After dinner.
Qin Lin entered the game and took out the 31-pound Quality 2 wild grass carp.
Whenever you visited someone, you had to bring a gift. Qin Ren's father had high blood pressure, and this Quality 2 wild grass carp could help lower it by 2 points.
The 31-pound fish was hard to hold and slippery, too. When Qin Lin threaded a rope through it and lifted it, it struggled fiercely. It was strong, too, and nearly slipped out of his hands.
Luckily, after a brief struggle, the fish ran out of strength. It could only open and close its mouth, left to their mercy.
Qin Ren's family lived in Zhuangyuan Mansion, a place with an auspicious-sounding name, though it wasn't in the city center. When Qin Lin arrived, four people were inside: Qin Ren's parents, Uncle Shuigen and Aunt Shuigen, along with two young women.
One of the women was Qin Ren's girlfriend, Liao Li, a nurse at the county hospital. They were calling it an engagement, though she and Qin Ren had been living together for quite some time.
The other young woman was probably Liao Li's close friend or relative.
"Linzi, you're here?" Qin Shuigen was clearly in a good mood. After all, his son was about to get engaged. But the next moment, his gaze was drawn to the big fish in Qin Lin's hands.
Or rather, the moment Qin Lin stepped inside, everyone's attention had gone to the 31-pound grass carp.
Most people rarely got to see a grass carp that big.
With Qin Lin holding it, the fish's head had to stay above his waist, or its tail would scrape the floor.
Qin Ren rushed over in amazement. "Damn, Linzi, where'd you get a monster like this?"
Qin Lin handed the grass carp to Qin Ren. "It's good for high blood pressure. It's for Uncle Shuigen."
Holding the fish, Qin Ren couldn't help sizing it up. Even Liao Li and the other girl took out their phones and started snapping pictures.
This fish was definitely worthy of a social media post.
"Huh!" Qin Shuigen suddenly exclaimed. He took a closer look at the fish and said in astonishment, "Lin, is this a wild grass carp?"
"Yeah, Uncle Shuigen." Qin Lin nodded. "I got lucky and caught one this big, so I brought it over for you."
As soon as Qin Ren heard that, he said, "Linzi, you caught this? You're not a good friend. You went after a monster like this without taking me along. Next time you do something like that, remember to invite me."
Qin Shuigen frowned. "You shouldn't have brought something this expensive. You can't even buy a wild fish this big, no matter how much money you have. Take it back."
"Uncle Shuigen, who sends a gift back after it's been delivered?" Qin Lin shook his head, then quickly changed the subject. "Uncle Shuigen, I also came today to take care of something else. When my dad was sick, he borrowed fifty thousand from your family. Now that Qin Ren's getting engaged, I've come to pay it back."
"Lin, where did you get that much money?" Qin Shuigen frowned again. "We've already got the money for Qin Ren's engagement. You don't need to rush to pay us back."
But while he was speaking, Qin Lin had already opened WeChat and transferred fifty thousand to Qin Ren. "Uncle Shuigen, paying back a debt is only right. Now that I have the money, I should pay you back first."
"Dad!" Qin Ren helplessly held out his phone for Qin Shuigen to see.
Qin Shuigen could only sigh. He went inside and brought out a promissory note, handing it to Qin Lin. "Lin, you'll do well for yourself. Among the people your age in the village, no one is as sensible as you."
Aunt Shuigen added with feeling, "Lin, you've had a hard life, but you're so sensible it makes people envy you. If Qin Ren were half as sensible as you, we'd have a lot less to worry about."
"Mom, how am I not sensible?" Qin Ren protested.
"Go on, get out of here," Aunt Shuigen said crossly.
The two girls, Liao Li and Chu Na, couldn't help laughing at the scene.
Qin Lin was taken aback. He drank a cup of tea, asked Qin Ren if he needed any help with the engagement, and then took his leave. Qin Ren and his parents walked him out.
Inside, the other girl quietly asked Liao Li, "Xiao Li, your cousin-in-law's friend seems pretty nice, and he's handsome, too. Why don't you give me his WeChat so I can get to know him?"
It seemed that hearing the two older people praise Qin Lin had made her interested in him.
How could Liao Li not know what her cousin was thinking? She lowered her voice. "His name is Qin Lin, and he's a really good person. But his family's situation isn't great. He doesn't have a car or a house, and after paying back that fifty thousand, he might not have any savings left. Na-na, think carefully. Do you really want his WeChat?"
"Xiao Li, I was just joking. Don't take me seriously." At Liao Li's words, Chu Na immediately laughed it off.
As if! She was past the stage of falling head over heels for someone without caring about money or status.
Being a good person and handsome were just the basics. Without a few more things going for him, she wasn't about to foolishly throw herself at him.
Liao Li couldn't help rolling her eyes at her cousin. No wonder this woman was still single.
A short while later, Qin Ren and his parents came back inside.
Qin Shuigen reminded Qin Ren, "Don't tell anyone that Lin came to pay back the money."
"Dad, I know." Qin Ren nodded.
Both father and son knew why Qin Lin had come to repay the debt. He must have known they were short on money for the engagement. He might have even used up all his savings to pay back the fifty thousand.
But Qin Lin's family still owed other people money. If anyone found out he'd paid back fifty thousand all at once, they'd surely go to his house and give him an earful.
Qin Ren added, "Dad, since Linzi brought the fish, let's cook some for you tonight. It'll do you good, and you can have a little liquor before bed."
Qin Shuigen shot his son a look, knowing he was just craving the fish himself. Still, he nodded.
He'd never eaten a wild fish this big before.
Late that night, after they'd cooked a pot of fish soup, the whole family felt refreshed and warm all over after eating it.
By the next morning, Qin Shuigen was even more amazed. His high blood pressure usually left him with a headache and dizziness when he woke up, but that morning he felt much lighter and more alert.
As usual, Qin Lin got up, harvested strawberries and okra, and delivered them to RT-Mart. In the afternoon, he tried controlling the Game Character to fish by the river and found that he could catch fish again.
Over the course of an afternoon, he caught another 34 fish: wild crucian carp, wild grass carp, and wild black carp. There were once again Quality 2 crucian carp weighing over 10 pounds, and Quality 2 grass carp and black carp weighing over 20 or 30 pounds.
That helped him figure out the pattern. Apparently, any fish that reached the size of a monster catch was Quality 2, while all the rest were Quality 1.
At dusk, he harvested strawberries and okra again and delivered them to RT-Mart, bringing in another 38,216 yuan for the day.
For the next three days, he fell into a routine of growing strawberries and okra, delivering them, and fishing.
Those three days also confirmed that the fish in the river refreshed every afternoon. He could fish until he'd caught around 30 to 40 fish, after which the game would say there were no fish left in the river.
Including the fish he'd caught over the previous two days, he now had 168 fish in total.
Among them were nine Quality 2 crucian carp weighing over 10 pounds, four Quality 2 black carp weighing over 20 pounds, and six Quality 2 grass carp weighing over 30 pounds.
He hadn't done anything with the wild fish yet. They were all alive, and delivering them would be a hassle. He planned to wait until he had more.
Then he'd sell a large batch all at once. He could either contact Manager Chen again or go to the seafood market.
Over those three days, the strawberries and okra had brought him another 113,648 yuan—nearly 120,000 in three days.
Even after repaying the fifty thousand to Qin Ren's family, he still had more than 410,000 yuan in his bank account.
He'd earned that money in a very short time.
As the sun set, Qin Lin brought home another 11-pound Quality 2 wild crucian carp.
The fish in the river refreshed every afternoon, so he'd never run out of Quality 2 wild monster catches. Other people couldn't buy them even if they had the money, but he could eat them whenever he wanted.
"Another huge wild crucian carp?" Lin Fen stared at the fish in her son's hands, astonished.
How could she not be surprised?
It was the third one her son had brought home in the past few days.
Wild crucian carp this big were impossible to buy. No matter how much money you had, it was no use if no one could catch them. Yet lately, she'd been eating one every day.
Qin Lin smiled. "Mom, these are easy to get. We won't run out."
"???" Lin Fen wasn't sure whether to believe her son.
Who would dare say wild fish this big were easy to get?
By all rights, her son had to be bragging. But he really had brought one fish home after another.
Before you continue