Sun Yecheng savored the feeling of being the center of attention, a smug look faintly appearing on his face.

"Actually, the secret lies in my bait."

"This bait of mine is made from white flour steamed buns. All the fish love it, so of course they take the hook."

Some people tried to catch fish here without spending anything, so naturally, the fish weren’t fooled.

His bait was delicious. He lowered his net, sprinkled the bait over it, and when the fish swarmed in to fight for the food, he yanked the net up.

The faster fish would get away, while the slower ones were, of course, caught in his net.

Sometimes, the fish were clever and only nibbled at the edges, so he’d occasionally pull up an empty net.

It also takes time for the fish to trust that the food isn’t a trap. Without patience, you can’t catch anything.

These were all minor details, and since Sun Yecheng was simply basking in everyone’s envious stares, he naturally didn’t go into specifics.

The crowd, however, was utterly shocked.

After all, these days, many people couldn’t even afford white flour steamed buns for the New Year. The fact that Sun Yecheng was willing to use them as fish bait was just too extravagant. No wonder he was able to catch fish.

Many people immediately gave up any thought of copying his method. They couldn’t bear to use white flour steamed buns for fishing; if it came down to it, they’d rather just not eat fish.

Those from well-off families, however, were keen to give it a try. Since Sun Yecheng was going to pull out all the stops this time, it was a perfect opportunity for them to learn from him.

The people on the other side glanced toward Sun Yecheng, regretting their choice to be counters on Leng Yuan’s side. If they were with Sun Yecheng, they might have been able to learn a thing or two.

What a shame.

"Ready... begin."

The moment Sun Yeshu’s voice faded, both sides sprang into action. Sun Yecheng, having already cast his net several times, was even faster this time. The instant she finished speaking, he cast his net into the water.

On Leng Yuan’s side, however, he took out a folding stool and sat down. He set up his fishing rod, then finally took a plastic basin out of his bucket.

Just as the crowd was wondering what he was doing, they saw him pull something out of the basin. It was as thick as a chopstick and as long as a thumb, and he attached it to his hook.

The thing was dark and indistinct, making it impossible to tell what it was.

’Can you really catch fish with that?’

The crowd was skeptical.

Chen Beiguo and Village Chief Xu rushed over, expecting to find a chaotic brawl. Instead, they were greeted by the sight of two men fishing with unruffled composure.

Chen Beiguo was completely bewildered. He walked up to a bystander to ask what was going on.

"What’s going on? Weren’t Leng Yuan and Sun Yecheng fighting?"

The man was engrossed in the competition when someone suddenly tapped his shoulder. Without even turning his head, he said, "What fight? They’re having a fishing competition!"

’Fishing?’

Chen Beiguo glanced at the two men, who were engrossed in their fishing, and then looked back at the messenger.

The messenger scratched his head, looking bewildered. "When I left just now, they were yelling about wanting to fight."

’How come they stopped fighting just after I left?’ 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

’I have no idea what happened either!’

Seeing his expression, Chen Beiguo had a pretty good idea of what had happened.

’This guy probably heard them about to fight, but right after he left, they decided to have a fishing competition instead.’

’In any case, it’s good they didn’t fight.’

"You did the right thing. Next time something like this happens, remember to come find me."

’The man meant well. Even though he was wrong, he should still be praised. This will encourage everyone to bring their conflicts to me, the brigade leader, instead of taking matters into their own hands.’

The moment the brigade leader finished speaking, a heaven-shattering cry erupted from behind him.

"Oh, my poor, unfortunate son! What a tragic death..."