Chapter 429: Chapter 257 VIP in p
"Did you ask about the timing? When will the dismantling start? When can we go have some fun?" Zhang Yang continued to press after hearing Meng Fan’s words.
Meng Fan replied, "The day after tomorrow, starting from the southernmost part at Xiaoxin Village on Monday! First, we’ll take down the surveillance cameras, then dismantle the protective nets. The gates at both ends are locked tight, so the water level will be stabilized for now! The time for pumping water is cut in half, and by then, the problem of debris floating in the canal will be completely solved!"
"Great! I’ll leave the task of finding connections to you, alright? The brothers will prepare for battle the day after tomorrow! If the fishing condition is good, maybe I’ll even start a live stream!"
"Don’t worry, it’ll be no problem at all, leave it to me!"
...
With Meng Fan’s assurance, Zhang Yang stopped following up on this issue. Little Meng is very reliable; if he says it’s not a problem, it definitely won’t be a problem!
In the following two days, Zhang Yang was fully in preparation mode. The reservoir live stream also took a break for a day, and a group of old buddies hung around in Zhang Yang’s fishing tackle shop, tying hooks, stringing lines, and chatting away, all in preparation for fishing in the canal!
The two days passed quickly, and just past seven on Monday morning, Zhang Yang’s team eagerly gathered at the entrance of the fishing tackle shop.
These guys were so eager to fish that they didn’t even have breakfast at home. Each one of them was bundled up like a bear, and their enthusiasm for fishing far surpassed that of live streaming at their own reservoir, with an entirely different energy.
"Boss, should we depart now? Or wait a bit longer?"
Wang Yan was the funniest. To keep warm, he wore a knitted balaclava that only revealed his mouth and eyes. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think he was going to rob a bank.
Zhang Yang glanced down at the time on his phone, "No rush, they’re just starting over there! If we go now, we’ll run right into them, won’t we? None of you have eaten, right? Let’s go grab some roasted meat rolls, it’s on me!"
"Roasted meat rolls? Won’t we miss out on good spots if we go late?" Han Qiang chimed in.
Zhang Yang shook his head, "Just trust me, let’s go eat first! There are over ten kilometers of riverbank; whoever wants to claim a fishing spot can have it! Meng Fan and Liu Zi are heading over this way, so by the time we’re full, we should just arrive in time!"
Wang Yan rubbed his nose, "Is that so? Well, let’s go then. Now that you mention it, I’m actually feeling a bit hungry!"
Zhou Chu smirked and teased, "Wang Yan, you shameless rascal, you’ll never change! Don’t wear that bandit hat to the roast, or you might get mistaken for a robber!"
"Haha!" Everyone erupted in laughter.
...
Soon, a group of burly men followed Zhang Yang into a bustling breakfast joint.
With soybean soup and roasted meat rolls fresh off the clay oven, they dug in heartily. The ones who claimed they didn’t care whether they had breakfast ended up eating more than anyone else, especially Wang Yan, who devoured six knife-cut roasted meat rolls and downed two bowls of soybean soup before feeling satisfied.
At 7:35, Meng Fan drove Liu Zi over to Zhang Yang’s shop. After settling the bill, the group got into the car and headed straight to the destination—the spot in Xiaoxin Village where they’d start dismantling the protective nets and surveillance cameras.
Initially, they thought there would be quite a few people working there, but after a glance, they realized there were only a handful.
Two orange-painted pickup trucks for operations and seven or eight workers with hard hats were busy using professional tools to dismantle the concrete anchor piles of the railings.
"What are you guys doing here? It’s not allowed to loiter by the water! There’s work going on, move along, the workers don’t have time to keep an eye on you!"
A small boss with a white hard hat noticed Zhang Yang and his group and impatiently waved them away.
Lately, many people have been inquiring about the dismantling of the canal, including foremen who wanted to wheedle some benefits and many fishing enthusiasts.
The higher-ups had discussed this issue in meetings, and coupled with the patrols from various departments, the squad leader wouldn’t dare to be lenient. If the superiors found out, he’d be in trouble, and it just wasn’t worth it.
Meng Fan approached with a smile, pulling out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes to offer, "Are you Captain Liu? I’m a friend of Little Hu! My name is Meng Fan; I used to be a driver for the municipal government! Care for a cigarette?"
Upon hearing Meng Fan’s introduction, Captain Liu was slightly taken aback. Little Hu mentioned by Meng Fan was no ordinary person; he was directly related to the leadership, rather young but quite influential in the system—everyone gave him a bit of respect.
"What are you guys planning to do here? Mentioning Little Hu makes us kin, but let me be clear, there’s a patrol team here, so I don’t have the final say!"
Meng Fan smiled again, "Oh, nothing serious, we’re just looking for a place to fish for fun! You carry on with your work, we won’t cause any trouble! No need to worry about the patrol team either, I’ve already given a heads-up! Captain Chen and I are friends."
"Oh, you’re just here to fish? I thought you had something else planned!" Captain Liu took a drag on his cigarette, and his tone softened.
"Well, the Wen River doesn’t have great fishing conditions, and after being cooped up all winter, we finally found a great spot to cast a few lines!"
In dealing with people outside, Meng Fan’s social skills cultivated as a driver were fully on display—friendly tone, tactful words that were pleasant to the ear.
"If you’re looking to fish, I actually have a great spot to recommend! Leave your cars here, and I’ll take you to check it out! Just make sure to park the cars a bit further away later; there are many prying eyes around, and it wouldn’t look good if seen!" Captain Liu gave the group a pleasant surprise once again.
"A great spot? Where is it?"
"Follow me!"
Captain Liu called out, murmured a few words to the workers, and soon led Zhang Yang and the others towards the pumping station in Xiaoxin Village.