Siheyuan (courtyard house): My father, Li Yunlong!

Li Zhenhua had anticipated this move, and without even raising his head, he continued to stare at the water and spoke slowly.

"Uncle, look at you! We're neighbors, so giving you one for free wouldn't be a problem. But this bait cost me a lot of money; it's a special formula, and you've seen how effective it is. It covers my costs too! How about this, I'll sell it to you cheap, at half the market price? It'll definitely be fresher and cheaper than at the market!"

When Yan Bugui heard that money was required, the smile on his face froze instantly. In his heart, he cursed Li Zhenhua countless times as a "stingy bastard" and a "money-grubber".

But looking at the plump fish and smelling its tempting fishy aroma, his stomach rumbled with cravings.

After hesitating for a long time, he gritted his teeth, pointed to the smallest crucian carp in the bucket (which actually weighed more than half a pound), and said with heartache.

"Well... okay then! I'll take the small one! How much?"

Li Zhenhua quoted a price, which was indeed much lower than the market price.

Yan Bugui shakily pulled out a few small bills from his inner pocket, counted them several times, and reluctantly handed them to Li Zhenhua. Then, as if holding a treasure, he put the small fish into his empty fish basket.

Their transaction had already attracted the attention of several other fishermen on the riverbank.

When everyone saw Li Zhenhua's amazing catch and witnessed him actually selling fish to Yan Bugui at a reasonable price, they immediately gathered around.

"Young man, are you selling these fish? Give me two big ones!"

"This grass carp is so fat! I want one!"

"Dude, you're really lucky! How much for this fish?"

Before long, the dozen or so large fish in Li Zhenhua's bucket were snapped up by anglers who had come after hearing the news.

Li Zhenhua weighed the change he had earned from selling fish in his hand. Although it wasn't much, he felt quite pleased.

He glanced at the two medium-sized crucian carp remaining in the bucket and decided to fish a little longer to make a pot of delicious fish soup, which he would then send to his mother, Xiuqin, that evening.

He rebaited the line, cast it into the water, and casually glanced across the riverbank.

Just then, two figures walking side by side in the distance caught his attention.

The man was tall and thin, wearing a fashionable polyester shirt, with his hair slicked back and shiny. He was standing to the side, smiling broadly as he spoke to the woman next to him. Who else could it be but Xu Damao?

Looking at the woman, she was about twenty years old, wearing a simple floral dress with a light-colored cardigan over it. She had fair skin and a gentle temperament, and looked like a girl from a good family.

She listened to Xu Damao speak with little expression on her face, only nodding politely occasionally, but her eyes were somewhat unfocused, clearly not very enthusiastic about Xu Damao's enthusiasm.

"Lou Xiao'e?"

A thought struck Li Zhenhua, and combining his memories from his past life with the scene before him, he immediately understood.

This is Xu Damao on a blind date with Lou Xiao'e!

Looking at Xu Damao's overly attentive yet slightly greasy manner, and then glancing at the subtle aloofness between Lou Xiao'e's brows, Li Zhenhua's lips curled into a playful smile.

He put away his fishing rod, picked up the bucket containing the two fish, and walked slowly toward the two people.

"Hey! Isn't this Comrade Xu Damao? What a coincidence!"

Li Zhenhua raised his voice and greeted them with a smile.

Xu Damao, who was focused on currying favor, was startled by the sudden voice. He turned around abruptly and saw that it was Li Zhenhua. He breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn't his boss or an acquaintance who caught him slacking off.

Then her heart skipped a beat, especially when she saw Li Zhenhua's handsome face and upright figure, and compared herself to him, a strong sense of crisis instantly surged into her heart.

"Uh... Section Chief Li? You... what are you doing here?"

Xu Damao forced a stiff smile and subconsciously shifted his feet, trying to block Lou Xiao'e behind him.

Li Zhenhua, however, seemed not to notice his little trick. His gaze passed over him and landed directly on Lou Xiao'e, revealing a hint of appreciation in his eyes, before he teased Xu Damao.

"I came here to fish and relax. But you, Xu Damao, you're something else! Quietly going around like this, which lady are you meeting? Aren't you going to introduce her?"

Xu Damao's face turned green. He cursed Li Zhenhua a thousand times in his heart, but he stammered out what he said.

"No...no date! It's just...we bumped into each other by chance, chatted for a bit...chatted for a bit..."

Lou Xiao'e was also drawn to the sudden appearance of the young man.

Seeing that the other person was tall and handsome with clear, smiling eyes, he was much more pleasing to the eye than the slick Xu Damao next to him. Moreover, judging from the title, he was a "section chief," young and promising, so I couldn't help but take a second look.

Li Zhenhua keenly caught the hint of curiosity in Lou Xiao'e's eyes, chuckled inwardly, and became even more determined to stir things up.

He deliberately ignored Xu Damao's explanation and nodded slightly to Lou Xiao'e, speaking politely.

"Hello, ma'am, I'm Li Zhenhua from Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, Xu Damao's neighbor. Hope I haven't disturbed you?"

Lou Xiao'e blushed slightly when Li Zhenhua greeted her in a gentle and polite tone, and nodded in return.

"Hello, Section Chief Li, my name is Lou Xiao'e."

The voice was clear and crisp, with a soft, gentle southern accent; it was very pleasant to listen to.

Seeing this situation, Xu Damao was so anxious that he broke out in a sweat.

He finally managed to get an appointment with the eldest daughter of the Lou family. Although she wasn't very enthusiastic, she didn't refuse outright. If Li Zhenhua had interfered, everything would have been over!

"Um... Section Chief Li! We have some things to attend to, so we have to go now! You're busy! You can continue fishing!"

Xu Damao quickly stepped forward, placing himself between Li Zhenhua and Lou Xiao'e. As he spoke, he winked at Lou Xiao'e, wanting to leave this troublesome place as soon as possible.

How could Li Zhenhua let him have his way?

He shook the bucket in his hand, and two crucian carp inside splashed water as they struggled.

"Why are you leaving? I just caught some fish, it's still fresh! What a coincidence! Let's find a place to eat together later, it's my treat, how about we get to know each other?"

He said this to the two of them, but his eyes were smiling as he looked at Lou Xiao'e.

Lou Xiao'e looked at the lively fish in the bucket, then at the composed Li Zhenhua, and then at Xu Damao, who was flushed with anger beside her. The difference was obvious.

She couldn't help but smile slightly and gently shake her head.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Section Chief Li, but no need, we really should head back."

That being said, her refusal wasn't firm; rather, it carried a hint of politeness.

Xu Damao, however, felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly echoed his sentiments.

"Yes, yes, yes! It's time to go back! Section Chief Li, next time! Next time I'll treat you!"

After saying that, he almost forcibly led Lou Xiao'e away in another direction, as if afraid that Li Zhenhua would follow.

After walking a long way, Xu Damao still looked back with lingering fear. He saw Li Zhenhua standing there, looking at them with a half-smile on his face, which made him grind his teeth in anger.

Lou Xiao'e also subconsciously glanced back, and that tall figure stood out clearly under the weeping willows by the river.

A slight stirring in her heart left her with a deep impression of this young section chief who had suddenly appeared, exuding a somewhat unruly yet seemingly interesting air.