Qin Zhonghui had met Li Tao while selling breakfast. Li Tao was a fruit vendor.

Li Tao laughed at him. "All talk, are we? Let’s hope you don’t end up catching a single one." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"Not a chance! Fishing rods, fishing nets—I’ve brought everything!"

The two men chatted as they started setting their nets in suitable locations. Then, they grabbed their fishing rods and looked for good places to fish.

Qin Jiao was also given a homemade fishing rod. She picked a spot, set down a small folding stool, and sat. Xiao Shi followed, carrying a small pail and staying by her sister’s side.

She crouched by the riverbank and peered into the water, exclaiming in delight, "Sis, are those tadpoles?"

Qin Jiao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "It’s the wrong time of year for tadpoles. Those are just little black carp."

"Are these little black carp good to eat?"

"They’re too small, unless you catch a whole bunch. Then you can salt them, coat them in flour, and deep-fry them."

Xiao Shi’s mouth watered at the thought. She reached out to try and grab one. Luckily, the water wasn’t deep, so Qin Jiao dug a small, palm-sized net out of their gear and gave it to Xiao Shi to play with.

"I’ve never fished before. Have you?" To her surprise, Shen Yi had also moved his stool over, sitting not far from her. He put bait on his hook and cast his line into the water.

Qin Jiao shook her head.

’I’ve never fished either. In two lifetimes, I’ve never had the time or inclination for such a leisurely pastime.’

’In my last life, I didn’t actually spend much time with my parents. My childhood memories were filled with paternal grandparents who favored boys over girls, and my youngest uncle’s lazy, gluttonous family.’

’I only saw my parents, who worked elsewhere as migrant laborers, when they returned for the holidays. Over time, I felt more and more that they were just distant relatives; the feeling of having parents had faded deep inside me.’

’All that remained was depression and a deep sense of injustice.’

’Later, to escape that life, I married Shen Yi. I was prepared for the worst-case scenario—that we would spend our entire lives treating each other with the formal respect of strangers.’

’But we didn’t treat each other with the formal respect of strangers.’

’Instead, we grew to loathe the sight of each other.’

’Under those circumstances, how could I possibly have had the peace of mind to go fishing? I barely even traveled. The few frantic shopping sprees I took later on were just a way to blow off steam.’

"No. My parents were always working in other cities, so we spent very little time together."

Qin Jiao wore a faint smile as she said this, but her words made Shen Yi’s heart ache.

He remembered that Qin Jiao’s childhood in their past life had not been a happy one.

And in the years after she became an adult, because of him, she wasn’t happy either...

Just then, Qin Zhonghui’s rod suddenly jerked. He laughed and said, "Got a bite!"

With a flick of his rod, he sent a forearm-length carp flying out of the river, splashing water everywhere in an instant.

A moment later, Li Tao got his first catch as well.

Qin Jiao grew a little anxious. ’Why can’t I catch a fish?’ Shen Yi was watching her so intently he didn’t even notice his own rod until Xiao Shi shouted, "Shen Yi, your rod is moving!"

Only then did Shen Yi turn to reel in his line. The fish he caught wasn’t as big as the ones Qin Zhonghui and Li Tao landed, but at least he was on the board.

Even Xiao Shi had managed to catch a finger-length black carp with her little net. Qin Jiao immediately put on a great show of staring intently at the surface of the water.

’I refuse to believe this!’

By the time Shen Yi had landed his third fish, Qin Jiao couldn’t take it anymore. She secretly dripped a few drops of Spiritual Spring Water onto her bait and cast her line out again.

Sure enough, just a few minutes later, Qin Jiao got a bite!

But this one was clearly a real fighter. It yanked the line, pulling it hard into the water, and Qin Jiao stumbled two steps along with it.

Just as she was about to be pulled into the water, Shen Yi suddenly dropped his own rod and rushed over, grabbing a firm hold of her arm!