Xu Gui's eyes darted around, and a sudden idea struck her.
She wiped the stains off her clothes with a wet wipe, and after cleaning herself up, she went back to the old man's stall and squatted down beside it.
She placed her hands on the edge of the table, her bright, lively eyes peeking out from under the table, looking at the old man with an innocent and expectant expression.
"Gurgle," she made a sound.
The old man's lips twitched slightly, looking at her speechlessly, and asked, "What's that sound?"
Xu Gui replied, "Gurgling, that's the sound of bad water bubbling up... Doesn't everyone say 'gurgling up' means bad water is bubbling up?"
The old man was amused by her words and asked, "So, what kind of bad water is bubbling up in your heart right now?"
Xu Gui's eyes darted around; her eyes were beautiful, and when she moved, they sparkled with a lively light. She looked at the old man expectantly and asked, "Is your grandson busy right now? I want to ask him for a favor."
The old man was taken aback: "Bai Yi?"
Xu Gui nodded and earnestly explained the reason: "Because of some things, I've been having some bad luck lately. Mr. Lu was very kind, so I wanted to borrow some of his good fortune."
The old man pondered for a few seconds, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but instead asked, "Will borrowing his luck have any effect on him?"
"No, it won't." Xu Gui shook her head firmly, gesturing with her hands, "Mr. Lu's luck is as vast as an ocean; just a handful is enough for me!"
She clasped her hands together in a cupping motion, indicating, "Just a handful!"
The old man confirmed, "Really?"
Xu Gui nodded eagerly, "Really!"
The old man's gaze swept over her face, and he said, "Alright, then I'll call him over... Tsk, look at the way you fell, you almost got disfigured, didn't you?"
He was referring to the injury near Xu Gui's eye. When she fell, she was scratched by a branch, and at the time it didn't seem serious, just a minor cut, but now it was bleeding noticeably.
Hearing his words, Xu Gui subconsciously touched the scratch, then sniffed and reassured herself, "It doesn't hurt." But her tone made it unclear whether she was reassuring him or herself.
The old man took out his phone and called his eldest grandson. While he was on the phone, Xu Gui squatted beside him, watching him with pleading eyes, looking incredibly pitiful.
The call connected, and the old man said, "Hello, grandson, it's me, your grandpa!"
Lu Baiyi on the other end of the line thought, "...I know it's you." But every time the old man spoke like that, he felt a strange unease, as if he'd been scolded.
Signaling his secretary to put down the documents, Lu Baiyi asked, "Grandpa, what's up?"
The old man said casually, "I need your help with something. Come over here... Oh, and if you have any leftover snacks, bring them over. Someone here really likes them!"
The old man spoke very quickly, each word like a burst of exploding beans. Before Lu Baiyi could reply, the old man had already made his decision, saying, "Alright, that's it. Come over quickly, I'm hanging up now!"
*Beep!*
The call ended.
Lu Baiyi glanced at his phone, which had already been disconnected, and looked up to ask his secretary about his schedule for the day. Confirming there was nothing important, he stood up and said, "I have to go out now. If there's anything I need to handle, call me again."
Throughout the call, he remained calm.
His secretary replied, "Okay."
Meanwhile,
Xu Gui returned to her stall, confidently and enthusiastically starting her work. Ten minutes after she sat down, her first customer of the day arrived.
It was an elderly man, seemingly retired. He was dressed in a fisherman's hat and carried fishing gear, looking every bit the part of a fisherman—a retired person re-entering the fishing world. The old man
also had a rather sly air about him; after sitting down, he looked around nervously, as if checking if anyone was watching him. He only glanced at the camera on the table next to Xu Gui, giving it no thought.
The live stream audience: [Hey, didn't expect that, did you? Hundreds of thousands of people are watching you!] Indeed, the saying that cameras are everywhere in life is absolutely true.
However, Xu Gui's live stream had already blurred out irrelevant people. Anyone entering the live stream had their face heavily pixelated, and apart from close acquaintances, no one would know who they were.
...
After confirming that no one was paying attention to him, the old man whispered to Xu Gui, "Master, please calculate for me where I should bait my fishing spot today."
The old man gritted his teeth, full of ambition, and said, "Today I must avenge my defeat and show them that I'm not just someone who goes home empty-handed!"
But the next second, the old man changed his tone and said, "So, Master, you must calculate a spot where I can catch a lot of fish! I made a bet that I can catch five big fish today, and I can't lose." This was a matter of his pride.
Speaking of this old man, his surname was Wu, so we'll call him Old Wu.
Mr. Wu is indeed a retiree. Having nothing to do after retirement, he joined the ranks of anglers, thus getting to know countless fishermen. Although he's been an angler for a year and a half, his
fishing record is... well, his current record is: three small fish, verifiable.
For Mr. Wu, going home empty-handed is a daily occurrence; his fish basket is empty 365 days a year. Because of this, he's often teased by fellow anglers, who call him "fish-averse." Mr. Wu is very resentful of this nickname and secretly dreams of catching a big fish to change everyone's perception.
As for the outcome... well, that's another story.
Yesterday, on a whim, and witnessed by countless anglers, Mr. Wu made a bet with a long-time rival: would he go home empty-handed that day?
If Mr. Wu won, the other angler would call him "Big Brother," and if the other angler won, he would have to call the other "Big Brother."
After his impulsive act, Old Wu regretted it. With his fishing skills and luck—having failed every time for 365 days—where did he get the confidence to make that bet?
Last night, Old Wu returned home sighing and lamenting, filled with regret. At bedtime, he couldn't sleep a wink, tossing and turning, and even got a scolding from his wife.
Because of this, Old Wu barely slept a wink. This morning, he woke up with dark circles under his eyes. Today, he procrastinated, only leaving at the last minute.
However, after leaving, Old Wu didn't head straight to the agreed-upon fishing spot as usual. Instead, he lingered on the road, hesitant and unmoving.
Just then, Old Wu saw Xu Gui's fortune-telling banner, and a sudden thought struck him.
Old Wu's face darkened: Now, he could only resort to metaphysics!
After hearing the whole story, Xu Gui and the viewers in the live stream thought: […So you're so cunning, you had someone calculate your fishing spot?] Fishing enthusiasts are truly terrifying.
*
"Master, how is it? Can you calculate this?" Old Wu looked at Xu Gui expectantly.
Xu Gui pondered, "It's not impossible…"
She pushed the payment code towards Old Wu and said, "Five hundred!" She was trying to earn money, so she was very eager to receive payment.
Although Old Wu felt five hundred was a bit expensive, given his current situation, what other way could they help him besides gambling on metaphysics? Unless he could instantly become a fishing god, but do you think that's possible?
"It really can be calculated, don't lie to me!" Old Wu confirmed repeatedly when paying.
Xu Gui nodded repeatedly, ensuring she responded to every question Old Wu asked without any impatience.
After Mr. Wu paid, Xu Gui checked his balance, counting the decimal points, quite satisfied.
"...Sir, when you get there, just walk three steps to the left from where you were supposed to bait the spot! Bait and fish there, and I guarantee you'll catch a big fish!" Xu Gui said.
"Three steps to the left from where I was supposed to bait the spot?" Mr. Wu nodded seriously, indicating, "I've got it!"
After saying that, he glanced around furtively, and seeing no one was watching, he quickly left with his fishing gear. Unbeknownst to him, a dark camera was recording his every move, including his furtive behavior.
Livestream: [Watching the Show.JPG]
...
After calculating, Mr. Wu hurried to the fishing spot everyone had agreed upon.
In their fishing group, everyone had been sending him a lot of messages urging him on, constantly asking "Where are you?" and "Are you almost there?" Interspersed among these messages were some sarcastic and mocking remarks. One person named "Wang Chengde" was the most vocal in the group.
Wang Chengde was the fishing buddy he didn't get along with.
[Wu Yongfa, where are you? Why aren't you here yet? Are you scared?]
[If you just admit defeat, that's fine, but don't forget you have to call me "Big Brother" then.]
[So, if your skills aren't good, don't be stubborn, or you'll only lose face in the end!]
Wang Chengde's sarcastic comments in the group kept coming, and Old Wu was furious. He picked up his phone and started typing furiously. A few seconds later, a message appeared in the group:
Wu Yongfa: [Wait! Your grandpa is coming!] ... Old Wu arrived at the fishing spot seething with anger, but as he picked up his rod, ready to bait the area and start fishing, his feverish mind, fueled by anger and frustration, gradually calmed down.
Okay , he'd certainly said his piece, but the problem was, how was he supposed to catch any fish? He knew his own skills; he was no match for anyone. The three fish he'd caught before were only the size of a finger—pure blind luck. Maybe he should hire someone to swim down and bait his hook? Old Wu thought to himself, trying to find amusement in his predicament, and ended up laughing at himself. "...Old Wu," a fishing buddy who was on good terms with him leaned over and whispered, "Are you really confident you can catch any fish? Look at Wang Chengde's smug look. If he wins this bet, he'll be even more arrogant!" Old Wu thought to himself: That's for sure. He glanced at Wang Chengde; the man was so smug, it made him even angrier. But what should he do now? Just as Old Wu's face was contorted in worry, he suddenly remembered what Xu Gui had said. "...Move the spot where you were originally going to bait the hook three steps to the left." He muttered to himself, glanced at the spot, and decisively picked up his fishing gear and took three steps to the left. At this point, he might as well try his luck. With a "nothing to lose" mentality, Old Wu quickly completed all the preparations, baited the hook, and cast his line—a series of actions completed in one smooth motion. He was heavy-hearted, prepared to go home empty-handed, but to his surprise, just three minutes after casting, he saw the float move. Old Wu's eyes widened: This, this, moving three steps to the left actually worked? He became even more excited when he picked up his rod and started reeling in the fish. "…Old Liu, come quick! I've got a big one!" He shouted to his friend Old Liu, who was fishing. Hearing this, Old Liu immediately put down his rod, grabbed a landing net, and came over. The others around, hearing the words "big one," perked up their ears, stopped fishing, and gathered around Old Wu to watch the spectacle. "Is it a big one?" "It looks like it… Wow, I see the tail! It has a huge tail, this fish must weigh at least thirty pounds! " "What kind of fish is it, a grass carp?" Everyone was whispering amongst themselves , while Wang Chengde, who had made the bet with Old Wu, was practically bulging his eyes. He had only one thought in his mind: How could this be? * Meanwhile, at Xu Gui's stall. Xu Gui had just seen off a fortune-telling customer. She was young and beautiful, more like a glamorous celebrity than a fortune teller, and seemed unreliable. Logically, not many people should have come to her for a reading. But strangely, quite a few people were coming to her; even the high price of 500 yuan didn't scare them away. The viewers in the live stream gave their answer: "If I saw a beautiful woman setting up a fortune-telling stall on the street, I'd go up and have my fortune told too. I wouldn't even look at her for 50 cents, but if she charges 500 yuan and is so young and beautiful, then I'd have to see what she's got!" After all, this generation of netizens is known for its rebellious spirit, just like Mr. Li An from before. At this moment, the old man's grandson also arrived.