Zhang Jingxu quickly caught two stream trout. Yu Wanwan lifted her sunglasses to glance at them, then nonchalantly lay back down.
Not until Zhang Jingxu caught a third fish did Yu Wanwan lose her composure. She shot up from the lounge chair. "Why haven't I caught a single fish?"
The surroundings were quiet except for the chirping of cicadas. She hadn't fiddled with her rod, so all possible factors for not catching fish were absent...
Was her bait not tasty?
That couldn't be.
Annoyed, she lifted her rod and was surprised to find, "Where's my bait?!"
What kind of cunning fish could eat her bait and escape unscathed?!
Fuming, she rebaited the hook and cast again, staring intently at her rod. She refused to believe she couldn't catch a fish!
After waiting about ten minutes, Yu Wanwan saw Zhang Jingxu catch another small fish.
Impatiently, she lifted her rod and found her bait had disappeared again.
Zhang Jingxu suggested, "Maybe your bait wasn't hooked properly?"
Feng shui—it must be the bad feng shui of this spot!
She turned to him and said, "Let's switch spots."
After they switched, Zhang Jingxu cast his line and immediately caught a stream trout even bigger than the previous ones, estimated to be about half a jin (250g).
Yu Wanwan: "..."
Aaaaah, why was she so unlucky while he was so lucky!
Zhang Jingxu smugly tossed the fish into the bucket. Seeing Yu Wanwan about to lift her rod again, he timely remarked, "Fishing requires a lot of patience. Don't keep moving your rod. Maybe a fish is about to bite, but it'll run away if you move."
"But I haven't caught a single fish!" Yu Wanwan said irritably.
Not only had she caught nothing, but she was also getting angry enough to puff up like a pufferfish.
"Wait a little longer," Zhang Jingxu comforted her. "Maybe you'll catch a big one soon."
Yu Wanwan gloomily propped her chin on her hands, feeling that the patience she cultivated during pottery lessons was nearly depleted.
This time, Yu Wanwan waited patiently for nearly twenty minutes. Suddenly, her rod dipped. She immediately tensed, lifted the rod, and indeed, there was a fish—a big one.
She struggled to reel it ashore. It was a stream trout larger than any Zhang Jingxu had caught, estimated to be about seven or eight liang (350-400g).
Stream trout are usually small; catching half a jin was considered very fortunate. Yu Wanwan had caught one weighing nearly a jin. She immediately shouted excitedly, "I caught one! A huge one!"
Over the next while, Yu Wanwan caught a few more small fish, and she began to feel proud.
She secretly rejoiced. She knew this spot had good feng shui.
Just as they were getting into the groove, the sky suddenly frowned and rain began to fall. Yu Wanwan quickly packed up the camera, and together with Zhang Jingxu, they ran to take shelter under a tree.
The rain grew heavier. Standing under the tree, they were almost soaked through.
It was already cool in the mountains, and now with the rain and a gentle breeze, Yu Wanwan suddenly felt a chill.
Zhang Jingxu looked down at her hands, recalling last night's lesson, and quietly tried to brush the back of his hand against hers.
Just as he was about to succeed, Yu Wanwan lifted her arms and hugged herself.
A flicker of disappointment flashed in Zhang Jingxu's eyes. Seeing her shiver, he frowned with concern and asked, "Are you cold?"
A few raindrops dripped from the dense leaves onto her nape, and Yu Wanwan couldn't help shivering. "A little."
Without a word, Zhang Jingxu took off his shirt jacket and draped it over her shoulders. "Wear my jacket to warm up. It's not too wet."
Yu Wanwan didn't stand on ceremony and said, "Thanks," before putting it on.
He looked up at the heavy rain and said, "Let's go back."