he enjoyed the thrill of playing the fish.

Isn't the best part of fishing the tussle with the fish—and the bragging after landing a giant?

Yu Zhenghong had no intention of letting go—until he felt the fish's pull and his daughter's raw strength. Instantly, his greed vanished; he handed the rod over to her.

If he didn't give the rod to Yu Xueqing now, he feared she'd rip his belt clean off.

"Oh."

Yu Xueqing took the rod and was dragged forward by the powerful fish below—then, frowning, she planted one foot firmly against the stone railing, gripped the rod's middle with her left hand and the end with her right.

Yu Xueqing took a deep breath and yanked the threaded steel rod with full force. The once-straight rod bent into an exaggerated arc. The fish, smugly biting the hook beneath the water, was stunned.

A force beyond resistance surged—the sturgeon's cheeks stretched into a curve, its body shooting upward with a sharp "whoosh," leaping from the river into the air.

A Chinese sturgeon, over three meters long and weighing at least one hundred eighty kilograms, was yanked into the air by Yu Xueqing, soaring three to four meters before crashing onto the shore.

The Chinese sturgeon's face twisted in terror, its eyes locked on the girl holding the bent rod—sharp gaze, twin ponytails swaying with her bangs fluttering.

The sturgeon looked like a fish leaping over the Dragon Gate—or a child pinched hard on the cheeks by an adult.

"!?"

The crowd of onlookers on the bank froze in shock, scrambling away in panic.

Holy shit—a three-meter fish is flying toward us! Any sane person would run!

"Huh?"

After yanking the giant fish into the air, Yu Xueqing stared at it, stunned—then panicked, dropped the rod, and reached up to catch it.

Chinese sturgeon: max length five meters, max weight five hundred kilograms.

Definitely a Class I national protected wild animal.

"Thud—"

Yu Xueqing stretched out both arms and caught the falling sturgeon, gently placing it on the grass.

"Phew—almost messed up. You okay?" Yu Xueqing glanced at the sturgeon.

The still-shaken sturgeon instinctively nodded, then frantically shook its head—no, it was fine, perfectly fine; if you threw it back, it could swim two hundred li.

【The rod bent! Threaded steel bent!】

【Streamer is insane (voice cracked)!】

"Don't just type—tap the tip jar or visit our shop! Even if you don't buy, give us a like!" An Sheng raised his paw and banged it against the livestream interface, demanding tips.

Yu Xueqing had caught a huge fish.

But unfortunately, it was a nationally protected species.

Yu Xueqing tied the still-shaken sturgeon to the riverbank and called the Forestry Bureau, scratching her head.

Catching rare creatures isn't as simple as just tossing them back.

Normally, you must report it—so authorities can give them a full checkup, attach a tracker, and monitor their population.

Catching a Class I protected animal.

Yu Xueqing stood bewildered, joining her livestream viewers as they headed to the Forestry Bureau to complete the paperwork.

Mo Yiqing and Chen Zhiyu wore grim expressions; Yu Zhenghong trailed behind them the whole time.

Only the threaded steel fishing rod—worth no more than fifty yuan, now bent—

Chen Zhiyu's father picked it up, standing solemnly by the riverbank with reverence:

May Great Nanny protect us

I hope this place is bustling every day, ideally becoming a small tourist spot so I can sit here collecting rent!

A gathering spot for fishermen, located behind Chen Zhi's Beast Hospital.

All the land here belongs to Chen Zhi's family.

Today, the village chief sold water, food, cigarettes, and alcohol with great satisfaction; he hoped tomorrow would be the same.

【Wish fulfilled: May Great Nanny make the stretch of Changle River behind our home a tourist attraction! I offer as sacrifice all of Yu's future romantic luck! — Chen Zhi's father gazed at the lively riverside, a sudden inspiration struck him, and he silently made a wish to Great Nanny, hoping this backyard would become a tourist spot.】

【Wish fulfilled: Fishing Rod Inspection Station tourist attraction.】

"Huh? Huh? Ah!"

"Who? Who the hell is this? And whose general is this? What kind of wish is this—half-baked and completely unbalanced!" An Sheng sat in Yu Xueqing's car, heading toward the Forestry Bureau.

He had planned to take advantage of his free time, sipping an iced cola while checking his wish list to see how many wish-power points he'd earned from smashing the poaching gang today.

Suddenly, a new wish appeared before his eyes.

An Sheng glanced at it briefly, then froze; he quickly pulled the list closer and squinted with wide eyes.

An Sheng blurted out, "Fuck!"

(End of chapter)