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“Big fish, big fish! It’s on the hook again!”
The mont the rod hit the water, it didn’t take long before Xiao Xia noticed sothing. She yanked the fishing rod and ran backward, shouting with excitent.
With a splash, a golden crucian carp burst out of the water. The spray caught the sunlight, forming a fleeting rainbow.
“Is this the legendary beginner’s luck?”
Lin Heng grabbed the fish and couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy. This golden crucian carp weighed over a jin, the biggest catch of the morning so far. Xiao Xia’s tiny fra had almost been dragged along with it—thankfully, the fishing line was thick enough.
“I want to eat this big fishy!”
Xiao Xia poked the fish with her finger, her voice soft and childish.
“Alright, alright. We’ll make braised crucian carp for you when we get back.”
Lin Heng nodded, dropping the fish into the bucket and baiting her hook with another worm.
“I’ve got one too!”
Just then, Xiulan called out from the other side. Lin Heng looked up to see her excitedly pulling a silver crucian carp out of the water and onto the bank.
“Looks like I’ll be relying on you two this morning. I’m useless.”
Lin Heng laughed and ran over to help unhook the fish and rebait the line.
He knew it was because the fish had started to gather around the bait, making them easier to catch. But saying that out loud wouldn’t be as fun—better to let his wife and daughter enjoy the thrill.
And besides, beginners really did seem to have so kind of magical luck.
“Then you better keep watching closely.”
Xiulan winked, clearly getting into the groove of fishing. She used to think people who sat by the river all day were silly, but now that she was trying it herself, she found it surprisingly enjoyable.
Over the next half hour, Xiulan reeled in five more nearly one-jin crucian carps, one every five or six minutes—steady and consistent.
Xiao Xia caught three more before tossing her rod aside and plopping down on a rock to munch on shrimp chips. She was hungry.
Lin Heng opened a pack of crackers, ate half himself, and fed the rest to Xiulan. It was already past noon, and the breakfast they had before setting out was wearing off.
He counted the fish—fifteen in total. Not a bad haul for a morning. He felt pretty proud of the fernted rice bait he’d made.
“Do you want to head back?” Lin Heng asked, glancing at Xiulan.
The sunlight hit her face just right, casting a golden glow over the fine strands of hair on her forehead. She had taken off her jacket, revealing a white turtleneck sweater that hugged her curves, giving her a graceful and radiant look.
Lin Heng thought she looked absolutely stunning in that mont, especially her profile.
Hearing his question, Xiulan turned to him and smiled. “There’s nothing urgent going on. You can fish as long as you want.”
“Then let’s stay a bit longer. It’s really relaxing here by the river.”
Lin Heng smiled. He wasn’t in a hurry to go ho.
“Okay.” Xiulan nodded, her eyes returning to the fishing rod. The joy of catching fish was addictive.
But as the saying goes, even immortals struggle to catch fish at noon. The bites slowed down, and now they were only getting a half-jin fish every ten minutes or so. Occasionally, a yellow catfish would take the bait.
During this ti, Lin Heng didn’t fish. He leaned against a rock, watching the mountains and Xiulan as she fished.
“Hm?”
Out of the corner of his eye, Lin Heng noticed Xiao Xia’s abandoned fishing rod twitching on the bank.
“Crap!”
He shouted and bolted forward.
Splash—he stepped right into the water, but managed to grab the rod just in ti.
“Holy crap, it’s a big one!”
The mont he got a grip on the rod, he felt a powerful tug. The fishing line buzzed under the strain.
“Xiao Xia’s rod was just lying there and still caught sothing?”
Xiulan was stunned. Before she could react, Lin Heng had already dashed over.
“You never know with fishing. I’d say this one’s at least five jin. It’s pulling like crazy.”
As he spoke, Lin Heng skillfully played the fish. Fishing was full of surprises—sotis you’d sit all day without a single bite, and the mont you turned around to use the restroom, your rod would get dragged away.
Fish were less energetic in winter, and Lin Heng was using thick line, so it didn’t take long before the fish surfaced.
Just as he’d guessed, it was a beautiful big carp. Its scales shimred gold and red under the sunlight.
“So pretty!” Xiulan exclaid.
“It’s a huge fishy!!” Xiao Xia jumped up and down in excitent. If Xiulan hadn’t been watching her, she might’ve jumped into the water.
After a couple more minutes of reeling, Lin Heng dragged the fish close and grabbed it by the gills, lifting it onto the bank.
Holding down the big carp, he bead. “This fish is definitely five jin. It’s at least thirty or forty centiters long, and its mouth could fit two fingers.”
“This is a huge win for today’s fishing trip!” Xiulan said joyfully.
Lin Heng nodded repeatedly, looking at his daughter who was petting the fish with her tiny hands. “This carp that Xiao Xia caught—we’ll keep it and cook it for her birthday.”
They already had plenty of fish for the New Year. The fish pond at ho had another carp, so blackfish, and a few yellow catfish. Now, with all these crucian carps, they were more than set.
“Sounds good. This one’s definitely worth rembering.” Xiulan had no objections.
With this final catch, the three of them decided to call it a day. There wasn’t much water in the bucket, and the big carp was thrashing wildly, splashing everywhere.
Back at the shop, Lin Heng called out to Wang Zhou, “Quick, bring a basin! We caught a big carp!”
“You caught it?”
“I bet you bought it. No way you fished up sothing that big.”
People nearby turned to look, skeptical.
“Of course we caught it. Just now, from the river. My daughter caught it,” Lin Heng said proudly.
When they saw Xiulan and Xiao Xia walking over with the fishing rod, the crowd looked even more doubtful.
“This little girl caught a fish that big?”
“No way. If she did, I’ll eat shit.”
“Exactly. Nothing wrong with buying it. Wetting your shoes just to make it look real—now that’s dedication.”
Lin Heng was speechless. He regretted not bringing his phone—he would’ve loved to slap these people in the face with proof.
“They’re just jealous. I reeled it in myself. Look at how healthy the fish is.”
Grinning, Lin Heng went off to share his joy with Old Man Gao.
“You lucky bastard. I’m jealous.”
Old Man Gao didn’t doubt Lin Heng for a second. He believed Lin Heng, like himself, was a principled fisherman.
“I’m jealous too. Beginner’s luck is terrifying. Good thing I managed to grab the rod in ti.”
Lin Heng was practically glowing with excitent. Even with his feet soaked and freezing, he didn’t care.
“Impressive little one,” Old Man Gao praised Xiao Xia, then glanced at the big carp.
Then he asked, “Where’s your fishing spot? I want to give it a try.”
Lin Heng knew Old Man Gao was getting antsy, so he led him to his fishing spot and even invited him to spend the New Year at his place.
But Old Man Gao declined, saying he didn’t like going up the mountain. If Lin Heng wanted, he could visit him instead.
Lin Heng agreed, saying he’d find ti to visit, though it was hard to promise anything during the busy New Year season.
Back at the shop, Lin Heng saw his Elder Brother admiring the big carp. After chatting for a bit, he packed up the gear, loaded it into the car, and finally placed the fish in a covered bucket. Then he headed ho with Xiulan and Xiao Xia.
Crucian carp and carp were hardy fish, especially in winter. They were still alive when they got ho. Lin Heng released the carp into the fish pond and kept the crucian carp in a bucket. They’d eat them during the New Year.
He asked Father Lin and the others to help move things, then made another trip to pick up his Elder Brother and Sister-in-law.
“Soak so soybeans. Let’s make tofu for the New Year,” he said. “Mom just ntioned they’re grinding tofu tomorrow too.”
Lin Heng stepped into the house and looked at Xiulan.
“Alright,” Xiulan replied, then turned around and soaked ten jin of soybeans.
The next day, she made the soybeans into tofu—half regular tofu, and half mugwort tofu.
By the ti the tofu was done, it was one in the afternoon. After lunch, Lin Heng sat comfortably in the courtyard, basking in the sun.
“The sun feels nice today. I’m heading to the river to do so laundry, want to co?” Xiulan walked over with a bamboo basket and gave him a playful wink.
Lin Heng stretched lazily, his hand brushing against her belly, and chuckled. “What if I say no?”
“Then that’s not an option. You have to co with ,” Xiulan said with a smile, lips pressed together.
Of course, Lin Heng was more than happy to go with her. Asking like that just made him feel more important.
He stood up with a grin. “Alright, let’s go. I’ll take Xiong Ba for a walk and train the two pups a bit.”
He found two ropes, tied up the puppies, and led them out. Xiong Ba was obedient enough not to need a leash.
“Daddy, I want to walk the doggies~”
Xiao Xia saw Lin Heng leading the puppies and ran over, reaching out her little hands.
“You take the little wolf pup,” Lin Heng said, handing her the Qinglang Dog’s leash. This pup looked so much like a wolf.
Xiao Xia held the leash, and the pup yipped and lunged forward, its ears flopping adorably. Xiao Xia burst into cheerful laughter.
Lin Heng locked the door and followed Xiulan toward the river.
“Second Brother, you two are going to do laundry? I’ll co in a bit too.”
Caiyun, who was reading in the old courtyard, saw Lin Heng and Xiulan and quickly called out.
They waited a mont, and Caiyun ca over with a basket of clothes. She patted the puppy Lin Heng was holding, then started chatting with Xiulan.
Laughing and talking, the group made their way to the river. In winter, the water in the Shiban River was much lower and bitterly cold.
While Xiulan and the others did laundry, Lin Heng trained the two puppies on the riverbed, with Xiao Xia watching curiously from the side.
Training had to start with the basics—understanding commands. Lin Heng had brought so dried at as rewards.
“Sit!”
At his command, the two puppies looked confused and kept wrestling with each other. Only Xiong Ba obediently sat down.
Lin Heng gave Xiong Ba a piece of dried at, then had him demonstrate again for the puppies. After repeating this more than ten tis, the two little ones finally sat for the first ti.
“There’s a huge difference between dogs,” Lin Heng muttered, shaking his head. Smart dogs like Xiong Ba were rare.
After another half hour of practice, with Xiong Ba as the example, the two pups finally learned the basic commands of “sit” and “shake.”
During this ti, two more people arrived at the riverbank—Tian Yan and Lin Hai, who had co to hang out. The two of them were now openly spending ti together.
“Brother Lin, I caught two creek trout!”
Lin Hai held up two small fish proudly, as if catching them was a world-shaking feat.
“You’re still too green. Watch ,” Lin Heng said with a grin, then ran to the river to show off.
In winter, fish were sluggish from the cold and much easier to catch than in sumr. Lin Heng flipped over two rocks and grabbed three fish in one go.
“How about that? Impressive, right?”
Lin Heng held up the fish, showing off. When it ca to catching fish by hand, no one in the village dared claim they were better than him.
“Brother Lin, your skills haven’t dulled one bit,” Lin Hai laughed.
Nearby, Xiulan, Tian Yan, and the others watched the two n competing like kids and found it all quite amusing.
After catching two more fish, Lin Heng couldn’t take the cold anymore. He shook his head. “Nope, this water’s freezing. It cuts right to the bone.”
Caiyun looked up with a smile. “Second Brother, if you know it’s cold, why aren’t you starting a fire? My sister-in-law’s hands are red from the cold.”
Lin Heng glanced at her. “Sounds to like you’re the one who can’t take it and wants a fire.”
“Well, my sister-in-law wants to warm up too, right, Second Sister-in-law?” Caiyun winked at Xiulan.
Xiulan smiled gently and nodded in agreent.
“Fine, I’ll start the fire. I’m the lowest-ranking one here, I know my place,” Lin Heng said with a grin, casually gathering so firewood.
He and the others picked up more sticks, and soon a fire was blazing. Xiulan and Caiyun ran over to warm their hands.
Vroom vroom!
Just then, the roar of a motorcycle echoed from the village road. Lin Heng and the others looked up and saw Zhao Hu, Jin Hai, and Liu Sheng returning.
“It’s Zhao Hu and the others. I wonder if they made any money,” Lin Hai said, watching the trio on the road.
“They must’ve made sothing. If they hadn’t, they wouldn’t be making such a big entrance,” Lin Heng said with a smile. Going out was definitely better than staying in the village.
“True,” Lin Hai nodded, suddenly feeling a bit nervous. He wanted to make money too.
After warming up by the fire, Caiyun and Xiulan finished washing the last few pieces of clothing. The group played by the river for a while, then got up to head ho.
Just as they reached the road, they saw Zhao Hu and Jin Hai walking toward them, clearly coming to show off.
“Jin Hai, get back here!”
Jin Hai hadn’t gone far before his sister Jin Yan called him back.
“What is it, Sis?” Jin Hai asked impatiently. He was eager to brag about the money he’d made over the past six months.
Jin Yan glanced at Lin Heng in the distance and said to her brother, “Don’t go embarrassing yourself with that little bit of money. Get back here.”
Jin Hai protested, “What do you an embarrassing? I made over a thousand yuan in six months. Why shouldn’t I show it off?”
In the village, no one else had made that kind of money. Of course he wanted everyone to know he’d struck it rich.
Jin Yan shook her head. “He paid over two thousand just to dig a fish pond. A few days ago, he even bought a sidecar motorcycle. What are you going to show off?”
“S-sidecar motorcycle!” Jin Hai stamred at the words.
“For real?”
Zhao Hu, who had been ready with a whole list of things to brag about, stopped in his tracks and turned around, stunned.
They’d seen a lot while working outside, including sidecar motorcycles. Even second-hand ones were out of their price range—they could only admire them from afar.
But Lin Heng? Even if he was a Ten-Thousand-Yuan Household, with a fish pond and a shop, where did he get that kind of money?
“I saw it with my own eyes. What, you think I’m lying?” Jin Yan added, “A few days ago, soone even drove a jeep to his house. No idea what they were discussing. Don’t go asking for trouble.”
Hearing all this, Jin Hai deflated like a popped balloon and let his sister drag him back.
Zhao Hu looked at Lin Heng, who was now just a short distance away, and turned around awkwardly, slinking off.
“How could this happen!”
He couldn’t figure it out. He was determined to get to the bottom of it. Sothing about this just didn’t add up.
(End of Chapter)
— Translator’s Notes —
even immortals struggle to catch fish at noon: A Chinese proverb suggesting that even the most skilled people have difficulty succeeding during unfavorable conditions (noon being considered a poor ti for fishing).
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