Wanting to Fish

Wanting to Fish

"Brother, what is this?"

Xiao Yan had been watching Lu Qing work quietly at his side. Once he had finished making the fishing rod, she could not help asking curiously.

"This is called a fishing rod. It's used for fishing. Whether we have anything to eat today depends entirely on it."

Lu Qing waved the bamboo pole, testing how it felt in his hand, rather satisfied.

In his previous life, he had been a fishing enthusiast. Whenever the mood struck, he liked making little rods himself to play with.

He had not expected that skill to come in handy here.

The little girl's eyes lit up at once. "Brother knows how to catch fish?"

"Whether we can catch any is still uncertain. We'll try first. If we really catch fish, we'll have Fish Soup to drink."

"Fish Soup..." Upon hearing those words, Xiao Yan was already lost in her fantasies, drool slipping from the corner of her mouth.

"Brother, then let's hurry and go fishing!"

The little girl was already getting impatient.

The last time she had eaten fish had been a very, very long time ago, during the New Year, when Father had bought a big fish back from the market.

In her memory, fish had been incredibly, incredibly delicious.

"Don't be in such a rush. We still need to prepare some bait."

The bait was not hard to find. In a patch of cool, fertile soil in the corner of the yard, Lu Qing found what he needed after just two shovelfuls.

Red Earthworm: A great helper for loosening soil. It seems it can also be used as medicine.

Ignoring the information floating over the earthworm, Lu Qing put it into a bamboo tube.

He had not dug the thing up to use as medicinal herbs. He knew nothing about medicine.

After sealing the bamboo tube, leaving only an air hole, he slung the fishing rod over his back and carried an old wooden bucket in one hand. The brother and sister set off with their heads high and spirits soaring.

They had barely left the little courtyard and gone a short distance into the village when a woman called out to them.

"Lu Qing, you're better? You can walk now?"

The woman held a basin of clothes, evidently having just returned from washing them.

Her voice was full of astonishment.

Hadn't they said the Lu Family boy was gravely ill, with barely any breath left in him? Even Old Doctor Chen had examined him and said all they could do was leave it to fate.

How had he become so lively after only one day, able to go out already? Just last night, the villagers had still been discussing when they should go collect his body.

"Yes, Aunt Wang. I don't know why, but after sleeping for two days, my illness gradually got better. I was able to get out of bed this morning."

Lu Qing answered in the manner the original owner used to speak.

Fortunately, the original owner had been somewhat quiet and gloomy by nature, so he was not difficult to imitate.

"Brother drank Grandpa Chen's medicine, and then he got better right away!" Xiao Yan interjected from the side.

Aunt Wang had no mind to notice any changes in Lu Qing's personality. Seeing that he truly seemed better, she smiled as well.

She said repeatedly, "It's good that you're better, good that you're better."

At the same time, she breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.

Over the past two days, several elders from the village had gone to see Lu Qing. Afterward, all of them had said he likely would not make it through this ordeal.

Everyone had been discussing what would happen to Lu Xiaoyan if the Lu Family boy really passed away.

The elders had suggested that one household in the village adopt Xiao Yan, while everyone else chipped in some money as her living expenses.

To make matters worse, her husband had come home and said he wanted to adopt Xiao Yan. He said that when everyone had fled famine together in the past, the old master of the Lu Family had once done him a favor, and he could not stand by and watch his last bloodline go uncared for.

Aunt Wang naturally had no desire to gain a burden for no reason.

But she did not dare contradict her husband to his face, so she could only pray that Lu Qing would pull through.

Now that she saw Lu Qing had indeed recovered, she was genuinely delighted.

Thinking of this, Aunt Wang said earnestly to Lu Qing, "Lu Qing, you must take good care of your health from now on. Xiao Yan only has you left to rely on. If you're gone too, what will she do, all alone in the world?"

Lu Qing was a little surprised.

In the original owner's memories, this Aunt Wang did not seem to be such a warmhearted person.

Still, he answered politely, "I understand. Thank you for your concern, Aunt Wang. I'll take good care of Xiao Yan."

"Mhm, that's what a good child should do." Only then was Aunt Wang satisfied.

As long as Lu Qing was still around, her husband would not entertain the idea of adopting Xiao Yan, and she would not need to worry anymore.

Once her mood improved, Aunt Wang finally noticed what the brother and sister were carrying.

"You've got a wooden bucket and a bamboo pole. What are you going to do?"

"Aunt Wang, Brother and I are going to catch fish!" Xiao Yan said happily.

"Catch fish?" Aunt Wang asked doubtfully.

What fish could they catch with just a bamboo pole and a broken wooden bucket?

Then she remembered the Lu Family's current circumstances and suddenly understood.

Could it be that the two siblings were starving so badly that they wanted to go into the river and catch fish to eat? Aunt Wang hurriedly said, "You must be hungry. Come, go home with me. Aunt Wang still has some food there. Lu Qing, your body has only just gotten a little better. Why go into the river? Don't catch a chill and fall sick again."

"Don't worry, Aunt Wang. We won't go into the river. We'll just try fishing from the bank." Lu Qing smiled and declined.

Getting a meal for nothing would naturally be nice, but the two siblings could not keep relying on the villagers' charity forever.

If they did, no matter how deep the ties between them, there would come a day when they were worn away.

"Fishing? Lu Qing, you know that craft?" Aunt Wang was astonished.

Of course she knew what fishing was, but there did not seem to be anyone in the village skilled at it. Lu Qing actually knew how? "I only know a little. I heard Father talk about it before, so I want to give it a try," Lu Qing answered.

Only then did Aunt Wang remember that Lu Qing's father had known some characters and often traveled outside. His knowledge and experience far surpassed those of ordinary villagers like them.

Perhaps he really had known some special method.

Still, Aunt Wang was worried. "There's no need to rush it now. Your body has only just improved a little, so you should rest more. Is fish so easy to catch? Don't spend so long by the river in the wind that you fail to catch any fish and catch a chill instead."

If Lu Qing fell ill again, with his frail body, it was hard to say whether he could endure another round.

Lu Qing heard the concern in her voice and felt somewhat moved.

"Don't worry, Aunt Wang. I'll be careful. I definitely won't push myself."

Aunt Wang tried persuading him again. When she saw she could not stop him, she could only say, "Then promise Aunt Wang that you absolutely won't go into the river."

"Alright, we definitely won't go into the river. Goodbye, Aunt Wang."

As Aunt Wang watched Lu Qing and his sister walk out of the village, she suddenly jolted.

"Right, I have to hurry and tell that stubborn fool at home. The Lu Family boy is alive, so he can give up the thought of adopting that little girl."

Aunt Wang hurried home. As Lu Qing and his sister continued outward, they ran into several more villagers.

Every villager who saw Lu Qing was shocked and asked how he had recovered from his illness.

Whenever that happened, Xiao Yan happily told them that Brother had gotten better after drinking Grandpa Chen's medicine.

Besides being astonished, everyone could not help growing even more respectful toward Old Doctor Chen.

The Old Doctor's medical skills had grown ever more superb. He could even save someone like Lu Qing, who had only one breath left in him. He was truly incredible.

After marveling at this, everyone was happy for the Lu Family as well. After all, with Lu Qing alive, the Lu Family bloodline had been preserved.

When they learned Lu Qing was going to the river to catch fish, they all urged him not to touch cold water so soon after recovering from a serious illness.

Only after Lu Qing repeatedly assured them that he would not go into the river did they stop trying to dissuade him.

And once they heard Lu Qing was going fishing, they lost interest.

Fishing—who did not know about that?

Some villagers had even tried fishing themselves before.

River fish were plump and delicious, and belonged to no one. Who would not covet them?

But everyone who had tried it eventually gave up.

Because in their eyes, fishing was simply too difficult.

Often, after waiting bitterly for half a day, they might only catch one or two small fish.

Even if they occasionally caught a larger fish, it was not worth it.

Every household had a heap of farm work to do. Spending so much time for one or two fish—were they still supposed to make a living or not?

Only someone like Lu Qing, whose family fields had gone to ruin, who had no farm work to do and not a scrap of surplus grain, would think of catching a couple of fish to stave off hunger.

Once they understood Lu Qing's intentions, no one tried to stop him anymore. After offering a few reminders, they went their separate ways.

Instead, several half-grown children became greatly interested after hearing Lu Qing's words.

They followed behind the siblings toward the river, wanting to see exactly how he would fish.