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

Faced with her husband's admonition, Li Chunhua said somewhat helplessly, "I know, I've been married to you for so many years, I can't be completely ignorant of these things!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jianjun waved his hand and said, "Alright, I know you understand. We're family. I'm afraid that a good thing might turn into a bad thing."

Li Chunhua nodded and said, "I understand, Lao Jiang. I'll be more careful when I go to sell things."

The two talked as they walked into the house.

Jiang Jianjun took off his coat, pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and threw it on the table, not forgetting to say:

"When you're selling things there, keep an eye on the other vendors. They're all familiar faces. If anything seems off, I'm afraid Xiaxia might be hesitant to speak up. If you see anything inappropriate, just tell them directly."

Li Chunhua collected all the cigarettes Jiang Jianjun had thrown on the table and put them in a drawer at home. She nodded and said, "Don't worry, Lao Jiang, I'll let you know if anything is inappropriate."

As the wife of the village party secretary, she still has some say in the village.

Jiang Jianjun was relieved to hear this. He then said goodbye to Li Chunhua and went out again.

He usually goes out for drinks quite often, and it's almost dinnertime, so he's going to a friend's house for drinks.

…………

After Xiuju left the fishing spot, Jiang Xia strolled back to his office with his hands behind his back.

"Don't go inside, the food is ready!" Su Qing called out to him as soon as he sat down.

Jiang Xia rubbed his stomach. He had eaten a lot at noon and wasn't hungry yet!

He called out towards the door, "You guys eat first, I'm not hungry right now, I'll eat later when I'm hungry!"

Upon hearing this, Su Qing knew that he had been drinking until the afternoon, so it was normal that he wasn't hungry. Therefore, she didn't call him anymore.

Jiang Xia yawned. After a day of various things and drinking, he was already feeling sleepy even though it was only a little past six o'clock.

He was originally planning to share a video of today's fish-releasing ceremony in the group chat!

He could lie down on the sofa in the office and, without realizing it, close his eyes.

……

When Jiang Xia opened her eyes again, she found that it was already dark outside.

He rubbed his eyes and fumbled for the light switch.

"Why are you still asleep!"

Jiang Xia took out a cigarette, lit it, and mumbled something incoherently.

Then, he looked up at the clock on the wall and realized it was already 11 p.m.

On the office desk, there were two steamed buns and a bowl of chicken, which were probably placed there by Mom or Su Qing.

Stretching, Jiang Xia walked sleepily to his desk and sat down.

I found a note next to the food.

The note contained only one short sentence: "Remember to eat when you wake up. Put the vegetables and steamed buns together and eat them together."

Looking at the rather delicate handwriting, Jiang Xia couldn't help but smile. He knew who had left the note.

Having skipped lunch, Jiang Xia was indeed hungry.

He picked up the food and walked towards the kitchen.

As soon as he stepped outside, Jiang Xia felt a gentle breeze on his face.

For some reason, Jiang Xia actually felt a bit cold.

Then, he suddenly remembered that it was already September, long after the start of autumn. Although it was still hot during the day, the temperature dropped at night. Plus, he was by the reservoir, so it was normal to feel cold.

Jiang Xia shivered, rubbed the goosebumps on her arms, first went to the kitchen to light the gas stove and heat up the food, then ran back to her room to find a coat to put on.

While waiting for the food to heat up, Jiang Xia sat alone at the kitchen doorway, looking at the night that was now much brighter than in later years.

Suddenly, several "plop" sounds came from the reservoir not far away.

Jiang Xia wasn't surprised; it was just a big fish leaping over the dragon gate in the water!

Having lived by the reservoir for so long, he had become almost immune to the various bird calls coming from the nearby barren mountains at night, as well as the various sounds emanating from the reservoir.

In particular, fish die almost every day in their own reservoir for various reasons, which leads to many stray cats appearing in the surrounding area. Some time ago, the sound of babies crying could often be heard at night.

At first, when Jiang Xia heard this, he thought he had attracted some kind of evil spirit.

He was relieved when he asked his mother the next day and learned that it was a stray cat meowing.

Over this period of time, Jiang Xia felt that if he had a flashlight, he would have the courage to patrol the mountains alone.

Before long, the food in the kitchen was heated up. Jiang Xia ate a few bites and then went back to her bedroom to sleep again.

…………

This time, when Jiang Xia opened her eyes again, it was already past eight in the morning.

After getting dressed, he got out of bed, rubbed his eyes, and went outside.

But as soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he saw Jiang Xiaobo push open the door and walk in.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Xia asked.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiaobo said somewhat anxiously:

"Brother, you're up! The judges and referees from the fishing association are here, and my grandpa and grandma are greeting them. They asked me to come and call you!"

"Damn, so early!" Jiang Xia was a little shocked. He thought the judges and referees wouldn't arrive until the afternoon!

But since they've come, I can't be negligent.

He quickly ran back into the house and changed his slippers and shorts into sweatpants and sneakers.

Then, he hurriedly went to the office.

Pushing open the door, Jiang Xia saw that the office was already full of people.

Ma Yuzhen, the secretary-general of the provincial fishing association, was sitting next to an old man with a white beard.

Upon seeing Jiang Xia, she whispered something to the old man.

Then, the old man stood up and said to Jiang Xia:

"Little guy, are you the organizer of this competition?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xia nodded, still curious about who the old man was! But before he could ask, Ma Yuzhen, who was beside the old man, introduced him:

"Boss Jiang, this is Mr. Qin Songnian, the current president of our provincial fishing association."

"Holy crap!" Jiang Xia was startled, and quickly put on a smile as he said to the old man, "Mr. Qin, it's a pleasure to have you here. I'm the owner, my name is Jiang Xia!"

Qin Songnian nodded slightly, looking at Jiang Xia's youthful face, and said with a smile, "You're a promising young man! To have accomplished so much at such a young age, you're quite remarkable!"

Jiang Xia smiled and said, "Mr. Qin, you flatter me. As a leading figure in the fishing world, there is still much for me to learn from you."

At this moment, Jiang Xia lowered his posture to the lowest possible level in front of the old man.

This situation also left him no choice but to adopt a humble attitude.

He really didn't expect that Qin Songnian, the president of the provincial fishing association, would personally come over to be one of the judges for his competition.

It should be noted that Jiang Xia did not know anything about Qin Songnian before.

But after the prize for winning this competition was a fishing rod made by Qin Songnian, he became curious and searched for the person online.

At first, he thought, "It's just a fishing rod, why is it so expensive!"

You might not be so sure if you don't search, but once you do, you'll be shocked!