Shen Yi looked down, his voice full of envy. "That sounds nice. I’ve never gone into a river to catch fish before."

Qin Zhonghui was taken aback. "Oh, really? Do you have any waders? If you do, put them on with a long-sleeved shirt and pants. I’ll take you with us."

"Wouldn’t that be too much trouble?"

"No trouble at all. When we get there, you can help Xiao Jiao and the others gather the fish, or you could even do some fishing."

The sadness in Shen Yi’s eyes faded, and a faint smile touched his lips. "Thank you, Uncle Qin. I’ll go get changed right away." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

And so, about ten minutes later, Li Tao’s three-wheeled pickup arrived. There were only two seats in the cab, so Li Tao and Qin Zhonghui sat up front.

The kids had to sit in the back with the fishing gear and buckets.

Qin Jiao sat on a stool in the middle. To her right was her sister, Xiao Shi, and to her left was... Shen Yi.

She couldn’t help but stare. Shen Yi, looking every bit the young master, had changed into a dark blue tracksuit and a pair of ink-blue waders.

’Why is he here?’

"Shen Yi, have you ever ridden in a tricycle like this before?"

"Never." Shen Yi saw Qin Jiao’s astonished expression, and the corner of his mouth quirked up. "It’s actually not bad."

’Sitting in the incredibly bumpy cargo bed of this tricycle, I feel like my insides are getting rearranged,’ Qin Jiao thought. ’And this Young Master Shen says it’s ’not bad’?’

’It’s like a young master who’s used to eating gourmet delicacies suddenly deciding on a whim to try the coarse, unpalatable food of the common folk.’

’He thinks it’s ’not bad’ just because it’s a novel experience.’

Qin Jiao had no words.

Just then, the tricycle seemed to run over a rock and jolted violently. Qin Jiao’s first instinct was to grab hold of Xiao Shi, but she wasn’t steady herself. As she was thrown off balance, the person next to her wrapped an arm around her waist.

Qin Jiao: "!!!!!!!!"

She had nearly forgotten the hug she’d witnessed between Li Xiaomei and Shen Zhengfeng, but this sudden embrace brought the memory rushing back. Qin Jiao felt her cheeks burn, a flicker of annoyance rising in her heart.

But she knew he was just trying to steady her. If Shen Yi hadn’t caught her, she might have been thrown from the tricycle.

Thankfully, once the tricycle stabilized, Shen Yi naturally let go. Just then, Qin Zhonghui, sitting in the front, turned his head. "Xiao Jiao, are you kids okay back there? Hold on tight! This road’s a bit rough."

"Yeah." Qin Jiao nodded. She wrapped one arm around her sister and used the other to grip the side rail for dear life.

Thankfully, though the rest of the ride was bumpy, it wasn’t nearly as bad. Qin Jiao made sure to keep herself planted so firmly that the earlier awkwardness wasn’t repeated.

Shen Yi sighed softly. ’What a shame,’ he thought.

The group finally arrived at their destination. There were quite a few other people there trying to catch fish. After all, a good catch meant a better meal.

When the tricycle stopped, Shen Yi was the first to jump down. He held out his hands to help Xiao Shi, who was much braver now. Her eyes were bright as she said, "Thank you, Big Brother Shen Yi."

Shen Yi patted her head, then offered his hands to her sister.

Qin Jiao’s expression was stiff. "No, thanks. I can get down myself."

Bracing one hand on the edge, she vaulted down. She stumbled upon landing but quickly steadied herself.

Seeing her stubborn expression, Shen Yi said nothing and turned to help Qin Zhonghui unload the fishing gear.

Unaware of what had just transpired between the young people, Qin Zhonghui said cheerfully to Qin Jiao and the others, "Let’s try to catch a lot of fish today! I’ll make a feast for you all tonight when we get back!"