Chapter 11: The Art of a Fisherman

Lin Heng turned his head and saw his nephew Lin Wei fling a crab with a smack, causing it to hit a rock and die.

"Damn it, a dead crab!"

Lin Wei, sucking on his finger, kicked it a few more times in frustration.

"Did it break your skin?" Lin Heng asked.

"It's fine, just a scratch from the claw," Lin Wei shook his head, moving closer to Lin Heng.

Rural kids are tough; minor injuries are nothing, and they keep playing once the pain subsides.

"Be careful. Watch closely; I'll show you again."

Lin Heng tried catching fish again but failed multiple times, letting three fish escape in a row.

"Forget it. The river's water is too deep; let's try a smaller stream," Lin Heng said, leading Lin Wei to a nearby creek.

"Wow, uncle! So many fish! At least 40 or 50 of them!" Lin Wei exclaimed.

Looking into the creek, Lin Heng saw dozens of stream trout swimming leisurely in the clear water, their shadows cast gently onto the rocks.

He hadn't expected this small stream to have more fish than the main river. But thinking it through, it made sense—while the main river is frequented by people, the creek is mostly untouched.

"Let's try catching them by hand first."

Lin Heng began building small stone traps in the shallow 30cm water, demonstrating his technique.

"Uncle, these fish are so quick! They don't even hide under the stones!" Lin Wei gave up in frustration after a few minutes.

"Fine! If we can't catch them, we'll stun them!" Lin Heng decided, determined to let these fish experience the anger of a seasoned fisherman.

He walked over to collect some tree leaves known to be mildly toxic. When crushed and thrown into the water, the leaves would stun the fish without killing them.

The two smashed the leaves with rocks and threw them into the creek, turning the clear water into a murky green.

"Uncle, the fish are floating!" In less than five minutes, Lin Wei was already picking up stunned fish.

"Time to collect!" Lin Heng waded in, gathering the fish and placing them in a shallow pool of clear water. Once there, the fish slowly revived, showing no signs of harm.

In about 10 minutes, the two collected over 30 palm-sized stream trout, releasing the smaller ones to let them grow.

"Uncle, there's more in this next pool!" Lin Wei excitedly pointed downstream, where they found more fish. By the time they finished three pools, the leaves' effect wore off.

"We must've caught at least 50 or 60 fish!" Lin Wei grinned ear to ear as he gazed at their bounty.

"Let's fry them when we get home," Lin Heng agreed, quickly cleaning the fish by squeezing out the guts. He strung them together with grass, and the two happily returned home.

Along the way, Lin Wei paraded the fish in front of every house they passed, basking in the admiration and envy of the villagers.

"Wow, so many fish! Fried, these will go great with a drink…"

"Where did you catch these? That's impressive!"

Their words of praise made Lin Wei beam with pride.

Lin Heng considered stopping him—now that people knew, others would go to the creek, and they'd have fewer fish next time. But seeing his nephew's happiness, he decided to let it slide.

"Mom, look what we caught!" Lin Wei proudly showed the fish to his mother, Liu Juan, expecting her praise.

Instead, Liu Juan scolded him, "What were you doing running off? Who was watching your brothers? And what use are these fish anyway?"

Lin Heng couldn't hold back. "Sister-in-law, that's uncalled for. Lin Wei was just trying to help."

Liu Juan kicked Lin Wei lightly, "So now you're getting others to defend you? Next time you'll drown in that river, is that what you want?"

Lin Wei silently cried, his happiness replaced by confusion.

Lin Heng frowned. "Sister-in-law, do you have a problem with me?"

"I don't mean anything by it. I'm just teaching my son. What if he drowns, huh?" Though she denied it, her tone was clear.

Lin Heng sighed deeply, holding back for the sake of his older brother. He turned away and walked over to his wife, Chen Xiulan, who was peeling potatoes. He took their daughter from her back and held her.

"Don't be mad. She's always been like that," Chen Xiulan said, clearly aware of the exchange.

"I just feel sorry for him," Lin Heng shook his head. Children raised this way were too pitiful, but what could he do? She was his mother, after all.

Turning to his daughter, he teased her. "Say 'Daddy.' I'll give you fish for lunch."

"Da…da…" The little one laughed joyfully, reaching out to touch his face with her soft, chubby hands.

"Good girl, my little treasure."

Lin Heng hadn't expected his daughter to learn to say 'Daddy' so quickly. Overjoyed, he spun her around in his arms, her laughter echoing through the yard.

At lunch, the family had rice mixed with potatoes and corn, stir-fried potato strips, and a cold wild vegetable dish called "gray vegetable."

The highlight, of course, was the stream trout.

"Big brother, Lin Wei did a great job. Most of these were caught by him," Lin Heng praised while eating.

"Yes, he's very capable. Just be careful near the river," his older brother Lin Yue replied, patting Lin Wei's shoulder with approval.

Lin Wei gave Lin Heng a grateful smile, his face beaming with pride.

After lunch, it was back to planting rice. By evening, Lin Heng was so exhausted he collapsed into bed, unable to move.

Chen Xiulan put their daughter to sleep before coming over to massage his waist and shoulders.

"Forget it. You're tired too. Let's rest," Lin Heng said, pulling her into his arms. He was far too drained for any more activity tonight.

But he was looking forward to tomorrow—he planned to intercept a legendary big wolf dog in town. With that dog as his hunting companion, he was sure his mountain adventures would yield even greater rewards.

Resting his hand on his wife's chest, Lin Heng quickly drifted off to sleep, too tired to think of anything else.

(End of Chapter)