79: Chapter 79: Heavenly Realm 79: Chapter 79: Heavenly Realm The journey covered over fifty kilometers, including a stretch of dilapidated provincial road that had been left in disrepair for years.
Driving for a bit over an hour, they finally arrived at their destination.
By the time they reached the reservoir, the sky was already bright.
Lechang County was relatively economically backward, and its small city was basically nestled by the mountains.
Although the infrastructure was somewhat outdated, the environment was still quite pleasant.
This was Yue Feng’s first visit to Cliff Dam Reservoir.
Before even getting out of the car, he peered through the window and was immediately struck by the sight.
Cliff Dam Reservoir was a semi-artificial one, with a storage area of over three hundred acres.
At a glance, shimmering waves stretched out, creating a beautiful scene adorned with a thin layer of mist that hung above the water’s surface.
The distant trees and mountaintops looked like they belonged in a painting.
With the unknown waterfowl fleeting by the water’s edge, it was easy to mistake this place for the Heavenly Realm.
Not to mention the fish in the water — even without them, it was a great spot for a wild cookout.
“That’s it, the car can’t go any further; let’s stop here!” Liu Fengnian turned off the engine of the pickup truck, opened the door, and got out.
“The scenery is great!
The water, too!” Yue Feng exclaimed.
“Just the road that’s a bit difficult to navigate, everything else is spot on!
Many years ago, I came here with friends.
It’s been at least seven or eight years since they’ve opened the dam!” Liu Fengnian said as he stretched his slightly stiff back.
While they were talking, Wei Liang, Qiangzi, and Wang Dong also got out of the car.
“Qiangzi, the spot you found is really good!
Even without fish, we could have fun for two days!”
Ma Boqiang smugly pulled out a pack of cigarettes and handed them around, bragging, “Of course, if it wasn’t a good spot, we wouldn’t have come!”
“Parking the car here shouldn’t be a problem.
Let’s figure out where to set up the tents and fishing spots!” Yue Feng chimed in.
“Don’t bother, I know where’s good for setting up camp.
Just unload the gear and follow me, there won’t be any issues!” Liu Fengnian said confidently, exhaling a large smoke ring.
With the group leader so assured, the others naturally had no objections.
They immediately began to unpack the trunk, moving items from the car.
Liu Fengnian’s modified truck bed was filled with a surprising amount of stuff, and the more Yue Feng looked, the more amazed he became.
There was a generator, camping tents, a stove, march pots, gas cylinders, lounge chairs, canopies, and even a complete tea set with a folding table, as well as barbecue racks and hot pot ingredients — practically everything Yue Feng could think of, the car had it.
“Liu, are you a veteran camping enthusiast?” Yue Feng said while he worked, moving stuff out.
“I went crazy with it a couple of years ago and got quite a lot of stuff.
Energy’s been down lately, more things to do at the factory, less time to go out, but I’ve got all the gear!”
Liu Fengnian was pretty confident about his equipment.
Despite the unassuming look of these small items, many of them would earn a thumbs-up from real camping enthusiasts.
A lot of it was military-grade, with even some imported gear, which cost a pretty penny when he acquired it.
After unloading the gear from the car, Liu Fengnian, with a massive backpack, began to walk down a small path at the base of the dam.
“One person stays to watch the luggage; everyone else grabs the heavy gear and follows me!”
Looking down from the dam, it seemed quite close, but as Yue Feng carried a large backpack down, he realized the truth in the old saying, “Distant mountains appear close.”
Liu Fengnian certainly remembered the terrain here and led the way with many twists and turns.
Having crossed over a semi-protruding hollow, the scenery before everyone’s eyes changed dramatically.
Not just Liu Fengnian, even Yue Feng could tell this place was good.
Alongside the reservoir was a large, very flat expanse of beach, and about forty or fifty meters above the beach was a large hawthorn grove.
The hawthorn trees were quite old, thick as a sea bowl.
The gaps between the trees were sizable, perfect for setting up camp.
The location of the grove was relatively level, visually a few acres in size.
Camping here, with shade during the day and shelter from the wind at night, even a heavy rain would pose no problem as long as a shallow drainage ditch was dug—the spot was an excellent camping site.
“This place isn’t bad, and the beach is nice too, but I wonder about the water level!
It wouldn’t be fun if the shallow area extended dozens of meters forward!!” Wei Liang said breathlessly.
“The water level hasn’t changed much.
Using a 7.2-meter rod, we should be able to fish in water that’s a little over three meters but not quite four meters deep, no problem!” Liu Fengnian said.
“That’s great to hear.
Let’s try to set up camp while it’s still cool in the morning!
The sooner we finish, the sooner we can start fishing!” Ma Boqiang, the most impatient, was already getting restless.
“First, let’s get all the gear down.
We’ll start divvying up tasks—I’ll take Wang Dong and Wei Liang to set up camp, while Yue Feng leads Qiangzi to prepare the fishing spot and bait the area!” Liu Fengnian, true to his leadership role, had clear thinking and sensible arrangements.
“Let’s get a move on, hustle hustle hustle!” Qiangzi yelled, striding towards where the cars were parked.
The group had arrived at the reservoir around 5:30, when it was scarcely light, and it took them until nearly 8 o’clock to carry all their supplies to the campsite.
Having risen early without breakfast, even these robust young men were feeling worn out.
After the last trip carrying down the equipment, everyone sat down on the ground, too lethargic to even speak.
“Damn, I’m exhausted!
My arms don’t even feel like my own anymore!” Wang Dong complained.
I’ve got meat buns we can make do with!” Wei Liang, with his thoughtful nature, unexpectedly produced a large plastic bag full of meat buns.
“Damn, Liang Bro, you should have said so earlier!
I’ve been starving!” Ma Boqiang didn’t hold back, immediately opening a box of mineral water to distribute around, then grabbed a bun and started greeting it enthusiastically.
Five big-bellied men devoured a seemingly large pile of buns until there were none left.
With some food in their bellies, everyone’s energy finally started to return.
Soon, they split into two groups and commenced their planned tasks.
Yue Feng was responsible for preparing the fishing spots and baiting the area, which was his forte.
Taking a finely crafted multifunctional shovel from Liu Fengnian’s hands, he strolled towards the shoreline.
With the Skill of choosing fishing spots bolstering him, Yue Feng’s ability to select a spot was outstanding.
Even though he didn’t know which location was the best, he at least knew which ones wouldn’t work.
However, after strolling along the shore, Yue Feng only found a few scattered greyish areas.
Most of the shore had a normal coloration, indicating a higher density of fish.
The shoreline was mostly flat, so there weren’t many points or ridges to choose from.
Yue Feng avoided the grey areas, used the shovel to prepare several spots, and then pulled out a long rod for reservoir fishing, beginning to measure the depth of the surrounding water.