When it comes to doing physical work, the advantage of long-legged beauties disappears. Most of the zone volunteers are men, and carrying fish for weighing is no hassle at all. But having a delicate girl lift dozens of pounds of fish is noticeably a bit strenuous.
However, even though the long-legged beauty doesn't think much of Zhang Yang, the lecherous old man, she's not fussy when it comes to her work.
She gritted her teeth to assist the angler in pouring the catch into the basket, weighing it meticulously, and maintained a high level of tolerance even when a little water splashed onto her from the fish's struggle.
The results of the anglers in front were quickly tallied, and the middle-aged judge and the young lady pushed the electronic scale behind Zhang Yang.
"This angler, the catch has been weighed, please get up from your fishing spot!" the judge called out, and Zhang Yang turned his head.
"Haha, there are quite a few fish. How about I lend a hand? The young lady can't lift it!" Zhang Yang said with a grin.
"No need, I can handle it!" The young lady, not fully aware of the amount of Zhang Yang's catch, staunchly refused his offer.
Hearing the sweet but firm tone of the girl, Zhang Yang shrugged his shoulders and stepped aside, giving up his spot.
The next moment, it was the long-legged beauty's turn to be embarrassed.
The other anglers' catches were at most around thirty to fifty pounds, which could still be lifted with both hands. But when it came to Zhang Yang, her slender hands gripped the mouth of the fish net tightly, yet the net in the water didn't budge an inch.
The judge noticed the young lady's embarrassment and said with a smile, "Caught quite a lot, huh? Handsome, lend a hand, my niece isn't strong!"
Zhang Yang didn't intend to embarrass the beauty, and since the judge said so, he nodded and stepped forward, "Let me help!"
The young lady released her grip, and Zhang Yang bent down, grabbed the opening of the fish net with both hands, and with some difficulty, lifted it out of the water and slowly dragged it up.
Seeing Zhang Yang's net filled with one and a half full grids of fish, the long-legged beauty was stunned, suddenly feeling a bit overwhelmed.
In her perception, this lecherous old man did indeed fish well, but maybe only fifteen or twenty fish at best. After all, others who caught a lot also had just ten or so fish, weighing around forty to fifty pounds.
But looking at the amount in the standard issued fish net, Zhang Yang's catch exceeded the previous heaviest catch by over double.
Estimated at this rate, his catch would easily surpass a hundred pounds!
"Wow! No wonder my niece couldn't lift it, you caught a lot! Buddy, is your name Zhang Yang?"
The judge was just as surprised to see Zhang Yang catch so many fish and casually asked, matching the angler's name with the score sheet in hand.
Zhang Yang nodded, "Yes! I got lucky, did alright in the first round! May I ask how much the highest previous record was? Can I get high points with this score?"
"Without you, the heaviest is 51 pounds! Better get weighing, there're still a few people behind you. Getting high points shouldn't be a problem!"
"Alright then!" Zhang Yang nodded, dumped the fish into the plastic basket, and after covering it with a blanket, lifted it onto the electronic scale alongside the long-legged beauty.
The numbers on the display quickly stabilized: 117.5 pounds!
"Alright, sign the score sheet! Dump the catch back in!" The judge instructed.
Zhang Yang took the ballpoint pen and flamboyantly signed his name on the form, then dumped the fish back into the water nonchalantly. The first round of the morning fishing was done!
The staff started weighing the next one, while Zhang Yang squatted to pack up his gear, ready to leave the venue.
More catches from 10 other anglers were tallied, and with that, the results of the entire Zone 27 were complete.
The long-legged beauty couldn't remember any of the scores after Zhang Yang's, only the name stuck in her mind.
Zhang Yang, 117.5 pounds!
...
With everything packed up, Zhang Yang carried his fishing gear and rod bag as he left the fishing ground and headed towards the common meeting area.
A few minutes later, Han Qiang and Wang Yan all arrived at the meeting place, looking relaxed.
"How'd it go, captain? How'd you do?" Han Qiang asked excitedly.
Zhang Yang: "117.5 pounds, what about you guys? How'd you do?"
Wang Yan: "I caught 103 pounds!"
Zhou Chu: "I caught 96 pounds!"
Han Qiang: "I caught 85 pounds!"
Among the three, Han Qiang caught the least, with 85 pounds. If it weren't for Zhang Yang, the first round results for the four would definitely qualify for high points.
"Before coming, I thought it might be tough. To be honest, it's no different from fishing in the black pit back home!
Just the water's deeper, and the fish return a bit slower!"
Wang Yan flauntingly pulled out cigarettes from his pocket and offered them around to his teammates.
"I agree with that. My neighbor angler isn't even as good as the resident anglers in Meng Village. Still using old techniques, bombing the spot, pinching bait stiff, won't even use scatter bait!" Han Qiang joined in.
Zhang Yang smiled and nodded, "Catching fresh fish in the first round well is just the beginning. There are three more rounds coming up! Don't get too cocky, you might unexpectedly bomb the pot later!
The afternoon event starts at two, so we only have less than two hours. Let's find a place to grab some boxed lunch, don't run around aimlessly!"
"I saw a food cart on the way over, what do you all want to eat, I'll go buy it!" Han Qiang volunteered enthusiastically, setting his equipment down.
"Just get something simple, nothing too spicy, and avoid raw or cold food!" Zhang Yang reminded with experience.
"Got it! Alright, Wang Yan, come with me, let's get some food!" Han Qiang put an arm around Wang Yan's shoulder and headed towards the food cart.
"They're getting food, let's find a temporary spot to rest. Once everyone's done with the score tally, the shady spots will be all taken!" Zhang Yang continued.