A Bountiful Harvest

Lu Qing arrived at the fishing spot, trampled down the surrounding grass to make it level, set down the wooden bucket, then took out the bamboo tube containing earthworms.

He removed the clay seal from the bamboo tube, revealing the Red Earthworms wriggling inside.

The Little Brats had sharp eyes and were looking down from above. Once they saw the writhing things inside the bamboo tube, they immediately cried out in surprise.

Of course they knew earthworms. They often caught them to play with.

Sometimes, they also dug them up to feed the chickens and ducks at home.

But they had no idea these things could be used to catch fish.

Under the Little Brats' watchful eyes, Lu Qing took out an earthworm and threaded it onto the hook.

Then he cast the still-wriggling earthworm into the water.

It landed precisely at the Gray Light Spiral Fishing Spot marked out by his ability.

As soon as the hook entered the water, Lu Qing began waiting quietly.

The Little Brats on the slope behind him held their breaths even more nervously, staring fixedly at the scene.

Very soon, they saw the small wooden stick tied to the bamboo rod's fishing line, now floating on the water's surface, begin to twitch gently.

The Little Brats grew even more tense.

Only Lu Qing remained calm and composed, steady and unmoving as he let the wooden stick tremble there.

It was not until one end of the wooden stick rose, then suddenly plunged beneath the water, that he sharply lifted the fishing rod.

A white streak flew out of the water.

By the time everyone saw clearly, a slender White Fish as thick as two fingers was already hanging from the hook.

"He really caught a fish!"

The Little Brats were dumbfounded as they watched the White Fish hanging from the hook, its tail constantly flapping and thrashing.

Xiao Yan even jumped up. "Brother caught a fish! Such a big fish!"

Lu Qing smiled as well.

Thankfully, his skills had not deteriorated. He had landed one on his very first cast. Otherwise, if the fish had gotten off the hook in front of a bunch of Little Brats, he would have been too embarrassed to show his face.

He removed the fish from the hook and examined it carefully.

This White Fish looked quite similar to the dace he had caught in his previous life.

Soon, a faint layer of gray light appeared around the fish.

White Fish: Edible. It might be good for replenishing nutrition.

Seeing the words "Edible," Lu Qing immediately felt relieved.

As long as it could be eaten, today's food was settled, at least.

He scooped some water into the bucket and put the fish inside. Hearing the Little Brats behind him still shouting excitedly, he felt somewhat helpless.

"Quiet down, or you'll scare all the fish away."

Hearing that, the Little Brats hurriedly covered their mouths and did not dare make another sound.

Yet the excitement in their eyes could not be hidden no matter what.

After seeing Lu Qing truly catch a fish, they felt as though they had discovered a whole new world. Their hearts were bursting with excitement.

But what happened next was what truly showed the Little Brats what it meant to be thrilling.

Lu Qing threaded on another earthworm. Not long after he lowered the hook into the water, the float moved, and he lifted up another White Fish.

From then on, Lu Qing entered a streak of consecutive catches.

One little fish after another was continuously reeled in by him. He made it look so easy, as though he were simply lifting fish straight out of the water.

The fish he caught were no longer limited to White Fish. There were little fish of other kinds as well.

He also caught quite a few Yellow Bone Fish, small river shrimp, and the like.

The Little Brats behind him were beside themselves with excitement at the sight.

If they had not been afraid of scaring the fish away, they would have shouted at the top of their lungs long ago.

Lu Qing reached into the bamboo tube again, but came up empty-handed.

When he looked inside, he found that most of the earthworms that had filled over half the tube had nearly all been used up, with only a few left at the bottom.

Looking at the wooden bucket beside him, it was packed to the brim as well—a truly bountiful harvest.

He could not help smiling.

It had been a long time since he had enjoyed reeling in fish so freely.

This really was the Otherworld. Fish raised in such a pristine natural environment were simply different.

They were full of strength. Even the little fish gave a satisfying pull.

At the same time, he felt a little fortunate.

Good thing he had chosen this fishing spot. Even the little fish pulled so hard. If he had gone to either of the other two fishing spots, the big fish would probably have snapped his line in an instant.

Seeing that the earthworms were nearly used up, and that the frequency of bites had noticeably dropped since earlier, Lu Qing knew it was time to stop.

If he kept fishing, he would sweep away every little fish gathered beneath this spot.

He had to give them some time to gather again.

With that in mind, Lu Qing began putting away the fishing rod. He poured the remaining few earthworms into the water, then lifted the wooden bucket and walked uphill.

The Little Brats on the small slope were already looking at him with eyes full of worship.

The moment they saw Lu Qing come up, they immediately crowded around him.

They marveled endlessly at the big bucket of little fish.

"Lu Qing-ge, you're amazing! You actually caught so many fish!"

"So many fish! How long will it take to eat them all?"

"So bamboo rods really can catch fish!"

"Brother, brother! Fishies! So many fishies!"

Xiao Yan also ran up to Lu Qing, jumping and bouncing until her little face was flushed red with excitement.

"Not bad. The fish are just a little small," Lu Qing said modestly.

Once the Little Brats had calmed down a little, Lu Qing added, "You lot, help me carry this bucket of fish back later. When we get there, everyone will get a share."

Lu Qing estimated that the fish he had caught this time weighed seven or eight jin. Together with the wooden bucket and water, it was no light load.

His body was still weak. Carrying it for a short while was fine, but taking the fish all the way back to the village was more than he could manage.

Besides, there were so many fish that he and Xiao Yan could not finish them in one or two meals.

Small fish spoiled easily, and there were no proper means of preserving them at home. It would be better to give some away.

"Okay, Lu Qing-ge!"

Hearing that they would get some fish, the Little Brats immediately became excited.

One child lifted each side, and together they easily carried the entire bucket of fish.

Those who had failed to squeeze into a spot were so anxious they nearly cried.

Lu Qing had to step in and mediate, making them take turns. Only then did the argument settle down.

Thus, the group carried a large bucket of fish toward the village.

When they arrived, the Little Brats' excited chatter drew several villagers out to see what was going on.

The moment they saw, they were astonished.

"Lu Qing really caught fish—and this many, too?"

During the time Lu Qing had gone fishing, word that he had recovered from his illness had spread throughout the village.

Many villagers also knew that he had gone to the riverside to fish.

But no one had expected him to catch so many all at once.

There had to be at least ten jin of fish in that wooden bucket, right?

Since when had Lu Qing learned such a skill? At once, many villagers grew curious.

Especially those villagers who had tried fishing by the river themselves—they desperately wanted to know what method Lu Qing had used to catch so many fish at once.

Driven by curiosity, several villagers could not help following them to Lu Qing's home.