Night Fishing

"No problem. I'll try it first."

Lu Ao wanted to raise Lionhead Geese because they were relatively large, with the biggest growing to over ten kilograms. When the time came, he could really enjoy eating the meat.

Lu Ao had always had his own ideas, so Lin Gongshang could not persuade him much. He only said, "If you want to raise them, buy them in batches. Don't get too many at once."

Lu Ao nodded. He had not planned to buy too many at once anyway. Thirty or fifty would do.

If he bought too many, he would not be able to take care of them all.

After saying that, Lin Gongshang added, "All right, I'm heading home for dinner. We'll contact each other by phone later."

"Okay."

Lin Gongshang got on his motorcycle and quickly rode home.

Lu Ao washed his hands and feet, put the bucket, hoe, and other things into the back of the tricycle, then drove home as well.

Once home, he ate first. After filling his stomach and taking a shower, it was nearly half past nine.

He drove the tricycle straight to the sea near Lin Family Village, where they had arranged to meet.

He heard Lin Manzhang and the others from a long way off. When he got closer, he saw them carrying the boat into the sea together.

Lu Ao parked the tricycle and went over to help. At first glance, he noticed an unfamiliar, refined-looking young man among the crowd.

Even while helping carry the boat, that young man did not forget to hold up a selfie stick and record video.

Lu Ao walked over and helped lift the boat.

Lin Manzhang and the others instantly felt the weight on their shoulders lighten. They turned and, seeing him, greeted him warmly. "Lu Ao, you're here?"

The refined young man immediately turned around, his eyes lighting up as he shouted, "God Lu?!"

The moment Lu Ao heard that, he knew who he was.

This must be Lin Qiyan, the one who made videos.

Night Fishing

The group carried the boat into the sea and pushed it out for a while before climbing aboard.

Their fishing boat was over three meters wide. With six people aboard, it was not crowded at all—just right, in fact.

Lu Ao stared thoughtfully at the fishing boat without blinking. It would be nice if he bought a boat like this someday.

Lin Qiyan secretly looked at Lu Ao, his eyes full of amazement.

A few days ago, Tian Mingzhi had casually probed him in conversation, and only then had he learned that Lu Ao had returned.

They were from the same province, and Lin Qiyan paid close attention to Tian Mingzhi's video account. He knew they had gained a wave of followers because Lu Ao had appeared in their videos.

Maybe the good fortune of gaining followers would fall to him next.

Lu Ao sensed someone looking at him and raised his head toward the gaze.

The moment Lin Qiyan noticed his eyes on him, he immediately broke into a brilliant smile, his eyes especially bright.

Lu Ao paused, then calmly looked away. He found it a little strange, but did not ask.

Lin Manzhang started the engine. Amid the putt-putt-putt of the motor, the fishing boat slowly headed toward the vast sea.

It was already completely dark. Even though there were basically no other fishing boats along their route, they still had to be careful. Their boat was moving more than half as slowly as it did during the day.

Lu Ao adapted well and was not seasick in the slightest. Neither was anyone else. They chatted and laughed as they headed for their destination waters.

Lu Ao went to inspect the Octopus Hooks. "What bait are we using today?"

"The usual stuff from the market, plus a small bucket of earthworms." Lin Gongshang brought over the bait for him to see. "Should we bait them now?"

"It'll be more convenient to prepare them ahead of time."

Lu Ao took out the Octopus Hooks and began baiting them.

Lin Qiyan immediately picked up his camera and filmed Lu Ao's hands.

Lu Ao looked up at him.

Lin Qiyan gave him a coaxing smile. "I'll only film your hands. Is that okay?"

Lu Ao nodded. "Don't film my face."

"Sure." Lin Qiyan said, "Don't worry. Once the video is edited, I'll let you review it first. I guarantee there won't be anything that shouldn't be there."

Lin Gongshang leaned over. "Lin Qiyan, why are you only filming him?"

Lin Guixiao casually said from the side, "What else could it be? Lu Ao's good-looking."

"He isn't even showing his face. How can you tell whether he's good-looking or not?"

Lin Guixiao looked up. "Even if he only showed a pair of hands, they'd still look better than you."

Lu Ao could not be bothered to pay attention to their bickering and focused on baiting the Octopus Hooks.

An Octopus Hook was different from other fishhooks. It consisted of eight hooks joined back-to-back, looking like a flower in full bloom.

These hooks were designed to better catch hold of a squid's body. Once a squid took the hook, it basically could not get away.

A wooden shrimp lure hung in the middle of the Octopus Hook. Under the light, it glimmered brightly. Things that glowed in the dark were especially good at attracting squid.

Lu Ao wrapped the Octopus Hook in bait. Once it was covered, the squid could only see the wooden shrimp lure, not the Octopus Hook, making nearly every cast a sure catch.

The fishing boat chugged onward. After more than forty minutes, they finally arrived at their destination waters.

There were not many fishing boats out at night to begin with, and their location was rather remote. Looking in every direction, there was nothing but darkness and the dazzling river of stars overhead.

The weather was perfectly clear today. Before they turned on the fish-attracting lights, Lin Qiyan deliberately filmed the starry sky.

Such a sight was rarely seen on land—the sky full of stars, as though the sea were full of stars too. Everywhere they looked, it felt as if the entire boat were drifting through a sea of stars. No matter which way they looked, everything glittered brilliantly.

Looking at the stars filling the sky, Lu Ao felt his whole heart settle into calmness.

Lin Manzhang stopped the boat. To cooperate with Lin Qiyan's filming, everyone deliberately turned off the boat lights and their headlamps.

They waited beneath the starlight.

Lin Qiyan could not help saying softly, "Wait a moment. Let me take another set of photos."

It was such a rare scene. If he missed it tonight, whether he could capture it again would depend on luck.

No one urged him. They let him finish taking pictures before Lin Manzhang turned on the boat lights.

Lin Gongshang could hardly wait. "Quick, quick, quick! Turn on the induction cooker and boil some water."

Lin Guixiao yawned. "There isn't even a sign of squid yet. Boiling water now would be pointless."

Lu Ao looked over the sea, chose a direction, and lowered the fish-attracting lights into the water.

They had brought red fish-attracting lights today—one for above the water and one for underwater, two in total. Connected to a large battery, they could last all night.

Once the lights were in place, they waited for the squid to gradually gather. Lu Ao gestured for them to begin fishing.