Chapter 76: Ways of Thinking (Part One)

Casting nets... a net with a hole in it, a fishing rod, a fish trap, and a landing net.

He had bought these tools after his last fishing trip with Qian Weining, on a whim. The reservoir was right next to his place, and he planned to build his own fish pond, so he figured he’d need this gear sooner or later and decided to get it all at once.

Zhong Di tossed the fishing equipment onto the electric tricycle one by one.

His young niece trailed beside him, muttering that she wanted her uncle to peel shrimp for her.

Good grief! The shrimp hadn’t even been caught yet, and she was already thinking about having him peel them and feed her.

Once everything was ready, Zhong Di took Xiaoxi and headed for the reservoir.

To catch shrimp, fishing rods were useless; only casting nets, traps, or landing nets would do.

Zhong Di preferred the landing net—his casting net still had a hole in it that he hadn’t fixed.

As for the trap, that method was simply too slow. Of course, stuffing it with some of his own chicken meat would speed things up, but the problem was that before he could even haul it out, the big fish would tear everything to shreds.

It was now ten in the morning, past dawn and almost midday, but the temperature was still pleasant. Racing along, the wind whipped against his face, cool and refreshing.

Xiaoxi sat beside him, sometimes calling out, sometimes reaching over with her little hand to touch his stubbly chin.

“Over here, this way—put this load over here.”

As soon as they arrived, they heard Qian Weining barking orders. The scene was impressive, with so many fishing vehicles lined up.

A closer look revealed that Qian Weining was directing people to release fish fry into the reservoir.

Was he planning to raise fish? That didn’t make sense.

From what Zhong Di remembered, it was common knowledge that fish farming here didn’t work—several previous contractors had all lost money trying.

According to Qian Weining, since there were sea bass and so many big fish already in the reservoir, it wasn’t suitable for farming; the fry would be eaten up almost as soon as they were released.

Could it be that he had cleared out the reservoir? That must be it.

“Uncle Qian, I see you’re releasing fry—are you planning to farm fish?” Zhong Di asked, holding Xiaoxi in his arms.

“Zhong Di, what brings you here today? I was just about to finish up and bring a few friends to your place for a meal.”

“This isn’t fish farming—it’s feeding the fish,” Qian Weining answered with a chuckle.

Seeing Zhong Di, he was both surprised and delighted.

“Feeding the fish? With fry?” Zhong Di was taken aback. Someone leases a reservoir, and instead of trying to make money raising fish, he throws money into it—maybe he’s just wealthy and playing around.

“That’s right! Since there are so many predatory fish in this reservoir, why bother with ordinary fish farming? Just put in cheap fry to feed the big ones—raise them instead.”

“What do you mean, Uncle Qian?” Zhong Di thought he was starting to understand, but felt something was missing; he still didn’t quite grasp Qian Weining’s intention.

“That’s where you’re mistaken. In anything—business or work—the right timing, location, and people are crucial. It’s like rowing upstream: if you insist on going against the current, it’s bound to be hard.”

After saying this, Qian Weining grabbed a chunk of chicken meat and casually tossed it into the reservoir.

Instantly, a swarm of small fish surged up, frantically nibbling at the chicken before it could even sink. Then a huge shadow appeared, swallowing the chicken and the small fish in a single gulp.

“If you can’t farm fish, then feed the fish instead. Host fishing tournaments, invite anglers, create a buzz, and when the big ones are caught, the money will follow.”

That was his purpose in leasing the reservoir. Back when Shao Hong and Zhong Di had come to release fish, Qian Weining had seen that behemoth lurking beneath the surface, and the idea had taken root until he finally put it into action.

Time proved him right, and since fish farming was impossible here, he managed to lease the place at a much lower price.

It was a sure win with no risk, and he now had a spot to go fishing whenever he pleased.

“Well... that’s actually a pretty good idea,” Zhong Di said, finally understanding. No wonder Qian Weining had achieved financial freedom—his way of thinking made all the difference.

The same situation could look hopeless to one person, but to another, it revealed opportunities invisible to the rest.

Just as Qian Weining said, timing, location, and people were all important; you couldn’t go against the current. He’d simply followed the natural order.

He made full use of his capital, information, connections, and natural resources—it was obvious that the reservoir would soon be thriving.

That was great, too. Located near the garden, it would help attract people.

While Qian Weining oversaw the release of fry, Zhong Di found a spot, gave Xiaoxi repeated warnings not to wander off, and got ready to scoop up shrimp with the landing net.

His goal this time was clear: no big fish—this reservoir was now under Qian Weining’s management, so he couldn’t take those.

Nor did he want medium or small fish—he’d eaten enough of them and didn’t care for any more. All he wanted were shrimp or maybe snails.

He pulled out some bone meal he’d prepared, ground from his own chickens’ bones.

Based on past experience, he knew that using big chunks of bait would only attract the big fish and interfere with shrimp catching.

So he came up with this idea: grind the bones into powder. The big fish wouldn’t care for it; at most, the small fish would eat a little, and then the shrimp would come. He could toss the small fish back and keep only the shrimp.

“Xiaoxi, watch carefully—uncle’s going to catch shrimp for you, so stand back.”

“Uncle, can we eat the shrimp as soon as you catch them?” Xiaoxi asked, putting her finger to her lips in curiosity.

“Not yet. We’ll have to go back and sauté them first. Now go stand over there and don’t run off.”

He took out some dough—neither too wet nor too dry—stuck the bone powder to it, and tossed it into the water.

Soaked in water, the bone powder dispersed perfectly, not flying everywhere—a perfect solution.

Perhaps the bone powder was simply too effective; as soon as he threw some in, a swarm of tiny fry began feeding on it.

Worried that big fish might come to join the feast, Zhong Di didn’t hesitate and went straight in with the landing net.

One scoop—right to the bottom! He pulled slowly at first, then gave a strong tug as it neared the surface.

Damn, it was heavy—a real struggle.

“I should have asked someone for help,” Zhong Di muttered. The memory of Shao Hong’s fish release was still vivid, yet here he was, acting so cocky. Serves him right.

“Hey, come give us a hand!” At that moment, Qian Weining hurried over, shouting.

He’d spotted Zhong Di’s move and knew he was using his secret weapon. Having just released fry himself, he expected this result.

A few people ran over to help, and together they slowly hauled up the landing net.

Staring at the hole in the net, Zhong Di fell into deep thought.

Well, it seemed that nets, in his hands, were good for only one use. Next time he’d better bring extras—otherwise, one scoop and it’s ruined. That’s just how it was.