Don't Let the Monster in the River Catch You!

Once she had moved all the grain in the house to Liu Family Village, she would take her time playing with that family.

Old Liu looked at her and said, "Wanwan, you're far too carefree. If you ask me, you should just go straight back to Liu Family Village! Those people aren't ones you can afford to offend."

Zhou Wanwan smiled faintly. "I'm not afraid of them! It's only fun to tease a mouse slowly."

Besides, Zhou Wanwan had reaped a great deal every time.

Old Liu sighed. "All right, then! You're a girl with a mind of your own. Tonight, we'll find a way to move everything in the house over here."

Zhou Wanwan said nothing more and went home. They took the grain straight into the cellar, then started moving, bringing everything from Wild Field Village to Liu Family Village.

Compared with Wild Field Village, Zhou Wanwan trusted Liu Family Village more.

It took three full trips with the ox cart to move everything from the cellar into the house in Liu Family Village.

Old Liu was panting with exhaustion. "Ever since Wanwan came, our days have been getting better and better, but we've also been getting busier and busier."

Old Madam Liu made a wild pheasant soup, a large bowl of red-braised pork, and a stir-fried wild vegetable dish.

The Liu brothers' eyes lit up when they saw the dishes. Old Madam Liu immediately ladled a bowl of soup for Zhou Wanwan and said, "From now on, Wanwan gets to eat first, whatever dishes we have. Without her, you'd be eating wild vegetables every day, and you wouldn't even have rice."

Liu Su'e served Wanwan a bowl of rice. "Isn't that right? Now everyone in Zhou Family Village calls our Wanwan a calamity star. Pah! Clearly, they're the ones without the good fortune."

"Ha! Those people in Zhou Family Village, every last one of them is no good. Back then, we didn't have any rice left to put in the pot.

"Otherwise, we'd never have married you into the Zhou family. Forget it, forget it, let's not bring it up. Every time I do, I get furious." Old Madam Liu clutched her chest as she spoke.

Zhou Wanwan took a sip of pheasant soup, and her eyes lit up at once. "Grandmother, your chicken soup is so delicious! It's even better than my mother's."

She really wasn't flattering her!

Old Madam Liu laughed heartily.

"Your mother told you, didn't she? My mother passed all her cooking skills down to me, so of course my dishes are delicious.

"But your mother likes making pastries more, while I like cooking dishes."

Liu Liulang couldn't help saying, "Mother, I've never thought the food we ate every day was all that tasty! How come it has flavor now that Wanwan is here?"

Old Liu couldn't help scolding him.

"You muddlehead, what did our family have before?

"We didn't have any seasonings, much less a wild pheasant. How was your mother supposed to cook?

"That's why you all need to treat Wanwan well. Without her, you wouldn't even have the northwest wind to drink."

Liu Liulang grinned. "Wanwan, call me Sixth Uncle. I'll take you fishing in a little while."

Zhou Wanwan looked at him. "Sixth Uncle, where are you going fishing?"

Liu Liulang smiled. "In the wild river up ahead. Are you coming? The fish in there are huge."

Zhou Wanwan nodded. "Then wait a little while. I'll have my father make me a fishing rod and a scoop net."

"Huh? What's a scoop net?"

Zhou Wanwan said nothing. Zhou Fusheng indulged his daughter, too, and after supper, he made four fishing rods and two scoop nets as Zhou Wanwan had instructed.

Zhou Wanwan made some groundbait. Third Uncle couldn't help frowning. "Can fish eat that stuff?"

Zhou Wanwan grinned. "What kind of joke is that?"

First, she got some cracked corn, wheat bran, and distillers' grains, then mixed in some chopped earthworms and snail meat. She chopped up chicken liver, chicken intestines, and the like and stirred everything together until the fishy, savory smell grew strong at once.

In any case, if she had made it this way in her previous life, the fish would definitely have eaten it. Whether the fish in ancient times would eat it was another matter.

Zhou Wanwan headed for the river with a scoop net and a fishing rod, followed by a group of children from Liu Family Village.

Third Uncle, Fourth Uncle, Fifth Uncle, and Sixth Uncle really did have a different standing in the village. They were practically kings of the kids, and all these children actually listened to them.

After walking for the time it took an incense stick to burn, they reached the river and saw a lot of children from Zhou Family Village fishing there too.

Zhou Qingshan and Zhou Qingfeng from Eldest Uncle's family, Zhou Qingyuan from Second Uncle's family, and Zhou Qingzhou from Third Uncle's family were all there.

Zhou Qingshan couldn't resist mocking them. "We must have forgotten to check the almanac before going out. We actually ran into that calamity star. Looks like we're in for some terrible luck today!"

Zhou Qiang, the son of Zhou Family Village's chief, also came over. "Why are you here too? We got to this river first, so none of you are allowed to fish today."

Third Uncle couldn't help jeering, "Oh? Whoever gets here first owns the river? Call out to it and see if it answers you!"

Zhou Qingshan sneered. "You brought that calamity star out with you, and you still expect to take even one fish home? Dream on. You might even fall into the river and drown."

"Hahaha... Don't let the monster in the river catch you! Tsk, tsk, tsk... Run, quick! The calamity star is here."

The people from Zhou Family Village burst into laughter and all ran off.

Third Uncle snorted coldly.

"Where did they learn to talk in that snide way? Calamity star or not, they're just a bunch of ill-mannered brats.

"Wanwan, don't take it to heart."

Zhou Wanwan truly paid no mind to that bunch of little brats. All she could think about now was how to catch more fish.

She immediately began scattering the groundbait, but as soon as it hit the water, a vast, dark mass appeared on the lake's surface.

The people from Liu Family Village were dumbfounded. What on earth was going on?

Zhou Wanwan chuckled and immediately took out her scoop net. She moved extremely fast.

Zhou Qingyan was lightning-fast too, taking the other scoop net and sweeping it through the water.

Soon, both scoop nets were filled to the brim. Third Uncle immediately helped Zhou Wanwan pull hers in slowly. "So many fish! There must be three or four in this net!"

Zhou Wanwan looked at the four fish in the net and said with a beaming smile, "Not bad. Keep scooping..."

The smell was simply too enticing. How could fish from ancient times resist it?

Before long, the scoop net was full again...

Zhou Wanwan kept scattering groundbait, and soon they had another large net full.

Fortunately, the more than twenty people had brought over twenty buckets, or they really wouldn't have had enough room.

They scooped fish for half an hour, filling more than twenty buckets to the brim. Liu Sanlang laughed heartily.

"Oh my! Our luck is so good today! Wanwan, you're amazing.

"You're the lucky star of our Liu Family Village. Tomorrow, everyone in the village can eat fish."

They were just about to head back when they saw the people from Zhou Family Village crying out, "Someone's fallen into the water! Zhou Qiang fell in! Somebody! Quick, save him!"

Zhou Wanwan raised an eyebrow. "Oh? He fell in? He was just saying we'd fall into the water, and now, in no time at all, he's fallen in himself. This is really amusing."