Anglers were a fascinating breed.
"They say the older you get, the more you take to this pastime."
In the riverside grass, which grew as tall as a person, Shen Tang held a fishing rod in her left hand and yawned with her right. Her legs were spread apart, and she had slumped all her weight against the back of a bamboo stool, in a pose not far off from Ge You's famous slouch. Her usually bright, almond-shaped eyes were drooping with exhaustion, and she looked utterly listless.
She turned to look at Cui Mi on her left.
Then she turned to look at Qi Cang on her right.
Shen Tang did like fishing, but that didn't mean she could stay up three nights in a row, squatting in riverside grass and feeding mosquitoes. And mosquitoes were only the relatively friendly creatures around here. Water snakes, toads, and ticks also prowled the banks. The medical technology available to them couldn't do a thing about tick-borne infections; even a bite from a venomous snake could be fatal. As she spoke, she yawned again.
Qi Cang was wholly absorbed, staring fixedly at the black water.
He didn't forget to spare a moment to refute her. "That's complete nonsense!"
"There's some truth to it. Anglers get so hooked on fishing that they stay out all night, night after night. They leave before dark and don't come home until after sunrise. Even if they don't catch a thing, they still love it. Aside from people who genuinely love fishing, it's mostly older folks who can't keep up with their partners anymore, or older single people. If there's nothing going on, what else is there to do in the middle of the night? Why squat here for three nights straight without catching a single fish?"