Chapter 43: Autumn Fishing

"Zhang Ping'an, do you think we'll be in the same class in middle school?" Wang Xiaoling suddenly asked while eating lunch that day.

"We probably will. We're from the same school, so we'll likely be together."

"Then you'll have to teach me more when the time comes."

"No problem, just ask me anything you don't understand."

"Ping'an, I know your middle school principal. The knowledge in middle school certainly won't stump you, and following the routine there would just be a waste of time. Do you need me to put in a word for you?" Divine Doctor Wang suddenly spoke up.

"That would be great, Master."

Zhang Ping'an had been worrying about this very thing. Although he said he was confident he could handle it, if he ran into someone who stuck rigidly to the rules, he would be helpless.

"Alright, then tell me how well you've mastered middle school knowledge."

"I know basically everything."

"Ahem, really?"

"Yes, my nephew just graduated from middle school, and I can understand all of his textbooks. Our elementary school principal, Principal Zheng, also once used third-year middle school problems to test me, and I answered them all correctly."

"Zhang Ping'an, you're truly amazing!" Wang Xiaoling said with stars in her eyes, looking at him with admiration.

"Hehe, it's alright, it's alright." It wasn't just "alright"; Zhang Ping'an was feeling incredibly pleased inside.

"Hahaha, good! Then leave the rest to me."

Wang Lao was satisfied. He had originally been worried that Zhang Ping'an would waste time attending classes, but now it was settled; three years of middle school time would be enough for Zhang Ping'an to learn many things.

Zhang Ping'an was also very happy. Not only had he secretly shown off, impressed Wang Xiaoling, but he had also solved the problem of not having to attend school.

Meanwhile, Jia Dongxu hurried along and arrived at his father-in-law's house before six o'clock, just in time to run into the whole family about to head out to work (father-in-law Qin Dahu, mother-in-law Zhang Lan, Qin Huairu 17, brother-in-law Qin Weiguo 19 who was already married, and younger brother-in-law Qin Weihua 10).

"Dongxu? Why are you here so early?"

"Hehe, Uncle, Auntie, Brother, Sister-in-law, I've come to discuss something with you all."

"Alright, come inside and talk."

"It's like this, Uncle, Auntie. Getting married in the city now... I'll change my age when I go back, and Huairu's age isn't enough either, so..."

"Is that all? Fine, no problem."

Changing ages was very common in the countryside. Qin Huairu's parents naturally approved of Jia Dongxu, which was why they agreed so readily; after all, the wedding was after the Mid-Autumn Festival.

"Dongxu, you must be hungry since you came in such a rush. Huairu, go heat up the porridge and Steamed Buns."

"Alright, Dad."

"Uncle, there's no need, I'll just eat when I get back."

"Eh~ You must be exhausted from running such a long way. Eat before you go. Weihua, stay home and keep your sister company; we're heading to the fields to work first."

Since the two of them weren't married yet, Qin Dahu couldn't let them be alone together at home, which was why he left 10-year-old Qin Weihua behind.

"Alright, Dad!" Qin Weihua was quite happy about not having to go work in the fields.

"Brother Dongxu, sit for a while, I'll go heat up the food for you."

"Mm, okay." Jia Dongxu didn't refuse anymore. He hadn't eaten anything in the morning, and after pedaling the tricycle for nearly an hour, he was indeed hungry.

"Weihua, here's some candy for you."

"Thank you, Brother-in-law."

"Mm." Jia Dongxu was very satisfied with Qin Weihua's behavior and reached out to pat his little head, only to find his hand covered in grease.

"Brother Dongxu, the porridge and Steamed Buns are ready. Go wash your hands and come eat."

"Oh, okay."

Qin Huairu was indeed a dab hand at housework; she quickly heated up the food and even added an extra egg.

Jia Dongxu wolfed down the food, finally relieving the hunger in his stomach.

"Huairu, why don't you come to the city with me today to look around? I'll buy you some clothes."

"No need, Brother Dongxu. Mom has already made me clothes with the fabric you sent over earlier. I'll wear them on that day. Besides, it's the busy farming season, so I can't get away."

"Alright then. Don't work too hard; I'll feel bad. The house at home is already renovated, just waiting for its mistress."

"Mm," Qin Huairu replied with a blushing face.

"Then I'll head back first and come over again in a few days."

"Okay."

After seeing Jia Dongxu off, Qin Huairu carried a basket on her back and took Qin Weihua to go cut pig feed.

Returning to Sijiucheng, Jia Dongxu took his household registration book and two packs of cigarettes to the Police Station.

"Dongxu, you're here. Come, the station chief has already given instructions today, I'll take you to get it done."

"Good, thank you, Li Ge. Have a smoke."

"Hahaha, alright."

Under the guidance of Public Security officer Li, Jia Dongxu quickly changed his age and left behind a pack of cigarettes before running off.

"This kid..."

Time passed unnoticed, like a mosquito biting a statue. Half a month went by, and the autumn fishing began.

Zhang Ping'an was also curious about the fishing activities of this era, so he asked Wang Xiaoling, and the two of them went to the side to watch the excitement.

"Some parts of this Shichahai haven't been drained since the Jin and Yuan dynasties. I reckon there are quite a few big fish."

"That's for sure. There must be plenty of grass carp, silver carp, and catfish."

"Yeah, if we could get an old turtle and take it to a restaurant to stew with chicken, that would definitely be a great tonic."

"Hahaha, just how weak are you, you old rascal?"

"Hahaha."

"Go on, go on, I'm just speaking objectively."

"Holy crap, look!"

An old man pointed not far away; the splashes turned up by the fishing net were not small, and judging by the part of the fish tail exposed, it had to be at least seventy or eighty catties.

On the bank, four people finally managed to subdue this giant beast from the water.

"It's definitely over a hundred catties."

"This mouth could probably swallow a three-year-old child."

"A grass carp over a meter long is truly rare; I've only seen one this big in my whole life."

"Weigh it."

"Forty-seven kilograms."

"Hiss~ this one fish is enough for a smaller work unit to eat for a day."

"Zhang Ping'an, how heavy was the biggest fish you've ever caught?"

"Less than a hundred catties, I suppose." The few old men nearby looked shocked upon hearing this.

"How much exactly?"

"Ten-something catties." Hearing "ten-something catties," the old men rolled their eyes again; as if no one had ever caught a ten-something catty fish before.

"..."

"Ahem, just tell us if it reached a hundred catties or not."

"6."

"Hey~ don't say, it really didn't reach it."

The crowd stopped paying attention to Zhang Ping'an, that clown, and went back to guessing the weight of the next big fish.

The day passed amidst the exclamations and discussions of the crowd; they were so entertained they didn't even feel hungry, and the crowd only slowly dispersed until evening.

Zhang Ping'an took Wang Xiaoling back to the Pharmacy and returned to the riverside himself, because he had just scanned something the size of a tire that looked like a soft-shelled turtle deep in the silt, with a few more the size of washbasins underneath it; this return was to confirm it and then collect them into his space.

It was said that the last soft-shelled turtle with the character "Fu" on it was kept by Lou Bancheng in an aquarium in his office, though it was unknown if it was true.

Returning to Shichahai, the sky was already slightly dark and there was no one left here; Zhang Ping'an rolled up his pant legs and slowly approached.

"Holy crap, it really is; how many years must this be?" In his space, Zhang Ping'an stared at this large soft-shelled turtle, dumbfounded, and then randomly started counting the growth rings.

"One, two, three... holy crap, fifty-nine years?"

"One, two, three... holy crap, it really is fifty-nine years; it truly is one of the longest-lived species."

Zhang Ping'an then counted the other five washbasin-sized soft-shelled turtles as well; their ages were all between ten and thirty years, definitely a great tonic.

After putting all the old soft-shelled turtles into a newly opened one-mu pond, Zhang Ping'an searched Shichahai for any fish that had slipped through the net, but unfortunately, his good luck had already been used up by this family of soft-shelled turtles.

Zhang Ping'an returned to the bank, washed up briefly in his space, and then went home to eat.