Our neighborhood has been transported again.

Chapter 13 Newbie Benefits
In the afternoon, Qin Ziwen and Deng Guang's family went to the riverbank together.

"Are you alone? Where are your neighbors?"

Deng Guang gave an awkward smile.

Xiao Xuemei didn't hold back, "Ha, that Liu Changgen, I told you long ago that you can't be too close to him, consider that meat as dog food! You risked your life to get the crocodile meat, and you only gave him two pounds, and he's still not satisfied. Look at the way he's acting, just give him all of it! He's such a big man, with hands and feet, how come he's acting like a mangy dog!"

Qin Ziwen understood. He was a little unhappy when Liu Changgen came to ask him for meat yesterday. It was their first time meeting and they weren't familiar with each other, yet Liu Changgen just asked for it without asking.

At that time, anyone could sign up; there were no restrictions.

Old Deng arrived, so he was given forty jin of meat, regardless of how many times he had stabbed the crocodile.

But the moment he was willing to step forward at that juncture, that was worthwhile.

Qin Ziwen joked, "Brother Deng is quite generous. Did you borrow that meat from him or give it to him?"

Xiao Xuemei gets angry just thinking about it. "He said he was borrowing it, but I think he just gave it to that guy surnamed Liu."

Deng Guang chuckled and said, "We're all neighbors."

Once they reached the riverbank, Deng Guang's smile vanished.
A few days ago, he and Liu Changgen often fished on a large blue stone on the shore. The top of the blue stone was wide enough to accommodate two or three people.

But now, the top of the bluestone is full of people.

Besides Liu Changgen, there were two other strangers holding fishing rods.

Xiao Xuemei sneered: "This is the good neighbor you speak of?"

Deng Guang stared blankly at Liu Changgen's retreating figure, gave a self-deprecating laugh, and explained in a low voice, "I didn't come this morning, so maybe someone else came."

Xiao Xuemei said, "Then go ahead and see if he'll give you his seat."

Deng Guang hesitated for a long time, but ultimately did not ask.

He turned to Qin Ziwen with a smile and said, "Brother Qin, when I was fishing here before, I saw a good spot. We can go there."

Qin Ziwen nodded: "Anything is fine, as long as it's not easy to be ambushed by crocodiles."

"Haha, definitely."

Deng Guang carried a bucket and a fishing rod, walked along the riverbank for several dozen meters, and stopped at a small hill.

The river is to the south of the small hill, with a vertical drop of three or four meters from the water's surface. Crocodiles would have to circle around the gentle slopes on both sides to get close.

According to the area division, this place is located directly below the residential area, and it's not too far from the riverbank.

To the north is a thicket of bushes and groves, and beyond that is the wall surrounding the southeast side of the residential area.

Deng Guang found a long stick and used it to startle the snakes. "There's been so much noise these past few days, there shouldn't be any large animals inside. As long as there are no snakes hiding inside, it's fine."

Qin Ziwen squatted down and grabbed a handful of soft black soil from the ground. "Can we dig up earthworms in this soil?"

Deng Guang smiled confidently, "Yes! The earthworms here are not only plentiful, but also plump."

He then instructed the Qin brothers on how to dig earthworms from the soil, demonstrating himself and quickly digging up more than twenty plump earthworms.

As he said, the earthworms here are not only thick, but also long.

Deng Wen hit the nail on the head: "Dad, you're not very good at fishing, but you're pretty good at digging for earthworms!"

Deng Guang blushed and said, "Nonsense, your dad is also good at fishing. I've caught a five-meter-long crocodile. How many people have ever touched one?"

He then said something like "crocodiles are also fish," which made everyone laugh.

Liu Changgen's child was digging for earthworms nearby when he heard the commotion. He spotted Deng Wen immediately and wanted to come over and say hello, but then he remembered something, stopped awkwardly, lowered his head, turned around, and ran over to Liu Changgen, saying something to him.

Liu Changgen turned his head to look at Deng Guang, and seeing Deng Guang and Qin Ziwen chatting and laughing, he snorted coldly and turned back to his own side.

Deng Guang helped Qin Ziwen bait the hook with an earthworm and adjusted the float. "You haven't fished much before, have you?"

Looking back, Qin Ziwen recalled that the fishing experience he remembered most vividly was when he took his younger brother to the park to fish for goldfish during his junior high school years.

Aside from that, I haven't really been involved in fishing.

Qin Ziwen took the fishing rod. "I'm not very good at it." Deng Guang patted Qin Ziwen on the shoulder. "It's okay, you'll get the hang of it after fishing with me a few more times."

Not long after he grabbed the fishing rod, Qin Ziwen saw the float move.

Like a chick pecking at rice,
One rises, one falls.

I instinctively pulled the rod upwards, and resistance came from the other end.

"The goods have arrived."

Deng Guang, who was still waiting anxiously for a fish to bite, quickly put his fishing rod on the support and walked behind Qin Ziwen, keeping a close eye on the water.

"Wow~"

The fishing line, pulling the silverfish, breaks the surface of the water.

Its silver scales shimmered dazzlingly in the sunlight, and even after being pulled ashore, the two-palm-long fish was still frantically thrashing its tail.

Deng Guang sighed, "I estimate there might be three or four."

This was just the beginning. In less than half an hour, Qin Ziwen caught several more fish.

Qin Ziwen sighed, "I should have come earlier; there are so many fish here."

Deng Guang glanced at his empty bucket and felt that the sun was a bit too scorching today.

Xiao Xuemei pointed to the river, "There are crocodiles."

A crocodile swam arrogantly across the water. Judging from its outline, it was slightly smaller than the one killed at the south gate of the community, but its intimidating presence in the water was no less.

After several days of contact, it discovered that the two-legged creatures on the shore did not seem to pose much of a threat to it.

The crocodile swam around the surface of the water, as if surveying its territory.

After it swam past, all the fish in the water stopped eating, and Qin Ziwen had no luck all afternoon.

As evening approached, a cool breeze blew gently along the riverbank.

The wind rippled the surface of the water.

The fishing rod jolted violently, and an immense force, far exceeding any previous one, surged from the bottom of the water, instantly pulling the rod into a sharp arc!
Qin Ziwen instinctively gripped the fishing rod tightly with both hands.

"It's a big fish! Judging by its strength, it's definitely not small!" Deng Guang quickly came over to help. "Slow down, don't rush it, just exhaust its energy, and make sure it doesn't burrow into the tree roots on the shore."

After a stalemate lasting nearly ten minutes, the fish underwater gradually lost its strength.

The commotion attracted the attention of many anglers on the shore.

Some people even came over to watch.

When the large fish was pulled up from the water, an old man in the crowd exclaimed, "Wow, this carp is almost half a meter long!"

Deng Guang helped lift the bucket to catch the fish, and said enviously, "Wow, what a size! Is this a newbie perk? Catching such a big catch on the first try."

After the fish was placed vertically into the bucket, it was almost full.

"This fish is quite fat, probably weighing over ten pounds."

Qin Ziwen grabbed a few small fish from his bucket and put them into Deng Guang's bucket, then handed the fishing rod back to him. "Brother Deng, let's go."

Deng Guang felt somewhat ashamed after only catching a palm-sized carp in the afternoon.

Qin Ziwen comforted him, "It's no big deal. Just give me some when I'm in the Air Force next time."

Deng Guang accepted the fish, but refused to take the fishing rod, saying, "I have more at home, you can use them for now."

Back at the community, an elderly man and woman were sitting at the property management reception desk at the south gate, telling everyone they met, "Hey! There will be a community-wide owners' meeting at 7 p.m. Tonight. If you have time, it would be best if your family could send a representative to attend."

"Homeowners' meeting? Who organized it?"

(End of this chapter)