Small is also cute

Chen Guangming had already made peace with it. He laughed and said, "That's really impressive. I was just as impressive back in the day."

"Is that right, Uncle? Then you really are impressive."

If he was as overpowered in his youth as Shen Nian's current cheat-like self, how could he not be impressive?

The unwritten rule of middle-aged men: When I was young, I...

Shen Nian smiled. The uncle was indeed a true angler; his main vibe was pure peace of mind.

Seeing that Shen Nian neither chummed the water nor properly cast his line, and that the fish he caught didn't even put up a fight, the uncle merely offered a breezy smile. He had the absolute aura of a master.

Could the uncle really be a gold medalist in a fishing tournament?

Chen Guangming didn't stick around for long. He gathered his gear and moved off to the side. It wasn't good to have too many people crowded together while fishing, and being too noisy would scare the fish away.

Except for this damn kid.

Shen Nian caught a fish, and ten minutes later, he reeled in another one of about the same size.

Before long, there were two fresh, large fish in his bucket.

"How are you so good at this?"

This was a genuine compliment. Catching two fish in less than half an hour was something even a non-angler like her found absurdly fast.

"Like I said, the main thing is that I have time. Making money is a breeze."

"Then why did it take you so long to pay back the money you owed me?"

"Because I didn't have time back then."

"Stop talking, you're going to scare all the fish away."

Xia Yanchun muttered softly. She wanted to touch the fish in the bucket but was afraid they would suddenly thrash around and stab her hand with their dorsal fins. She only dared to squat by the bucket and stare them down.

So ugly.

What are you looking at? I'm not going to keep you as pets. You're getting sold in a bit.

Xia Yanchun bickered with the fish in her head, then ran off to find a wooden stick to poke and tease them.

"About how much can you sell these two for?"

"Uh, I don't really know either," Shen Nian answered honestly. "I don't have a scale, so I just sell them by rough estimation. If someone buys them, great; if not, I lower the price. If I really can't sell them, I'll dump them at a super low price to the stall owners at the fish market. Some of them will take them for cheap."

"I see." Xia Yanchun changed her line of questioning. "Then how much do you usually make from a day of fishing?"

"Four or five hundred."

"That much!"

"Maybe three or four hundred. Either way, it's a good amount."

"Even three hundred is a lot... That's almost ten thousand a month! Plus, the costs are low and it's easy work."

Xia Yanchun puffed out her cheeks. How could someone who hadn't even graduated from high school be making nearly ten thousand a month all on his own?

She could make money working as a tutor after she graduated, but right now, in her senior year of high school, she had absolutely no way to earn an income. In comparison, Shen Nian seemed incredibly impressive.

Without her realizing it, Shen Nian had become even more outstanding than her.

For the first time, Xia Yanchun's little bit of pride didn't flare up. She had to admit that Shen Nian really had some skills.

"Here, you can have a go."

"I don't know how."

"Just for fun. Didn't I teach you back in town?"

"..."

Back during the National Day holiday, that was when the first hints of romantic tension between her and Shen Nian began. This guy had just brazenly covered her hands with his...

Many images flashed through Xia Yanchun's mind. The despicable Shen Nian actually had the nerve to hit on the girl right next door.

"Then I'll fish for a bit." Xia Yanchun stood up, tugged at her pants, and neatly took the fishing rod.

Shen Nian gave up his spot for her and sat down on the stool.

Xia Yanchun put on a serious face and clumsily cast the line. It was obvious she was nervous; she stood ramrod straight, gripping the rod tightly.

"Don't be nervous, it's just fishing," Shen Nian said, amused.

"I'm afraid a fish might accidentally drag the rod away."

"It's fine, it's fine." Shen Nian told her to relax. Fishing in the dead of winter wasn't that easy. If he didn't lend a hand, getting a bite with this method of not chumming the water and barely casting the line would require running into a literal god-tier fish.

With his Fishing Mastery skill, fishing like this could pull up the prodigies of the fish world. Without the skill, fishing like this would probably only hook the biggest idiot in the fish world.

After thinking about it, Shen Nian still helped chum the water.

It would be best if she could hook a fish, letting Haji-Chun experience the thrill of the catch.

After doing all that, he sat to the side and played on his phone. Whether she caught anything or not was entirely up to luck.

"Can I really catch a fish?" Xia Yanchun had been standing there for seven or eight minutes and was already starting to complain.

"It's barely been any time at all. Just keep at it."

"Oh."

Half an hour later.

"Oh!"

Following the sound, they looked over to see the fishing uncle not far away, fighting hard to reel in a catch.

Shen Nian ran over to join the fun.

Splash!

"A crucian carp, off to a good start." After landing the fish, Chen Guangming couldn't stop grinning and quickly put it in his bucket.

"Not bad, Uncle."

"Haha, just a stroke of luck. I'm nowhere near as good as you. I'm really not what I used to be."

Chen Guangming had brought a scale with him. He lifted it and weighed the fish for a moment. "A one-pound crucian carp, not bad at all!"

As everyone knows, catching a wild crucian carp over a pound is something you can brag about for at least two days.

While a novice would still be marveling at the catch, Chen Guangming was already taking pictures to post on his WeChat Moments.

Calling it a one-pounder wasn't enough; he had to claim it was one point four pounds.

"Shen Nian, I... I think I got a bite too!"

Shen Nian was just about to say "awesome" when Xia Yanchun's voice called out, so he scurried back over.

He hadn't expected Haji-Chun to actually hook a fish. Was the angler's beginner's luck still a thing?

However, it didn't look like a big fish. Xia Yanchun was able to hold it steady, and there wasn't much splashing in the water.

"Shen Nian, help me!" Xia Yanchun was frantic. She was gripping the rod harder than she was actually pulling it, basically just tiring herself out.

Shen Nian didn't help her, just coaching from the side. "You can pull it. Just reel it in."

"Right, right, just like that."

"Mmhmm!"

Xia Yanchun gave it her all. With a splash, the fish broke the surface.

It was a tiny fish, about the size of two fingers.

"Holy crap, it's a monster!"

"Get lost!" Xia Yanchun blushed with embarrassment. How could it be such a tiny fish? She was so mad she could die.

If she had known it would be this easy to pull up, she wouldn't have asked Shen Nian for help.

Having thoroughly embarrassed herself, Xia Yanchun carefully unhooked the little fish and cupped it in her hands, glaring at it unkindly.

The little fish was still flopping around in her palm, nearly jumping right out.

"If I put it in the bucket, will the others eat it?"

"They won't, but... I mean, it's so small, maybe you should just let it go."

"No way. A small fish is still a fish. This is the very first fish I've ever caught."

"True enough," Shen Nian chuckled.

Back during the National Day holiday, if he hadn't grabbed the rod and triggered his Fishing Mastery, Xia Yanchun probably wouldn't have caught anything.

This time, however, Xia Yanchun had caught it entirely on her own from start to finish, filling her with a sense of accomplishment.

"I want to take it home and keep it as a pet."

"Up to you. Should we go buy a fish tank later? For now, just scoop up some river water to keep it in."

"Hmm... but that feels like a lot of trouble. Never mind. It's so small that probably no one would buy it anyway. I'll just release it!"

In a great mood, Xia Yanchun's voice was sweet as honey. The young girl who had caught her very own little fish was feeling absolutely fabulous.

Even though she planned to release it, she still had to take a picture to post on her social media feed. This was a memorable event, after all.

"Get lost, you stupid fish." After snapping the photo, she tossed the little fish back into the river. It swam in a quick circle before vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Shen Nian leaned in close, chuckling softly when he saw what was on her phone screen. "You're actually posting this?"

"Of course."

"Then what about my huge fish? Aren't you going to post those?"

"It's not like I caught it," Xia Yanchun said, snuggling against Shen Nian's arm. "There's only a point in posting it if you caught the fish yourself."

"That's true. The little ones are pretty cute too."