Shen Yi was very strong. He gripped the fishing rod, helping Qin Jiao, and together, they finally managed to drag the large fish ashore.

It was a black fish over half a meter long!

The big black fish was incredibly aggressive when it was pulled onto the bank. Its huge mouth snapped open and shut, scaring Xiao Shi so badly she almost dropped the bucket.

Qin Jiao was delighted. She said smugly to Shen Yi, "This one fish of mine is worth all three of yours!"

Seeing her proud little expression, a gentle look filled Shen Yi’s eyes. "Yeah, you’re amazing."

Shen Yi’s easy praise made Qin Jiao feel a little embarrassed. She remembered her past life, how she had once specially cooked a huge feast to try and ease the tension in their relationship, waiting with bated breath for his compliments.

But all she got was his cold smirk and a dismissive, "It’s just okay."

It was like having a bucket of cold water thrown on her high hopes. Any expectations Qin Jiao had held for her life slowly cooled after that.

She had thought that even if many marriages in her parents’ generation lacked love, the couples could still stay together for a lifetime.

She had thought that she and Shen Yi could be the same.

But they couldn’t.

So many years of effort had still ended in failure.

Qin Jiao didn’t know what kind of person someone like Shen Yi could ever fall in love with, but it certainly wouldn’t be someone like her.

And she would never fall in love with Shen Yi.

Qin Jiao looked at the still-young and boyish Shen Yi, let out a soft sigh, and then turned to her younger sister, Xiao Shi, her face breaking into a brilliant smile again.

"Xiao Shi, isn’t the fish I caught the biggest one!"

"Yeah! Sis, your fish is the biggest! No wonder it almost pulled you into the river earlier!"

Qin Jiao’s mouth twitched.

’You didn’t have to say that last part!’

After fishing for over two hours, the group had a bountiful harvest. Qin Jiao and Xiao Shi were put in charge of watching their things while Shen Yi went with Qin Zhonghui and Li Tao to pull in the net.

The water was still very cold. While pulling in the net, some of it inevitably splashed onto them or seeped over their waterproof boots. Shen Yi got splattered with mud, but he seemed to be in high spirits.

Qin Zhonghui shouted, "Ready? One, two, three, PULL!"

The three of them used all their strength and finally hauled the net in. It wasn’t just full of fish and shrimp... Qin Zhonghui threw the especially small ones back into the water, keeping only the large ones.

Li Tao didn’t understand. "Old Qin, they might be small, but we can still eat them."

"Ah, we’ve got more than enough to eat. We can leave the rest for others. Besides, we can’t just fish the river dry."

The net also held many large river mussels. They were a bit of a pain to clean, but you could dig out the meat and stir-fry it with chives. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

In the end, they returned home with a truly massive haul.

As the sky grew dark, the setting sun cast its light upon the group. Qin Jiao noticed the mud and water splashed on Shen Yi and said, "Take a hot shower as soon as you get home, and drink some hot water. Don’t catch a cold."

Shen Yi was already in a great mood from the novel experience of fishing, and upon hearing Qin Jiao’s concern, it was as if flowers had instantly bloomed in his heart.

He hummed in agreement, the corners of his mouth turning up.

"I was really happy today."

Qin Jiao froze, gazing at Shen Yi’s handsome profile. The golden light of the setting sun gilded his form.

In truth, Shen Yi shouldn’t have been happy today. He had seen his father cheating and learned that he had an older half-brother.

Most importantly, their birthdays were only a few months apart.

When Shen Yi said he was happy, it was because they had all gone fishing together. For a kid from the countryside, this was simple entertainment, but for Shen Yi, it was a rare and precious experience.

Qin Jiao’s heart softened once more.