Chapter 5: Slacking Off

The next day, the two brothers continued to prepare a fishing rod, and set off carrying dry rations.

Continuing to dig up earthworms and bringing along some leaves, Shitou asked skeptically: "Second Brother, why are you getting these? They're slimy and useless, and can you even feed fish with leaves?"

Cheng Feng did not explain, only telling him to do as he was told.

This time, Cheng Feng broke off a piece of dry ration, stuck it on a needle, and tested the water.

It looked useless; as soon as the water soaked the dry ration, it immediately fell apart.

Cheng Feng didn't mind; he had intended to test it anyway, so there was nothing to be discouraged about.

He then had Lao San join him in threading the needles with earthworms.

After tossing them into the water and propping the rods in the dirt with stones and clods of earth,

he warned Lao San: "Shitou, don't tell anyone else in the village about everything we did today. If you learn this craft well, our family can basically eat fish every day. If this leaks out and the villagers come to fish just like you, it's hard to say who will get more or less. If a fight breaks out over a spot, that would be even worse."

Shitou was unconvinced: "What's there to fear? Can our family's craft really be stolen by others?"

Cheng Feng knew that once a child's competitive spirit was stirred up, it might not be easy to keep them steady, so he could only continue to guide him: "Look, this river isn't ours; it belongs to everyone, right?"

Shitou nodded in agreement.

"So, anyone can come to fish, right?"

Shitou continued to nod.

"Then if you see others catching fish while you have no harvest, wouldn't you be very envious of them?" Cheng Feng helped Shitou pull back a corner of the adult world.

"Now that we have this craft, if others can't catch fish and are just envious, that's fine. But what if they cause trouble next to us? Wouldn't neither of us be able to catch fish? The other party didn't have fish to begin with, but we are the ones being interfered with and losing out on fish. Who suffers the loss?"

"That would definitely be us suffering the loss, but don't worry, Second Brother, I'll hit anyone who causes trouble. They have no skill themselves yet dare to disturb our Fishing,"

Cheng Feng was choked speechless. Is my Shitou really this overbearing?

Cheng Feng guided him patiently: "If you hit him and he hits you back, wouldn't we still have no fish to eat?"

"Oh, right. Fighting back and forth would just waste my time," Shitou realized.

But this overbearing, dismissive tone truly gave Cheng Feng quite a shock.

My younger brother Shitou has the makings of a dragon!

"So, we shouldn't easily get into arguments. That would delay our time and cause us to catch no fish, with no meat to eat, right?" Cheng Feng imparted his own experience in the Dao of keeping a low profile.

Shitou nodded: "Don't worry, Second Brother, I understand."

Cheng Feng looked at Lao San and nodded. Saying it this way wasn't out of fear of exposure, but rather fear of affecting his grand enterprise of Fishing; caution is the best policy.

Before the family's foundation was solid, there was no harm in being careful.

The only person in the family he could trust and mobilize was Lao San, but Lao San was still young and could be easily coaxed by others through leading questions.

According to his plan, once the fishing reached a certain expectation, he would let go of the fishing side of things and go off to learn self-defense.

This world was still too dangerous for his sixteen-year-old self; a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall.

And for his age and build, there were truly no other options that had prospects and were actually doable.

Cheng Feng also wanted to have a Concubine or two; after all, that was the only benefit of ancient times. With low productivity, the government pushing for population growth, and his own talent, it would truly be perfect.

But in ancient times, you still need a bride price and a house, and you still have to support a family. Otherwise, what would you eat, what would you drink, and where would you live? Wait for it to fall from the sky?

The hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants is not just talk.

Aside from the scholar-gentry who manage things, if there is no grain to lay the foundation, what would the workers eat?

Without the labor and output of workers, what would the merchants sell?

Cheng Feng's talent might need a delay, but his vision and information were not only cutting-edge but also extensive.

He couldn't claim to be an expert in detailed operations, but when it came to direction—historical dramas, family ethics dramas, rural romance dramas, urban development dramas, financial dramas, government compound dramas—which one couldn't he pull out?

Did you really think TV dramas were watched for nothing?

After all, this was ancient times, an ancient time where people even used leaves after going to the toilet.

Of course, the better-off used wooden chips.

Chatting with Shitou in the morning, by noon the sun was scorching and the water had warmed up.

They began to enter the river.

Using earthworms as bait is something anyone in the modern era could talk about for a while.

In ancient times, that was an invention yet to be discovered.

At least no one in Liujiacun knew about it.

This became what Cheng Feng called his exclusive craft.

Seeing his Second Brother make so many preparations, Shitou was also ready to go all out.

Although he didn't understand, his Second Brother would teach him.

And he would teach him hand-in-hand.

Watching the fish poke their heads out near the bait that had been set down,

Cheng Feng and Shitou slowly entered the water; three or four fish were all fighting for the bait.

The hemp rope and hook weren't cast too far; Cheng Feng was afraid that if it were too far, the water would be too deep.

He specifically placed it closer, at least close enough to see the shadows of the fish under the water.

This was also an excellent spot that Cheng Feng had found only after many attempts.

The ripples of the water didn't affect the fish.

The two brothers specifically chose the big ones to catch.

In one afternoon, they caught three big fish.

All of them were no less than 6 jin in weight.

The two brothers also caught two small fish along the way.

This makes it easy to distribute: sell the big fish for money, and eat the small fish ourselves.

After cleaning up, we ran home; having worked hard all day, we had to have some meat soup at night!

When we reached the village entrance, two idlers were sitting on the earthen mound.

They teased Cheng Feng and his companion, "Brother Feng is back! Did you and Shitou catch any goods?"

Cheng Feng laughed it off, "How could we? Just two small fish, nothing much."

One of the idlers said, "That's true, these fish are hard to catch; they're incredibly slippery."

The other idler had sharp eyes; in the dim light, he saw three dark shapes in the bucket, but he held his tongue and didn't chime in.

Shitou also remembered his second brother's warning from the day; he didn't speak, just kept his head down and walked home close to his second brother.

Watching the backs of the two brothers as they walked away,

the man who hadn't spoken suddenly said, "Mazi, you misjudged; there were three pieces of goods."

Mazi replied, "If you could see them, how could I not? Maybe they just got lucky; who doesn't have a bit of luck? As for whether it was just luck, won't we know if we come back here to sit for a while after we finish eating?"

After some more idle chatter, the two went home separately.

Only after returning home did Cheng Feng realize that although the sky was dim, it wasn't so dark that one couldn't see how many fish there were from that close.

Didn't you see that the person next to him didn't say a word?

That was because he didn't want to expose Mazi's act.

Cheng Feng didn't think much more about it; you have your strategies, and I have my ways to cross the bridge.

Take it slow; surely they wouldn't try to rob us by force, would they?

I'll give face when it's due, but if anyone interferes with my way of making money, then goodbye.

I'm not catering to anyone anymore.

The whole family looked at the three big black fish, and Cheng Feng smiled, "Dad, we can sell the fish this time!"

Cheng Fu replied, "Fine, fine, fine. You brat have grown capable; I'll listen to you."

As long as you can earn money, you can command authority anywhere.

Because of his performance over these two days, Cheng Feng also gained the approval of the head of the family.

Cheng Feng didn't take it to heart; this was only the beginning: "Our family doesn't have a scale; you'll have to go borrow one after eating. We'll head to the county town early tomorrow to sell them, otherwise the fish won't last long."

Cheng Fu feigned anger, "You brat, do you think I need you to tell me that? Why, do you want to go to the county town too?"

Cheng Feng said, "Dad, I've lived this long and haven't been to the county town yet; I have to see it. Besides, when there are more fish in the future, you can't always go to the county town to sell them alone, right? You still have to worry about the chores at home!"

After flattering Lao Cheng, he took the opportunity to praise Lao San, "Once I know where to sell them, I can also take Shitou along. Shitou performed very well today; two of these big fish were caught by him."

Shitou was praised and immediately showed a proud little expression. Cheng Feng wouldn't let Lao Da off either, "Once we earn money from selling fish, we'll get a wife for Big Brother. It would be best to get it done by the end of this year. Big Brother, what do you think?"

Cheng Shu turned bright red and countered, "Lao Er, what are you saying? Once I'm settled, it'll be your turn, right? I think it's you who wants to get a wife early."

Cheng Feng was shameless, "That's right, I'll only marry after Big Brother does. If you aren't marrying, why should I be in a hurry?"

In truth, Cheng Feng was anxious to death. What a great talent "More Children More Blessings" was, yet it was thwarted by a lack of money. Cheng Feng swore to work hard to earn money; in the future, he wouldn't be short of a wife and concubines, and he would marry and have many children to build a Cheng clan.

Watching the lively scene between the three brothers, Cheng Fu felt a sense of relief in his heart; it was beautiful to have a family living in harmony.

The burden weighing on his heart also eased slightly.