Gasp! She's a Time Traveler Using Modern Tech to Improve Ancient Life-Chapter 600 - 598: Encounter with a Master Angler

After walking along the riverbank for a long time, Lin Wanwan, lost in thought, encountered an elderly white-haired fisherman quietly fishing under a large willow tree. Not far from the old man stood a middle-aged servant.

The old man looked over seventy, thin and small, unattractive in appearance, wearing a dark scarlet round-collared robe, the most common men’s style in the Tang Dynasty, but the color was quite unusual.

In the vicinity of Chang’an city, under the emperor’s presence, men of the Tang Dynasty were relatively well-behaved and would not wear clothes beyond their rank.

Dark scarlet was the color belonging to a fourth-rank official, which meant that this fisherman was a fourth-rank official!

However, at this time, fourth-rank officials should all be busy working in the Imperial City. For this one to be fishing, he was either idling his time or not being utilized much.

But to be a fourth-rank official despite not being utilized suggests that the person must have a very notable strength, either in cultural or martial arts, and certainly must be from a prestigious family.

But why would this fisherman appear here to fish? This was within her territory.

As she quickly considered this, Lin Wanwan prepared to step forward and pay her respects.

A fourth-rank official appearing in her territory was definitely someone worth meeting, and who knows, perhaps even a familiar celebrity.

"I am Hou Tao from the Lin Family, and may I ask the name of the venerable gentleman?"

The old man turned to look at Lin Wanwan, quickly sizing her up without speaking. Instead, the middle-aged servant beside him stepped forward to greet Lin Wanwan and explained, "Greetings to Lin Le’an, my master is Ouyang Shuigeng from Linxiang, here today for fishing, sorry for the disturbance."

Wow! Ouyang Shuigeng, isn’t he the famous Ouyang Xinben and Ouyang Xun?

This person had a tumultuous career, poor political judgment, and sided with Li Jiancheng during the prince’s contention. After the Xuanwu Gate incident, he was removed from the central government and placed with a fourth-rank official position in the crown prince’s mansion, an apparent demotion disguised as a promotion.

But in the history of calligraphy, he was a master of the genre, standing alongside Yu Shinan as a towering figure, and the script that Lin Wanwan often practiced the most as a child was the Ouyang Style!

Ouyang Xun indeed matched historical records in his unremarkable appearance, and he seemed somewhat gloomy, old, ill, and melancholic. From a traditional Chinese medicine perspective, his body and mind were very unhealthy.

However, Lin Wanwan didn’t care about the elderly person’s worldly capabilities in front of her!

Suddenly encountering one of the four greats of the early Tang, she was about to jump for joy.

A national treasure! A living national treasure was standing right in front of her! Even a few words scribbled casually would become a family heirloom!

Those romantic, sentimental thoughts were quickly swept away from her mind.

She now moved forward again with a look of joy and paid respects, saying, "So it is the esteemed Ouyang Shuigeng gracing us with his presence, Le’an has failed to welcome you properly, I am truly ashamed! Please give me a chance to make amends and stay for a drink at the manor before you leave."

Due to his unremarkable appearance and family changes, Ouyang Xun was often looked down upon while serving in the court.

Not being adept at socializing, he faced quite a few difficulties. In his later years, due to choosing the wrong side, Li Shimin directly rejected him.

After Yu Shinan’s death in the tenth year of Zhenguan, Li Shimin lamented that there was no one to discuss calligraphy with; he did not even think of Ouyang Xun, who was equally famous in calligraphy with Yu Shinan, directly promoting Chu Suiliang, who at the time was not even well-known. This demonstrated how little he was favored by Li Shimin.

Due to his low emotional intelligence and sensitivity, he often offended high officials and nobles — historical records show that he offended notable figures like Zhangsun Wuji and Xiao Yu.

Yet at this moment, the prospective granddaughter-in-law of Xiao Yu stood before him looking incredibly excited, how strange!

Of course, this was only what Ouyang Xun’s middle-aged servant found strange, while Ouyang Xun himself felt nothing.

If he were one to think of these things, he wouldn’t have composed poems to mock Xiao Yu for coming back empty-handed from hunting with Li Shimin, offending Xiao Yu.

What business was it of his? What was Xiao Yu’s status compared to his? How could he be the one to ridicule Xiao Yu? Such a senseless offense against his superior.

Thus, with such emotional intelligence, how could he possibly do well in officialdom?

However, as the saying goes, one does not hit a smiling face, and Lin Wanwan, naturally already charming, enthusiastically welcomed him. Few in this world could resist smiling back at such a charming face.

Ouyang Xun had also come out to fish and relax, having had a dispute with someone, and had chosen a place far from Chang’an at random.

As he found this place more serene and clean than others, he chose it, unwittingly entering Lin Wanwan’s domain.

But Ouyang Xun was not good at socializing, had a sullen character, and since Lin Wanwan seemed no more than a seventeen-year-old girl due to the Space-Time Gate, he was even more disinclined to interact.

He ignored her invitation.

Lin Wanwan, however, did not become discouraged, finding the chance encounter with a "national treasure" akin to winning a lottery jackpot, what did a little cold shoulder matter!

At once, her eyes darted and an idea formed, she turned to look at the nearby wild grass, crouching down to pull it out regardless of dirt. The three servants behind her, Hong Yan, Ji Yue, and Kun Lun naturally followed her and got busy.

"Kun Lun, give me the hammer in your hand." The Skull Shattering Hammer was a weapon specially bought by Lin Wanwan from the modern world for Kun Lun to use, a heavy weapon perfect for a strongman like Kun Lun.

"Okay." Kun Lun handed over his beloved without a word.

Lin Wanwan took it and began pounding the piled-up weeds, then took a piece of pastry from the cloth bag carried by Hong Yan, crumbled it, mixed it in, and threw it into the river.

Ouyang Xun couldn’t bear it anymore and spoke, "Young lady, what mischief are you making?"

Lin Wanwan smiled sweetly and explained, "I’m not making mischief, sir. I’m helping you bait the spot to attract fish quickly."

"Bait the spot?" Ouyang Xun frowned, what’s that term?

As luck would have it, Xiao Chong had an interest in fishing, often taking time to fish in the pond Lin Wanwan had made at the Lin Family Manor, from which she learned a thing or two, now putting it to good use.

Lin Wanwan’s luck or not, shortly after she baited the spot, there was indeed a fish on Ouyang Xun’s hook.

Though it was just a modest river crucian, for Ouyang Xun, who had not caught anything all morning, it was a delightful surprise.

However, after Ouyang Xun unhooked the fish and looked at it for a while, he found that the river crucian’s belly was full of roe, so he released it back into the river, choosing to spare it.

Lin Wanwan feigned confusion and exclaimed, "Sir, why did you toss such a big fish away?"

"With so many roe in its belly, how could I eat it?" Ouyang Xun had some interest in Lin Wanwan’s "baiting" tactic, unsure if it was mere luck, so he began to engage with her.

Once he started speaking, that was good. Lin Wanwan immediately seized the opportunity, ordering Ji Yue to fetch stools and millet (bait), while eagerly assisting Ouyang Xun herself.

In the end, she successfully helped Ouyang Xun using the newly acquired bait to bait the spot again and catch a large black fish.

And then, the elderly Ouyang Xun was smoothly invited back home by Lin Wanwan, becoming an honored guest.