Chapter 48: Abundant Space

Seeing Liu Chuxue roll her eyes at them in dismissal, she signaled they could leave.

But as she turned, she added a warning: "I advise you, excessive wrongdoing leads to self-destruction; do not waste this fine youth on idleness and ignorance."

The young man leading them heard her words, glanced complexly toward the distance, then turned with a sullen expression and urged the others to leave.

Watching Liu Chuxue carry the bucket away, Elder Xiao stroked his chin and said, "This Miss is one who appears simple but possesses great wisdom."

Elder Guo watched the few limping away while supporting each other: "Idling all day and causing trouble; giving them a lesson was a good deed by that Miss."

Elder Xiao patted his shoulder: "If all else fails, throw him into the army; if he continues to drift like this, he will truly become a street loafer."

Elder Guo's face turned very ugly; the leader was none other than his younger daughter-in-law's cousin, Lu Weijun. The name was fitting, and the boy did have some ability, but he refused the right path, spending his days acting carelessly.

Entrusted with an orphan by a dying comrade, plus his younger daughter-in-law fiercely protecting this cousin, he had always been reluctant to strike hard, never expecting to witness this scene today.

Liu Chuxue walked a distance, and seeing no one noticed her, she turned to the spot she had previously chosen; a crooked willow by the water had most of its branches extending over the surface, and at this time of day, a large shadow fell there, perfect for her actions.

She set the items aside, skillfully crawled beneath those branches, reached her hand into the water, and used her will to transfer some of the pool water into the bucket.

Judging by the speed of her previous fishing, the attraction of that pool water was evident; for safety, she took only a small amount before withdrawing her hand.

What she did not expect was that even a small mouthful attracted many aquatic creatures; fortunately, the crown of the crooked tree was large enough to provide cover, allowing Liu Chuxue to gather with peace of mind.

After several trips back and forth, besides shrimp, crabs, and tadpoles, she collected no fewer than ten species of fish: catfish, black carp, silver carp, snakehead, bream, carp, perch, salmon, mandarin fish, and white ribbon fish; she even saw a few ornamental fish drawn in, wondering how such fish could appear in this moat.

She was not greedy and stopped while ahead; with these, her father's nutritional meals were secured.

Seeing it was late, she dared not delay further; carrying her things, she jogged toward the bus stop. Her luck held, for the bus arrived shortly after she got there.

Since it was not the starting station, there were no seats left; she carried the bucket to the rear and found a relatively safe spot to stand firm.

The woman beside her, seeing fish in Liu Chuxue's wooden bucket, immediately brightened, leaned closer to Liu Chuxue, and asked, "Miss, are you willing to trade these fish?"

The bus was full; some passengers clearly intended to get off at the hospital stop. With only one fish in the bucket, Liu Chuxue did not want complications: "I'm sorry; these fish were specifically caught to nourish a hospitalized family member."

Hearing this, the woman looked somewhat disappointed.

Observing Liu Chuxue's clothing, she understood the woman was likely not lying.

Yet she could not give up, asking again: "This fish is not small; could you trade half of it to me, Auntie?"

Fearing Liu Chuxue would refuse again, she quickly explained: "My daughter-in-law just gave birth but has no milk; I thought if we had a fish, I could brew some fish soup to help her produce milk."

The woman thought of something and asked anxiously: "Miss, are you getting off at the hospital ahead?"

(End of this chapter)