After spreading out the fishing net, it formed a rectangle with small wooden blocks tied to the top as floats and stones attached to the bottom.
Once submerged, the net would stand upright in the water like a wall. Xu Changnian quietly approached the edge of the Schooling Fish without alarming them.
He aimed for the densest part of the nest—he could even see fish mouths poking out of the surface eating insects, a sight commonly called “crucian carp feeding frenzy.”
From the side of the fish nest, he gently slid the net into the water, spreading it horizontally to encircle as many fish as possible. Since the bottom of the net was weighed with stones, it quickly sank after entering the pond, forming a barrier. With this step complete, the fishing operation was already as good as done. Xu Changnian pulled a stone from his pocket and threw it in the opposite direction of the net.
Splash—
Startled by the sudden noise, the fish panicked and fled directly toward the net, crashing into it. As soon as a fish hit the net, its gills or fins got caught in the mesh, making it impossible to escape. While the fish were still struggling, Xu Changnian gave a strong pull, and the net full of fish was dragged back to the shore.
“One, two, three… that’s gotta be six or seven of them—enough for the family to eat for several days~” he said, delighted.
So satisfying!
Xu Changnian held up his index and middle fingers in a V gesture with both hands, grinning in triumph at the rewarding catch.
After hauling it ashore and counting carefully, there were eight fish in total, each weighing about 1 kilogram, and one large carp was nearly 2 kilograms. The net couldn’t even catch the smaller fish—they just slipped right through the mesh. After this single haul, the fish in the pond had been thoroughly spooked and scattered. Catching more would be much harder.
Once he had calmed down a bit, Xu Changnian began packing the fish into the bamboo basket… ready to head home.
[System alert: Host has caught a full load of fish at the stone pond. Experience +20 points.]
[Current experience: 80/100 points.]
…
At the entrance to Qingshan Village, Village Chief Li Youtian leaned on a cane, with his son Li Yunshan and dozens of villagers beside him.
Yun Niang and Shen Yourong were also among the crowd.
Everyone looked solemn and tense—snow was about to fall, and now there was a wolf scare?
“It’s real. A bunch of wolves—we saw at least three or four…” Wang Wu, a man in his thirties, collapsed on the ground, snot and tears streaming down his face, crying as he recounted what he saw in the mountains today.
He and Zhang San had followed Xu Changnian into the mountains, hoping to take advantage and pick up some scraps. But after entering the mountain, Xu Changnian’s trail disappeared. They didn’t get far before reaching the back of the mountain, and in the blink of an eye, they saw a pack of wolves.
It scared them so badly they turned and ran without a second thought. Thankfully, both of them were hunters and knew Xiaoyue Mountain well. More importantly, the wolf pack didn’t chase them too hard, which was the only reason they survived.
Zhang San was even scratched on the thigh by a tree branch while fleeing and had already been sent home.
When Wang Wu returned to the village, he shouted and wailed that a wolf disaster was coming, which led to the current commotion.
“Village Chief, those beasts aren’t going to come down the mountain, right? And with the snow coming too…”
“Should we hide somewhere?” This story is hosted at g.com.
“But with the weather like this, snow’s coming any moment now—where would we even go?”
“These days are just getting harder and harder. Even the mountain beasts aren’t staying put…”
After hearing Wang Wu’s account, the villagers were all anxious, afraid that the wolves would descend. Qingshan Village sat right at the foot of the mountain, directly next to Xiaoyue Mountain.
To put it bluntly, the village was constantly in competition with the wild beasts of the mountains, especially in bad years. When there wasn’t enough food in the mountains, the beasts would come down and cause trouble.
“Oh no, Sister-in-law, your husband also went up the mountain today. What if…” Shen Yourong suddenly realized Zhang San and Wang Wu weren’t the only ones who had gone into the mountains. Xu Changnian had also gone up early in the morning.
“Our Brother Nian also went up today and still hasn’t come back,” Yun Niang said. “Village Chief, should we organize a group to go look for him?”
Startled, she squeezed to the front and spoke up.
“That bastard Xu Changnian! If I hadn’t followed him, I never would’ve run into those wolves—damn him!” Wang Wu cursed before the village chief could even respond. Just thinking about the wolves made his pants feel wet and warm.
“You got what you deserved! Following our Brother Nian—what, hoping to steal from him?” Yun Niang couldn’t hold back anymore. Anyone daring to insult someone from the Xu family in front of her would never get away with it.
Smack—
Wang Wu, pointing and yelling, caught a solid slap across the face.
It was Shen Yourong who slapped him.
“I’m warning you. Say one more word about my husband, and I won’t let this go!” she snapped. The Xu family was her everything now.
Her fury burned hotter than Yun Niang’s.
Anyone daring to touch her man?
Shen Yourong would fight them to the end!
Especially after hearing that Zhang San and Wang Wu had followed Xu Changnian—those two were scumbags.
This time they lost track and ran into wolves, but what if they hadn’t?
What if they saw Xu Changnian making a good catch?
What could have happened then? Anything was possible in the mountains!
Thinking of this, Shen Yourong’s breath turned heavy, her nose tingled, and her eyes turned red. Xu Changnian went into the mountains every day to hunt and feed the whole family. He always left in high spirits and returned just the same, but every time, he was risking his life.
It wasn’t just the danger from the wolves. Even behind him, some villagers harbored bad intentions!
“He’ll be fine. Our Brother Nian is lucky,” Yun Niang comforted her, pulling Shen Yourong into her arms and pointing at Wang Wu. They would settle that score later.
“You two damned bastards deserve it. Should’ve let the wolves eat you!” Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
“Watch your mouth!”
“Why’d you even go up the mountain? Jealous that the Xu family gets to eat meat, huh?”
“Can’t hunt for yourselves and still want to mooch off others—pathetic…”
Soon, the crowd started arguing again. Led by Ma Han, several people clearly sided with the Xu family. While others like Lai Dou stood with Wang Wu, eager to stir up trouble and watch the show.
Not far off, Old Xu Hei leaned against a wall, silently watching the chaos unfold.
Tap tap tap—
As the argument grew louder, Li Youtian tapped his cane on the ground. He tugged at his beard and swept his gaze across the crowd. Finally, the noise died down.
Li Youtian had served as village chief of Qingshan Village for over ten years. With land, status, and authority, he commanded great respect.
“Enough. Stop all this nonsense,” he said. “Dashan, take Ma Han and a few others. Go into the mountain and look for Brother Nian. The rest of you, don’t just stand there—go get the barricades, whatever we can find. Let’s prepare for the worst.”
“No need to panic. Just a few beasts on the mountain—they won’t cause too much trouble.”
Dashan was Li Yunshan’s childhood nickname.
Hearing his father speak, the villagers stopped talking and backed off. Li Youtian’s word carried weight. One team would search for Xu Changnian; the rest would prepare in case of a wolf attack.
The village chief may not hold a big title, but his job was no easy one.
“…Understood,” Li Yunshan replied. “Uncle Ma, Uncle Xu, Old Six, Old Seven, grab your gear and come with me.”
As he came to his senses, Li Yunshan’s greedy eyes swept over Shen Yourong. How did such a beautiful woman end up with Xu Changnian?
A few days ago, when Yun Niang came to greet them with gifts, he shouldn’t have agreed so easily. Too late for regrets now—who would’ve thought this woman would be so stunning?
Shen Yourong’s looks were on another level compared to any woman in Qingshan Village.
“I’m going too,” Shen Yourong said beside Li Yunshan.
“That’s not a good idea. The mountain paths are rough, and snow’s coming soon. Stay home and wait for news,” he replied. Though he wanted to get closer to Shen Yourong, his rational mind told him now wasn’t the time—not with so many people watching. Besides, they all lived in Qingshan Village. There would be plenty of opportunities later.
“Don’t go. It’s freezing in the mountains. What if you get sick again?” Yun Niang held her back too. There wasn’t much she could do by going anyway. Shen Yourong nodded helplessly. She had acted on impulse, but she just couldn’t stop worrying.
“What happened now? On a cold day like this, why’s everyone gathered at the village entrance? Aren’t you cold?”
As the villagers prepared to act, Xu Changnian appeared at the entrance to the village, carrying a bamboo basket and dragging the fishing net behind him.