NOVPUB
Chapter 558: Chapter 362: Ashamed of One’s Ugliness
Fishing by hand is a skilled trade; without experience, the efficiency is particularly low.
In the center of this stretch of river, close to half a meter deep and over twenty meters long, the fish have plenty of room to move around, which only adds to the difficulty of fishing by hand.
To fish by hand efficiently, it’s best to get a water pump to drain the water until it’s almost gone before you start.
Deng Xiang and Duan Shigang’s group labored for quite a while before they could finally manage to catch a few fish.
In contrast, Jiang Ning beside them was catching one fish after another, making onlookers click their tongues in amazement.
It’s no exaggeration to say that ninety percent of the fish in the bucket were tossed in by Jiang Ning.
Xue Yuantong, stepping in her petite shoes, ran over to the bucket and saw the dark shadows darting about and the water churning. She shouted,
"Jiang Ning, the fish are fighting!"
After hearing her, Jiang Ning thought for a moment. To prevent the fish from hurting each other and affecting the quality of their meat, he cast a "Magic Formation" toward the bucket and calmed the most ferocious among them.
"No worries, let them fight," Jiang Ning said.
Since he was close to fishing near the East River Bank, he simply decided to get out on this side.
Xue Yuantong was standing on the West Bank; she waved to Jiang Ning from across the six or seven meters wide river,
"We should hurry and move the bucket up."
The incline from the riverbank to the wheat field above was somewhat steep.
The bucket was heavy with water and fish inside, and it wasn’t easy for Xue Yuantong to carry by herself. If she were to spill the bucket halfway, all the hard-earned fish would fall into the river, and her sin would be great.
At important times like these, Xue Yuantong knew better than to act tough without reason.
Jiang Ning said, "I’ll come over right now."
After he reached the shore, he stepped onto the wild grass, having left his shoes on the opposite bank.
Xue Yuantong thought he was going to wade over from the big rock, so she simply waited for him quietly.
But as it happened, Jiang Ning took a step forward with his left foot, trampling some wild grass, and using his left foot as a pivot, he leaped forward, soaring into the air and actually clearing the six or seven meters wide river.
Shen Qing E had just decided to finish hand fishing when she suddenly caught sight of this scene. Her eyes were filled with surprise.
Jiang Junlong was even more astonished: "Brother Ning, you’re that good at long jump?"
Xue Yuantong froze, looking at Jiang Ning and then back at the little river. He had actually just jumped straight across the wide river, just... jumped across?
The thought of crossing the river in such a way had never crossed Xue Yuantong’s mind; it was beyond her comprehension.
With her gaze shifting from Jiang Ning, Shen Qing E said to Jiang Junlong, "He broke many of Fourth Middle School’s high jump records."
While waves were stirred here, Deng Xiang’s group on the other side was shocked as well.
Gong Xuan, who had been paying attention to the scene off and on, saw clearly the moment Jiang Ning leaped over the river; it was as if he had flown.
Qiu Die couldn’t help exclaiming, "Cool, that was so cool!"
"Jump again, do another jump for me to see!"
In her excitement, her big dangling earrings swung wildly, like dancing demons.
Duan Shigang’s face darkened on the spot. His girl was cheerleading for another guy, where did that leave Brother Gang’s face?
All the spotlight was stolen by someone else, and the usually arrogant Brother Gang found it unbearable.
He scoffed, "What’s so difficult about jumping over a river?"
Just when Qiu Die was riding a wave of excitement, Duan Shigang’s remark was a real buzzkill.
Along the way, she had built up a lot of dissatisfaction with Duan Shigang. She thought he was taking her to the park for a boat ride, but instead, he brought her to the wild outskirts. If it wasn’t for Deng Xiang’s sake, she would have vented her frustrations much earlier.
Seeing the expression on Duan Shigang’s face, Qiu Die shook her head full of red hair: "Brother Gang, can you make the jump?"
Duan Shigang didn’t know if he could, but pressed into a corner like this, how could he back off, both in fairness and reason?
In the end, it’s all about face.
Duan Shigang showed a mocking expression: "You forgot about me after I went out to work for half a year. It seems that there are no more legends about me in the Jianghu... Out of sight, out of mind..."
Ge Hao, who had been mocking Jiang Ning on the sidelines, added, "It’s just jumping a river, and you’re all excited like a bunch of girls, such lack of experience."
Qiu Die, being hot-headed, retorted, "Duan Shigang, Ge Hao, both of you jump then. If you can make it, I’ll treat you to hotpot tonight!" 𝑛𝘰𝑣𝑝𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮
She originally didn’t want to add ’small’ in front of ’hotpot,’ but money was tight. Just attending a technical school, she only had a few hundred in living expenses per month. Smoking, drinking, and covering for her little sister, she was broke in no time.
So a small hotpot was all she could afford.
Xue Yuantong heard the commotion and was a bit lost: ’Are they fighting amongst themselves?’
She wasn’t concerned about the others, just wanted to go home with Jiang Ning and cook the fish, convinced that the fish they caught by hand would taste exceptional.
This time, she wasn’t just an assistant to Jiang Ning’s fishing.
Duan Shigang and Ge Hao, spurred on by Qiu Die’s words, were inflamed.
Deng Xiang and Gong Xuan watched from the sidelines, chiming in now and then.
"Brother Gang, shouldn’t you just not jump?" Gong Xuan advised. As a student of Fourth Middle School and having participated in the sports meeting, she knew that Jiang Ning could clear the river thanks to his one-in-ten-thousand level jumping ability.
As for Duan Shigang and company, Gong Xuan could only laugh.
Her attempt to advise only fueled Duan Shigang’s anger further. ’You’re looking down on Brother Gang, huh?’
Qiu Die shouted, "Don’t persuade him, let him jump. I want to treat them to hotpot!"
Duan Shigang and Ge Hao stomped over to the East River Bank, planted themselves firmly on the shore, and started to warm up.
Facing the six or seven meters wide river and after talking a big game, the reality of actually jumping across made them nervous.
But backing out? That was out of the question. They were young lads, not grown men; whatever bravado they had boasted, they had to swallow it, even to the death.
And now, they’re about to jump.
