Chapter 57 Fishing

Today is the weekend, and everyone in the courtyard is on holiday. Seeing Yan Bugui riding his bicycle out to fish, Qin Huairu and the other three women suddenly developed an interest in fishing and pestered Wang Lin to take them along.

Seeing that all four of them wanted to go, Wang Lin considered it for a moment and agreed.

"Let's go, I'll drive you to the fishing spot."

Since his injuries had fully recovered, Wang Lin had long ago arranged a much easier job for his former driver. As for the car, Wang Lin drove it himself now.

Sitting in the car, You Fengxia was extremely excited.

"Wow, is this a car? It's so comfortable to ride in."

Wang Lin and the other three exchanged a glance and chuckled softly. Although the vehicle assigned by the factory was also a car, riding in it was nowhere near this comfortable.

Soon, the five of them were the first to arrive at the moat. With a wave of Wang Lin's hand, everyone except Qin Huairu was equipped with a fishing rod.

Qin Huairu didn't say much about this. After all, her baby was due to be born very soon, and intense physical activity was indeed not suitable for her right now.

Wang Lin smiled and spoke.

"Wives, watch me show you my fishing skills."

With that, Wang Lin cast his fishing hook directly into the moat.

Seeing this, Lou Xiaoe, Chen Xueru, and You Fengxia followed suit and cast their hooks into the water as well. However, You Fengxia was still quite young, and her cast didn't reach very far.

Just as the four of them finished casting their lines, Yan Bugui finally pedaled up on his bicycle, huffing and puffing.

Catching sight of the five of them, Yan Bugui began to complain inwardly.

"Seriously, driving out here to fish, and they couldn't even offer me a ride."

Despite his internal complaints, Yan Bugui still wore a smile as he went over to greet Wang Lin.

"Deputy Director Wang, the whole family is out fishing today!"

Realizing the newcomer was Yan Bugui, Wang Lin replied, "My wives were bored at home. When they saw you heading out to fish, they made a fuss to come along too."

Yan Bugui said jealously, "It must be nice to be Deputy Director Wang, having so much freedom every day at work and earning such a high salary."

Wang Lin merely smiled and offered no reply.

The life he enjoyed today was something he had fought for with his very life. To protect the country, the number of invaders he had slain was beyond his own count. If not for the heavy injuries he had sustained, he would still be on the front lines killing the enemy.

Seeing that Wang Lin didn't take the bait, Yan Bugui realized he had spoken out of turn and quickly compensated with a flattering smile.

"Ah, Deputy Director Wang, fishing is a technical skill. As the Third Master, I'm quite the fishing expert around these parts. Would you like me to teach you a few tricks?"

No sooner had Yan Bugui finished speaking than Wang Lin flicked his rod, hoisting a grass carp weighing seven or eight catties straight into his bucket.

At this sight, the smile on Yan Bugui's face instantly froze, his expression turning thoroughly awkward.

"Well? How's my fishing skill?" Wang Lin cast his line again and looked at Yan Bugui with a playful grin, his eyes full of amusement.

Resentment flared in Yan Bugui's heart, but knowing Wang Lin was not someone to be trifled with, he had no choice but to swallow his grievance.

"Don't get cocky just yet. Beginners always have a beginner's luck period. This is purely pure..."

Before Yan Bugui could finish, Wang Lin reeled in another crucian carp weighing five or six catties.

Wang Lin chuckled and said, "Well, luck is also a part of strength."

As he spoke, Wang Lin exercised a thought. Under his mental control, the fishing lines of Lou Xiaoe, Chen Xueru, and You Fengxia were suddenly tugged by fish.

Seeing their floats instantly sink, the three women were overjoyed and, imitating Wang Lin, hoisted their rods to fling the fish straight into the bucket.

Lou Xiaoe and Chen Xueru succeeded. Having practiced dual cultivation with Wang Lin, they could channel spiritual energy to make their fishing rods immensely resilient; no matter how heavy the fish, the rods wouldn't snap.

You Fengxia lacked this ability, yet she still managed to haul a fish up. Unlike the others, however, what she caught was merely a tiny carp fry.

Seeing that her catch was the smallest by far, You Fengxia pouted her little face immediately.

"Hmph, why is mine the smallest? This is too unfair."

Wang Lin quickly comforted her, "Don't be upset, Fengxia. Next time, you'll definitely catch a big one."

"Really?" You Fengxia stared at Wang Lin with wide, innocent eyes, brimming with anticipation.

"Mm-hmm, of course it's true."

With that, Wang Lin used his mind once more to draw a fish to You Fengxia's hook, simultaneously channeling spiritual energy to protect her rod from breaking.

"Hahaha, I caught another fish!"

Realizing she had hooked another one, You Fengxia pulled hard on her rod, landing a large carp weighing four or five catties.

This sight left Yan Bugui dumbfounded.

"What? How can this be? Are the fish biting this easily today?"

Muttering to himself, Yan Bugui lingered no longer and hurried off to find a good spot to start fishing.

Time ticked away second by second. Wang Lin had already started a fire to grill fish for Qin Huairu and the others to eat. Meanwhile, Lou Xiaoe, Chen Xueru, and You Fengxia were completely hooked on fishing, utterly unaware that every fish they caught was due to Wang Lin's mental assistance.

"Damn it, why is there not a single fish on my hook?"

Yan Bugui's once-calm state of mind grew extremely agitated, especially upon hearing the frequent shrieks of excitement from Lou Xiaoe and the other two whenever they reeled one in. It grated on his nerves, driving him crazier by the minute and making it impossible for him to find any peace.

"I'm a fishing expert! I absolutely cannot get skunked!"

Yan Bugui was nearly driven mad by anxiety; he felt as though Wang Lin and his group were sheer bad luck.

Before they had arrived, even if he hadn't caught many, he would at least have managed five or six small fish every time.

But now? His float didn't even twitch; he hadn't even hooked a single minnow so far.

"Could you all stop making such a racket?"

Watching Lou Xiaoe and the others continuously haul in fish while he still faced a total shutout, Yan Bugui could no longer contain his internal fury and roared out loud.

The smile vanished from Wang Lin's face, and his brows furrowed deeply.

Even his own wives were women he wouldn't dare scold or beat, yet here was Yan Bugui daring to roar at them. Wang Lin's displeasure flared instantly.

"Yan Bugui, what's your game? We're having fun here, chatting and laughing—so what? If you're not happy, go fish somewhere else."

Yan Bugui was left completely speechless by Wang Lin's retort.

The moat wasn't Yan Bugui's private property, and he had no right to police them.

Naturally displeased, yet utterly powerless against Wang Lin, Yan Bugui could only pack up his fishing gear, mount his bicycle, and ride straight back home.

"Bad luck," Yan Bugui muttered in complaint. Watching Wang Lin continue to reel in fish while the group laughed and chatted only made the flames of jealousy in his heart burn brighter.

Besides, Wang Lin and the others were grilling fish and sharing some among themselves, leaving Yan Bugui in no mood to fish at all.

Watching Yan Bugui pack up his gear and leave, Wang Lin chuckled tauntingly.

"Oh my, how did our esteemed fishing expert, the Third Master, get skunked today?"

Hearing Wang Lin's words, Yan Bugui shook with rage, but since Wang Lin was not someone he could afford to provoke, he had to swallow this grievance and wait for a future opportunity to settle the score.