Chapter 198

Seeing Li Xuewu walk over to greet them, the master inside the counter did not object, because this saddle could not be accepted, so Li Xuewu coming over to greet them was not considered a taboo.

If the shop is prepared to accept an item, others are not allowed to come over and discuss the quality of the item or the price; this is a form of etiquette and also an industry taboo.

No matter who you are, as long as you open your mouth, the shopkeeper will think you are trying to poach the business or are a shill; the shopkeeper dislikes the former, and the seller dislikes the latter because the shopkeeper will refuse to accept it.

Li Xuewu only greeted Ding Wanqiu after the master at the counter had said he didn't want it, and he only walked over to examine the saddle after asking the master at the counter for permission; this is called "etiquette." If you have "etiquette," then others will respect you.

Ding Wanqiu sighed and said, "The family fortune has declined, and every step is difficult. I am a person who is lazy and ignorant of the basics of life, so I can only sell some trinkets from home to barely get by. Why, do you have your eye on this saddle?"

Li Xuewu nodded to the master inside the counter, and the master raised his hand toward the saddle, signaling Li Xuewu to feel free.

Only then did Li Xuewu reach out to examine the saddle. It was a Western-style American saddle, about 17 inches, with full carvings that were very beautiful and grand. The patina was natural, and it was preserved very well; it was likely brought in during the Republican era.

Ding Wanqiu pulled on the dark red leather pad to let Li Xuewu check the details and explained to him, "This thing is different from the saddles we have here. The seat is just like a bicycle seat. I don't know how it was made. I don't like riding horses; I've never liked it since I was a child, so I don't really understand it."

He put down the lifted leather with great regret and said, "This was a gift from my father's apprentice. Because my father loved horses, we had such a thing at home. Now that the horse is gone, keeping it is useless. If you like it, take it; consider it a welcoming gift from me."

Li Xuewu laughed at Ding Wanqiu and said, "How could I be so embarrassed? I just saw it and liked it."

Ding Wanqiu waved his hand and continued, "It's not that I'm stingy and trying to fool you with this. This thing is indeed a good item. My father never used it since he got it; he always kept it in the room. It's just that I don't know why one stirrup is missing; you'll have to go back and match it yourself."

People in the capital have this kind of character: they care about face. Even if they are starving to death, they are willing to give away their family's belongings to make friends. That is truly generous. As long as they are making friends, no matter how expensive the item is, if you like it, take it away without even blinking.

Li Xuewu knew Ding Wanqiu's situation and would never take his things. He pointed to the carriage outside the window and said, "I have a horse, and I can use this thing, so just sell it to me."

Ding Wanqiu waved his hand generously and said, "What I said about giving it to you is sincere. We can be considered fated, so let's just make friends."

Li Xuewu cupped his hands to Ding Wanqiu and said, "It is precisely because I treat you as a friend that I am unwilling to take advantage of you. Ours is a friendship between gentlemen."

He waved his hand to stop Ding Wanqiu from being polite again, turned his head to the master at the counter, and said, "How about this, please trouble the shopkeeper to help us see how much this saddle is worth. We are friends and have no taboos; just tell us directly how much it is worth."

The master at the counter saw that Ding Wanqiu insisted on giving it away and saw that Li Xuewu insisted on buying it, so he cupped his hands to Li Xuewu and said, "You are righteous. Then I will give you a reference. If this saddle were put on the market, I personally estimate it would be worth at least fifteen or sixteen yuan. Of course, this is my personal estimate and doesn't count; it has nothing to do with our shop."

Li Xuewu formally thanked the master at the counter, took 16 yuan out of his pocket, and stuffed it into Ding Wanqiu's hand.

"Master Ding, thank you for parting with your treasure. From today on, we are friends."

Ding Wanqiu didn't want it at first, but since Li Xuewu said they were friends, he accepted the money. He formally shook hands with Li Xuewu and said, "I am ashamed, I am ashamed. Then this older brother will thank you, brother, for your help."

Li Xuewu formally introduced himself to Ding Wanqiu, and Ding Wanqiu also introduced his own situation. The two shook hands and laughed, setting the order of age and seniority. Over there, Xiao Wei and the master at the counter were also watching this scene with a smile.

Ding Wanqiu remembered Li Xuewu's previous words and said to him, "You don't need to buy a fishing rod. I have one at home. Come, let's go to my house to get it. I have a full set; if you like it, take it and use it."

Seeing Ding Wanqiu say this, Li Xuewu wanted to decline, but Xiao Wei interjected from the side, "Brother Li, we do have fishing rods here, but there are only two, and they aren't very practical. Why don't we go to your friend's house to take a look?"

Seeing Xiao Wei say this and Ding Wanqiu sincerely inviting him, Li Xuewu could only nod in agreement. He hugged the saddle and threw it into the carriage, let Ding Wanqiu sit in the carriage as well, and headed to Ding Wanqiu's house.

After entering the area of Dongsi Liutiao, they saw Ding Wanqiu's house after walking for a while. The horse hole of their house's inverted room was very conspicuous on the street. The iron rings inside the horse hole were still there. It was worthy of being a house with a foundation; even these horse-tethering stones showed a sense of vicissitudes. Under Ding Wanqiu's guidance, Li Xuewu tethered the horse to the iron ring.

Knowing that Li Xuewu was in a hurry to go out, Ding Wanqiu didn't invite him into the courtyard. He took a canvas bag out of the gatehouse and threw it into the carriage, put an ice pick into the carriage bucket, took another small canvas bag and said it was bait, and finally threw in an iron landing net with a wooden handle.

"Brother, these are all things I often use. You take them and use them; you can return them whenever. I play less now; the weather is too cold, and I don't want to go to the ice to blow the cold wind."

Li Xuewu shook hands with Ding Wanqiu and said, "Then thank you, Brother Ding. As soon as I finish using them, I will return them in perfect condition."

Ding Wanqiu waved his hand and said, "Hurry up and go. The sun is out now, and it's very warm. Hurry up and go; there won't be any spots left in a while."

Li Xuewu didn't say where he was going either. He laughed, untied the rope, greeted Ding Wanqiu, and went out of the city along Dongsi Road toward the Summer Palace. By the time he arrived at the Summer Palace, it was already 9:30.

Li Xuewu looked around at the entrance for a while, and then saw Xu Ning walk over.

"Li Kezhang, the person just went in. Yajun took people and followed them in. Someone came back just now and said they are under the Seventeen-Arch Bridge."

Li Xuewu pointed to Xu Ning's arm in a sling, raised his eyebrows, and said, "You're still doing fieldwork in this state? If the cold wind blows on you, you'll be a cripple later."

Xu Ning smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. I'm just staying in the civilian house over there; it's warm. I handed over the shift with Li Kezhang Han in the morning and have been waiting here. I'm not going forward; I'm just commanding from the back."

Li Xuewu nodded and said, "Then command. I'll go in and take a look to see what kind of maze they are setting up today. Be careful; it's too open here, so be careful about being blocked."

Xu Ning nodded and said, "Don't worry, Li Kezhang, everything has been arranged."

Li Xuewu waved his hand, signaling Xu Ning to leave quickly, and said urgently to the Third Master who was walking over angrily, "Where have you been?!!! I've been looking for you for more than half an hour, and I haven't seen your shadow the whole time. Hey! You're really something!"

The Third Master was so angry. When this brat was at the door of the house, he said he would follow immediately. He waited for him for more than an hour in one breath, and now he had just arrived at the place. There were only a few people at the gate in total, so how could he not see him?

Just now, he clearly saw him arrive, but he didn't go to the gate to find him; instead, he started chatting with a "one-armed hero." He was anxious to find him, but he was blamed instead. Now, he was being told that he had delayed the time.

Just as the Third Master wanted to speak, Li Xuewu cracked a whip, drove the carriage inside, and said while walking, "Hurry up. You're really something. I was just waiting for you. You've delayed all the time. If we wait any longer, there won't be any spots left."

Seeing that Li Xuewu had already taken the lead, the Third Master had a stomach full of words he couldn't say and rolled his eyes in frustration. But that brat was holding the ice pick, and he couldn't bear to spend 10 cents to hire someone to break the ice, so he could only push the cart and follow Li Xuewu into the park.

Li Xuewu was also quite capable. He wore the tattered military overcoat that Lao Biaozi used to collect scrap. It was tattered and dirty, and the cotton was coming out. He wore a dog-skin hat with almost all the fur gone on his head, tied the hat strap, and wrapped his face with a scarf, so it was impossible to tell who he was. The Third Master also looked for a long time at the gate and only found Li Xuewu after confirming the carriage.

After entering the gate and driving the carriage onto the ice, he saw that there were quite a lot of people on Kunming Lake. Although it was far from the city, there was nothing to play with now, so ice skating and fishing were indispensable entertainment items in winter in this era.

There were no ticket offices like in later generations; the gates were wide open for people to play as they pleased. Therefore, most people were on the ice, and there were quite a lot of people fishing. There were ice holes of various sizes on the ice, and people were guarding them on the sides, either squatting or sitting on small stools fishing.

There were all kinds of transportation on this frozen lake: bicycles, tricycles, and in the distance, there was even a bus. It seemed that the school had organized students to come ice skating. Of course, there were also horse-drawn and donkey-drawn carriages like Li Xuewu's, and the number was not small. These animal-drawn vehicles were still the main means of transportation now.

Looking at the lively scene on the ice, Li Xuewu looked around. It seemed that everyone had come out to get non-staple food on Sunday.

Li Xuewu found an inconspicuous spot by the Seventeen-Arch Bridge, drove the carriage to the side of the chosen spot, unhitched the horse, led it to the big willow tree on the shore, tethered it, and threw down a bag of forage.

When he returned to the spot, he saw the Third Master using an ice pick to chisel an ice hole. This cunning Third Master thought he would chisel an ice hole first so he could start fishing first. Not only did he choose the spot first, but he could also use the ice pick first.

Li Xuewu watched the Third Master, who had no strength to truss a chicken, exerting effort there and was not in a hurry. He first tidied up the fishing gear on the cart and looked toward Hu Zhengquan's side while tidying up.

This old guy was hiring people to open an ice hole for himself. Because of the ice's load-bearing range and other reasons, there were also rules for opening holes on the ice to fish. They were not allowed to be too close to each other, for fear that the ice surface would not be able to bear the weight and people would fall in.

The fishing spot Li Xuewu chose was not very good, but it was very convenient for monitoring Hu Zhengquan. It was close to the shore, in the shadow of the bridge, and the key was that it was less than 50 meters away from Hu Zhengquan's spot.

There were only seventeen or eighteen people fishing in ice holes around here, and Li Xuewu could see Hu Zhengquan, who was also organizing his fishing gear over there, at a glance.

This old guy was dressed much better than Li Xuewu, in a full set of cold-proof clothing. I don't know if it was custom-made or if he found someone to make it. It was bulging, but it looked very warm.

As soon as Li Xuewu arrived, Zhao Yajun's side retreated, pretending to be ice skating on the ice, monitoring this side.

Because there were too many people ice skating on the ice now, it was unrealistic to prevent anyone from coming into contact with him. They could only keep a close eye on Hu Zhengquan. As long as there was contact, it could be a suspect.

The fishing rod Ding Wanqiu gave Li Xuewu was made of bamboo, which looked very traditional. The line was not a transparent thin line like in later generations, but a thick brown line.

At this time, the Third Master handed the ice pick to Li Xuewu while panting, exhaling white mist from his mouth, and said out of breath, "Xuewu... huff huff... you'd better do it... ouch... Third Master can't do it anymore... it's much thicker here than at the lake."

Li Xuewu took the ice pick and laughed, "If I chisel in your pit, then I'll be sharing a pit with you. When I catch a fish and you don't, don't get angry with me."

The Third Master opened the small stool he brought, sat by the carriage, waved his hand weakly, and said, "It's... it's me... it's me who's stupid. With a big young man like you... why should I waste that effort... chisel it, let's see how many you can catch."

The Third Master had made up his mind. Even if he fished in the same pit as Li Xuewu, he would still take advantage. Could a novice beat an old fisherman like him?

Li Xuewu weighed the ice pick in his hand, turned his back to Hu Zhengquan's side, and chiseled the ice pick into the ice pit one by one. Although the speed was not fast, the force was not small. Every time it fell, ice chips flew everywhere.

The Third Master sat by the carriage and slowly caught his breath. Watching Li Xuewu exert effort, the speed of opening the ice was much faster than his own. He watched as the ice pit deepened and widened.

"Young men still have strength. Look at this strength. Hey, over there, on that side, chisel in a circle."

Li Xuewu was both angry and amused. Was this Third Master bullying him because he didn't understand this? Who didn't know to chisel in a circle?

"Third Master, don't just stand there. The fishing rod I borrowed from a friend, help me straighten it out so we can use it directly in a while."

Seeing that Hu Zhengquan had finished chiseling the ice hole over there, paid the money for chiseling the ice, and sent the person away, he pulled a bulging sack from the back seat of the cart and started fishing there.

Li Xuewu got ruthless when he was anxious and hammered the ice pit.

The Third Master took Li Xuewu's fishing rod, looked at it carefully, and said, "Your friend is an expert. He's even willing to lend you such a good rod?"

"Good friend." Li Xuewu was exerting force, and his answer to the Third Master was also short and direct.

"That's right, he wouldn't lend you such a good rod if he wasn't a good friend. Do you know what kind of rod this is?"

"A fishing rod."

The Third Master was choked by Li Xuewu's words and closed his eyes, saying, "Nonsense, I'm asking if you know the quality of this rod. Hey, you novice, I bet you don't know. Let me tell you."

After speaking, before Li Xuewu could answer, he continued, "But I'm not telling you for free. Lend it to me to use in a while. I've never used such a good rod."

Seeing Li Xuewu chiseling the ice silently, the Third Master tidied up the fishing rod for Li Xuewu and said, "The hand rods we use are all bamboo rods. This kind of fishing rod could be bought at a bamboo shop earlier, but the ones there aren't particular. After buying them, you have to tidy them up yourself according to your needs. But rich fishermen can buy ready-made ones. Your friend's rod is a ready-made one."

"He's rich."

Li Xuewu had already chiseled through the ice, and the water in the lake surged up due to the pressure. Li Xuewu had to avoid the water when chiseling again, otherwise, he would be covered in it.

"I can see that. Look, this rod is from 'Yu Gan Xiang'."

Li Xuewu expanded the ice hole to a diameter of 1.5 meters and used a landing net to scoop the floating ice onto the ice surface next to it.

At this time, the Third Master handed the tidied fishing rod to Li Xuewu and said, "Yu Gan Xiang is a famous fishing rod expert in the capital. He specializes in making fishing rods at home. He doesn't open a storefront, doesn't take apprentices, and the whole family makes a living from this."

"The rods he makes are selected with strict bamboo, smooth and beautiful in color, with neat interfaces, light feel, and good elasticity. The fishing rods he makes are 'exclusively sold' at stall number 100 in Dong'an Market. The stall owner is known as 'Fishing Rod Lv'. I've wanted one for a long time, but I couldn't bear to buy it."

Li Xuewu took it and tried it. It was okay. Clumsily, under the guidance of the Third Master, he mixed the bait.

Li Xuewu came out to fish, and this bait was brought by Ding Wanqiu, otherwise, there would be no bait at all.

The Third Master coveted Li Xuewu's bait, but he was embarrassed to say it. He put the bait he made on his own fishing hook and cast the line.

Li Xuewu was slow in tidying up. By the time he clumsily put the fishing hook into the water, Hu Zhengquan over there had already caught a fish. It looked like it was over a jin, not small at all.

Li Xuewu spread the saddle on the ice by the carriage wheel, padded it with a few forage bags, and it was just right to sit on now. He put the treasure into the small pit in front, turned his face toward Hu Zhengquan, and under the command of the Third Master, cast his fishing hook far away from where the Third Master cast his.

The spot Li Xuewu chose was good, just in the shadow of the bridge. Looking inside from the light, you couldn't see clearly. Secondly, Li Xuewu placed the carriage well, just at an oblique angle. Li Xuewu sat inside the oblique angle, and looking at Hu Zhengquan through the carriage frame was just right. Looking from the outside, the first thing you saw was the carriage, and only then the inconspicuous person.

Once the hook was cast, the Third Master stopped talking. He stared at the water with narrowed eyes. It wasn't that the Third Master was sleepy, nor was he playing tricks on Li Xuewu, but the ice surface was reflecting light now, and there was unmelted snow all around. The sunlight was very strong now, making people dizzy, so staring at the ice surface for a long time while fishing was very dazzling.

Li Xuewu looked at the ice in the distance and looked around again. Under the gaze of the Third Master's narrowed eyes, he took out Lao Biaozi's sunglasses from his bosom and put them on.

This move of Li Xuewu made the Third Master stare. This brat was a novice at fishing, but his equipment was complete, even having anti-glare glasses.

I don't know if the Third Master's luck really produced luck against Li Xuewu in his heart, but the fishing rod in his hand was suddenly bitten. The Third Master was very excited. When he pulled it up, he saw it was a crucian carp, about half a jin in size.

Seeing Li Xuewu's watching eyes, the Third Master raised his eyebrows, gestured to Li Xuewu, carefully took off the fish, and put it into the water bucket beside him.

Li Xuewu curled his lips, his peripheral vision never leaving Hu Zhengquan's side. At this time, he saw Zhao Yajun taking a few brats and playing with a group of big young men on an ice cart they got from somewhere, looking over here from time to time.

"Hehe, you're learning quite fast." Li Xuewu muttered with a smile and waved his hand obscurely toward that side. Zhao Yajun's ice cart flicked its tail, and he paddled away with the ice cart pick in both hands.

Li Xuewu's muttering about Zhao Yajun was heard by the Third Master. He rolled his eyes and mocked, "How long has it been, and you still haven't changed the bait? And you call that learning fast? Why don't you pay me to teach you?"

Li Xuewu didn't pay attention to the Third Master. He didn't come here to fish; he came here to "fish."

He lifted the fishing rod and looked. There was really no bait left. He casually put bait on the empty hook and cast it into the water again, leaving only a goose feather tube floating on the water surface.

The fishing rod borrowed from Ding Wanqiu was indeed better than the Third Master's. The goose feather tube of the float was colored, while the Third Master's float was a small wooden stick.

Li Xuewu didn't know the industry. The Third Master's fishing rod float wasn't wooden; it was the core of a corn stalk. It had been used for a long time, so it looked like a wooden stick.

Seeing Li Xuewu looking left and right, looking impatient, the Third Master shook his head disapprovingly and stopped talking, focusing on fishing instead. There were many fish now, and the Third Master had already caught three. Although they were all about half a jin, it wasn't a wasted trip.

Li Xuewu had a consistent perfunctory attitude. The two sat here for more than an hour, and Li Xuewu hadn't caught a single one.

The Third Master shook the water bucket, threw the fourth fish into the bucket, and said to Li Xuewu, who was putting bait on the hook, "You don't say, there aren't as many fish here as at the lake, and they aren't as big. People were almost fighting to the death to grab fishing pits on the ice there. There aren't that many people here."

Seeing Li Xuewu not making a sound, he cast the hook into the water again, and the Third Master had something to say when he looked at the fish in the bucket.

"I'm performing normally today. If you hadn't been 'feeding the fish' the whole time, I could have caught quite a few more."

I don't know why the Third Master's words suddenly increased. Li Xuewu was a bit annoyed by this talkative "partner."

Li Xuewu smiled wickedly and said to the Third Master, who was still babbling, "Why are you so long-winded? My fish were all scared away by you. If I can't catch fish, I'll blame you. If you keep babbling at me, I'll put you in this feed bag and stuff you into the ice hole with one kick."

These words made the Third Master roll his eyes in anger. Before he could scold Li Xuewu, he heard a "thump" over there. Li Xuewu turned his head and saw Hu Zhengquan standing by the edge of the ice hole, covered in ice chips, pulling a young man who was lying on his back. The sack that was under his butt earlier was gone.

The young man who stepped on the ice skates stood up with the help of his companions and kept apologizing and thanking Hu Zhengquan.

Watching Hu Zhengquan being splashed with water, the young man kept brushing his body for him.

Hu Zhengquan waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, why aren't you careful? It's a good thing I didn't fall in. If I had fallen in, what's the use of your apology?"

Seeing people around looking over here, the young man and his companions kept apologizing.

"Thank you so much for pulling me, otherwise I would have fallen in. What did you fall into? I will compensate you."

Seeing that the young man had a good attitude, Hu Zhengquan waved his hand and said, "Forget it, forget it. It was just a sack of rice bran, usually used for nesting. It's good now, it's all fed to the fish. It saves a little bit of feeding. Alright, you guys go play. Stay away when ice skating, don't come here, it's too dangerous."

It turned out that the young man skating on ice skates was going too fast, couldn't stop, and hit the sack of rice bran. Hu Zhengquan dodged and wasn't hit, but the rice bran was knocked into the ice hole and sank.

The Third Master watched the sack go into the ice hole over there and thought of what Li Xuewu had just said. He felt a chill down his spine, as if someone was blowing cold wind on his back, and he couldn't help but shiver.

"Good brat, I..." The Third Master just wanted to scold Li Xuewu, but saw Li Xuewu looking straight over there. When the young man skated away, Li Xuewu's eyes followed the young man's companion.

The Third Master hit Li Xuewu with the ice chips by his feet and said, "Hey, I'm talking to you. Are you entranced? Come back to your senses, that's someone else's girl. If you keep looking, you won't be able to pull your eyes out."

Seeing Li Xuewu turn his head back still looking absent-minded, the Third Master shook his head and said, "Is she that pretty? I don't think so. It's not that I'm lecturing you, but don't always hang around women. How old are you? Isn't it good to settle down and find a partner? If you want a woman, get married. What's the point of staring at someone else's girl?"

Li Xuewu didn't know if the Third Master meant for him to stay away from his daughter-in-law, but he definitely had his guard up against him.

Usually, Li Xuewu would definitely tease the Third Master, but now he didn't have the heart. It wasn't that Li Xuewu was specifically targeting someone else's daughter-in-law, but the companion of the young man who almost kicked Hu Zhengquan into the ice hole was holding hands intimately with him while skating.

Li Xuewu was not a dedicated person, neither was his predecessor, nor was he in later generations. But he had passed through thousands of flowers without ever being green, but today he was hit.

It was Lin Tingting who apologized to Hu Zhengquan with the young man who caused the trouble. When apologizing, Li Xuewu saw that their relationship was not simple. After apologizing, when the two left, they were pushing and pulling each other, holding hands, laughing and joking as they left.

Maybe it was male chauvinism, or maybe it was strong self-esteem. The current Li Xuewu only felt that his heart was a bit chaotic. But after glancing at Hu Zhengquan's side, he pulled himself out of the disappointment. Now was not the time to think about his own affairs.

Hu Zhengquan had nothing to sit on, so he could only go to the shore to move a wooden block to sit on. He looked like he wanted to fish enough in this pit to make up for the loss just now.

Seeing that Li Xuewu seemed to have been scolded hard by him and was in low spirits, the Third Master gave up the idea of continuing to lecture him and focused on fishing.

I don't know if it was because of "unrequited love in love" and "pride in the fishing ground," but Li Xuewu's fishing rod was actually bitten.

The Third Master saw the float of Li Xuewu's fishing rod sink to the bottom, and he was still lost in thought. When did this brat become so obedient to him? Was it worth thinking for so long after being lectured twice?

"Hey, kid, the fish is hooked."

Hearing the Third Master say the fish was hooked, Li Xuewu looked fiercely toward Hu Zhengquan's side, saw Hu Zhengquan sitting calmly, and heard the Third Master say, "It's your fish that's hooked, where are you looking?"

Only then did Li Xuewu realize that the Third Master was talking about this fish being hooked. He gripped the fishing rod tightly and pulled it up fiercely. Good fellow, a big carp as long as an adult's arm was pulled out of the ice hole by Li Xuewu. This made the Third Master stare.

Staring wasn't just because the fish Li Xuewu caught was so big, but because of Li Xuewu's technique. Who fishes like this? Wouldn't the fishing rod break?

"Tsk tsk tsk, it's just that your kid's fishing rod is sturdy, otherwise this would have broken the rod. You have to pull it up slowly, you have to play with the fish, wait until it has no strength before pulling it up."

Li Xuewu was also a bit excited about catching a fish suddenly. He didn't expect fishing to be so interesting. If he had known earlier, he would have gotten a fishing rod to play with.

"It's okay, Third Master, I'm taking it by surprise. Catching it off guard and pulling it up saves effort."

Hearing Li Xuewu's sophistry, the Third Master rolled his eyes, picked up the landing net to help Li Xuewu scoop up the fish. Small fish can be pulled up directly, but big fish must be scooped with a landing net, otherwise, they can't be pulled up.

After the Third Master scooped up the fish, the surrounding fishermen also looked over here and kept clicking their tongues in praise.

The Third Master shook the big carp in the landing net with a sense of honor, looked at the "half-jin fish" in his own water bucket, felt it was meaningless, and put the landing net on the ice.

Seeing Li Xuewu about to continue putting on bait and preparing to cast the hook again, the Third Master walked over, kicked the big carp that was still jumping, and said, "Hey, Xuewu, we agreed just now, let me use this rod to try it out."

Li Xuewu handed the fishing rod that hadn't been baited yet to the Third Master and took the Third Master's fishing rod to continue putting on bait.

It was agreed upon anyway, to let the Third Master have his fun, and also to cooperate with himself to keep an eye on things here.

Hu Zhengquan had also looked over here a few times just now, but seeing a pair of "father and son" fishing there, he didn't pay attention. The old man was weak, wearing glasses wrapped in white tape, and the "son" was dressed in rags. That pair of glasses was a fake, but with that outfit, he was just a down-and-out person.

Even seeing the big fish caught over there, he didn't care too much. The fish here were big and fat, catching one didn't mean anything. He pulled his collar and turned his head to stare at his own business.

Seeing that Hu Zhengquan was no longer looking over here, Li Xuewu put the bait on, used the Third Master's fishing rod to continue fishing. The big carp caught just now had been frozen and stopped jumping. Li Xuewu jumped off the saddle, threw the fish into the carriage bucket, and then jumped onto the saddle to continue being dazed.

Li Xuewu thought Hu Zhengquan would use that line winder, but he hadn't seen Hu Zhengquan install a line winder on the fishing rod after observing for so long. What is certain now is that Hu Zhengquan didn't make that line winder for fishing, but had other uses that Li Xuewu hadn't discovered.

Glancing at the figure skating over there, Li Xuewu rubbed his face. Sometimes feelings are like this; you don't know how precious they are when you should cherish them, and you only know how regrettable they are when you are about to lose them.

Although Li Xuewu felt sad in his heart, he was more unwilling. But what could he do? There was no one else who dated like him. He was busy every day, and he didn't have much time for Lin Tingting either, unlike other young men who wished they could revolve around their partners every day or go to their father-in-law's house to work.

"Sigh~" Li Xuewu didn't know how to describe his mood, so he could only sigh deeply.

The "sigher" had no intention, but the "listener" had intention. Li Xuewu didn't mean it for the Third Master, but this sigh put a lot of pressure on the Third Master.

What does this brat mean?

Mocking me?

Mocking me, an old fisherman, for not beating him?

Too arrogant!

This Third Master was accustomed to thinking blindly in his heart. By now, he had changed the bait twice, and from time to time he would lift the fishing rod to see if the bait was gone. Why hadn't a big fish come up yet? This also caused him to be unable to catch fish the more anxious he was, and instead, he swapped positions with Li Xuewu, becoming the one "feeding the fish."

Just as the Third Master lifted the fishing hook for the sixth time, the float of Li Xuewu's fishing rod was pulled down again.

"Fish again, take a look." The Third Master reminded Li Xuewu, but he was muttering in his heart about why this person was always distracted.

Li Xuewu was startled by the Third Master's shout, looked at the Third Master with amusement, and slowly pulled the fishing rod in his hand upward.

The Third Master was afraid that Li Xuewu would break his fishing rod, so he kept standing by Li Xuewu's side and reminding him: "Slowly, slowly, play with it slowly, pull it up, slowly."

Li Xuewu didn't speak, just fought with the fish in the water. Winter fish didn't have as much strength as summer fish, so it didn't take much effort. After playing for about three minutes, the big fish in the water was scooped up by the Third Master with a landing net.

"Hey, another big one. Your kid's luck is too good. The more of a novice you are, the more big fish you can catch."

Li Xuewu rolled his eyes and treated the Third Master's words as if he hadn't heard them. Seeing the Third Master's shouting attract Hu Zhengquan's side to watch, he took advantage of the effort of picking up the fish to turn his body away.

This fish was longer than the one just now, it must be ten jin. I don't know how long it had been growing in this lake. Li Xuewu was lucky today.

After taking the fishing hook out of the fish's mouth, the Third Master returned Li Xuewu's fishing rod.

"Let's swap back. Your fishing rod is too good. I'm not used to it, and I haven't caught any fish. Also, your bait must have been added with good stuff."

While talking, the Third Master also crawled on the carriage and rummaged through Li Xuewu's bait bag, saying, "I heard that particular fishermen all use good stuff for bait. Your bait should be made of sweet potato, fried corn flour, fried wheat bran, fried soybean flour, and brown sugar, and it's fermented. Give me some."

As if afraid that Li Xuewu wouldn't give it to him, he grabbed a handful from the bait bag, stood up, and went to scoop water from the ice hole to mix the bait.

Li Xuewu rummaged through the bait bag and looked. It seemed that it was really what the Third Master said. It seemed that Ding Wanqiu was also a person who liked to play. He made things so fine.

He put bait on his own fishing hook and continued to put it into the water. After the Third Master finished mixing the bait, he also put it on the hook and put it into the pit.

Just when the two were staring at the ice hole, a middle-aged man carrying a postman's canvas bag pushed a cart and walked toward this side from the ice.

He basically went around every pit, stopped to ask if there were fish in the bucket, and during the period, he reached a transaction, hanging a big carp of more than three jin on the handlebar of the cart. When he walked to Li Xuewu's side, he looked at the fish in the Third Master's bucket and shook his head, and then looked at the big fish by Li Xuewu's feet and the fish on the cart.

"Comrade, are you selling this fish?"

The "postman's" action of "looking at the fish to serve the dish" made the Third Master angry. He lifted the fishing hook again, saw that the bait was still on it, and put it back resentfully.

Seeing this postman asking himself, Li Xuewu was stunned for a moment, and only then did he look at this postman.

He looked to be in his forties or fifties, dressed as a postman, with a big-brimmed hat, black clothes, a cotton overcoat on the outside, and a fountain pen stuck in his chest, looking kind.

This person might have seen Li Xuewu catch fish and wanted to buy it back to eat. He had walked all the way just now, maybe he hadn't met a more suitable one. He just didn't like the Third Master's bucket just now.

Li Xuewu didn't care whether the fish could be sold for money, but was worried about being exposed. So, under the Third Master's surprised eyes, he shook his head at the postman and said, "We haven't tasted meat for three months at home."

The postman looked at the fish at Li Xuewu's feet with regret, shook his head, and left.

The postman at this time was the same as the salesperson in the supply and marketing cooperative; they were all good jobs. It was one of the eight major employees, and it was also a person who "didn't lack money." So Li Xuewu didn't feel anything wrong with this person coming to buy fish.

After the postman pushed the cart away, the Third Master clicked his tongue for a while and said, "I was just thinking, didn't your family just kill a pig? Now I understand, you were afraid that you wouldn't be able to sell it for a good price here. With your relationship with Seeing Sha Zhu, you could sell it to the steel mill at the market price, right? You're really smart."

Li Xuewu saw that the postman had wandered around several pits without stopping until he went to Hu Zhengquan's position. This person set up the cart ladder, squatted by Hu Zhengquan's fish bucket, and talked with Hu Zhengquan.

He replied to the Third Master's words: "Hi, I have such a little bit of careful thought that can't escape your magic eyes. You are really old and cunning."

The Third Master curled his lips, just treating Li Xuewu's second half of the sentence as a fart. This kid's mouth is really damaging.

Li Xuewu saw that Hu Zhengquan seemed to really want to sell fish, pointing at the fish bucket and gesturing with the postman, but the voices of the two were not high, and Li Xuewu couldn't hear what they were saying at all.

Ps: Rubbing little hands for votes~

If you don't give me votes, I will sob sob sob~

Hehe~:

In 4 days I will be able to get the badge for 10,000-word updates. After that, I will change the number of words per chapter and update according to the rhythm of the plot.

Regarding the shaping of characters, please continue to read. I try to be realistic and give you the real side of that era, so don't compare the plot of this book with what you know from TV series or other novels. It's unfair.

Also, the new plot has already unfolded, don't say it's dragging anymore... sob sob sob... I don't care, I want votes~