Chapter 42: Qin Huairu's Blind Date, Fishing

On a weekend morning, the sun was bright, and the area in front of the Jia Family home had been cleaned with rare thoroughness.

Jia Zhangshi had changed into that new green-based floral outfit early in the morning, busy running back and forth preparing tea and snacks.

"Dongxu, hurry up, fix your collar!" Jia Zhangshi urged her son, "When Miss Qin arrives later, you must have a good image."

Jia Dongxu fidgeted uneasily with the borrowed Zhongshan suit; the garment was clearly a size too big and felt extremely uncomfortable to wear.

"Mother, stop rushing me, this suit doesn't fit..."

"Enough nonsense!" Jia Zhangshi glared fiercely at her son, "This marriage must be settled today, do you hear me?"

Just as she was speaking, a commotion came from the courtyard.

"They're here, they're here, the Qin girl is here!" someone shouted, and the Siheyuan suddenly became lively.

Three people walked into the courtyard entrance; the woman in the middle was in her early twenties, wearing a simple blue cloth outfit that could not hide her delicate and pretty face.

Her skin was fair, her features were like a painting, and her every gesture exuded a sense of spirit, completely different from the rough female workers in the Siheyuan.

"Is that Qin Huairu? She's really pretty!" several young men in the courtyard whispered, passing back and forth under various pretexts just to get a few more looks at the beauty.

Qin Huairu kept her head down, following behind the matchmaker with some restraint, occasionally looking up to size up this unfamiliar Siheyuan.

Her gaze swept across the courtyard, and she found that although the houses here were old, the layout was orderly and had a unique charm.

"Comrade Qin, this way." The matchmaker guided her enthusiastically, pointing toward the direction of the Jia Family.

"Come, come, please, this way!" Jia Zhangshi greeted them warmly, grabbing Qin Huairu's hand and pulling her into the house.

"Our Dongxu is a Technical Worker at the Rolling Mill, he's very capable!"

Jia Dongxu stood at the doorway, so nervous he didn't know what to do with his hands or feet, unable to even offer a proper greeting.

Qin Huairu greeted them politely, but there was a trace of disappointment in her eyes—this dull young man was far from the city youth she had imagined.

"Comrade Qin, look at our Dongxu, he's an honest man, has a stable job, and will surely be allocated a good house in the future." Jia Zhangshi chattered on, boasting incessantly.

"By then, once you enter the city, you'll be an official city resident, how wonderful!"

Qin Huairu nodded and smiled politely; if it weren't for the sake of moving into the city, she wouldn't have wanted to come here for a blind date.

In the courtyard, neighbors gathered in twos and threes, whispering about this marriage proposal.

"This Qin Huairu is so beautiful, how could she take a fancy to that block of wood, Jia Dongxu?"

"I heard the matchmaker was lying, saying Jia Dongxu is a Technical Backbone at the factory with a bright future."

"Ha! A backbone? He isn't even a regular worker, he's just an Apprentice Worker!"

"It's a pity for this girl; once she enters the Jia Family, with that woman Jia Zhangshi around, she'll have plenty of suffering to endure."

Jia Zhangshi felt a wave of displeasure upon hearing these discussions, but she couldn't easily lash out.

She forced a smile, pulling the matchmaker and Qin Huairu into the house, leaving behind only the meaningful gazes and whispers in the courtyard.

The early morning Shichahai was like an ink wash painting; mist swirled over the lake, weeping willows on the shore brushed the water surface, and a few small boats drifted quietly in the center of the lake.

Li Mingyuan and He Yuzhu walked along the small path by the lake and found a quiet spot to sit down.

"Uncle Li, this place is really nice!" He Yuzhu said excitedly, looking around, "However, I've never been Fishing..."

Li Mingyuan smiled and took two homemade fishing rods from his backpack:

"It doesn't matter, Fishing is very simple, I'll teach you. The main thing is patience; you can't be in a hurry."

He Yuzhu couldn't wait to take the fishing rod, watching Li Mingyuan skillfully attach the bait and cast the line into the water; he tried to imitate him, but the fishing line ended up in a tangled mess, making Li Mingyuan burst into laughter.

"Don't rush, watch how I do it first." Li Mingyuan taught patiently, explaining the basic techniques of Fishing while adjusting He Yuzhu's posture.

Just as they were busy adjusting their gear, Yan Bugui, not far away, noticed them.

Yan Bugui considered himself a Fishing expert in the Siheyuan and came to Shichahai to fish every weekend.

Seeing the clumsy appearance of Li Mingyuan and He Yuzhu, he immediately felt a sense of superiority.

"Heh, a little intellectual and a child with no father to teach him, what kind of fish could they catch?" Yan Bugui mocked inwardly, yet he moved closer without changing his expression, wanting to see them make a fool of themselves.

Li Mingyuan didn't seem to notice Yan Bugui's presence; he was focused on adjusting his gear while secretly watching others fish.

【Detected that the host is watching others fish, triggering heaven-defying Insight Value, do you wish to activate the Fishing skill?】

"Activate!"

A warm sensation flowed from the top of his head throughout his entire body, and countless pieces of fishing knowledge instantly flooded Li Mingyuan's mind—fish habits, hydrological environments, bait formulas, casting techniques... rich information flashed through his mind like a movie.

【Fishing skill activation successful, current level: Advanced】

【Obtained special reward: 'Magical Fish Bait Formula' has been implanted into the host's memory】

【Insight Value increased: 18→20】

A smile appeared at the corner of Li Mingyuan's mouth, and he immediately took several small bottles out of his backpack to begin mixing a special bait.

His movements were skillful, as if he had done it a thousand times before.

"Uncle Li, what are you doing?" He Yuzhu leaned over curiously.

"A secret weapon." Li Mingyuan smiled mysteriously, hooked the mixed bait, and gently cast it into the lake, "Watch closely, a big one will be on the hook in a moment."

He Yuzhu was half-doubting, but still stared at the water surface with great interest.

Yan Bugui saw this scene and curled his lips in disdain: "Putting on an act."

However, in less than five minutes, Li Mingyuan's float plunged sharply; he flicked his right hand, gripped the rod tightly with his left, and skillfully pulled and released, and before long, a large crucian carp weighing at least two pounds was pulled out of the water.

He Yuzhu exclaimed: "Wow! You caught one so fast! Uncle Li, you're amazing!"

Li Mingyuan calmly removed the fish, put it into the creel, and re-baited and cast the line again.

Strangely, in less than three minutes, another large crucian carp was hooked, even bigger than the first.

After several consecutive casts, Li Mingyuan's creel already contained seven or eight plump crucian carp, each one of substantial weight.

This unusual situation quickly attracted the attention of nearby anglers.

"Comrade, what kind of bait are you using? How come there are so many fish?" an old man asked in surprise.

Li Mingyuan smiled and said, "Homemade, mainly a mixture of earthworms and some flour, nothing special."

The old man nodded repeatedly, though the suspicion in his eyes was obvious—what kind of bait could be so magical?

Yan Bugui sat not far away, watching in dumbstruck amazement.

He had fished for the entire morning and only had two palm-sized small fish in his basket, while Li Mingyuan had caught over a dozen large fish in just half an hour; the contrast was truly too great.