Qian Xunji took her hand and used her support to climb ashore. Water dripped from the hem of his clothes onto the ground.
Seeing Bibi Dong's troubled expression, he suddenly smiled. "It's fine. It's nice and cool, actually."
"But your clothes are all wet."
"I can dry them with Soul Power later."
"But Dong'er, next time you kick me, could you give me a warning first? So I can prepare myself."
"Then..." Bibi Dong blinked and revealed a sly smile. "Before I kick you next time, I'll tell you, 'Teacher, I'm going to kick you now.'"
"Alright."
"Then I can get into position beforehand and let you kick me more comfortably."
The two looked at each other and burst out laughing at the same time.
"Come on, let's go home. I'll cook fish for you."
"Mm!" Bibi Dong nodded happily and tightened her grip on his hand.
The two walked back hand in hand along the ridge between the fields.
As they passed the rice paddies, they startled several sparrows searching for food, sending them fluttering into the blue sky.
When they returned to the Bi family courtyard, Liu Xiulan was hanging laundry in the yard.
Her eyes lit up when she saw them return. "You're back? How many did you catch... Oh my!"
She saw the plump fish in the basket and praised them repeatedly. "These fish are wonderful, big and fat. Qian Xunji, you're amazing. You caught so many on your first try."
Qian Xunji smiled modestly. "Xiao Xi picked a good spot. There were lots of fish."
"That's because you know how to catch them."
The more Liu Xiulan looked at her future son-in-law, the more satisfied she became.
"Oh, right. I'll make lunch today."
Liu Xiulan froze, nearly dropping the clothes in her hands. "Y-You can