Chapter 78: The Honest Man

Chapter 78: The Honest Man

Lin Xiaopu's shout instantly scattered the strange thoughts swirling in Lin Shu's mind.

She followed Lin Xiaopu's gaze, her eyes widening in shock.

Their two wooden buckets, plus one borrowed from Third Aunt's house—all three were brimming with water, densely packed with fish.

Lin Shu leaned closer. Goodness, they truly were big fish—eight or nine inches long!

Last time, she and Xiao Pu had only caught two or three seven- or eight-inch fish, but in Zhou Ye's three buckets, nearly half were this size, or even larger!

With so many fish in the river, yet no one in Sweetwater Village bothered to catch them, they were now reaping all the benefits!

"A Ye, did you catch all these by yourself?" Lin Shu asked.

Zhou Ye hummed in affirmation. "I tried the fish vine fishing method you told me about. I smashed the fish vine roots and threw them in, and soon all the fish in the river floated to the surface. I just had to be quick and sharp-eyed, picking out the biggest ones."

Lin Shu was still astonished. "But you must have been incredibly fast! Didn't any big fish get away?"

"A couple slipped away, but there are plenty of fish in the river. No big deal."

"What about the dosage? I told you that using too much fish vine could poison the fish in the river to death, but the fish in these three buckets all look lively and kicking."

Fish vine is different from spicy smartweed. Spicy smartweed "stings" fish, while fish vine "poisons" them. It's because fish vine roots contain a toxin called rotenone that fish vine is far more effective for fishing than spicy smartweed. This rotenone is highly toxic to fish and insects but harmless to humans, making it ideal for fishing.

So, if the right amount of fish vine is used, the fish will only be temporarily stunned. But if too much is used, it can kill them. Of course, even poisoned fish are still edible.

Zhou Ye explained, "It's not difficult. I started with a small amount and gradually increased it. After a few tries, you pretty much figure out the right dosage. The fish I caught were only stunned briefly and slowly revived after I changed the water."

Hearing this, Lin Shu was once again impressed by Zhou Ye's cleverness.

"A Shu, are these fish enough?" Zhou Ye asked.

Lin Shu nodded vigorously, like a chick pecking rice. "Three big buckets? More than enough!" After all, more fish in a pond isn't always better.

But then she thought of something, and her expression instantly changed. With hands on her hips, she chided, "I say, A Ye, if you take on all the fishing yourself, doesn't that mean Xiao Pu and I came all this way for nothing? We walked from the end of the village to the riverhead just to look at these three buckets of fish? Xiao Pu and I wanted to catch fish ourselves! You've stolen all our fishing fun, haven't you?"

Lin Xiaopu glanced at Lin Shu and nodded along. "Big sister is right. Brother A Ye, if you catch all the fish by yourself, what are big sister and I supposed to do? Even if you'd waited a bit longer to fish, it would've been fun to see you scrambling to pick up the fish. Hehe."

Zhou Ye fell silent for a moment, then said seriously, "A Shu, we still have fish vine. You and Xiao Pu can fish again."

Lin Shu countered, "You've already filled all three buckets. If Xiao Pu and I catch more fish, where would we put them?"

Zhou Ye replied, "I brought the backpack basket too. We can put the fish we catch in the basket and eat them today."

Lin Shu looked around and indeed saw their family's backpack basket lying on the ground, alongside the fishing mat and bamboo carrying pole.

She asked curiously, "Why did you bring the backpack basket for fishing?"

Zhou Ye didn't elaborate, simply saying, "It's a habit."

"Alright then. Xiao Pu, let's go and get our fill of fish vine fishing!"

"Okay, okay! Big sister says this fish vine fishing is even more powerful than fermentation herb. I want to see how powerful it is!"

Lin Shu turned to look at Zhou Ye again. "A Ye, you've already taken three buckets of fish from this spot. We shouldn't deplete the same place. This time, let's go a bit further downstream and find a section where the water only reaches Xiao Pu's knees."

After hearing this, Zhou Ye quickly suggested, "About ten zhang (roughly 30 meters) downstream should do. But A Shu, there probably aren't many fish there."

Lin Shu shot him a glance. "We don't need many! It's about experiencing the joy of fishing. Don't you get it?"

Zhou Ye hadn't understood before, but now he did.

Work could be done, but not all of it should be completed; some should be left. He had known these principles for a long time, but he hadn't expected that someone would find fishing to be a relaxing and joyful activity.

Village children often went into the river to catch fish and shrimp, but their main goal wasn't really to catch them—it was to play and have fun in the water.

A Shu was like that... just like the village kids.

"A Ye, how are you going to carry these three buckets?"

"You two go ahead. Don't worry about me."

Lin Shu didn't ask him to carry everything. She and Lin Xiaopu each took a rattan fishing mat, and one took the empty backpack basket.

Actually, the basket wasn't entirely empty; fish vine roots were placed inside, covered with a layer of weeds. Lin Shu had lifted the cover to check, and there were quite a few fish vine roots inside.

After the two had walked a few steps, Lin Shu looked back and saw Zhou Ye carrying two buckets of fish with the bamboo pole, his right hand steadying the pole while his free left hand carried the third bucket. Yet, he walked with ease, as if carrying three empty buckets.

Zhou Ye was incredibly strong; three buckets of fish were nothing to him. If the buckets hadn't been so full that water would slosh out if tilted, he could have carried all three with one hand.

After the three walked downstream a stretch, they indeed found the river wasn't deep. Lin Shu and Lin Xiaopu rolled up their pant legs and waded into the water, each holding one side of the fishing mat.

"A Ye, we're ready. You can release the fish vine now!" Lin Shu called out.

Zhou Ye took a handful of the bundled fish vine roots and smashed them with a stone until they were pulpy, then repeatedly rinsed them in the river water.

Soon, fish of all sizes in the river floated up one after another, turning belly-up.

Lin Xiaopu exclaimed in amazement, "Big sister, this fish vine really is more powerful than fermentation herb! Last time we mashed nearly half a bucket of fermentation herb, but with this fish vine, Brother A Ye only mashed a small handful of roots, and shortly after throwing them in, fish are turning belly-up!"

"Little sister, stop talking for now. Hurry! Fish are floating over. Catch them!"

"Big sister, over here, over here! Fish are coming my way!"

"They're coming my way too. Block the ones on my side first—there's a big one here!"

"Okay!"

The two sisters worked seamlessly together, catching quite a few fish with the fishing mat.

Zhou Ye wasn't idle either; he directly grabbed the empty backpack basket and scooped fish from the river into it.

If he hadn't caught so many fish on his side, Lin Shu and Lin Xiaopu would have missed even more.

Still, the two sisters had a blast fishing.

After coming ashore, Lin Shu shook the water off her legs, slipped on her straw sandals, and went to count their catch.

The section of river they had chosen was shallow, so the fish they caught weren't as many or as big as Zhou Ye's, but they still managed to catch about a dozen, discarding those under four inches and keeping only the larger ones.

Zhou Ye looked at the two beaming sisters and asked, "Want to fish some more?"

Lin Shu wiped the water splashed on her face. "No, let's head back. After tidying up, we can stew these fish when we get back. A Ye, if we stew all these fish, will that be enough to feed you?"

Zhou Ye: "...It's enough."

Lin Shu said with a chuckle, "If it's not enough, there are still the three big buckets of fish you caught. We dug this fish pond just so you can eat your fill every meal. By the way, A Ye, I saw the bamboo water channel you made—it’s really well done! I only told you about it once, and you made it. You’re so clever!"

Zhou Ye mumbled, "It’s nothing."

"You also made a long-handled bamboo water ladle, a chopstick container, and bamboo spoons!"

Zhou Ye: "These are easy to make, no trouble at all. I also made two extra bamboo water guns and bamboo slingshots. Don’t forget you promised these to someone last time."

"Thank you for remembering that for me. A Ye, have you heard the story of the Snail Girl? If not, I’ll tell you later."

"I’ve heard it."

"I think you’re becoming more and more like the Snail Boy."

Zhou Ye: …

"Earlier, when Xiao Pu and I came over, why'd you suddenly put on that shirt? Were you shy? Or didn’t you want me to see?" As Lin Shu spoke, the topic gradually turned mischievous, and her smile grew wider.

Zhou Ye fell silent, only the tips of his ears turning slightly red.

Nowadays, Lin Shu could always tell—Zhou Ye’s shyness couldn’t escape her keen eye. She covered her mouth and giggled.

"Did I really hit the mark? It’s good that you’re aware. With such a great figure, why let outsiders get an eyeful? Of course, it should be saved for family to see. Xiao Pu, am I right?"

"Huh?" Lin Xiaopu was completely focused on the big fat fish in the buckets, clearly not following.

Brother A Ye’s figure? She had been too busy looking at the fish earlier and hadn’t paid much attention. But even without her sister saying so, she knew—after all, Brother A Ye was so tall and strong.

"Sis is right," Lin Xiaopu agreed.

"Let’s go, let’s go! We got a big haul today, time to head home!"

"Go home and cook the fish, hehe!" Lin Xiaopu suddenly thought of something and quickly clasped her hands together. "I hope all those aunties under the big locust tree have gone home to cook and eat breakfast, and aren’t still watching us and gossiping."

Zhou Ye, hearing this, guessed what she meant. He didn’t ask, but quietly gathered a few handfuls of wild grass and placed them over the wooden buckets, blocking any prying eyes.

Lin Shu found it amusing. "A Ye, this is a case of 'protesting too much'—covering the buckets with wild grass just makes people more curious about what’s inside. They’ll come over to take a look."

Zhou Ye said firmly, "They won’t. After I tell them, they won’t peek."

Lin Shu asked curiously, "Why is that?"

Zhou Ye replied seriously, "Because I’m an honest man."

"Pfft, hahaha…" Lin Shu burst into laughter, tears streaming down her face, laughing so hard she couldn’t straighten her back.

Lin Xiaopu scratched her head, not quite understanding why her sister was laughing. Brother A Ye was telling the truth.

On the way back, before they even reached the big locust tree, other villagers spotted them.

The curious ones had to ask a few questions.

"A Ye, what've you got there? Why cover it with wild grass?"

Zhou Ye’s expression was calm, his tone no different from usual. "Auntie, we caught some fish in the river. They smell pretty fishy, so covering it with grass reduces the odor."

"Oh? Sounds like you caught quite a few. If fish were that easy to catch in the river, they’d have been gone long ago."

Zhou Ye replied, "There are fish in every bucket, a good number."

Hearing this, the auntie took it to mean three fish.

Three fish—that was quite a lot.

She’d heard that Lin Yushu from Old Lin’s place had come home with a big fat fish last time—probably also caught by Zhou Ye.

Zhou Ye was known to be capable, so it wasn’t surprising he could catch fish.

Lin Shu kept her head lowered the whole time, saying nothing, only trying to hide a smile at the corner of her mouth.