novelsite Chapter 197 Persuaded
Chapter 197 Persuaded
This time, his tone was no longer a simple invitation to have fun, but rather filled with the excitement of discovering a new continent. The background noise seemed to quiet down, as if he were leaning close to the microphone, lowering his voice to share a secret:
"Xiao Yan! Don't rush to refuse! I have something important to tell you! We've found out some crucial information!" He said mysteriously, "We don't need to worry about how to sell the fish we catch! Right there in the ice fishing area of the Dongda River, there's a special organization that sets up a buyback point on the shore! They weigh the fish on the spot according to its type and size, and settle the payment immediately! The ratio is 1.2 points per pound of fish! That's a little higher than the market price at the base! Just think about it, meat is so plentiful and expensive right now! If we're incredibly lucky and catch a fish weighing ten or even dozens of pounds... think how many points that would be! Enough for us to live it up for a while! It's much more exciting than picking sea buckthorn!"
These last few sentences, especially "1.2 points per jin" and "settlement on the spot," instantly dispelled all of Xu Xiaoyan's hesitation and entanglement!
"Is there a specialized agency collecting the fish on the riverbank? And settling the points on the spot?" This information is crucial! It means that the ice fishing area is under some kind of order. The presence of official or semi-official agencies creates an invisible deterrent, meaning that it is unlikely that there will be large-scale, blatant looting or violence. Safety is always the first consideration when going out.
Although she knew nothing about ice fishing and had serious doubts about Wang Xiao's self-proclaimed title of "fishing expert," the "relatively safe environment" and "potential, considerable points rewards" were enough to overwhelm her "stay-at-home safety" mentality and make her heart, which had been bound by the cold, eager to try.
"Just consider it a 'joining in the fun,' a chance to try my luck. The worst outcome is simply returning empty-handed, freezing for a few days, and wasting some time and resources. But what if...?" She quickly calculated in her mind. Faced with the real temptation of points and a relatively controllable risk assessment, the hibernation plan could temporarily give way to the potential gains!
She stopped hesitating, immediately pressed the voice button, and asked, "That sounds really good! The on-site recovery plan puts my mind at ease. So... what exactly do I need to prepare? What equipment do you two have? How are you going to handle fishing rods and bait? Are you digging the ice cave yourselves or is someone else in charge?"
While waiting for a reply, she even started to consider which of her existing supplies could be put to use.
Soon, Wang Xiao's voice reply came again, this time even faster, clearly in a state of extreme excitement: "Thick clothes are a given, wrap yourself up like a ball! Preferably windproof and warm! Hand warmer, hand warmers, or a small stove will do! Tent! You absolutely must bring a tent! Otherwise, you'll freeze solid after a while on the ice! We're planning to rent or buy fishing rods there; I heard there are places that specialize in renting ice fishing rods. They also sell bait, earthworms, bloodworms, and the like... Oh, and don't bother digging your own ice holes! There are places that offer 'hole-drilling services,' I think it's 3 points per hole, they'll do it properly and maintain it to prevent it from freezing over again quickly, saving you time and effort!"
Hearing Wang Xiao mention items such as warm clothes, heating equipment, tents, and fishing rods, Xu Xiaoyan had a general idea of what to expect. She felt much more at ease after hearing that "you can use points to buy or rent these items over there." This meant that even if she was not well-prepared, she would have a chance to make up for it on the spot. There was a safety net for key items, so she didn't have to prepare everything from scratch on her own.
She asked for the specific departure time, and Wang Xiao, that impatient fellow, yelled in the voice chat, "I can't wait to leave! Night fishing might have amazing results!" But he was immediately interrupted by Xie Yingtang's voice in the background, "Nonsense! The temperature is even lower at night, visibility is zero, and the ice conditions are unknown. Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Then, Xie Yingtang's steady voice came through the microphone clearly: "Xiao Yan, don't listen to his nonsense. We plan to meet at the East Gate of the Outer City at 5 a.m. tomorrow morning, so that we will have enough time to settle in and prepare."
5 o'clock... Xu Xiaoyan glanced at her phone. It was a little past 8 p.m., and she still had most of the night to prepare.
A while later, I received a text message on my phone. The tone was noticeably calm and clear, and it was obviously from Xie Yingtang: "Xiaoyan, ice fishing isn't something that can be done in a short time. Based on what we know, we need to be prepared to stay by the river for at least three days. Digging an ice hole costs 1.5 points. Since we've decided to go, we naturally hope to gain something and don't want to waste the cost and time. Therefore, please be sure to prepare supplies according to the standard for at least three days of wilderness camping, including food, water, fuel, medicine, etc. Safety first. See you at the East Gate at 5 a.m. tomorrow."
Putting down her phone, she took a deep breath and began to seriously consider her equipment list. Her first thought was a hand warmer. She had two old copper hand warmers at home, but hand warmers required carrying a lot of special coal or solid alcohol blocks, which were bulky, heavy, had a limited burning time, and needed to be refilled frequently, making them very inconvenient and troublesome to operate in the freezing cold.
She quickly came up with a better solution: the two portable battery boxes she had previously acquired! They had a good capacity, and with the battery boxes as a power source, she only needed to carry the rechargeable electric hand warmers and foot warmers! If the batteries were fully charged, they could provide a continuous and stable source of warmth, and they were clean, silent, and easy to operate.
Spending three days outdoors in temperatures below -20 degrees Celsius, it's best to have something hot to eat on-site to better maintain body temperature and energy. She decided to bring her small outdoor charcoal stove and a sturdy stainless steel pot. This way, she only needed to carry a small amount of coal or charcoal to safely boil some water in the tent, cook some simple hot soup or noodles, or heat up food.
She did have a tent readily available—the single-person outdoor tent she had used in the cave before. Although it was simple and the fabric wasn't particularly high-end, it was still windproof, waterproof, and had decent insulation. It was also lightweight, making it easy to carry and set up. However, for ice fishing, the tent would need some specific modifications.
She figured she needed to make a hole of a suitable size near the edge of the bottom of the tent. The hole couldn't be too big, lest it let in air and affect the tent's structure, but it also needed to be big enough for the fishing line to pass through smoothly.