Nanluoguxiang is not too far from Shichahai. Li Anquan strolled all the way to Jishuitan, which is part of the West Sea of Shichahai.
In previous years, the entire Shichahai area underwent dredging work, and nowadays Shichahai boasts a beautiful environment and abundant fish resources.
The banks of Jishuitan are lined with concrete barriers, and several fishing enthusiasts were sitting there angling.
Some were doing it for recreation, but many more were trying to supplement their household income, and Yan Fugui was one of those trying to supplement his income!
He was the Third Uncle of Courtyard No. 95 and also a public school teacher. His salary wasn't high, only a little over 20 yuan a month, yet with this meager income and careful budgeting, he managed to support a family of six!
His defining trait was utter stinginess. Not only was he stingy with others, but he also nickel-and-dimed his own family!
During the Chinese New Year, even the peanuts bought for the holiday had to be rationed down to the exact number of kernels per person!
Not to mention that every family meal was strictly portioned!
Today was Saturday, and Yan Fugui, ever the dedicated school teacher, had rushed over to Shichahai bright and early to fish.
Whatever catch he got, he would either sell to the cafeterias of certain work units or peddle at the Black Market!
However, the weather today was rather hot, and the fish weren't biting well. After fishing all morning, he had only managed to catch a single crucian carp, no bigger than the palm of his hand!
Just as he was sighing in dismay, he suddenly spotted Li Anquan not far away, also holding a bamboo fishing rod!
Li Anquan had originally wanted to find a secluded corner to test out his black-tech product, but the banks of Jishuitan were packed with people!
So he found a relatively open spot instead. Since it wasn't the prime fishing location, there weren't particularly many people around!
With practiced movements, he picked up the fishing rod, baited the hook, and cast the line in one smooth motion. Next came waiting for a bite!
Li Anquan's actions weren't very eye-catching, and seeing that he was just a youngster, the others didn't pay him much attention. But less than twenty seconds after the bait hit the water, the fishing float plunged straight down!
Li Anquan gave it a mighty yank. Wanting to test the durability of his black-tech fishing rod—
since the System had stated it was completely indestructible—Li Anquan decided to rely on brute force to work a miracle!
He violently whipped the fishing rod straight back!
A carp weighing over a pound flew out of the water along the fishing line and came hurtling straight toward Li Anquan's face!
The speed was so fast that before anyone else could react, the carp had already landed on the concrete path behind the railing!
Seeing the carp flopping on the ground, Li Anquan quickly pinned it down with lightning speed, unhooked it, and pulled out a piece of twine. He strung the carp through the gills, tied it up securely, and tossed it back into the water to keep it alive!
Next to Li Anquan was an elderly man in his sixties with white hair and a kind expression on his face.
"Little fellow, you've got great luck! You just got here and already caught such a big carp!"
Li Anquan merely smiled without answering. He re-baited his hook and cast back into the water!
What followed next was entirely Li Anquan's show. All kinds of fish were hauled up one after another by him, and in less than half an hour, he had already caught two carp and eleven crucian carp!
The people around him unconsciously gravitated toward Li Anquan, sensing that the fish were biting over here!
And Yan Fugui, who hadn't caught a single fish all this time, simply reeled in his fishing rod and walked right over to Li Anquan's side!
"Li Anquan, what brings you here to fish?"
Hearing someone call his name, Li Anquan looked over, slightly puzzled, and saw that the newcomer was indeed Yan Fugui.
Yan Fugui was the kind of person who loved taking advantage of others at every turn, so Li Anquan had no intention of giving him a polite face!
"If I didn't come to fish, would I come here to feed the fish like you?"
Yan Fugui froze for a second, while several nearby anglers burst out laughing.
After all, Yan Fugui hadn't caught any fish, but had instead gone through a bunch of broken corn feed—wasn't that literally coming here to feed the fish?!
To an avid angler, this comment was undoubtedly a direct hit to the heart. Yan Fugui's mouth twitched!
"Is that any way to talk to me? Don't you know I'm a teacher? What did you even learn at school—don't you know anything about respecting your teachers and valuing the path of learning?"
Li Anquan originally didn't want to bother with him, but Yan Fugui kept pushing it. He turned his head with a trace of sarcasm on his face.
"Oh, so you remember you're a public school teacher! But... have you ever taught me? I've heard that at school you confiscate students' dried rations and take them home to eat yourself. Someone like you, do you even deserve to be called a people's teacher?!"
"Stop dragging the reputation of public school teachers through the mud, alright?"
"Besides, what I learned at school—does it have anything to do with you? Why don't you just mind your own business!"
Yan Fugui couldn't keep a straight face.
"At my age, aren't I allowed to lecture you a bit?"
Seeing that Yan Fugui still refused to leave, Li Anquan grew somewhat annoyed.
"At your age, did all your meals go straight down a dog's belly?"
"We both know very well why you came looking for me. Either you're eyeing the job opening in my family, or you're eyeing my fish. What kind of pleasant face do you expect me to give you? Don't you know what kind of person you are?"
Li Anquan's barrage of sarcasm made Yan Fugui's face shift colors like a painter's palette!
Yan Fugui's purpose in coming here was indeed to get some fish from Li Anquan so he could make a little extra cash.
But when Li Anquan mentioned the job quota, Yan Fugui snapped back to reality.
That's right! This brat still held a job quota in his hands, and it was even a permanent staff position at the Red Star Rolling Mill!
Yan Fugui was someone who could bend and stretch as needed; a couple of harsh words from others didn't bother him at all.
As for the stares of the people around him, he cared even less. A smile reappeared on his face.
"Li Anquan, I really did come to you for something today, but it's for your own good. Don't you have a job quota? Why not give that job quota to my Yan Jiecheng first? Once you're older, I'll give the job back to you. Otherwise, leaving that job sitting there is just a waste!"
Li Anquan watched his float sink into the water and gave another powerful yank, hauling a catfish weighing over three catties onto the bank with sheer brute force!
He unhooked the catfish, but this time he didn't rush to cast his line again. Instead, he looked at Yan Fugui with an impatient expression on his face!
"Who do you think you are?! Can you stop acting like everything you do is 'for my good'?"
"For my good? Why don't you give me the money your family spends then! For my good? Why don't you send your own son to work and give his salary to me?"
"If you want my family's job quota, just say it straight. I loathe people like you who want to take advantage of others while coming up with all sorts of excuses!"
"Wait until I grow up to give the job back to me? Yan Fugui, do you have any credibility left? If I really gave the job to you, it would be like throwing meat to a dog—it's never coming back!"
"Stand further back! Can't you see I'm fishing? Can't you keep quiet? Don't you know you need to be quiet when fishing?"
Anger flashed across Yan Fugui's amicable face once more. Furious, he pointed finger after finger at Li Anquan, stammering out sounds of "You, you, you!"
"You—you—how can you be this kind of person? I'm offering you well-meaning advice and you treat it like a donkey's lung! We're neighbors, isn't helping each other supposed to be a given? I'm not even asking for your job for free!"
"Besides, you can't go to work right now anyway, so that job quota is just going to waste!"
Li Anquan re-baited his hook and resumed fishing.
"It's a waste, and I'm happy to waste it! Yan Jiecheng isn't my son, why on earth should I give him the job?"
"Can you step aside? Seeing you is more annoying than seeing anyone else!"
"And you call yourself a good neighbor? My mother passed away, and all these days I haven't seen you go out of your way to look after us siblings. The moment there's something to gain, you come running to take advantage!"