Chen Xiao Bei, seeing Chen Qiao Er’s slightly wronged face, felt a wave of emotion. He reached out and gently patted her little cheek.
“Brother misses Qiao Er too.”
He said this as he sat up.
Hearing their conversation, Cui Hong Yu pushed the door open and entered.
Cui Hong Yu was beaming, a look of joy in her eyes.
“Husband, you should sleep a little longer.”
Chen Xiao Bei didn’t reply. Instead, he looked at Cui Hong Yu with a playful smirk.
Upon seeing his expression, Cui Hong Yu instantly understood, her face flushing crimson.
She must have been reminded of the intimate moments from the previous night.
“Qiao Er, wash your hands, it’s time to eat.”
Saying this, Cui Hong Yu turned and left, a hint of fluster in her demeanor.
Breakfast was a bowl of congee with a bit of rapeseed added, which tasted quite good.
While eating, Cui Hong Yu recounted how San Qiu had come to offer his services.
“Husband, he eventually said the tuition could be whatever he wanted.”
Chen Xiao Bei frowned upon hearing this.
Logically, he had already spread the word about free schooling. San Qiu should have known this.
So why would he bring up tuition?
Never mind. He decided not to dwell on things he couldn’t understand.
What Chen Xiao Bei was most concerned about now were the three tigers. Once they were healed, they would be delivered to Liu Ce, fetching a thousand taels of silver.
As they were eating, there was a sudden commotion outside. Several villagers walked in, each carrying fishing nets.
The one in the lead was named Chen Xin Tian. By relation, Chen Xiao Bei should have called him uncle.
“Uncle Xin Tian, what’s going on?” Chen Xiao Bei asked, a look of confusion on his face.
Chen Xin Tian placed the fishing net on the ground and sighed, “Xiao Bei, here’s your fishing net back.”
The others chimed in, “Yes, yes, take it back.”
“Uncle Xin Tian, what do you mean?” Chen Xiao Bei looked at the nearly new fishing nets, utterly bewildered.
Chen Xin Tian pointed to the nets. “Alas, we fished for three days and didn’t catch a single fish. These… these are useless.”
“Yes, yes, it’s better to go plant vegetables,” the others said, and then turned to leave.
Chen Xiao Bei was left stunned.
He turned to look at Cui Hong Yu.
Cui Hong Yu’s heart skipped a beat. “Husband, the day you left, I also went fishing, and didn’t catch a single fish.”
“That’s right, and no one has brought us any fish these past few days either.”
What?
Chen Xiao Bei was dumbfounded. “Not a single one?”
Cui Hong Yu nodded. “Yes, not a single fish.”
Looking at the empty fish tank in the courtyard, Chen Xiao Bei frowned.
This was highly abnormal.
With so many people unable to catch any fish, it implied that there were no fish left in the river.
So, the question was, where did the fish go?
Chen Xiao Bei began to feel uneasy.
He had gone to such lengths to prepare the fish pond, and now there were no fish.
Putting down his bowl, Chen Xiao Bei went outside.
Going upstream from his fish pond, the source of the small river was only about three to four li away. He searched along the way, and everything seemed normal.
Yet, there was an anomaly. In a large patch of reeds, which was supposed to be a breeding ground for fish, he saw no fish larger than very small fry.
This was not normal; it was extremely abnormal.
Chen Xiao Bei thought for a moment, then turned and headed downstream.
The small river curved eastward from their village and flowed south.
He followed it for about three to four li and was surprised by what he saw.
There were ripples constantly appearing on the water’s surface, clearly indicating the presence of fish beneath.
Chen Xiao Bei squatted by the water’s edge and watched for a long time, finally understanding. Yes, there were many fish under the water, large ones, all circling and milling about.
What was going on? Why had all the fish in the river gathered here?
As he was deep in thought, he saw two people approaching in the distance.
It was Yang Bo and Hu Lao Qi.
They were talking and laughing as they walked towards the riverbank.
Seeing Chen Xiao Bei squatting there, Yang Bo greeted him with a smile. “Brother Xiao Bei, what brings you here?”
Chen Xiao Bei saw that they were holding fishing rods and asked, “I was just passing by. Are you here to fish?”
Yang Bo quickened his steps and came up to him, raising his fishing rod proudly. “Yes, shall we have fish for lunch?”
Chen Xiao Bei saw the confidence in his tone and grew suspicious. However, he maintained a calm outward appearance. “Haha, you’re so sure you’ll catch a fish?”
Hu Lao Qi next to him chuckled. “Brother, let me show you something.”
With that, Hu Lao Qi flicked his wrist, attached a piece of earthworm to the hook, and cast it into the river.
Yang Bo was not to be outdone and soon cast his line as well.
Before long, Hu Lao Qi’s wrist jerked. “Got one!”
Indeed, a fish about half a foot long was reeled in.
Soon after, Yang Bo also caught one.
The efficiency was remarkable.
This was highly abnormal.
Even if there were many fish in the water, the speed at which they were being caught was too fast.
Chen Xiao Bei’s mind raced. He tentatively asked, “That’s strange. Why are there so many fish in this spot? I don’t usually see so many here.”
Yang Bo said proudly, “You don’t understand this. This is our gang leader’s…”
He stopped mid-sentence, and Hu Lao Qi quickly cut him off. “Yes, our gang leader likes to eat fish. We have to fish for him every day to help him recuperate.”
Chen Xiao Bei understood that Yang Bo was not referring to that.
However, it was clear that Hu Lao Qi didn’t want him to know the truth.
This wouldn’t do. If all the fish were here, what would he do?
With that thought, Chen Xiao Bei waved his hand. “You guys carry on. I’m leaving, bye.”
After bidding farewell to the two, Chen Xiao Bei walked back for about a li, then, using the cover of the weeds, turned and headed towards Si Mu Di.
He needed to find Yang Zhi and find out what was going on.
At Si Mu Di, Yang Zhi and a group of his subordinates were diligently practicing their skills on the sandy ground.
Upon seeing Chen Xiao Bei arrive, Yang Zhi greeted him warmly and invited him into the thatched hut for tea.
“Brother Xiao Bei, what brings you here?”
Chen Xiao Bei didn’t stand on ceremony and got straight to the point. “Brother Yang Zhi, I’ve come to ask about something. Why have all the fish in the river run off to your place? In the small river outside our village, there are no big fish, not even small ones anymore.”
Hearing this, Yang Zhi smiled faintly. “Ah, that’s a secret of our Zhu Que Gang. Our gang leader has a special medicine. We soak leftover meat and bones in this medicine, and then throw the bones into the river. Fish within a dozen li can smell it and come running.”
My goodness, was there such a magical medicine?
Chen Xiao Bei was inwardly astonished.
Seeing his silence, Yang Zhi asked curiously, “Why, what do you mean?”
Chen Xiao Bei was quite frank. “It’s like this. Fish are an important food for the people in our village. For several days now, we haven’t been able to catch any fish, and my mouth has been tasting bland.”
Upon hearing his words, Yang Zhi’s expression changed slightly. “It was my oversight. I only thought of our brothers eating fish and neglected you all.”