They finished breakfast.
Madam Zheng cleared away the bowls and chopsticks.
Shen Xiuhan packed up his fishing rod and creel, preparing to head out to fish.
“Dalang...”
Madam Zheng walked out of the kitchen, holding the oil paper that had wrapped the roasted fish bones yesterday. Inside, two hard cornbread cakes were wrapped up snugly.
“Take some rations with you. If you get hungry at noon, you can have a bite to tide you over.”
Poor families typically ate only two meals a day. Madam Zheng's gesture was clearly because he was newly recovered from a serious illness, and she wanted to give him an extra meal to build up his strength.
A warm feeling welled up in Shen Xiuhan's heart. He took them, tucked them into his shirt, and nodded.
“I understand, Mother.”
The two of them stepped out of the house together.
Just as they walked out of the fenced yard, Shen Momo's crisp voice called out from inside the house:
“Big bwother, you have to catch lots of big fishies! Momo still wants to eat fish...”
Turning around, he saw the little girl clinging to the window frame, revealing only half of her tiny face and that tuft of stray hair sticking straight up.
Shen Xiuhan burst out laughing and waved at her. “Got it. Be good and wait for me at home.”
“What a greedy little girl...”
Madam Zheng shook her head helplessly.
They walked over to Uncle Chen's house.
Auntie Li happened to be splashing out water from a wooden basin. Catching sight of the mother and son, she greeted them warmly.
“Brother Han, Guiping, are you off to work?”
Guiping...
That was his mother, Madam Zheng's given name.
Madam Zheng paused and said with a smile, “Auntie Li, busy as always. Where is Chen An?”
At the mention of Chen An, Auntie Li's face immediately lit up, and her posture straightened.
“Chen An went to the martial arts hall early this morning to train his body. Speaking of that boy, he's truly a martial arts fanatic, so incredibly hardworking. Last night, he didn't sleep a wink, staying in his room to practice his martial arts the whole night...”
Madam Zheng suspected nothing and praised him sincerely, “With Chen An working so hard to improve himself, he will surely achieve great success in the martial path in the future!”
“Thank you for your kind words, thank you!”
Auntie Li was overjoyed to hear this, grinning from ear to ear. She even forgot that she had been waiting for them specifically to press them about the debt.
Shen Xiuhan stood to the side, his expression slightly odd.
Whether Chen An had actually practiced martial arts all night, he didn't know.
But as for what Auntie Li and Uncle Chen had been “practicing” last night, he knew a thing or two.
...
Bidding farewell to Auntie Li, they walked a bit further before Madam Zheng veered south, heading to the Bai Family Textile Mill in the outer city for her shift.
Meanwhile, Shen Xiuhan made his way familiarly deep into the reed marshes of Xiaojing Bay.
The morning mist had not yet dispersed, and the withered yellow reeds were heavy with frost.
Parting the reeds, he looked up and saw the pale golden light representing the “Silverback Fish” slowly circling beneath the water's surface not far away.
Shen Xiuhan's spirits lifted.
Finding a rock, he smashed open an ice hole directly above the coordinates.
The ice was about four fingers thick. With a series of sharp cracks, a large opening split open, and lake water welled up.
Shen Xiuhan took a small handful of millet from his shirt and scattered it down into the ice hole.
Beneath the ice, the pale golden light instantly grew active.
It darted left and right, occasionally drawing near, only to retreat warily.
“This beast is quite shrewd...” Shen Xiuhan narrowed his eyes, watching closely.
After about ten minutes, sensing no danger, the Silverback Fish gradually relaxed, lazily drifting directly beneath the ice hole.
Shen Xiuhan could even picture it pecking at the millet on the lakebed.
“Eat, eat more. Only when you're full can you go on your way...”
Pulling out his hook, he threaded a few grains of millet onto it and gently cast it into the ice hole.
But to Shen Xiuhan's surprise...
...the Silverback Fish was extremely alert!
It circled the hook twice, then swam far off to the side, refusing to come close no matter what.
“Has this Precious Fish become a spirit? Does it truly possess spirituality?”
Shen Xiuhan's brow furrowed slightly.
He was just pondering whether to try switching to the black carp innards he had saved from last night.
Whoosh!
Suddenly and without warning, the reed float on the water's surface plunged downward—a bite!
“A catch?”
Shen Xiuhan's wrist flicked instinctively, and he pulled the rod up with force.
Splash!
Water splashed in all directions.
A plump Silver-Striped Fish broke the water's surface, the five silver stripes on its back clearly defined.
It wasn't the Silverback Fish!
Shen Xiuhan's expression changed slightly, and he instinctively looked at the pale golden light beneath the water.
Sure enough.
The instant the Silver-Striped Fish left the water, the Silverback Fish sensed danger. Like a startled bird, it shot away with a whoosh, retreating into the deep water several yards away from the ice hole.
“Not good!”
“I can't keep this fish!”
Shen Xiuhan made a prompt decision.
Before the Silver-Striped Fish could freeze, he acted quickly, tearing out the hook and tossing this catch—worth over forty copper coins—back into the ice hole!
Plop!
To catch a wolf, one must be willing to sacrifice the pup.
Shen Xiuhan held his breath and focused his mind, his gaze locked onto the area beneath the ice.
The Silver-Striped Fish swam back into the water, flicked its tail, and leisurely swam away.
Meanwhile, the Silverback Fish remained in the distance, completely still.
One breath.
Two breaths.
About the time it took to burn half an incense stick passed.
The Silverback Fish finally moved.
It first swam forward tentatively by a foot, then stopped.
It swam another foot and stopped again.
Repeating this process, it drew closer to the ice hole inch by inch.
Seeing that everything remained safe, it finally let down its guard and returned to feed on the millet.
“Great opportunity!”
Shen Xiuhan pulled out the fish innards he had specially saved from last night and hooked them onto the iron hook.
He cast the line into the hole.
The moment the bloody bait sank to the bottom...
...the Silverback Fish bolted several yards away like a startled creature.
But immediately after, the scent of blood dissolved in the water, drifting outward in thin ribbons.
The Silverback Fish paused, lingering in place for a moment. Finally, unable to resist, it approached and began to circle the bait, testing it.
Shen Xiuhan didn't dare to breathe.
He didn't know how much his play-hard-to-get trick had lowered the guard of this cunning Precious Fish.
All he could do was wait.
And then, he saw that the pale golden light ultimately could not resist its primal instincts.
It edged closer to the hook...
...and closer still...
...until they overlapped.
Buzz!
The reed float vanished instantly, and the bamboo rod suddenly yanked downward!
A massive force, several times stronger than that of a Silver-Striped Fish, traveled up the line into his palm. The bamboo rod was instantly bent into a tight arc!
Hooked!
“What terrifying strength!”
Shen Xiuhan was about to yank the rod up, but he immediately sensed that something was wrong.
Given the brute force unleashed by the Silverback Fish, he could not afford to meet it head-on.
Otherwise, the bamboo rod and the hemp line would likely snap on the spot!
Left with no choice...
...he could only grit his teeth, plant his feet firmly, and play the Silverback Fish.
He pulled when it ran, and let it go when it pulled.
He reeled and released, back and forth.
Across the barrier of ice, man and fish locked in a grueling battle of endurance!
Shen Xiuhan was newly recovered from his illness, his vitality depleted and his body weak.
After barely holding on for the time it took to burn an incense stick, his arms felt as weak as jelly, and his lungs wheezed like a pair of bellows.
The first to give in was actually himself!
“This won't do...”
“If this keeps up, I'll be dragged straight into the ice hole!”
Gripping the rod with one hand, Shen Xiuhan reached into his shirt with the other and pulled out a cornbread cake.
Opening his mouth, he took a massive bite, chewing and swallowing it down forcefully!
Once the cake hit his stomach, there was an immediate reaction, and his arms stopped shaking so violently.
Sustained by the food, he managed to hold out for another ten minutes.
Finally, the immense force beneath the water began to wane.
Ultimately, the Silverback Fish could not withstand the exhaustion, and its struggle grew weaker and weaker.
“Come up!”
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