Chapter 458: Chapter 454: Bait Teaching
Sun Yecheng’s heart bled every time he threw a steamed bun.
But now, with everyone fawning over him, Sun Yecheng felt it was all worth it.
"It’s nothing, really. You just have to be willing to sacrifice good bait, and the fish will naturally come."
The crowd chimed in.
"You’re just being modest. We couldn’t catch this many fish with the same steamed buns."
The crowd looked at Sun Yecheng’s bucket with envy.
’With so many fish, they could keep them at home and fry up some fish nuggets at the end of the year.’
At the thought, the onlookers couldn’t help but swallow hard.
The people watching Leng Yuan had initially kept glancing over at Sun Yecheng, but now they had completely lost interest.
They stared at the fishing rod in Leng Yuan’s hands. They watched as he cast his line, and when he pulled it back up, a large fish was already on the hook. The sight filled the crowd with immense envy.
’They’d never seen Leng Yuan fish before and had assumed he wasn’t any good at it. Now that they were witnessing it firsthand, they realized he was the true expert.’
The crowd glanced admiringly at the dark, lumpy stuff in his hand. They wanted to ask for his fishing secrets but didn’t dare to speak up.
Leng Yuan had a rather cold personality and didn’t interact much with the other villagers. In everyone’s mind, he was the type of person who was difficult to approach.
’Besides, some of them had made a few sarcastic remarks earlier. How could they possibly have the nerve to ask him for his fishing techniques now?’
Chen JianShe was helping nearby.
Seeing the big fish his Brother Leng was catching, his mouth started watering.
’With so many fish, they could have boiled fish slices in chili oil, braised fish, sweet and sour carp, and even squirrel-shaped mandarin fish. Every single one of them would be absolutely delicious.’
The more he thought about it, the more his mouth watered, until it seemed he was about to start drooling uncontrollably.
Only then did Chen JianShe tear his gaze away from the large fish in the bucket.
Chen Jie wasn’t very familiar with Leng Yuan. He had only pestered him into taking him into the mountains once, and they had barely exchanged more than a few words in total.
Still, his relationship with Leng Yuan was better than most.
He stared at the bait in Leng Yuan’s hand and exclaimed in admiration.
"Brother Leng, that dark stuff is amazing! It’s attracted so many fish."
’This bait must have been meticulously prepared.’
The villagers all knew how to make bait. In the summer, most used loaches, which fish loved to eat, making them easier to catch. In the winter, however, everyone could only mix some cornmeal and cabbage, which wasn’t nearly as effective.
Chen Jie was just making an offhand comment. ’This is a trade secret,’ he thought. ’There’s no way Leng Yuan will tell us.’
But after Chen Jie spoke, Gu Jiaojiao also looked over curiously and asked casually.
"Is that pork?"
When she went to the cellar earlier today, she seemed to have noticed a piece of pork was missing.
Leng Yuan nodded. "It’s pork mixed with some plants that fish like. Pork isn’t commonly used. You can also use white flour with white sugar, or cornmeal with white sugar. But besides all that, the most effective bait is actually made from soybean dregs."
Soybean dregs were also edible and could be pressed into soybean cakes. If a family raised pigs, they would usually feed the dregs to them. But no one knew that fish liked them too.
Everyone had soybeans, which they grew on their own private plots. Upon hearing Leng Yuan’s words, their eyes lit up, and many of them grew excited.
Seeing that Leng Yuan had no intention of keeping his methods a secret, Chen Jie couldn’t resist asking another question.
"Brother Leng, did you make this fishing rod yourself? It looks incredible."
Leng Yuan was indeed not a stingy person. Furthermore, he was a teacher by nature and was willing to share his knowledge with others.
Seeing everyone staring at him eagerly, Leng Yuan began to explain in detail. His explanation was clear, holding nothing back. He broke down the complex process into simple steps, ensuring that everyone around him could understand.
