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

Below the stage, as Jiang Xia's voice faded, the crowd erupted in another burst of loud laughter.

Hearing the laughter from the crowd, Jiang Xia changed the subject:

"However, others can't see it, but you, as my best friends in Jiangxia, can definitely see it."

As he spoke, Jiang Xia walked to the edge of the stage, squatted down, pointed the microphone downwards, and loudly proclaimed:

"Answer me, does everyone want to see fish released?"

"think!"

"The voice isn't loud enough. I'll ask again: do you want to see the fish released?"

"think!"

After being asked twice, Jiang Xia took the microphone, walked back to the center of the stage, took a deep breath, and said loudly:

"Since everyone wants to see it, then now..."

"I hereby declare..."

"The fish release ceremony for the first Qingshan Fishing Park Fishing Masters Tournament...now...begins!"

As soon as Jiang Xia finished speaking, Jiang Xiaobo, who had been waiting in the audience, immediately lit the firecrackers in his hand.

A series of "cracking" sounds rang out at the fishing spot, and red scraps of paper were scattered all over the ground.

Jiang Xia smiled as he walked off the stage and led everyone to the edge of the reservoir.

At this moment, bright red ribbons were hanging on each of the tricycles.

Jiang Xia rolled up his sleeves, holding a bucket of freshly caught carp, and waved it at the crowd: "Brothers, take a good look!"

"These fish are all live fish brought over from Longxi Town this morning, each one plump and strong! We'll release them today, and in the competition the day after tomorrow, we'll see who can break through and win the championship!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd immediately became lively.

"It's definitely me! I'm the best fisherman in Linjiang!"

"Don't believe him, everyone. It's definitely me. I'm the best fisherman in Linjiang!"

"It's definitely me! I grew up by the water, and I've never been outdone in fishing!"

"..."

Besides local anglers, old John from Britain also came to participate in the ceremony today. He stood in the crowd, surrounded by a group of people watching the foreigners.

Facing the gazes of the crowd, he seemed to enjoy the atmosphere and loudly proclaimed:

"Wo...Wo, Wo is the best at catching fish..."

The people standing next to him, listening to his broken Chinese, covered their mouths and secretly laughed.

Looking at the bustling crowd, Jiang Xia felt a strange tremor run through him.

Just now on stage, probably because of the adrenaline rush, I didn't feel anything.

But when he got off the stage and saw so many people, he came to his senses and seemed a little nervous.

Perhaps sensing Jiang Xia's feelings, Su Qing, who was on the periphery of the crowd, walked over and smiled at Jiang Xia:

"Jiang Xia, you're amazing!"

"Really?" Jiang Xia asked shyly.

Su Qing nodded: "Yes, I feel a little inferior in front of you!"

Hearing the girl say that, Jiang Xia disregarded his nervousness and said directly, "How could that be? I think you're great too, Qingqing!"

"Really?" Su Qing's eyes lit up.

"Yes." Jiang Xia nodded heavily.

Before Su Qing could continue speaking, her second aunt, Li Chunhua, who had come to help, squeezed through the crowd with a red silk ribbon.

"Xiaxia, you're the owner of the fishing spot, so you're the one who has to release the first bucket of fish!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xia took the red silk from the other person's hand, gripped the rim of the bucket, and took a deep breath.

He looked up at the sky, the sunlight making his eyes uncomfortable, then turned to look at the huge crowd behind him. Finally, looking at the shimmering reservoir in front of him, the slight unease in his heart seemed to disappear.

"Let's release the fish!"

With a loud shout from his second uncle, Jiang Jianjun.

Jiangxia used both hands to forcefully tilt the bucket into the reservoir.

"Splash—"

The black carp were poured into the reservoir, and one by one they began to wag their tails happily and swim into the water.

Immediately afterwards, the crowd behind them began to take small buckets and scoop fish from the tricycles, throwing them into the water.

Buckets of live fish were continuously poured into the reservoir, splashing water everywhere and eliciting cheers from the people on the shore.

A little boy was so engrossed in watching that he broke free from his mother's hands and ran to the reservoir to reach for the fish. His mother grabbed him and gave him a hard spanking on the bottom: "You little devil! Stay away! Do you want to fall in and feed the fish?"

More and more fish gathered in the reservoir, causing the once calm surface to churn, and dark shadows appeared everywhere. Jiang Xia stood on the bank with his hands behind his back, watching this lively scene, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.

As the crowd emptied out all the tricycles on this side.

The tricycles that had been parked around the reservoir were all opened one by one, their back beds opened.

Upon seeing this, many people picked up their cameras hanging around their necks or took out their phones to take pictures.

In just a few minutes, all 5000 jin (2,500 catties) of fish were released into the reservoir.

This was just a small fish-releasing ceremony; Jiangxia hadn't originally planned to make a big deal out of it.

Once all the fish were in the water, Jiang Xia announced to everyone that the fish release ceremony had been successfully completed, and that everyone should look forward to the official competition the day after tomorrow.

Only then did people, still reluctant to leave, prepare to depart.

Some people even asked if it was possible to fish in Jiangxia today.

Jiangxia replied that it was not possible today, and not only today, but from now until the end of the competition, the fishing grounds would be temporarily closed to the public. If you wanted to fish, you could come back on the 10th when the competition ended.

Some people also asked if it's still possible to register for the Jiangxia competition.

Jiang Xia could only helplessly say that there were only 200 spots available, and they were all filled yesterday.

However, if you want to participate in the competition, you can ask if any registered contestants want to withdraw from the competition. In that case, you can buy the competition qualification from them.

Having received this reply, those anglers who wanted to register now could only leave with regret, preparing to come and watch the competition later.

Seeing this, Jiang Xia sighed. He knew that even if some contestants withdrew from the competition or were unable to participate due to unforeseen circumstances, it would be difficult for those who hadn't registered to find each other by chance.

After all, with such high prize money, most players will definitely participate as scheduled.

……

The ceremony ended after 11 o'clock.

Because there are many guests today, and Wang Guifen and Su Qing are also busy, they won't be cooking for themselves.

Jiang Xia ordered the dishes directly from his old regular canteen, Fuyuan Restaurant.

And it wasn't just the food; he also had the other party bring over two large tables in a bread cart.

This way, even if there are more people, there will be enough seats.

While waiting, because there were many friends today, Jiang Xia temporarily set up a small table by the reservoir and invited them to play cards together.

There were quite a few female guests today, and Wang Guifen and her second aunt Li Chunhua were also keeping them company in the office, drinking tea and chatting.

It's worth mentioning that today, Yang Xiaoyue really had nowhere to escape from her second uncle Jiang Jianjun and his wife.

At this moment, she was sitting in the office, serving tea and water, looking like a well-behaved girl.