boyutpedia Chapter 638 Relax
Chapter 638 Relax
The two men became even more enthusiastic, holding their breath and staring intently at the water's surface, even their breathing becoming shallow, for fear of startling the fish. About half an hour later, He Feng's fishing rod suddenly curved into a beautiful arc, like a crescent moon, and he felt a distinct pull, a heavy weight on his hand. He was delighted and didn't dare to be careless, steadily reeling in the line, feeling the fish's struggles at his fingertips, slowly playing it to the shore—this time it was a slightly larger crucian carp, about the length of a palm, its scales shimmering in the setting sun, its tail swishing back and forth, full of vitality.
Ma Xin, however, remained motionless. Her float seemed nailed to the surface, not moving an inch, not even creating a ripple. She scratched her head in frustration, changed her bait, and cast the hook back into the water, but her eyes couldn't help but glance at He Feng's fish bucket.
As the sun gradually set in the west, it dyed half the sky a golden-red, and the river water rippled with golden waves, sparkling like someone had scattered fragments of gold on the surface, so dazzling that it was hard to open one's eyes. He Feng counted his catch in the fish bucket: two small crucian carp, one slightly larger and one slightly smaller, and a shimmering white fish, its tail swaying and blowing bubbles in the bucket. In Ma Xin's bucket, there was only a finger-length minnow, swimming alone in circles, looking rather pitiful.
"Looks like I'm still slightly better." He Feng smiled and raised his chin, his tone carrying a hint of undisguised smugness. He shook the empty fishing rod in his hand. "Don't forget the promise that whoever wins will buy a soda."
Ma Xin pursed her lips but didn't refute. Watching the little fish swimming around in her bucket, a smile appeared in her eyes instead: "Alright, you win. Soda it is. I'll buy you orange-flavored soda at the corner store on the way back."
He Feng smiled and agreed, squatting down to carefully scoop the fish out of the bucket one by one, gently holding them in his palm, and slowly putting them into the water at the riverbank: "We came here to relax, so let the fish go home to their mothers."
As soon as the small fish entered the water, it flicked its tail and darted into the depths with a "whoosh," creating ripples before disappearing from sight. The two packed up their fishing gear and headed back, fishing rods slung over their shoulders and fish buckets dangling loosely from their wrists. The evening breeze, carrying the dampness of the river, brushed against their faces, cool and refreshing. The fatigue from squatting for so long seemed to be blown away by the wind, leaving them feeling as light as if they had a feather in their hearts, and even their steps seemed to skip with joy.
“I won fair and square today, so I can’t renege on my promise about the soda.” He Feng glanced at Ma Xin and deliberately added the comment, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Ma Xin rolled her eyes at him, but the corners of her mouth curved into a smile: "I know, I know, I won't forget. But this isn't over. Next time, let's go fishing somewhere else and have another good competition. I'm sure I can beat you."
"I'm always ready." He Feng laughed even harder, pointed ahead, "It's almost dark, shall we go eat? I know a restaurant where the braised pork I had last time was especially authentic."
Ma Xin nodded: "Is it the 'Old Street Restaurant' you mentioned last time? I remember you talking about it several times."
“That’s the place.” He Feng nodded. “The owner’s cooking skills are really good. Besides the braised pork, the stir-fried cabbage with vinegar is also very fragrant. It’s perfect with rice.”
As they talked, they walked briskly toward the restaurant. The setting sun cast their long shadows side by side on the ground, creating a heartwarming silhouette.
Life moved like a slow-moving oxcart in a mine shaft, its wheels clanging against the rails, inching forward at a leisurely pace. Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and Zhao Ci had become Jiang Hu's "capable" professor. Every day, dressed in coal dust-covered work clothes, he followed Jiang Hu down the mine to examine the rock strata and analyze the ore composition. His notebook was filled with dense data, and on the surface, he seemed increasingly attentive to the coal mine, as if he were truly dedicated to research. Secretly, however, he meticulously memorized the information Zhang Chuan relayed under the guise of delivering water and tools—which warehouse guards were rotated more frequently, which tunnel patrols had less frequent shifts—and then, under the pretext of servicing the equipment, he would secretly write it down on thin slips of paper and hide them in pre-dug machine crevices, waiting for someone outside to retrieve them.
That afternoon, Jiang Hu, with a cigarette sizzling in his mouth, patted Zhao Ci on the shoulder with an air of "respect": "Professor Zhao, we just dug up something rare in the new alleyway to the east. It's a dark, metallic-looking piece that's hard enough to cut through stone. None of the brothers recognize it. You're very knowledgeable, could you take a look?"
Zhao Ci nodded, adjusted his glasses which were covered in coal dust, and was about to take a step when Zhang Chuan crept up to him like a shadow. His warm breath brushed against his ear, and his voice was lower than the wind in the mine: "Zhao Ci, you go check out the ore first. I remember the abandoned winch room on the west side. I wanted to go take a look last night, but I ran into the patrol and didn't dare to go close. Today is the shift change there, I'll go check it out, maybe I'll find something."
Zhao Ci's heart tightened, and his fingertips unconsciously clenched the hem of his clothes, wrinkling the fabric. He always trusted Zhang Chuan completely, knowing he was prudent and wouldn't take reckless risks, but he still couldn't help turning his head to quickly glance at him out of the corner of his eye, whispering, "Remember, your safety comes first. Don't force anything. If things get bad, come back immediately, understand?"
Zhang Chuan nodded emphatically, his Adam's apple bobbing, and without saying another word, turned and walked towards the tool shed. The beam of his miner's lamp flickered behind him, casting his shadow on the damp rock wall, sometimes long, sometimes short, exuding a steady and efficient air.
Jiang Hu, with his sharp eyes, noticed that Zhang Chuan hadn't followed. He narrowed his eyes, twirled a cigarette between his fingers, and watched the ash fall to the ground. "Hey, why isn't Zhang Chuan with you? Isn't he your bodyguard who's always by your side?"
Zhao Ci was prepared, and a helpless smile appeared on his face. He raised his hand to straighten his clothes: "Director Jiang, you don't know, Zhang Chuan is always following me around, never leaving my side. These past few days I've really felt awkward, so I said a few words to him and asked him not to follow me around all the time. Maybe he threw a little tantrum, because he hasn't come along. Young people are straightforward, please bear with him."
Jiang Hu gave an "Oh," exhaled a smoke ring, and didn't think much of it—things had been calm lately, Zhao Ci had been going down the mine every day to record data, and seemed quite obedient; whether Zhang Chuan was around or not didn't seem to matter much. He waved his hand and tapped his cigarette on the ground: "Alright, let's go take a look at that ore first; maybe it's some kind of treasure."
The two walked one after the other into the new tunnel. The wind in the mine tunnel carried the smell of coal dust, which made their throats tight and caused the light bulbs overhead to sway gently. The light and shadow danced chaotically on the rock walls.