Back to the Past to Become a Fishing King

Chapter 837 - 564: Team Building, New Friend (Part 2)

After all, we’ve just met; no merit, no reward. If I can lend a hand cooking, it can help Brother Ma find some psychological balance.

Quickly, Brother Ma and Zhang Yang returned with the cleaned big carp.

"Brother Zhao, Brother Ma just got a big carp, already cleaned up. Tonight, he’s going to show us his skills! Let’s give the opportunity to showcase his culinary talent to Brother Ma!" Zhang Yang set the stage.

Zhao Bingguang looked up and agreed, "No problem! This big carp is quite a size! There are pickled vegetables, chili pepper, and some scallion, ginger, and garlic seasonings in the car!"

"Let’s make pickled fish. It’s simple and a specialty of mine! Well, I’m a professional chef. What other ingredients do we have? Let’s get them all ready; leave it to me!"

Quickly, Old Zhao opened his treasure trove and brought out the supplies he had prepared.

Two large foam boxes, one filled with ready-to-cook barbecue, and the other with common supermarket vegetables, packaged pickled vegetables, eggs, chili, fresh meat, sausages, plus peanuts, chicken feet, and other ready-to-eat delicacies.

Going out to play, the supplies are mostly convenience foods. Among anglers, the supplies Old Zhao prepared are considered top-notch; many fishing friends just settle for some bread or instant noodles.

Brother Ma quickly took stock of the ingredients and soon had an idea.

"You guys handle the barbecue, leave the rest to me. Counting the cold dishes, I’ll whip up at least eight or ten dishes! One carp isn’t enough, Zhang Yang, go to my fish protector and fetch a few more large crucian carp to make a crucian carp soup!"

Brother Ma swiftly stepped into his chef role and began making various arrangements.

Anyway, since they just started to fish, and there were no bites, Zhang Yang happily lent a hand to Brother Ma.

From parking and setting up camp around four, until it got dark around six, not many fish were caught, but the outdoor camping atmosphere was thick and vivid.

The grill was filled with fresh meat skewers they had bought. Wang Yan and Old Zhao were in charge of barbecuing, while Brother Ma handled the gas stove and the only iron pot, and after a round of tinkering, the dishes truly looked impressive.

A big bowl of pickled fish, a pot of milky white crucian carp soup, a plate of stir-fried meat with green peppers, a plate of stir-fried eggs with scallions, with a portion of baby vegetables, a plate of peanuts, a plate of ham, and several chicken feet – with all the dishes ready, the folding table couldn’t stand everything.

But this small issue couldn’t bother the clever fishermen. Zhang Yang brought out the spare fishing platform from the trunk and set it up, adjusting everything to the same height, not missing a beat.

"Out here, resources are limited, so this is as gourmet as it gets! Everyone, try my skills!" Brother Ma wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve, giving people a slightly shy feeling.

"Haha, Brother Ma’s culinary skills are absolutely spot-on, I’m already drooling! Brother Yan, when will your skewers be ready? If you’re about done, let’s start eating!" Zhang Yang said with a cheerful smile.

Wang Yan turned the skewers in his hand and said, "You all start first, I’ll be done shortly!"

"There are folding chairs in the van, I’ll go get the drinks!" Old Zhao gave a shout, and headed towards his van.

Very quickly, the seating was sorted, and beer, liquor, Hawthorn Tree beverages, and such were brought out in one go.

A dozen people sat around the table in a circle, poured drinks into disposable cups, and started the meal.

In the chilly spring season, dining outdoors was a bit cold, but with a bonfire burning behind us, it was bearable, and the atmosphere was excellent.

In terms of comfort, finding a simple diner to eat at might be more comfortable than this secluded wilderness,

but the charm of outdoor camping lies here. It’s about the atmosphere; eating well or not so well is not the main point.

Everyone filled their glasses in front of them, then raised them together.

Zhang Yang grinning, looked at Old Zhao: "Brother Zhao, say a few words for everyone!"

Old Zhao didn’t hesitate, holding his glass, said: "In the new year, this is our team’s first outdoor team building, and we’ve also met new friends.

The temperature is a bit cold, but I believe everyone’s mood, like mine, is warm!

Here, I raise a glass to everyone, enjoy life, work hard, and create a better future!"

"Well said, let’s all take a sip! Brother Ma, you say a few words too!" Zhang Yang held his glass, sipped a bit of liquor, and quickly felt warm.

"Thanks for your hospitality! My name is Ma Ruming, but everyone can call me Brother Ma! I’m from Wencheng, now out fishing for leisure, happy to meet you all! Cheers!" Brother Ma gave a brief introduction and took a large sip of liquor.

"Judging by your fishing skills, Brother Ma must be an experienced angler, right?" Zhang Yang continued the conversation.

"Not bad, I’ve been fishing for over ten, twenty years. Used to be busy with business, no time. Now I’ve realized, life is short, a few decades, you can’t just live for others! Get out, change the mood, meet some new friends, it feels good!"

"Oh, you weren’t with that group of anglers who packed up at dusk?" Zhang Yang, hearing this, got the idea and curiously asked.

"We know each other, but not well. Met in a group to fish, have fished together a few times! They have jobs in reality, can’t enjoy as much freedom as I do, which I understand!

But I’m quite curious, there’s so many of you, both handsome guys and beautiful ladies, what job do you do?" Brother Ma continued to ask.

"Hehe, our job is fishing! Old Zhao is our general manager, and Zhang Yang is our chairman! We’re just employees of their fishing gear company, commonly known as labor hands!" Wang Yan explained with a smile, instantly clarifying the relationship for Brother Ma.

Upon hearing Wang Yan’s playful introduction, Brother Ma clapped his forehead: "I remember now!"

With that, Brother Ma took out his phone to search, quickly finding Zhang Yang’s TikTok account.

"It really is you, no wonder the name sounded familiar! A celebrity with millions of fans!" Brother Ma looked at Zhang Yang again and again, clearly confirmed the identity, yet still a bit incredulous about Zhang Yang’s youthful appearance in reality.

"Hehe, just lucky to catch the trend! Celebrity or not, we’re fishing friends when we meet, no need to bring up anything else!" Zhang Yang scratched his head with a humble, down-to-earth demeanor.

"Didn’t expect you to be so young in real life! Such young achievements! Come, let’s all have another drink, I can say I’ve seen a real live celebrity with millions of followers!" As he spoke, Brother Ma raised his glass again.

After several rounds of conversation, the atmosphere at the table became familiar and friendly.

Everyone ate, drank, and chatted together, under a sky full of stars, with a bonfire burning behind them, that relaxed feeling mixed with the slightly tipsy state from alcohol brought an indescribable comfort and relaxation to the spirit.

From dusk until past eight at night, everyone truly enjoyed themselves.

The evening wasn’t great for fishing, but Zhang Yang and the team set up the secret weapon, the fishing lamp, yet the spot remained quiet, with no fish bites.

Having drunk a bit in the night and with no fish bites, everyone fished until around ten, then Zhang Yang suggested replenishing the bait spot and calling it a night for rest.

The women in the team slept in the tent and sleeping bags Old Zhao brought, while the rest of the men reclined the car seats and, wrapped in thick military coats, kept warm in the cars. After setting the alarm for the morning, everyone fiddled with their phones for a bit, then, aided by the alcohol, drifted off to a deep sleep.

To be fair, the sleep wasn’t very comfortable, as Zhang Yang got up twice during the night to check on the camp’s surroundings with a headlamp, ensuring everything was fine, then went back to the car to catch more sleep.

When the sky lightened, Zhang Yang was up early and moved to the fishing spot.

After wiping the frost off his tackle box with a towel, Zhang Yang took fresh red worms from the box, eagerly baited the hook, and cast it into the prepared spot with high anticipation.

The overnight bait spot worked like a charm; the first cast got a bite.

Zhang Yang set the hook and immediately caught a double-tail.

"Stop sleeping, the overnight spot is live! Get up and catch the morning bite!" After removing the hook and putting it in the cooler, Zhang Yang went car-to-car to wake his teammates.

The battle officially commenced.