Chapter 3

“Brother, what is this?”

Xiao Yan had been obediently watching Lu Qing busy himself. After he finally finished making the fishing rod, her curiosity got the better of her.

“This is called a fishing rod, it's used for fishing. Whether we have something to eat today depends entirely on it,” Lu Qing said, waving the bamboo rod and testing its feel, seemingly satisfied.

In his previous life, he was an avid fishing enthusiast who enjoyed making his own small rods for fun. He never expected this skill would come in handy here.

Xiao Yan's eyes lit up instantly, “Brother can catch fish?”

“Whether we can catch any remains to be seen. Let's give it a try first. If we do catch fish, we can have fish soup.”

“Fish soup…” Xiao Yan was already lost in fantasy, drool slipping from the corner of her mouth.

“Brother, let's hurry and go fishing!”

The little one was already a bit impatient.

The last time she had fish was a long, long time ago, during New Year, when their father had bought a big fish from the market. In her memory, fish were incredibly delicious.

“Don’t be in such a rush. We still need to prepare some bait.”

Finding bait wasn’t difficult. In a corner of the courtyard, Lu Qing dug into a patch of cool, fertile soil and quickly found what he needed.

[Red Worms: Excellent for loosening soil, also seems to have medicinal properties.]

Ignoring the information that surfaced about the worms, Lu Qing placed them into a bamboo tube. He wasn't interested in using them as medicine, as he didn’t understand medical practices.

After sealing the bamboo tube, leaving only a small air hole, Lu Qing slung the fishing rod over his shoulder, grabbed an old wooden bucket, and the two siblings set off with high spirits.

They hadn’t walked far from their courtyard when a woman called out to them.

“Lu Qing, you’ve recovered? You can walk now?”

The woman was holding a basket of clothes, evidently just back from washing them. Her tone was full of surprise.

Wasn’t the Lu family boy said to be gravely ill, barely clinging to life, with even Doctor Chen saying it was up to fate?

How could he be up and about just after a day, looking lively and able to go out?

Just last night, the villagers were discussing when to prepare for his burial.

“Yes, Aunt Wang. Somehow, after sleeping for two days, my condition gradually improved, and I could get out of bed this morning,” Lu Qing replied, mimicking the original owner's tone.

Fortunately, the original owner had been somewhat reserved and gloomy, which wasn’t hard to emulate.

“Brother drank Grandpa Chen’s medicine and got better all of a sudden!” Xiao Yan interjected.

Aunt Wang, not paying much mind to the change in Lu Qing’s demeanor, smiled when she saw he was indeed better.

“That’s good, that’s good,” she said repeatedly, feeling relieved.

In the past two days, several elderly villagers had visited Lu Qing, concluding he might not survive this ordeal. They were already discussing who would take care of Xiao Yan if Lu Qing passed away. The consensus was that one family in the village would adopt Xiao Yan, while others would contribute some money for her upkeep.

Coincidentally, Aunt Wang’s husband had come back and mentioned wanting to adopt Xiao Yan, claiming he owed a debt to her late father from their days fleeing famine together.

Aunt Wang was naturally displeased at the thought of taking in an extra mouth to feed but didn’t dare openly oppose her husband. She could only hope Lu Qing would pull through.

Now seeing Lu Qing had indeed recovered, she was genuinely happy.

“Lu Qing, you must take good care of your health from now on. Xiao Yan only has you to rely on. If anything happens to you, what will she do?” Aunt Wang said earnestly.

Lu Qing was a bit surprised. In the original owner's memories, Aunt Wang didn’t seem like such a kind-hearted person. Nonetheless, he politely replied, “I understand. Thank you for your concern, Aunt Wang. I’ll take good care of Xiao Yan.”

“That’s a good boy,” Aunt Wang said, satisfied. As long as Lu Qing was alive, her husband wouldn’t insist on adopting Xiao Yan, relieving her of a burden.

Feeling in a better mood, Aunt Wang noticed the items in the siblings’ hands.

“What are you doing with that wooden bucket and bamboo rod?” she asked.

“Brother and I are going fishing!” Xiao Yan said excitedly.

“Fishing?” Aunt Wang was puzzled. With just a bamboo rod and an old bucket, what could they catch?

Recalling the Lu family’s current plight, she suddenly understood. Perhaps the siblings were desperate enough to catch fish for food.

“You must be hungry. Come to my place; I have some food. Lu Qing, you just recovered. You shouldn’t go to the river and risk getting sick again,” Aunt Wang said quickly.

“Don’t worry, Aunt Wang. We won’t go into the river. We’ll just try fishing from the shore,” Lu Qing reassured her with a smile.

While it would be nice to get a free meal, the siblings couldn’t always rely on the village’s charity. Eventually, even the kindest people would tire of giving.

“Fishing? Lu Qing, you know how to fish?” Aunt Wang asked, surprised.

She knew what fishing was but didn’t recall anyone in the village being particularly good at it. Could Lu Qing really know how?

“Just a bit. My father told me about it once, so I wanted to try,” Lu Qing replied.

Aunt Wang remembered that Lu Qing’s father was somewhat literate and traveled often, probably knowing more than the villagers.

Still worried, she said, “It’s not urgent. You’ve just recovered and should rest more. Fishing isn’t easy; you might end up sick again if you stay by the river too long.”

If Lu Qing fell ill again, his frail body might not survive.

Touched by her concern, Lu Qing reassured her, “Don’t worry, Aunt Wang. I’ll be careful and won’t push myself.”

After a bit more persuasion, Aunt Wang reluctantly let them go, reminding them to stay out of the river.

“Okay, we promise not to go into the river. Goodbye, Aunt Wang.”

Aunt Wang watched the siblings head towards the village outskirts, suddenly jolting with realization.

“I need to tell my stubborn husband that Lu Qing has recovered. He needs to stop thinking about adopting Xiao Yan.”

Hurrying home, Aunt Wang left Lu Qing and Xiao Yan to continue their journey, encountering several villagers along the way.

Each one was shocked to see Lu Qing up and about, asking how he recovered.

Each time, Xiao Yan happily explained that Grandpa Chen’s medicine had healed her brother, earning the old doctor even more respect for his remarkable skills.

After the initial surprise, the villagers were happy for the Lu family, knowing their lineage continued.

Hearing that Lu Qing was going fishing, they all advised him against getting into cold water so soon after recovering.

Lu Qing had to repeatedly assure them he wouldn’t go into the river before they reluctantly let him go.

The mention of fishing didn’t interest them much. Many had tried it themselves but found it too difficult, often spending hours for just a few small fish.

Even if they occasionally caught a bigger fish, it wasn’t worth the time lost from farm work.

For someone like Lu Qing, with no fields to tend and no food reserves, fishing was a desperate measure.

Knowing his situation, they let him be, offering some last words of caution before leaving.

However, a few half-grown children, intrigued by Lu Qing’s plan, followed the siblings to the river, eager to see how he would fish.