Chapter 656: Chapter 428: Catching Fish
No matter what the two of them think, Xiaoxue’s views are pretty much everyone’s thoughts.
Regardless of whether everyone spoils them at home, at least Wei Ziang is the one who is absolutely favored the most.
Like now, Wei Ziang came back halfway, estimating that Xiaomi should wake up, ready to take her to catch fish.
In the morning, they thought Wei Ziang went to work in the fields, but who knew he went to the fields but didn’t work, instead went to cut bamboo.
And here he is, bringing back two fish baskets.
The two kids have been gone for more than half a month; they can’t bear to really make them work. Even at home, there’s nothing to do, so they take them to play in the fields.
As soon as Xiaomi heard about going to catch fish, she gobbled down her food, devouring it in a whirlwind, then greeted her second sister and followed Wei Ziang out the door.
The river isn’t far, not deep, but very wide.
But it had rained heavily before, the torrential downpour filling the river almost instantly.
The river, which is tens of meters wide, where you can usually walk across it stepping on water, during a storm, it swells quickly and becomes a raging beast, as if trying to swallow everything.
Luckily, once the rain stops, within less than half an hour, the water returns to its usual gentle state.
Their timing to return was perfect; it had only rained a few days ago, and now the river water was cool, clean, and clear, giving a comfortable feeling just at a glance.
Not only does it look comfortable, but it’s also cool, especially with a bamboo grove by the river. Wearing straw sandals, they wade to the grove, instantly surrounded by a refreshing coolness.
"This is too peaceful, I don’t even want to go back. It would be perfect if I could nap here at noon."
Xiaomi loves it to death; on the riverbank, there are many stones, smoothed by the flow, of various sizes, perfect to sit and rest on.
The water level isn’t high, in the middle of the river, it only reaches your calf, and by the riverbank, it just covers your instep, a deeper spot only up to your ankle.
"Girls shouldn’t sleep in places like this, it’s damp and can make you sick."
Wei Ziang held two newly made fish baskets, one made by him, and the other by Jiang Hu, and kept an eye on Xiaomi to prevent her from accidentally falling.
Xiaomi pouted, "Oh, I was just saying."
When she left earlier, her second sister secretly asked if it was her period, otherwise she wouldn’t be allowed to play in the water.
A few years ago, the cotton seeds she brought out, modified in the space, not only increased yield but the cotton itself became better and softer, forming large blooms.
Last year, Xiaomi grew up and learned from her mother and second sister how to use menstrual cloth, though not very comfortable, she got used to it.
After all, sanitary pads don’t decompose quickly, throwing them in the space...
Forget it, just thinking about it is bothersome.
Fortunately, she taught nearby women to pay attention to hygiene, boiling and drying things specifically, as long as it’s done in her room, it doesn’t feel embarrassing.
Also, Xiaomi often secretly replaces her mother and second sister’s supplies with cotton grown in space, and burns what is replaced.
The things grown in the space carry a faint Spiritual Energy, naturally making them better.
For now, this is the only method she has to improve the situation for the rest of the family.
Returning from her thoughts, she found they were nearly at the middle of the river, where Wei Ziang was setting the basket, preparing to catch some small fish.
It’s not about craving them; it’s just that Wei Ziang thought it was fun when Little Wei talked about it, so he wanted to bring Xiaomi to play.
He placed the fish basket in a slightly stronger current, wedged with stones on either side, and weighed down with another stone on top.
The water flows through the basket, leaving behind finger-length wild fish inside.
"Wow, little brother, you still remember. I thought you’d forgotten after all these years of not catching fish."
Xiaomi laughed gleefully and imitated Wei Ziang’s method, setting up her fish basket too.
"It went in, it went in! Little brother, did you see? A little fish swam right into my basket!"
As soon as she set it up, a small fish was washed in by the current, bringing Xiaomi a burst of joy.
She wasn’t particularly rare; she just found it incredibly fun.
"I saw it. Let’s go up a bit and come back later to collect the baskets."
Once Xiaomi’s laughter had subsided, Wei Ziang took her to the riverbank, not even going ashore, and found a stone to sit on under the bamboo grove to relax.
Xiaomi couldn’t stay idle for a moment, she took off her straw sandals and began playing with the water, kicking at it playfully.
Wei Ziang just sat nearby watching, not feeling bored at all.
The two of them chatted sporadically, Wei Ziang didn’t mention it, but after working hard in the barracks, no one at home would let him work in the fields.
Xiaomi had been away for half a month, having just returned, they couldn’t bear to have her do chores, so they both relaxed under the bamboo grove.
Fortunately, there was no one else around, so they could discreetly discuss their plans and schemes for the future.
At this point, they have no secrets, so they can speak openly.
Of course, while talking, they didn’t forget to be aware of their surroundings, to prevent anyone from overhearing them.
As they chatted, they suddenly exchanged glances and stopped talking, switching subjects to their afternoon hunting plans.
"Third Young Master, Fourth Miss, you’re here indeed. It’s getting late, the Lord and the Madam have returned, saying dinner will be ready soon."
It was Yang’s deputy, quite capable, usually responsible for accompanying the siblings in turns.
Of course, except for Xiaomi and Wei Ziang, these two clearly expressed they didn’t need protection.
And Commander Yang, knowing their prowess in the stone forest, directly instructed his men not to disturb Xiaomi and Wei Ziang when they were together, and just focus on protecting the others.
"So soon, alright, we’ll collect the baskets and head back."
Without realizing it, they had played by the river for almost an hour.
Xiaomi was about to grab the baskets when Wei Ziang stopped her.
"Don’t go into the water, go that way to dry off, and remember to change shoes when you go ashore."
Before they arrived, Wei Ziang specifically brought Xiaomi’s cloth shoes, which were placed on a stone by the shore, drying under the sun.
The deputy left the two to themselves, having been instructed by Commander Yang not to be overly intrusive when seeing Third Young Master and Fourth Miss together.
Waiting for Xiaomi to obediently step on a sunlit stone to warm her feet and put on her hot cloth shoes, Wei Ziang returned with the two fish baskets.
Wei Ziang simply wore his straw sandals, Xiaomi pouting.
"Why do I have to be so troublesome? You didn’t change shoes."
"You’re a girl; if you don’t take care, you’ll have lingering health issues in the future."
"... What do you, a man, know about things only women understand?"
Wei Ziang just smiled, took Xiaomi, and quickly returned home.