## Chapter 18: Crucian Carp Larger Than an Arm
The Shen family searched for a long time without finding Shen Xihe and Shen Chang-geng. Just as they were on the verge of despair, they suddenly heard a familiar voice from behind.
“Grandpa, Grandma, Daddy, Mommy! The Eighth Brother and I caught fish in the little stream in the grove!”
Shen Fu and Gu Hanmei were the first to turn around, looking with excitement at their second son and youngest daughter.
The couple rushed over to the two siblings, each scooping one up in an embrace, asking with choked voices, “You two little rascals, where did you run off to?”
Old Man Shen and Mrs. Shen also stumbled over to little Guaibao, holding her hands as they asked, “Guaibao, where did you two go just now?”
Seeing the worried expressions on her family’s faces, little Guaibao realized that she and her brother had been gone for half a day, causing everyone to worry about them.
With a pang of guilt, she opened her arms to hug Gu Hanmei tightly, looking at the rest of the Shen family as she said, “I’m sorry, Grandpa, Grandma, Daddy, Mommy… Guaibao and Eighth Brother went to the little grove nearby to dig for wild greens.”
“I’m sorry, Guaibao shouldn’t have gone without telling you beforehand and made you worry.”
Seeing little Guaibao looking so sensible and remorseful, Old Man Shen immediately gave her a reassuring pat on the head and said, “It’s fine, it’s fine. Just make sure Guaibao doesn’t do this next time.”
Mrs. Shen also looked at little Guaibao with doting eyes and said, “That’s right, that’s right. Guaibao did it to dig wild greens for everyone to eat, so Grandma doesn’t blame you.”
“Only, if Guaibao wants to dig for wild greens next time, remember to tell Grandma in advance so I can have your father and older brothers go along with you.”
Things were not like back in Luhua Village, where no villagers would ever harm Guaibao.
Along the refugee trail, there was no telling how many children had been snatched and eaten by refugees driven mad by hunger… Even if they weren’t caught to be eaten, there was always the risk of being abducted by human traffickers to be sold as slaves and servants to wealthy households.
Therefore, Mrs. Shen could never feel at ease letting little Guaibao and young Chang-geng go out to dig for wild greens by themselves again.
Looking rather sheepish, Shen Chang-geng faced Old Man Shen and Mrs. Shen and said, “Grandpa, Grandma, Guaibao is still little and doesn’t know any better. It was my fault for not stopping her. If you want to blame someone, blame me!”
Hearing Shen Chang-geng’s voice, Old Man Shen and Mrs. Shen noticed that the bamboo basket on his back seemed to be holding something very heavy.
Although Shen Chang-geng was still an eight-year-old child, he had been helping out with chores around the house since he was little, and his strength wasn’t small either.
If the basket didn’t contain much, he wouldn’t look like he was struggling to carry it.
Recalling what Guaibao had just said, Old Man Shen couldn’t keep his excitement in check as he walked around behind Shen Chang-geng to take a look inside the basket on his back…
Upon looking, he saw that the contents were covered with a thick layer of pine needles and tree leaves on top.
However, as Old Man Shen leaned in closer, he caught a faint scent of fish mingling with the pine fragrance.
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Old Man Shen looked at Shen Chang-geng and asked in a low voice, “Chang-geng, did you and Guaibao really catch fish?”
Shen Chang-geng glanced around their surroundings first before replying in a hushed voice, “Grandpa, we really caught them, and we caught a whole bunch!”
“My sister and I originally wanted to go dig for wild greens, but all the greens in the grove had already been dug up by others.”
“We were about to head back when my sister suddenly noticed something thrashing about in the stream. She went over to take a look and found that the stream was full of massive crucian carp even longer than my arm!”