Let's go back to 2008, starting with a recreational fishing park.

Because her second uncle, Jiang Jianjun, was coming later, Yang Xiaoyue was afraid of seeing him, so after finishing her work and waiting for dinner, she told Jiang Xia that she was leaving.

As the fishing grounds gradually become more standardized, at this time of day, all that's left are odd jobs like taking out the trash.

Su Qing and Wang Guifen were busy preparing a whole fish feast, while Jiang Xia and his son were entertaining guests in their office. Jiang Xiaobo had nothing to do after taking out the trash.

He rarely attends such events, so he's unwilling to force himself to go inside.

Everyone else has something to do, but he doesn't, and he feels strangely uncomfortable about it.

Just then, he noticed the fishing gear that Jiang Xia had placed at the door.

This is what Jiang Xia casually left here after accompanying Zhao Dahai fishing.

When Jiang Xiaobo saw this, he immediately became interested.

Jiang Xiaobo didn't know how to fish before, but since he worked at the reservoir every day, even if he didn't know how, he could still manage to cast a few lines.

Thinking that he had nothing else to do, Jiang Xiaobo took his fishing rod and went to the fishing spot closest to the office.

After adjusting the float and preparing the bait, a young figure soon appeared at fishing spot number one.

Fishing is indeed a sport that can quickly calm people down.

Soon, Jiang Xiaobo sat down at his fishing spot, his eyes fixed solely on the float on the water.

He was lucky today; he caught a fish just a few minutes after casting his line.

He picked it up and weighed it, estimating it to be about three or four pounds, before putting the fish back into the water.

After casting the fishing line back into the water, Jiang Xiaobo comfortably crossed his legs and hummed a song.

Little did he know, a burly middle-aged man had been standing behind him for some time.

Jiang Xiaobo was indeed lucky today; within minutes, the fishing float in the water sank again.

He seized the opportunity and suddenly lifted the fishing rod.

"Wuhu, another fish caught!"

Jiang Xiaobo happily began to reel in the fish.

"Really?"

Just then, a deep voice sounded from behind.

In an instant, the cheerful expression on Jiang Xiaobo's face froze.

He slowly turned his head and looked behind him.

"Dad~"

"What are you doing here...?"

Jiang Jianjun looked at his son in front of him, his face somewhat gloomy, and said:

"What am I doing here? Am I interrupting your fishing?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiaobo stiffly twisted his neck.

No...no.

"So that means I won't stop you from fishing, right?" Jiang Jianjun asked, looking at the fishing rod in Jiang Xiaobo's hand.

"Huh? No, Dad..."

At this moment, Jiang Xiaobo stared blankly at the fish in the water that had not yet come ashore, thinking to himself, "If only I were that fish!"

Jiang Jianjun, with his hands behind his back, asked softly:

"Really? Then why are you fishing here while your brother is entertaining guests in his office?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiaobo was completely speechless, because he was indeed young and felt that he had nothing to talk about.

As if guessing what Jiang Xiaobo was thinking, Jiang Jianjun quietly said, "It's okay if you can't speak well, you can learn. It's also okay if you don't go with your brother to entertain the guests, your brother can handle it himself."

He paused for a moment, then added, "But you shouldn't be fishing here!"

Seeing that Jiang Xiaobo remained silent, Jiang Jianjun sighed and continued:

"Your brother came back from Shanghai, so there are some things and customs here in our hometown that he might not care about. But just because he doesn't care doesn't mean your aunt and uncle don't care, or that your future sister-in-law won't care."

"Indeed, you are young and live with your relatives, so even if you do something wrong, they don't care now."

"But you'll grow up someday!" Jiang Jianjun finally said, still disappointed.

Upon hearing these words, Jiang Xiaobo silently lowered his head.

Seeing this, Jiang Jianjun didn't get angry. Instead, he gently put his arm around his son's shoulder and said, "Xiao Bo, I'm quite satisfied with your performance at the fishing pond these past few days, based on what your brother and your grandparents have been saying."

"Your brother is a college student, capable, and smart. If you really want to follow him, then you should think carefully about what I said above when you have nothing to do tonight."

If you think you're quite capable and that you might not be any worse off than your brother after graduating from junior high school (who graduated from university), then then it's no wonder your dad didn't say anything today.

After Jiang Jianjun finished speaking, he took out a cigarette from his pocket and handed it to his son.

Jiang Xiaobo silently took the cigarette from his father's hand, hesitated for a moment, and then took out a lighter to light it for Jiang Jianjun first.

"Let's go, let's go to your brother's office first." Jiang Jianjun patted Jiang Xiaobo on the shoulder and walked towards the office.

Seeing this, Jiang Xiaobo sighed and quickly packed up his fishing gear and left the fishing spot.

…………

Inside the house, Zhao Dahai and his wife chatted happily with Jiang Xia and his son.

One reason is that they were happy to reach an agreement, and another is that the group of people really got along well.

Upon seeing Jiang Jianjun walk in, the group quickly stood up to greet him.

"Hey bro, you're here! We didn't drink much at lunch, so we'd better have a good time later!"

Seeing this, Jiang Jianjun quickly took out a cigarette and handed it to Zhao Dahai: "Brother, sister, why are you still standing up? Come on, sit down."

After saying that, he added with a smile, "I guarantee you'll have a great time drinking tonight, little brother!"

"Haha, okay."

Soon, everyone was fighting again.

Jiang Xiaobo, who followed behind, heard the commotion coming from inside the room, stood still for a moment, took a deep breath, smiled, and pushed open the office door.

Before anyone could get up, he smiled and sat down by the door, taking the water bottle in front of Jiang Xia and placing it in front of himself.

"Brother, I can pour the tea, you can rest for a while."

Seeing this, Jiang Xia didn't stand on ceremony with him. She simply asked him softly where he had gone to play and why she hadn't seen him.

When Jiang Jianjun heard the question, he glanced at Jiang Xiaobo but didn't say anything.

Jiang Xiaobo thought for a moment and then told the truth that he had gone fishing for a while.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xia didn't think much of it and even asked the other person how many they had caught.

Jiang Jianjun, who was standing to the side, smiled when he heard Jiang Xiaobo's words.

Often, telling the truth is the only way to avoid offending others.

With the arrival of Jiang Xiaobo and his son, the house became even more lively with more people.

The group started chatting about all sorts of things.

Jiang Xia talked about interesting things in Shanghai, Wang Xiuying talked about her experience running a restaurant, Jiang Jianjun talked about the difficulties of being a village party secretary, and Zhao Dahai talked about the hardships of his work.

As for Jiang Xiaobo, he just sat there and listened!

And so, while everyone was chatting and drinking tea, Su Qing's whole fish feast was ready.

The lights outside were dim at night, and there were mosquitoes around, so Jiang Xia suggested we eat indoors.

Zhao Dahai was unwilling, saying it didn't matter, he just liked sitting by the lake and eating while enjoying the evening breeze.

Since the guest had said so, Jiangxia chose to have the meal on the dam of the reservoir.

This spot is cool and spacious enough, and you can see the shimmering water under the moonlight.