Seeing that her future brother-in-law had taken over the dishwashing duties, He Yanchu planned to go to the river at the village entrance to catch some fish. After greeting her sister and Han Qingmo, she went back to her room to prepare her gear.
Once the door was locked, Yanchu immediately entered her Space. She used her military canteen to fill up a full liter of water from the Spirit Creek. Beside her, Kongling offered a kind reminder: “Master, be careful how much of that water you use out there. If the results are too miraculous, people will get suspicious.”
Yanchu slung the canteen over her shoulder and rubbed Kongling’s small head. “I know, Kongling. Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll be careful. I’ll just find a secluded spot and use the creek water as bait to catch enough fish for tomorrow’s banquet.”
Exiting the Space, Yanchu found two large wooden buckets in the kitchen, shouldered her fishing net, and prepared to head out. Han Qingmo, resting under the pomegranate tree, offered a subtle suggestion: “Chuchu, why don’t I go with you? And maybe just take one bucket; leave the other one here in case your sister needs it.”
Yanchu waved him off quickly. “No need! I can manage on my own. You stay here and rest your leg. As for the buckets, I’m taking both.” Just as she reached the gate, she suddenly turned back and gave Han Qingmo a playful wink. “You’ll see my real strength in a bit. Your worrying is totally unnecessary—two buckets might not even be enough to hold everything!”
With that, she left without looking back, leaving Han Qingmo with nothing but the sight of her confident silhouette.
Under the pomegranate tree, Han Qingmo stared at her retreating back, unable to snap out of it for a long time. At this moment, he actually began to doubt what the Commander had said—was he really under a “love hex” cast by He Yanchu? Otherwise, why did he find her every move and every ordinary gesture so incredibly adorable?
He closed his eyes and rubbed his face vigorously, feeling a bit flustered. I really have succumbed to the “hex” of love. This feeling is both joyful and agonizing; I’m overthinking everything and I don’t even feel like myself anymore!
On the second-floor balcony, He Yannuo watched this entire scene in silence, finally letting out a knowing smile. It seems I don’t need to worry too much about Xiaochu’s marriage. I’ll just let things take their natural course.
On the other side, Yanchu reached the village river. She found a deep, deserted spot and cast her net. The riverbank was silent, save for a few dragonflies creating tiny ripples on the water’s surface.
“I hope this works,” she whispered, pouring a small amount of Spirit Creek water into the center of the cast net. She held her breath, staring unblinkingly at the water. At first, nothing happened, and her heart began to sink—could the water be useless? That shouldn’t be!
Just as she hesitated about adding more, the water suddenly began to churn. Countless fish swarmed in from all directions!
“My goodness!” she gasped, hurriedly pulling up the net. Silver light flashed within the mesh; at least twenty plump carp, grass carp, and crucian carp were thrashing wildly, splashing water all over her face. Beaming, Yanchu scrambled to pour the fish into the first bucket. It was instantly more than half full, the fish huddling together.
Eagerly, she cast the net again, this time adding just a tiny bit more creek water. The effect was even more staggering. The net had been submerged for less than three minutes when Yanchu felt a violent tug on the rope that nearly jerked it from her hands.
She pulled with all her might, and the sight left her dumbfounded. Not only were there common river fish, but there were also several large silver fish she had never seen before, their scales shimmering like pearls in the sunlight!
“This is just too much…” she swallowed hard, quickly emptying the net into the second bucket. The two large silver fish took up nearly half the space, leaving the others to squeeze in around the edges.
Yanchu wiped the sweat from her forehead. Looking at the two brimming buckets, she felt a mix of excitement and worry. Kongling’s warning echoed in her ears—this was indeed a bit too successful.
As she was wondering how to explain this rare haul, familiar footsteps approached. “Xiaochu? Are you here?” Her sister Yannuo’s voice called from the bank. “Xiang Yang and I came to see how the fishing is go—” Her voice cut off abruptly.
Yanchu turned to see her sister and Xiang Yang standing on the bank, both with wide eyes and mouths agape, looking as if they’d seen a ghost.
“Did… did you just catch all of these?” Xiang Yang stammered, his finger trembling as he pointed at the two overflowing buckets.
Yanchu scratched her head sheepishly. “Yeah, I just got really lucky today.”
Yannuo walked down to the water’s edge and crouched by the buckets, inspecting the large silver fish. “Xiaochu, I’ve only heard of these silver fish in Grandpa’s stories. They’re said to be treasures of the river; no one has seen them in decades.” She looked up, her eyes full of disbelief. “Your luck… it’s practically divine.”
Xiang Yang leaned in, clicking his tongue in amazement. “My dear sister, you’re incredible! In less than an hour, you filled both buckets. Most people couldn’t catch this much in a year!”
Yanchu’s cheeks flushed, and she quickly changed the subject. “Sis, Brother Xiang Yang, you came at the right time. Help me carry these back. Tomorrow’s fish dishes are officially taken care of.”
The three of them worked together to transport the haul home. On the way, Yannuo kept stealing glances at her sister, her heart full of pride but also a hint of confusion. She knew her sister had always been lucky, but this was beyond common sense.
“Xiaochu,” Yannuo finally whispered, unable to help herself. “Are you hiding a secret from me?”
Yanchu’s footsteps faltered, her heart racing. She forced a steady smile. “Sis, what are you thinking? It’s just luck.” She secretly squeezed the canteen at her waist; the Spirit Creek water was almost gone. Yannuo nodded thoughtfully and didn’t press further, though the doubt in her eyes didn’t entirely vanish.
When they reached home, Han Qingmo was still under the pomegranate tree reading. Hearing the noise, he looked up, and when he saw the three of them lugging two brimming buckets, his book hit the ground with a thud.
“You… you caught all these?” He stood up and limped over, staring in shock at the fish, especially the prominent silver ones.
Yanchu lifted her chin proudly. “What did I tell you? I told you two buckets wouldn’t be enough!”
Her smug little expression made Han Qingmo’s heart swell. The shock from a moment ago instantly melted into pure tenderness. “I underestimated you. Our Chuchu isn’t just a great cook; she’s a master fisher too. I’ve truly found a treasure!” he said softly, his eyes full of doting affection.
Yanchu was startled by the raw emotion in his gaze and hurried away to process the fish. Having never been in a relationship, she had no idea how to handle this. Though she had planned on a “marry first, love later” arrangement—and had read plenty about it online in her past life—the actual execution was proving difficult.
After much thought, Yanchu came to a conclusion: she would bombard Han Qingmo with “sugar-coated bullets.” She would spoil him, be good to him, and show her affection the best way she knew how—by being willing to spend on him.