Chapter 182

Chapter 182

Bai Nuo still held a fruit in his hand, a small cloth bag strapped at his waist, and his wooden stick raised high. His eyes lit up as he watched the fish splashing at the river's surface.

He held his little hand up high—easy access for his older cousin-uncle to soak up the luck.

Bai Wan was seriously, earnestly soaking up the luck when Bai Ye showed up and stopped him.

The river surface burst with splashes, and judging by the size of them, the fish was not small.

The old man's book smarts finally paid off. He stood up, straightened the rod, pulled the line tight, and steered clear of underwater obstacles... The folks nearby who hadn't caught a thing grabbed their nets, looking even more anxious than Old Master Bai.

What had been a pretty boring activity suddenly got all heated and exciting.

Alphas all had great builds and long lifespans. Aside from a few age-related issues, these old guys, averaging nearly seventy, moved with an agility that belied their age.

The fish wasn't actually that big, and it didn't take the old man long to reel it in. A minute later, a topmouth culter weighing under two pounds was pulled ashore, and someone nearby scooped it up with a net.

Although it wasn't that big, for their fishing "crew," this was already a whopper.

And a rare one at that!

The old man, holding the fish with a lip-grip tool, was clearly smiling and being modest: "Just so-so, nothing special. This kind of fish isn't even considered a big one."

"Wow, Brother Bai, getting all cocky now?"

"Don't you remember the biggest fish you ever caught was only the size of your palm?"

Someone criticized Bai Yan's humble-brag behavior.

Others muttered to themselves.

"Is this some kind of luck, or is it magic?"

Then their gazes shifted to little Bai Nuo standing not far away.

Whether it was luck or magic, they'd grab some of that luck first and ask questions later.

Suddenly, many people appeared in front of him. The little one, holding up his fruit, let out a "Huh?" and asked the person closest to him.

"Great-grandpa, do you want a fruit too? It's sweet. That uncle over there said it's a fruit that only grows on the mountain here. It's tasty."

"Give me one."

He crouched down beside Bai Nuo, took the fruit, and extended his hand.

"Can I shake your hand?"

Let great-grandpa borrow some luck, please—I really need a fish!

And so, the fruits in the cloth bag were all given away, and his little hands and head got touched one after another with almost religious devotion.

Bai Nuo still held up his "legendary" fruit-picker, turning to look at his eldest uncle standing behind him. Not far away, Bai Ye was blocking Bai Wan's advance.

Bai Ye: "Are you crazy? Use that well-read head of yours—is there any scientific basis for any of this?"

Bai Wan: "Well, scientifically speaking, at a certain time, air pressure changes affect dissolved oxygen levels in the water, which makes fish feed. That's the theory."

Okay, so he's got a logical explanation, right?

Bai Ye looked at him.

Bai Wan: "But I'm going with luck."

Bai Wan said seriously: "The supernatural is a fascinating field."

Bai Ye: ...

So all that analyzing was for nothing?!

Others were more restrained, just taking a fruit and shaking his little hand. But Bai Ye had already watched Bai Wan rub the kid's hands, arms, face, and head before he finally stepped in to stop him.

The two had completely different appeals and just couldn't see eye to eye.

Since both had residences in the Bai family villa, they saw each other quite often, and each held a distinct stereotype of the other.

Bai Ye: You're a husky in human form.

Bai Wan: You're a shady mushroom hiding in the corner.

Old Master Bai was basking in his glory, already parading the fish around the shore before happily heading back to land.

He showed the big fish to Bai Nuo, then handed it over to the hotel staff, and finally took the fruit from the little one's hand, grinning from ear to ear.

Who said the Bai family always gets skunked?

Look—he, the "King of Getting Skunked," had officially "retired"!

If the old man weren't so reserved, he would have picked the little one up and hoisted him high in the air.

The old man took a photo with Bai Nuo and the fish, then snapped picture after picture with his phone.

Of course, there were also those just there for the fun, watching the spectacle.

Mainly Ye Jiu and Qiu Yu, who was in the middle of chatting with him.

And there was one who refused to buy it—Bai Zhize was the only one at the scene.

Bai Zhize muttered to himself, cast his baited hook back in, and stared at the water.

Meanwhile, Ye Jiu rubbed his chin.

"It's probably just the prime feeding window. The fishery here is rich. Private fishing is banned, access points are strictly controlled, and they really care about the river bay's ecology. That's why this spot can offer fishing. You can see tons of fish from drone footage. Hardly anyone comes here and gets skunked. There should be another wave coming, since fish this size usually school together."

Qiu Yu nodded, but he couldn't help stealing glances at Bai Nuo.

That's what he said, anyway.

When people actually started hauling in fish left and right, the two couldn't resist.

Each took a spot beside the little one, who had become a "fish magnet" thanks to his uncle's comment, and they were dead serious about it.

Ye Jiu clasped his hands together: "Please transfer away that clueless boss who's always giving terrible advice!"

Qiu Yu glanced at Ye Jiu. If Old Man Qiu weren't watching from the side, he'd have dropped to his knees right there.

But he didn't stop talking.

"Please let me hit three golds in a ten-pull!"

Qiu Yu was about to speak when he heard that, and he and Ye Jiu turned their heads in unison to look over.

Qiu Yu: ...

"I was playing a game on my second uncle's phone. He gave it to me, saying he wanted to train me to play games with him."

Old Master Qiu: "It's fine, it's good for you to relax once in a while. When I get home, I'll wring your second uncle's neck."

Meanwhile, Bai Nuo looked at the 'scene' before him, opened his mouth as if to say something, but didn't.

Finally, he held his little wooden stick and played with the last pinecone left in his cloth pouch.

"If I could, I wouldn't mind sharing my luck, though."

Bai Nuo always felt that just being here was already lucky enough.

But.

"Nuo Nuo can't control the fish—catching them has nothing to do with me."

The little one felt a bit uneasy, leaned back, resting against his uncle's leg, then looked up at him.

What if the people who just came over didn't catch anything?

The little one was still worried.

Bai Jingyun squatted down with a smile: "It's fine, they just think you're too cute."

Just an excuse to hold hands and pat heads.

A few people nearby who hadn't left yet also smiled kindly and nodded.

"Right, if they catch one, it counts as Nuo Nuo's; if they don't, it's their own. Not everyone's wish is going to come true."

The old master wasn't done with photos yet—he had already started pulling Bai Wan and Bai Ye in for pictures.

After finishing his photo with Bai Wan, Bai Wan didn't linger with Bai Ye and returned to his fishing spot.

Watching Bai Zhize question his life choices as he saw others pulling in fish, he then stood up skeptically and walked over to little Bai Nuo's side, suddenly reaching out to pat the little one's head.

Seeing little Bai Nuo look up at him and obediently greet him, "Third grand-uncle."

"Mhm."

Bai Zhize was never good with this little one—he was too soft, and Bai Zhize could never find the right words—so he habitually fled.

The father and son were cut from the same cloth: Bai Wan always liked to slip away when he saw Bai Sheng, and Bai Zhize would make a quick exit after a few words with Bai Nuo.

Bai Zhize also returned to his seat, exchanged a glance with Bai Wan, rubbed his hands, let out a scoff, and waited for a bite.

The fruits in Bai Nuo's pouch were all handed out. Seeing that his great-grandfather was still busy, he asked his uncle and cousin to take him to gather more fruits.

He still wanted more, and he also wanted to bring some home for his dad and grandparents.

By the time little Bai Nuo had gathered another bunch of fruits, the old master had finally finished taking photos and was already discussing braised and steamed preparations with the hotel staff.

Bai Zhize was still gazing at the calm water before him.

He turned to look at Bai Wan, who had caught a palm-sized whitefish, and clenched his jaw slightly.

"Didn't you say that touching and patting would help catch fish?"

Why wasn't it working for him?!

Bai Wan, who had been examining the small fish seriously, looking up information, taking photos, and finally satisfied, tossing the palm-sized fish back into the river, turned to face his dad.

Then he said firmly: "Dad, your heart isn't sincere enough."

Not sincere enough?

Give him an inch, and he takes a mile?

Bai Zhize snorted, ready to kick Bai Wan into the water.

"If I throw you in as bait, would that be sincere enough?"

The two of them were bickering loudly over there.

Meanwhile, the little one had gathered new fruits and looked around the surroundings. Dou Dou was far away, on the paved path.

But the little one had looked everywhere and watched everyone.

Indeed, he hadn't noticed anything unusual.

So that dream on the way over was just a nightmare?

Bai Nuo tilted his head slightly, pondering.

Those who caught fish were in the minority, but they all gathered together joyfully.

One group braising, another steaming, plus fried fish chunks and fish hotpot—anything they couldn't finish was thrown back into the river.

Old Master Bai was holding his fishing rod, chatting with a group of fellow anglers who had caught fish.

"This counts as the first catch of the season—this is this month's new model."

"I thought so—it's light, tough, durable, with good control, and this float is nice too. I'll get myself a set."

"No need to get a whole set, right? Yours caught a fish too—a pound-and-a-half bass. That's something to brag about, isn't it? In our circle, that's a rod to be proud of!"

"But isn't the number of people catching fish in our circle pretty low?"

Old Master Bai was also smiling more than usual, since today was indeed a good day.

"Rod to be proud of? I've checked—the afternoon bite is even better. Catch a few more and turn it straight into a prized possession."

Max it out with all the upgrades!

As he said this, Bai Yan was also watching Bai Nuo, who was looking up and listening to their conversation but didn't really understand the fishing gear jargon, so he was a bit confused.

But he was listening earnestly, and being the sweet kid he was, he'd occasionally chime in with a response.

Until his great-grandfather glanced over.

The little one blinked, and to prove he was paying attention, he thought for a moment, then suddenly raised his fruit-gathering stick high.

"That's great-grandfather's prized possession, so this is Nuo Nuo's staff."

Nuo Nuo used it to pick so many fruits!

The little one squinted happily, his eyes crinkling into crescents. As the sun grew stronger and the light harsher than before, he pulled his little bear hat back on, the bear ears flopping back as he tilted his head up, perking up and swaying slightly.

After speaking, the cub also stuck his pinecone onto the stick, raised it high again for everyone to see, and said,

"Great-grandpa, look, you can put a magic ball on top of this too."

The people around stared fixedly, all saying that Bai San was lucky to have gotten such an adorable little one.

A few hours in, and he was seriously—too adorable, right?!

With Bai San's personality, how the heck did he get this lucky?