"These are the points I can think of for now. Does anyone have any additions?"
"Since it's stocked fish, I wonder if Boss Luo can get some original pond pellets?" Zhou Chu asked after Zhang Yang spoke.
Hearing the term "original pond pellets," Zhang Yang was taken aback. This was indeed a crucial detail, but he had forgotten to ask about it when they visited the site.
"If we come across them during the competition the day after tomorrow, I'll ask!" Zhang Yang hesitated for a few seconds before speaking.
"What about the competition tactics? They're weight-based contests, so which target fish are we focusing on?" Wang Yan also furrowed his brows slightly.
Zhang Yang grinned: "In the mixed weight competition, there's mostly carp, so we'll focus on carp first. But it's a bit early to discuss this now. Without trial fishing, no one knows the exact fish situation. We'll adapt based on the actual situation!"
"No problem then, if the carp situation is good, we're pretty confident in our products!" Han Qiang exhaled a puff of smoke calmly and confidently.
Zhang Yang: "Alright, that's about it. Just do whatever now! Best not to wander off, call if there's anything!"
...
As Zhang Yang's team of five disbanded and went about their own activities, two cars, with their hazard lights on, exited the highway at Zheng City's entrance.
Both cars had Lu C license plates, one was a Dodge Ram pickup, and the other was a Wrangler. After exiting the highway, they soon headed toward Luo Dapeng's fishing gear store.
Old Luo received a call and quickly came out of the store, warmly shaking hands with the middle-aged man who got out from the passenger side of the pickup.
The middle-aged man who got out of the car was Liu Wenjun, a national third-level competitive fishing master, roughly 42 or 43 years old, with a medium build, slightly tanned skin, and graying hair. His eyes were deep-set, giving him a strong presence.
"Welcome, Master Liu, to give us guidance! What an honor to have you!" Luo Dapeng beamed with a smile.
"Old Luo, why the flattery! As brothers, let's not be so formal!" Liu Wenjun laughed heartily and affectionately patted Luo Dapeng on the shoulder.
"And who are these two young men?"
"They're my apprentices. When they heard there was a competition at your doorstep, they insisted on coming along for fun! This one is Ma Fei, and the one beside him is Gu Xiaozhou! Old Luo is my friend; we've known each other for over ten years! Just came over to catch up!"
Both apprentices were quite young, in their early twenties, but seemed to know how to behave, greeting everyone properly upon meeting.
With such introductions, they were officially acquainted upon their first meeting.
"Let's not stand at the door; let's talk inside! After driving for hundreds of kilometers, you must be tired!"
Luo Dapeng ushered the three inside the store and quickly prepared some tea as a greeting.
"You haven't been here for two years, but your store seems to be doing well! You've almost secured all the niche brands from Japan!"
As soon as Liu Wenjun walked in, he looked around unreservedly and had this impression after seeing the variety of imported fishing rods on the shelves against the wall.
Luo Dapeng responded modestly: "It's alright! We hardly sell any in a year! In our inland areas, fishing rods around a thousand yuan or so are the limit. Imported goods costing thousands for a rod are out of reach for most."
As he glanced around randomly, Liu Wenjun suddenly noticed a shelf full of small yellow packets.
"Oh, small yellow packets! What is this? A new bait?" Liu Wenjun inquired while examining the printed information closely.
This is a common habit for professional anglers, always checking any store they visit to see if there's any bait they haven't used before.
"Bait for black pits! I just got the agency at the start of the year, and it's selling well! Being a traveling angler, you should have seen it before!" Luo Dapeng assumed he was joking and responded casually.
"Selling well? Produced by Mingyang Fishing Gear, it's a name I'm not familiar with. Not knowing black pit bait is normal since I'm mostly chasing national competitions outside and rarely play in black pits!"
"The bait is from W City, not far from Zi City either! The owner visited my store in the afternoon, and I took him to the venue for a walk, just got back not long ago!
Oh, they also released a set of additives, which are pretty effective! They're on the shelf!"
Hearing Old Luo's introduction, Liu Wenjun's curiosity grew, and he unscrewed an additive bottle to smell it.
Being a bona fide national third-level certified competitive fishing master, his understanding of additives far exceeded that of regular anglers and black pit players.
Just a sniff, and Liu Wenjun was captivated by the rich aroma of barley sweet potato paste.
This flavor was much richer than the sweet wild food. The complex aroma of grains and sweet potato was thick, perfect for carp fishing.
"How much is this per bottle? Give me a set! And a few packs of the small yellow bait as well!" Liu Wenjun quickly grabbed a set of additives along with five bags of bait and placed them on the counter.
This is where having apprentices comes in handy. Without needing a word from the master, apprentice Ma Fei naturally took out money to pay for the six hundred-plus yuan worth of additives and bait combined, showing no concern.
After the apprentice paid, Liu Wenjun opened each of the remaining three bottles of additives to smell them all: "You said the company making these baits and additives is from W City? Haven't heard of them!"
"Zhang Yang! He's young, just over twenty! He also registered for the competition. If we meet, I'll introduce him to you!"
"Alright, this product is well-made, definitely want to meet him!" Liu Wenjun nodded, and the conversation moved on.
Liu Wenjun's purpose in visiting Luo Dapeng was much like Zhang Yang's.
Only, Zhang Yang relied on connections with agents, while Liu Wenjun and Luo Dapeng were acquaintances through fishing from years back.
They chatted briefly over tea, inquired about the fishing situation at the venue, and stayed at the fishing gear store until after five, when they left.
Throughout the visit, Old Luo didn't even offer an invitation to stay for dinner, hinting at the real nature of their relationship, which wasn't as close as the greetings suggested.
After driving away from Old Luo's store and not long into the drive, Liu Wenjun couldn't help but call a friend: "Do you know anyone named Zhang Yang in W City? I'm competing in Zheng City and just got a good set of additives from a familiar store!"
...
The next morning, Zhang Yang's team casually had breakfast before driving to the competition check-in point.
Yes, you read that right, the competition check-in point.
The check-in point, also called the registration area, is where different participants in regular competitions check in, including media personnel, referees, staff, and athletes.
Media personnel had already arrived and checked in the previous day. As athletes, Zhang Yang's group had their check-in window from eight in the morning until five-thirty in the afternoon today.
According to competition rules, anyone who registered but didn't check in by the deadline would be considered to have forfeited and automatically disqualified.
Having had the foresight, Zhang Yang arrived a night before the check-in day, so in the early morning, there weren't many people yet at the check-in point.
The four of them parked their car and headed to the makeshift office at the check-in site, presented their ID cards, and quickly received a competition entry card and a set of registration memorabilia.
Leaving the temporary office, they curiously opened the packaging of the memorabilia.
A fishing hat printed with "River Fishing Competition," a rather ordinary material fishing sun protection jacket, and a set of generic bobbers plus a 45 cm diameter competitive fish net.
"Damn! The quality of these memorabilia is crap; the sun protection jacket is scratchy! And we spent three hundred on registration each; they couldn't even give us a proper silk sun protection jacket!" Han Qiang grumbled, feeling the fabric of the jacket.
Zhang Yang: "The quality is indeed average, but as per competition rules, participants must wear uniform attire! With media on-site to film."
"The hat and jacket are junk, but at least the fish net is decent!" Wang Yan added.
Zhang Yang: "With check-in done, let's not rush back, let's head over to the East Bank for a walk. Note down the location numbers for tomorrow's competition, so we can find our spots!"
"Let's go!"
The group headed toward the familiar small bridge in J District.
Before even reaching the bridge, they suddenly heard a loud splash from the river.
They turned toward the sound, only to see a big fish causing a huge splash on the water's surface.