Lu Ping’an naturally had no idea about all that. He had originally thought his parents would question him, but they didn’t.
“Son, whatever you do, don’t go into the mountains. There are wild boars, wolves, and other fierce beasts there!”
“Your father is starting work in the city tomorrow. He’ll come back every few days.”
“In the future, I’ll have him find a way to buy some meat for you. You mustn’t risk your life just for a bite to eat!”
“Don’t worry about dinner. I’ll cook after I get back from work!”
Before heading out to work, Mother Lu, Li Xiuzhi, reminded him once more. Lu Ping’an quickly nodded.
Father Lu didn’t say much. He simply patted Lu Ping’an on the shoulder before leaving.
That was his way of showing approval.
Soon, only Lu Ping’an and the little girl were left at home. He didn’t sit idle—he decided to go fishing.
He had already experimented and discovered that to store outside objects in the Spirit Spring space, he needed a medium.
As long as an object made contact, he could transfer it into his Spirit Spring space.
He definitely wouldn’t go into the river itself—that would only worry his family. But fishing from the bank should be fine.
Most importantly, the small river inside his Spirit Spring space was completely empty.
That was Spirit Spring water—if he used it to raise fish, the meat would probably taste even better.
There were no fishhooks at home, but that wasn’t a problem for Lu Ping’an. He found a rusty iron wire, burned it in the fire, and bent it into a hook shape.
As for fishing line, he could only use a red string from a tying cord.
“Little girl, let’s go dig some earthworms and head to the river to fish!”
Lu Ping’an smiled at her.
“No way, Big Brother! Mom and Dad said you’re not allowed to go to the river!”
“If you dare go, I’ll tell them right away and let them spank you!”
The little girl shook her head quickly. Her mother had specifically told her to keep an eye on him.
Lu Ping’an gave a bitter smile. “Little girl, do you see the tools in my hand?”
“I’m going fishing. I don’t need to go into the water. I’ll just stand on the bank—it’s very safe.”
“Besides, I’m taking you with me so you can supervise me!”
The little girl hesitated. Truthfully, she wanted to see him fish.
After some internal struggle, she said, “Big Brother, you can’t lie to me. Let’s hook pinkies. If you lie, you’re a puppy!”
Seeing her agree, Lu Ping’an quickly smiled. “Alright, alright, let’s hook pinkies.”
They linked their little fingers and said in unison:
“Hook pinkies and make a promise—never change for a hundred years!”
With the agreement settled, Lu Ping’an’s fishing plan could finally begin.
One big and one small, carrying a bucket, they headed toward the river.
On the way, they stopped and dug up twenty or thirty earthworms.
The afternoon was still a bit hot. Lu Ping’an chose a shaded spot under some trees and baited the hook.
He discovered he could draw on the Spirit Spring space’s power to sense an area about two zhang around him.
One zhang was over three meters, so two zhang was more than six meters—more than enough for fishing.
And the sensing range was slowly increasing. In the future, it might expand even further.
“Big Brother, can we really catch fish?”
The little girl widened her eyes, staring into the river.
There were definitely fish—quite a few—but catching them wasn’t easy.
The river by Lu Ping Village was not small. At its widest point, it was over ten meters across, and at its deepest, several meters deep.
Many accidents had happened there. Almost every year or two, someone would drown.
Because of that, even though there were many fish, few people dared to try catching them.
“Don’t worry. With Big Brother here, we’ll definitely catch fish!”
Lu Ping’an was confident.
Reality, however, slapped him in the face. After more than half an hour, there wasn’t the slightest movement.
Not a single fish bit the hook. Without contact, he couldn’t transfer them into his space.
The little girl grew tired from watching. Her earlier excitement faded, and she began to nod off.
Seeing she wasn’t paying attention, Lu Ping’an secretly took out some Spirit Spring water and sprinkled it into the area where he was fishing.
The moment the Spirit Spring water touched the river, the surface seemed to boil. Fish rushed over one after another, many even leaping out of the water.
The dozing little girl jolted awake and screamed excitedly at the sight.
“Big Brother! Fish! So many fish!”
Lu Ping’an chuckled and swung the rod repeatedly, flinging fish onto the shore one after another.
The little girl squealed and hurried to grab the fish.
Meanwhile, Lu Ping’an rapidly transferred fish into his Spirit Spring space. In just a short time, he had stored over a hundred fish.
Only the two of them were present. The little girl was busy picking up fish—she had no time to watch him.
He sprinkled more Spirit Spring water, attracting another large swarm.
As long as his hook touched a fish, he transferred it instantly.
Later, he found the hook too slow and simply extended the bamboo pole directly into the water, greatly increasing the speed of collection.
After storing two or three hundred fish, the frenzy finally subsided.
Using the power of his space, Lu Ping’an then “caught” a large grass carp weighing six or seven jin and decided to stop.
Today was truly a great harvest. From now on, he wouldn’t have to worry about having no fish to eat.
The fish they had pulled up earlier filled an entire bucket. The little girl was overjoyed.
“Come on, little girl, let’s go home!”
Fully satisfied, Lu Ping’an carried the heavy bucket back.
Along the way, they met several elderly villagers. Seeing so many fish, they were astonished.
Without hesitation, Lu Ping’an gave each elder a fish weighing over one jin.
They waved their hands repeatedly to refuse, but he insisted. In the end, they accepted happily.
However, none of them took the fish for free. Each rummaged in their clothes and took something out.
Most gave one or two White Rabbit milk candies and stuffed them into the little girl’s hands.
One elder even produced a small potato, only about the size of a duck egg. Lu Ping’an’s eyes lit up.
That was a good thing—perfect for planting. He had been planning to look for one.
After returning home, Lu Ping’an took a fish weighing over two jin and went to Grandma Zhang’s house.
She had often given him food in the past. He couldn’t forget her kindness.
Grandma Zhang tried to refuse such a big fish, but after hearing there were plenty more at his house, she finally accepted it.
When he left, however, she insisted on stuffing three eggs into his hands.
Helpless, Lu Ping’an accepted them, silently marveling at how simple and honest people of this era were.
Everyone knew how precious food was. They would never casually take from others.
Even if they did accept something, they would give what they could in return, otherwise they would feel uneasy.
He truly hoped this kind of simple, sincere affection could last forever.