The Tianma River is vast and wide for hundreds of miles, and there are hundreds of fishermen who make a living by fishing. It is not easy to make a living on the water. Wind, waves, reefs, water beasts, pirates, and even the weird things hidden in the river are threatening their safety at all times. Old fishermen like Sun Bo who have been fishing for forty years and can still paddle and cast nets are undoubtedly rare! He has rich experience. You should know that fishing is a technical job. Rowing, exploring the water, casting nets and fishing all require experience. Under normal circumstances, an old fisherman will never teach outsiders the valuable experience accumulated over his lifetime. The principle of teaching the apprentice to starve the master is applicable to all realms! But I don’t know what means Chen Zhize used to make Sun Bo willing to teach Zhang Yuan with all his strength. There is no secret. At the beginning, Sun Bo taught him the skill of rowing.
Because the new fishing boat that Chen Zhize half-sold and half-given to Zhang Yuan was a black-sailed rowing boat. The oar is not limited by wind force or water depth, and is the most efficient human-powered boating tool. The oar is placed at the stern of the boat, and is inlaid with a square of wear-resistant hardwood - the oar pad. A semicircular hole is carved in the middle and put on the support button fixed at the stern. The flat end of the oar extends into the water, and the end of the handle is tied to the side of the boat with a hemp rope. The person who needs to row the oar holds the oar and pushes it forward and pulls it back. The oar extends into the water and swings and paddles, pushing the boat forward! This sounds simple and does not look complicated, but the actual operation is completely different. It took Zhang Yuan three days to barely master the skill of rowing. As a result, Sun Bo was amazed! Because it took him nearly two months to master this technique proficiently. And Zhang Yuan actually practiced for a limited time every day. In the following days, Zhang Yuan came to the dock early in the morning to meet the old fisherman, boarded the boat and rowed down the river to learn how to fish. He usually got off the boat at the river bay in front of the Whale Castle, and then went to the wooden man room in the castle to practice the Jingtao Palm. In the afternoon, Zhang Yuan returned to the river bay to practice water skills. At the same time, he looked for the extraordinary life form he met last time. When he returned home at night, he still needed to continue practicing the Rock Pile Kung Fu and soaking in the medicinal bath to strengthen his skin and flesh. He improved his blood and strength bit by bit. The days were extremely fulfilling. It was autumn in a flash.
This morning, just after dawn, Zhang Yuan rowed the fishing boat into the calm river bay. He handed the oars to Sun Bolai, came to the bow, and grabbed the fishing net on the deck. The next moment, Zhang Yuan suddenly turned around and raised his arm, throwing out the fishing net in his hand. The fishing net instantly unfolded in the air and fell on the water. It sank quickly! The whole process was done in one go, and the standards were unparalleled. After a while, Zhang Yuan slowly collected the big net when he felt that the fishing net had sunk to the bottom. Soon, water splashed up, and the silver scales under the net could be seen swaying faintly, with great force. A big fish was caught! Sure enough, when Zhang Yuan pulled up the entire net, he brought up a big carp, two mandarin fish, and more than a dozen miscellaneous fish. It was a great harvest! The big carp was especially valuable. The carp in Tianma River is well-known far and wide, with delicious meat and no muddy smell, and it also has a nourishing effect. This carp weighing six or seven pounds can be sold for at least one or two taels of silver in a restaurant in the city. Zhang Yuan happily put the big fish into the live water tank. "Brother Zhang..." At this time, Sun Bo suddenly said, "You are ready to become a master. I have taught you everything I can. You are now as good at fishing as others three or four years ago!" The old fisherman felt very uncomfortable. He had a son, and he had long thought of inheriting his father's business and passing on all his fishing skills to his son. As a result, Sun Bo's son was born on the water, but he did not learn any fisherman's skills. He rowed the boat and hit the shore, cast the net and lost the rope, so stupid! On the other hand, Zhang Yuan learned most of his skills in less than a month. Comparing people with others can really make people angry! If Zhang Yuan was his son, Sun Bo would really wake up with laughter in his dreams. Zhang Yuan smiled and said, "It's all thanks to your good teaching!" The capable are the teachers, and Zhang Yuan still respects this old fisherman. Every day when he practiced, he would only keep one or two fish to take home. The rest were all given to Sun Bo as compensation.
Sun Bo waved his hand, sighed and sat down at the stern. He looked depressed. Zhang Yuan was moved, put down the fishing net and asked: "Sun Bo, did you encounter anything?" Sun Bo hesitated for a moment, but still replied: "It's not a big deal..." It turned out that the reason why he agreed to Chen Zhize to pass on all his fishing skills to Zhang Yuan. In addition to Chen Zhize's identity. The most important thing is to make a living for his son! Sun Bo's son is already in his twenties. He has not learned his father's skills and usually makes a living by selling fish. Of course, he sells his own fish. But Sun Bo has been fishing for nearly forty years, and he has rheumatism and his old body has long been overwhelmed. At present, he is just holding on. It is estimated that he will be completely unable to work in another year or two. And he has a big family to support. If this source of income is cut off, we will have to eat coarse food! Chen Zhize promised Sun Bo that after he taught Zhang Yuan, he would arrange a job for his son at the dock. In this way, he can at least make ends meet by relying on the Whale Gang. Now that Zhang Yuan has become a master, Sun Bo can't help but worry that Chen Zhize is busy with his work... After listening to this, Zhang Yuan was somewhat amused. But he could fully understand the other party's concerns. Because if Chen Zhize really wants to go back on his word, Sun Bo will have no way to deal with it. This is the sadness and helplessness of the little people at the bottom! Zhang Yuan patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, I will tell Brother Chen, I promise there will be no problem!" In fact, with Chen Zhize's character, he would not do such a shameless thing. But in order to reassure the old fisherman, he added a guarantee. Sun Bo immediately smiled: "Thank you, thank you, brother Zhang, now the old man is relieved." He felt relieved, and his originally frowned brows were relaxed. The old fisherman gritted his teeth and suddenly said, "Brother Zhang, I actually have a skill of using a flying hook to catch turtles. I originally wanted to take it to my coffin, but now I will teach you!" Flying hook to catch turtles? Zhang Yuan's eyes lit up - it sounds great!
The so-called flying hook to catch turtles refers to using a thin line and a fish hook to fly fish to catch turtles in the Tianma River. River turtles are one of the water treasures and are much more valuable than carp. However, wild turtles in the Tianma River are very agile and difficult to catch using ordinary fishing methods. Sun Bo's flying hook to catch turtles was his own creation. No other fisherman has mastered it except himself! If Sun Bo had not had a good impression of Zhang Yuan and was reluctant to let this technique be lost, he would not have taught him. Zhang Yuan's promise exchanged for a unique skill!