Chapter 123: It rained all day

The beer's malt aroma and the duck meat's rich fat fragrance blended perfectly; the soy‑red duck meat was oily and shiny, coated in thick broth, glowing with an amber luster, making Ye Cheng unable to resist picking up his chopsticks directly.

He picked up a piece of wing middle; although many parts of duck meat are dry, the wing middle is always reliable.

Especially since Jiang Yunxiang had sliced the duck wings, they absorbed more flavor, with a faint wine aroma, combined with ginger, garlic, star anise, cassia bark and other spices releasing a pungent fragrance, plus the kick of chili, making Ye Cheng praise it without end.

Ye Guowei shook his head, looking at his brother eight years younger than him with a hint of indulgence.

"You're alone, not wanting to cook when you have nothing to do, so you come over to eat; my wife's at home with nothing to do anyway." Ye Guowei said while pouring Ye Cheng a cup of wine—both drinkers, no need for pretension.

"Yeah, next time I'm lazy I'll just come over." Ye Cheng took a small sip of baijiu—stimulating, his throat burning.

Actually Ye Cheng quite enjoyed this life with an older brother and sister‑in‑law, except for the elder brother being a bit naggy.

Outside it was a light drizzle pattering; inside, the family of four sat together drinking and eating, filled with happiness.

Ye Cheng occasionally teased his little nephew: "Dou Dou, it's raining outside—have you learned any rain‑related poems? Come recite one for your second uncle."

Dou Dou tilted his head, thinking hard for a while, finally squeezing out a few lines: "Good rain knows the season; it springs forth when spring arrives."

The child's innocent voice reciting ancient poetry was different; Ye Cheng kept nodding, but after two lines the kid got stuck and couldn't continue.

This made Jiang Yunxiang roll her eyes again.

Ye Cheng quickly slipped a slice of cured meat to Dou Dou—just brought by him, Jiang Yunxiang had steamed and sliced it for drinking with.

"Come on, being able to recite two lines is already good; I'll reward you with a piece of cured meat."

"Thank you, second uncle." The child, praised, is always especially happy—especially with cured meat as a prize.

Looking at today's kids, then at those of later generations who cram lessons every day, sometimes this simple era is still better.

Ye Guowei glanced at the sky outside, already beginning to brighten: "A Cheng, with today's weather, once the rain stops there will surely be many people going out to gather seafood—be careful then."

Ye Cheng nodded; a big tide usually brings a rich haul, as Strong Brother said: the bigger the wind and waves, the more valuable the fish.

The larger the tide, the more abundant the harvest from gathering seafood.

Fortunately I was wise—I set the fish trap last night.

Thinking of this, Ye Cheng suddenly slapped the table and shouted, "Damn it!"

This sudden outburst scared Dou Dou so much he dropped his cured meat; the three of them looked at Ye Cheng, faces blank with confusion.

"What's wrong, A Cheng?"

"Forgot to bring in the laundry?"

Ye Cheng shook his head; forgetting to bring in the laundry is nothing—he's now thinking about the fish trap.

After setting it last night, I just forgot about it.

Only now did he recall it; with such wind and waves, it's uncertain whether the fish trap is still there.

"No, I and Xiao Hu set the fish trap last night; with such a huge tide, who knows if it hasn't been washed out to sea." Ye Cheng explained.

Hearing that they'd set a fish trap, Ye Guowei frowned and said, "Then wait a bit until the wind and rain ease; I'll accompany you to retrieve it—you two are too few, in case something happens there'd be no one to look after you."

"Right, let your brother come along; he's strong and can help."

"Okay, hoping it's still there."

After eating, Ye Cheng went to the seaside with an umbrella; the wind and rain had lessened a bit, but the waves were still big.

Moreover, the tide had risen a lot; the place they used to step on was completely submerged.

As for where he'd placed the fish trap, you couldn't even see it; judging by the water level, it was all a vast expanse.

Forget it; let's wait until the wind and rain die down a bit before saying more.

After returning home, Xiao Hu called; knowing Ye Cheng was back, he braved the heavy rain and rushed over.

The internet‑addicted youth hadn't slept well all night, thinking about how to practice his bald‑man's jumping slash.

As soon as he arrived, Xiao Hu seized Ye Cheng's machine, then started upgrading and slaying monsters; Ye Cheng was happy to watch from the side as he kept collapsing onto the floor every few minutes.

The two played games like that all afternoon, originally thinking the wind and rain would pass quickly.

Unexpectedly, they had to wait until after 6 p. m. for it to ease a little; at that point they could go gathering seafood, but it would still be somewhat dangerous.

Moreover, the outside sky darkened again, making it hard to see the sea conditions, which increased the danger.

"Brother, why not go tomorrow daytime instead? After all, there's no rush today."

This guy had just obtained a dark‑gold piece of equipment, was enjoying it immensely, and wanted to keep playing all day without stopping.

Ye Cheng actually didn't mind either; he didn't want to take risks, "Sure, let's go tomorrow—you should head back to eat; your mom will probably call you soon."

"Okay, I'm coming, I'm coming."

Waiting for Xiao Hu to return to town, Ye Cheng idly opened his system, remarking that he'd forgotten to check it today.

Luck Value: 80+20

Points: 122

Savings: 5000

Looking at the flashing lucky value on the screen, Ye Cheng jumped up, eyes wide, and shouted excitedly, "Xiao Hu, hurry back to eat; after we eat we'll go collect the fish trap."

"Huh? Really going?" Xiao Hu turned his head, saw Ye Cheng's eyes shining like a superhero's, and immediately swallowed the rest of his words.

This is the look of someone who's got goods.

Xiao Hu instantly used a return‑to‑town scroll, then saved and exited the game: "Brother, I'm going to eat now; I'll find you later."

Ye Cheng glanced at the time, cooked himself a bowl of instant noodles to eat casually, then called Ye Guowei.

"Brother, have you eaten yet?"

"I have; if you haven't cooked, come over and eat something at home."

"No, I've already eaten; I plan to go collect the fish trap soon—come with us."

"Ah, you're still going today?" Ye Guowei said, a bit surprised.

"Yeah, we have to go today."

With this luck value, not going would be sheer waste.

Alright, I'll get ready, let's meet at the village entrance later.

Having made plans with Ye Guowei, Ye Cheng immediately set off with his things; his Luck Value reached 100, so he had to bring more stuff.

There was still a light drizzle in the sky, but it no longer mattered, and the wind gradually died down.

Walking on the village path, Ye Cheng saw many people coming out together; Duan Chunsheng and them were among them.

"Uncle, Aunt, what are you up to?" Ye Cheng greeted.

Seeing it was Ye Cheng, Duan Chunsheng deliberately slowed his steps, and after approaching, said, "Going to gather seafood? With such big waves today, there's definitely a catch; you're also going to gather seafood?"

"Hmm, I set a few Fish Traps yesterday; I'll go check them."

"The seawater level is still high; you need to be careful; if not, wait a bit before collecting."

The two chatted as they walked, soon reaching the village entrance; by the Beach, many people had already gathered, holding various tools and starting to search for things.