Chapter 22: Catching Anything But Fish

Just as Lin Heng was feeling puzzled, a small fish suddenly bit the bait on the hook.

At that moment, a larger figure darted out and bit the small fish, swallowing both the fish and the hook in one go.

The creature then began to thrash around violently, struggling.

It was a water snake, over a meter long, with thick, green and white patterned scales.

The reason the fish in the pond had been so frantic was because the snake had been hiding under the rocks, hunting.

Lin Heng hadn't noticed and had accidentally hooked the snake, which startled him greatly.

He wasn't afraid of snakes, but it had surprised him.

After struggling for a moment, the fishhook made from a safety pin was straightened, and the snake dove into the water, trying to escape.

Lin Heng grabbed a stick from the side and pressed it firmly against the snake's neck. With a quick motion, he caught the fat water snake.

"It's so fat. Looks like it's been eating a lot of fish," Lin Heng remarked, squeezing the snake's body, which was soft and full of flesh.

"Brother, let it go. It's so scary," Cai Yun said, her body stiff with fear upon seeing the snake.

"It's so fat, should we eat it?" Lin Heng asked, tempted by the snake's plumpness.

"Let it go. Mom and Dad will scold you if they find out. It's better not to eat it," Xiu Lan advised, also somewhat frightened.

"Alright," Lin Heng reluctantly agreed, though he felt a bit regretful. He knew his parents would never approve of eating a snake.

They were superstitious about snakes, believing they were spiritual creatures, and eating them would bring misfortune.

When Lin Heng was young, he had heard many stories—like black snakes making wishes to become dragons or speaking to humans, asking if they could become one.

There was also the superstition that it wasn't a crime to kill a snake, but if you just looked at one and didn't save it, it would get revenge on you after death.

Lin Heng didn't believe in these superstitions. He had eaten snakes with his friends in the past and never had any issues—except they tasted really good.

But in order not to be kicked out of the house, he let the snake go.

"What a pity, such a fat snake," Lin Heng muttered, tossing the snake into the nearby grass.

This kind of water snake wasn't poisonous, so Lin Heng wasn't worried about it coming back.

"Brother, we've finished washing our clothes, but you still haven't caught any fish," Cai Yun said at that moment.

"How can you accuse me without cause? I just didn't catch the fish, and besides, catching a snake is way harder than catching fish!" Lin Heng protested with wide eyes. As a seasoned fisherman, how could he fail to catch fish?

"Who cares about your excuses, Second Brother. You didn't catch anything," Cai Yun teased with a laugh.

Lin Heng blushed, trying to explain, "Catching a snake isn't a failure! It's just something only a real fisherman can do!"

He then started mumbling something about snakes being fish and how catching weeds wasn't a failure either, but no one understood.

Cai Yun and Xiu Lan laughed, and the whole atmosphere by the river became cheerful.

"This isn't my fault, the hook just didn't work! If it had, I would have caught fish long ago. But I'm not the type to back out—I'll go catch a squirrel this afternoon and give Xiu Lan a foot rub tonight."

Lin Heng shrugged, making it clear he wouldn't take the blame.

Xiu Lan picked up their daughter and looked at Lin Heng, saying, "Let's head back. Mom and Dad should be back now."

"Wait, I'll give Xiong Ba a bath first."

Lin Heng grabbed some soap powder, crushed it, and rubbed it onto Xiong Ba.

"Woof woof!"

Xiong Ba licked Lin Heng's other hand, trying to rub against him.

"Stand still!" Lin Heng gave him a gentle tap on the head.

"Woof!"

Xiong Ba lowered his head, looking defeated, as Lin Heng applied soap to his fur. After a good rub, Lin Heng used some ash to scrub Xiong Ba's fur.

"All done. Now go shake off in the water."

Lin Heng led Xiong Ba to the pond and began the wash. Soon, Xiong Ba's fur was back to its original color, smooth and shiny.

"Go shake off over there."

Lin Heng pointed to the distance.

"Woof!"

Xiong Ba ran off and shook himself furiously, splashing water everywhere. Afterward, he immediately ran back to Lin Heng and stuck by his side, walking back and forth, blocking his way now and then.

"Second Brother, Xiong Ba is so smart," Cai Yun commented, watching the dog.

"Of course," Lin Heng replied confidently. In the future, Xiong Ba would probably have his own livestream and people would want to send him to school.

The four of them, along with the dog, reached the road when they suddenly heard shouting from the village.

At first, the voices were faint and civilized, but soon they escalated into angry yelling, complete with cursing and swearing.

People were standing outside their homes, holding their bowls of food, watching the spectacle. The whole village seemed to be involved.

"Looks like Li Caifeng is arguing with Wang Cui Lian again. This is interesting," Lin Heng laughed. Village arguments were one of the few fun things to watch.

He soon learned that the quarrel started because Wang Cui Lian suspected Li Caifeng of stealing some garlic shoots. The fight escalated, with both sides airing all their grievances, saying everything they could, and making up some stories when there was nothing to say.

"Let's go. Don't watch anymore," Xiu Lan scolded Lin Heng.

"I'm not watching. I'm not watching," Lin Heng said with a grin, secretly hoping the fight might get physical.

When they got home, Lin Heng's mother and older sister-in-law had already returned and were preparing food. They had gone up the hill in the morning to plant soybeans.

Lin Heng's father was also back, sitting in the hall with Lin Heng's third uncle, Lin Xu Tao, chatting while drinking water.

"I've cleaned the fish," Lin Heng said, handing the fish to his mother.

"We'll eat half today, and give half to your third uncle. The other half, you salt it and dry it. We'll eat it when we build the house," his mother said, looking at him.

"Got it."

Lin Heng took the smaller fish and handed it to his mother, while cutting the larger grass carp into two halves. After salting it, he hung it up to dry in the courtyard.

"Xiong Ba, come here."

"Woof woof!"

Hearing Lin Heng's call, Xiong Ba came over, wagging his tail and looking at him eagerly.

"This isn't for eating yet, it's not mealtime."

Lin Heng glanced at him, holding a powder used to kill fleas.

Lin Heng applied the powder all over Xiong Ba to ensure he stayed healthy and grew strong.

After finishing that task, Lin Heng went to pick up his daughter, letting Xiong Ba relax in the yard.

"Lin Heng, are you going to catch some loaches tonight?" His older brother, Lin Yue, asked as he entered the hall.

After the rice seedlings were planted, it was the perfect time for catching loaches.

The water in the fields became clearer, and the seedlings were small. As night fell, the loaches would be visible in the fields, lying low, mating, or hunting.

"They're so good to catch. I haven't done it in a while. Sure, I'll join you."

Lin Heng agreed enthusiastically, as catching loaches was great fun.

"Dad, can you hold Xiao Xia for a bit? I need to take care of something."

Lin Heng handed his daughter over to his father.

"Wait until I finish what I need to say," his father replied.

Clearly, there was something important to discuss.

(End of Chapter)