What a coincidence, even Red Hair's lackey noticed this scene.
But he didn't report it immediately.
It's not that he had suddenly turned honest; it was because he only had two kings, a 2, and a K left in his hand.
Plus, he also saw the moment Huang Mao destroyed his cards.
He had to act quickly! I'm bound to win this round!
It was rare to have only four cards left in his hand; if he got another chance to play a single card, he'd have enough moves.
A double king bomb doubles the score—this round meant several hundred!
"Playing cards again? That kid also came to fish. Go make conversation at the Dragon Gate!" Huang Mao shouted as he passed by.
"No!" Red Hair's lackey's eyes were filled with despair.
Red Hair heard this and immediately threw his cards on the ground.
"Damn! Could it be this brat also wants to score points? No way! Winning against you alone is already exhausting enough for me!"
At this moment, Han Qiwu was busy removing the fishhook. His luck was good this afternoon; he had just caught a largemouth bass in a short span of time.
That thing might be ugly, but boy, does it sell for good money! Catch thirty of them, and you can upgrade your inventory slots!
"Why are you here too? Don't tell me you're trying to score points as well? Did you even ask the two of us?" Red Hair was the first to rush over and confront him.
"Nope, you guys handle your scoring. I'm not participating. I just came to fish for my own meals. Don't believe me? Look at my fishing rod." Han Qiwu showed them his rod confidently.
"Haha, this shabby rod? My nephew wouldn't even bother with that!"
"Exactly, a toy rod, huh?"
"I think you can rest easy, Brother Huang. This kid surely wouldn't dare compete with you two!"
Han Qiwu smiled faintly, "See? You guys just focus on scoring. Once your points are high enough, won't she have no choice but to treat you two?"
"At least you've got some sense." Huang Mao thought about it and agreed. He turned and walked off again with his lackeys.
Red Hair, however, lowered his head to look into Han Qiwu's bucket, "Just caught this? Your luck sure is incredible."
"Not luck, skill." Han Qiwu noticed Huang Mao had left and immediately changed his tune, starting to hustle Red Hair.
Huang Mao was more cunning and hard to fool; comparatively, Red Hair, who acted like a clueless hothead, was far more adorable—practically a walking health potion bundle.
"What skill? You call that shabby rod skill? I've got five rods, mind you!" Red Hair curled his lip and said, "Fishing is all about more rods! That's hard power!"
"Fishing only requires one rod; technique is what matters most." Han Qiwu shook his head.
"If you're not convinced, how about we make a bet?" Red Hair suddenly stood up, feeling that his deeply-held principles had been insulted!
Whether it was fishing or gaming, Red Hair always believed that having more people and more equipment was the key to success. Even when gaming, he had to play in the mode with the most players—custom mode.
"Alright, it's now 5:30 in the afternoon. Whoever catches more fish wins." Han Qiwu looked at Red Hair while sitting calmly, "Whoever loses treats the other to meals in town for a week!"
"A week?" Remembering Chow Yun-fat's iconic smile from movies, Red Hair mimicked it and shouted, "A week is too short! Make it a month!"
"No problem, let's start."
February's days ended early, and by 5:30, it was almost completely dark.
Red Hair's face still wore a cheerful look, as fiery as his hair.
Even though he lost, Red Hair was still happy inside, "Good thing this kid isn't competing with us. Otherwise, with his fishing skills, he'd be the one going to Hu Qi for treatment!"
Just from looking at Red Hair's expression, Han Qiwu already knew what he was thinking. He walked over and patted Red Hair on the shoulder, "Brother Hong, rest assured, I definitely won't compete with you two."
"I get it! You're not like Huang Mao with all his schemes; you're straightforward!" Red Hair blurted out something that almost convinced Han Qiwu himself.
That's right, I'm straightforward!
Being straightforward is great.
"Brother Hong, do you think if we eat a meal in town, 100 bucks is enough?" Han Qiwu put on a curious face and asked.
"100 bucks? You're underestimating me! It's at least 200!" Red Hair exclaimed and even shook his clothes to emphasize his point.
"Alright, 200 then. That's 100 per person on average. February has 28 days, which means you'll spend 2,800 on me. Can we maybe settle it with cash instead? Otherwise, fulfilling the bet daily might take up too much of your time, and what if you lose another competition?" Han Qiwu said seriously.
Red Hair nodded, took out his phone, and transferred 2,800 to Han Qiwu. "Alright, I don't have time to treat you to meals anyway."
"Got it, I need to visit Brother Jing next. Brother Hong, good luck!" Seeing the money arrive, Han Qiwu grabbed his fish bucket and rode off on his bicycle.
Watching Han Qiwu's departing figure, Red Hair couldn't help but exclaim, "What a good man!"
"Brother, he got 2,800 out of you," Red Hair's lackey was still obsessing over his two kings and three twos.
"What do you know? 2,800 might look like a lot, but he's willing to give me back the time I'd spend on meals! My time is precious! Priceless! Plus, January is long, February is short, and March is long again—March has 31 days. Yet, he used February's totals instead, giving me an extra 300 and saving my dignity."
After a round of analysis, Red Hair crossed his hands behind his back and sighed, "What a good man! This kid is terrifyingly brilliant!"
Red Hair's lackey pouted in the darkness, wondering if it was time to switch allegiances.
But switching bosses would mean re-dyeing his hair—it's such a hassle!
About ten minutes later, Han Qiwu arrived at the coastline with his fish bucket and first went to sell the fish he'd caught that afternoon in the deep-sea trench.
[Through the transaction, you've earned 634 gold.]
"As long as I don't spend any money, fishing for another two days will definitely get me that inventory upgrade." Han Qiwu was in high spirits—each therapy session cost 150, and the 2,800 courtesy of Red Hair was enough to pay for therapy for over half a year.
"Good man, may you live a peaceful life."
To handle such chatty hotheads, you just have to convince them first, then defeat them using the game rules.
If the hotheads refuse to play by the rules, that's when you'd need to use force.
"I really should figure out a way to learn some self-defense. What if they retaliate under the cover of night?" Han Qiwu was lost in thought when his phone chimed. He glanced at it—it turned out to be a shipping notification.
Jingdong is reliable as ever; the ingredients for making corn pancakes would arrive by noon tomorrow.
Time to go clam-hunting!
Han Qiwu wandered to the beach, easily finding a [Flower Clam] and a [Bird Clam].
Done for the day, time to head home.
On his way back, Han Qiwu didn't forget to check the roadside for any system items he could find.
And wouldn't you know it? Turns out searching at night was even easier.
As you wander down the road, suddenly three or four tiny golden light circles appear in the darkness of the fields.
Han Qiwu was momentarily startled but quickly realized what it was. He walked over with his flashlight.
Approaching closer, he saw golden halos surrounding pale yellow flowers, their orange centers swaying in the breeze, releasing a rich fragrance that surged into his nose like a fountain.
[Note: A flower well-suited for gifting.]