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

Beside Qin Songnian, Jiang Xia was awkwardly adjusting the float on the fishing rod that the other had handed him.

It was his first time using a purely handmade bamboo fishing rod, and he felt a little uncomfortable.

Noticing this, Qin Songnian chuckled, "What? Little one, you've never used this kind before?"

Jiang Xia nodded honestly, "Old Qin, I really haven't used it before."

After saying that, he added somewhat embarrassedly, "The main problem is that bamboo fishing rods are too expensive..."

Qin Songnian chuckled and asked, "Then do you know why handmade bamboo fishing rods like the ones I make are so expensive, and why so many wealthy people use them?"

Jiang Xia shook his head: "Please explain in detail to me, Elder Qin."

Upon hearing this, Qin Songnian stroked his beard, nodded, and pondered for a moment before saying:

"Alright, then I'll give you a proper explanation of this bamboo fishing rod today."

"Speaking of bamboo fishing rods, don't think that you can just find a straight bamboo in the bamboo forest and whittle it down with a knife."

"Aside from the bamboo fishing rods commonly used by ordinary people, truly top-quality fishing rods, such as the one you awarded to the champion in this competition, are usually made from a few extremely rare varieties such as high-mountain arrow bamboo and tea bamboo."

"Especially the high-altitude arrow bamboo, which can only be harvested by climbing 1500 meters up a mountain in the harsh winter."

Furthermore, due to heavy snow blocking the mountains, many bamboo hunters have to spend several days crossing multiple mountains to find a suitable bamboo for a fishing rod.

"And the same goes for tea stalk bamboo..."

As the old man uttered various varieties of bamboo, Jiang Xia gained a deeper understanding of handmade fishing rods.

That wasn't all. After explaining several precious bamboo varieties, Qin Songnian continued to tell Jiang Xia:

"Don't think that finding good materials means you can just use them by whittling down tree branches. If that were the case, the materials might be scarce, but the price would definitely not reach over ten thousand yuan!"

"Besides the materials, the most valuable aspect of this handmade fishing rod is its craftsmanship!"

"After a bunch of bamboo is brought back, it first needs to be air-dried for three months or even half a year. Then, it goes through dozens or even hundreds of traditional techniques, such as withering, splitting, shaping, pasting, straightening by fire, removing joints, wrapping the edges, and varnishing, to finally complete the production!"

After saying that, Qin Songnian gave Jiang Xia a smug look and added, "Kid, all these techniques don't use any modern machinery!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xia gave Qin Songnian a thumbs up, confirming that the handmade fishing rod Qin Songnian mentioned was indeed worth its market price.

In fact, having lived through the era of inflation in later generations, Jiang Xia felt that the price of tens of thousands of yuan was too low.

However, Qin Songnian's explanation revealed the value of this handmade fishing rod as a work of art.

But what about its practical value?

Jiang Xia touched the fishing rod in his hand, wondering what its practical value was!

Unable to understand this, Jiang Xia did not ask Qin Songnian any further questions.

After all, if the thing in his hand turned out to be less useful than a regular carbon fiber fishing rod, he would be making his father lose face.

What Jiang Xia didn't know was that while he was being curious, Qin Songnian was already watching him with an expression of complete understanding on his face.

……

A moment later, Jiang Xia noticed that the float in the water was bobbing up and down, and he knew that it was disturbing the small fish.

But before he could even get agitated, he saw the float suddenly sink.

This is exactly how a fish behaves.

Jiang Xia immediately lifted the fishing rod in his hand, and a heavy force was transmitted through the bamboo fishing rod. At the same time, the tip of the rod bent into a full bow.

But then he realized something was wrong.

"This force?" Jiang Xia murmured in confusion.

Beside him, Qin Songnian saw Jiang Xia turn his head when he caught the fish, revealing a mysterious smile:

"Kid, how's it going? You felt it?"

Jiang Xia turned to look at Qin Songnian and asked in confusion, "Old Qin, what's going on?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Songnian chuckled and stroked his beard, then just stared at Jiang Xia without saying a word.

Unable to get the answer she wanted, Jiang Xia took advantage of a break while playing with the fish to glance at Qin Songnian again and said anxiously, "Old Qin, please tell me!"

Hearing Jiang Xia ask again, Qin Songnian finally spoke with a smile, "Little guy, now you can feel the difference between a handmade fishing rod and a carbon fiber fishing rod, right?"

"That's right. The biggest difference between the two is that the longitudinal structure of the bamboo fiber in the handmade fishing rod makes the force transmission more direct, allowing the user to clearly perceive the subtle movements underwater."

Listening to Qin Songnian's explanation, Jiang Xia finally understood why the fishing rod in his hand was transmitting such a strange force.

After figuring out what was going on, Jiang Xia calmed down and focused on playing with the fish.

In no time, they got the thing out of the water.

This is a grass carp, and I estimate it weighs about seven or eight pounds.

Jiang Xia waved to Su Qing, and when she came to his side, he handed her the fish.

"Take this and stew it. I'll have a good drink with Old Qin at noon."

Su Qing nodded, picked up the fish basket, and took small steps toward the kitchen.

Today was the same as yesterday; because there were many people, we ordered dishes from Fuyuan Restaurant.

This fish was an extra.

However, due to the tradition of not eating an odd number of dishes, Su Qing planned to add another dish depending on the situation.

……

After Su Qing took the fish, Jiang Xia and Qin Songnian also got to enjoy fishing.

Only then did he tell Qin Songnian about some of the plans for his fishing grounds and the existing facilities.

Qin Songnian was quite surprised to hear that the fishing ground in Jiangxia had only been open for less than two months.

He has lived for so long, an age that Jiang Xia could not match in two lifetimes, and he has seen many talented young people.

But I've never seen anyone like Jiang Xia, who made a name for himself in the countryside in such a short time at such a young age.

He couldn't help but exclaim, "It's popular for college graduates to return to their hometowns to start businesses these days. If you do well, you might become a role model for Linjiang and even our entire Shandong province."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xia didn't say much. The idea of ​​college students returning to their hometowns to start businesses has always been popular, both in 08 and in later years.

Moreover, there are countless success stories.

He still doesn't dare to dream of becoming a role model among so many talented young people.

After all, all he wanted after being reborn was to spend quality time with his parents, marry a beautiful wife, have a lovely baby, and live a peaceful life with his wife and children!