I Have a Lake as I Walk Through the Courtyard

The news of the appearance of a kingfish in Shichahai spread like wildfire throughout Beijing's fishing circles, even attracting the attention of seasoned anglers who hadn't been there for years.

"There's a king fish in this lake? You must be kidding! We sifted through the nets three or four times back then, and we couldn't even find a fry, let alone a king fish!"

"Don't you believe me? A lot of people are saying it with such certainty! I heard that the big fish weighed fifty or sixty pounds and was bought by a food factory!"

"What are they going to do with them? Make big pot dishes? It's such a waste..." A group of people were so anxious that they were pounding their chests and stamping their feet! The entire fishing circle was in an uproar. There were four or five times more people fishing at Shichahai. If you arrived late, there wasn't even a place to put your feet.

The old man returned to the courtyard house dejectedly. The old woman saw her husband's eyes immediately drift to the fish bucket as soon as he returned, followed by a faint look of disappointment on her face.

"Don't be discouraged, old man! If you don't get one today, you'll get one tomorrow. Fishing is all about winning and losing, isn't that what you said?"

The old man put down his fish bucket, his eyes vacant and lifeless as he stared at the sky. His mind was filled with the image of that huge fish. He'd heard stories of catching such a large fish before, but seeing it with his own eyes today was a completely different experience! If he could sell that fish, he could get at least seventy or eighty yuan! Seventy or eighty yuan… The old man's heart ached so much he could hardly breathe!

"Waaah! My fish! I was just a step too late, why did you have to be so heartless?" The old man patted his legs and tears streamed down his face, while the old woman next to him turned pale with fright.

"Old man, don't scare me! Are you possessed?"

After much questioning, the three women finally got the truth out of her. Sitting with her husband at the doorway, their lips trembled. "More than 100 yuan a day, more than 100 yuan... God, are you blind?!"

At this moment, Lin Feng, carrying his fishing rod like a victorious general, hurriedly headed towards his house. His storage space now contained over 40 jin of pork, practically emptying the food factory's small canteen! A few more trips like this and riding a bicycle wouldn't be a dream!

Thinking of the cafeteria manager's surprised expression, Lin Feng couldn't help but laugh! It's just a fish, right? Is it really that big of a deal? There are dozens of giants like this in his lake, who knows how many years they've lived there. The largest grass carp weighs at least 100 pounds. Even Lin Feng considers it a lucky charm. With his current equipment, he can't even pull it out of the water.

As soon as he returned to the courtyard, a group of neighbors surrounded him. Looking at Lin Feng's empty fish bucket, many neighbors couldn't help but ask questions.

"Where are the fish? Didn't Uncle say you caught a lot of fish?"

"Haha, they've all been sold to food factories! A purchasing agent came and bought them all! It's not a holiday, why would we want to eat so well!"

"You must have sold quite a few."

Looking at the group of neighbors with their eyes gleaming red, Lin Feng smiled silently and returned to his house amidst their murderous stares.

Qin Huairu touched her belly, looking enviously at Lin Feng's back. She had been hoping to smell the aroma of fish and meat today, but Lin Feng hadn't left a single piece! She sighed and slowly accompanied her mother-in-law back to the house.

"It was definitely a wise decision to hide the things! Leaking even a small item in this yard would lead to endless trouble!"

Master Zhao had finished work. Lin Feng tidied up the house, closed the kitchen door, and went into his own space.

Inside the lakeside cabin in the space, the kitchen was fully equipped. Lin Feng first took out 10 catties of pork fat from the warehouse where time had stopped. This was something that no one would want even if given away in later generations, but here even Lin Feng was swallowing his saliva. This body was really too lacking in oil and fat.

"This is a genuine wood-fired stove!" Lin Feng threw some scrap wood he had gotten from the recycling station into the stove. As the temperature at the bottom of the stove rose, an extremely intoxicating aroma filled the kitchen of the lakeside cabin!

How embarrassing! Lin Feng couldn't stop drooling. He didn't know if it was because of the lack of oil or because the pork in this era was just so delicious. The lard was just too fragrant. It was lucky that he was in the space. If he were outside, the place would have exploded.

While rendering lard and stewing pork ribs, Lin Feng sat beside the earthen stove, adding spiritual spring water and wild lotus roots from the lake. He was completely captivated by the aroma.

Two hours later, Lin Feng lay down in the space with his belly exposed. After more than 10 days of transmigration, he had finally eaten something real. It was not easy!

Time flies, and Lin Feng finally got to take possession of the house. The renovation and furniture cost him over 200 yuan. After seeing Mr. Zhao off, Lin Feng looked at his house and realized it finally felt like a home.

Because of the huge commotion he caused last time, Lin Feng has been going to the lake less often in the past two weeks, resulting in a significant decrease in his assets. Although he has earned a lot, he has also spent a lot. After counting his money, he only has a little over 300 yuan left, but he has a lot more tickets and supplies.

The new house and new furniture made many of the neighbors in the yard envious. Even Sha Zhu was sarcastic when he saw him. Lin Feng has been keeping a low profile these days. Apart from going to work, he stays in his new home, going back and forth between two places almost constantly!

Waking up early in the morning on his warm kang (heated brick bed), the first thing Lin Feng did was gulp down a mouthful of water. The kang was nice, but the room was too dry!

Lin Feng got up, brushed his teeth, and arrived at his workplace like a machine. After preparing breakfast, he was stopped by his boss.

"Station Chief Chen, you wanted to see me?"

Chen Liansheng glanced at Lin Feng sideways. "How come I never knew we had someone as talented as you around here?"

Lin Feng was completely bewildered. "Station Chief Chen, I don't quite understand!"

"Haha! You're famous now, everyone says you're God's favorite son, sending such a big fish to other people instead of keeping it at home, you spendthrift!"

"Oh, so that's what it was about! Stationmaster, you know, I was just craving some meat, and it just so happened that the food factory's purchasing agent was right next door..."

"If I hadn't gone to the food factory yesterday, I wouldn't have known we had someone as important as you here. With the New Year approaching, we're entrusting the fish supply to you. 100 jin, remember that!"

Lin Feng was speechless upon hearing this. "Boss, those fish in the lake don't belong to us. Who would dare make such a guarantee?"

"Don't say I'm being unreasonable. People say you're God's favorite son, and there's nothing they can do about it. But you can't have gotten that nickname for nothing! I don't care, I need to see 100 catties of fish before the New Year, or do you think your brothers and sisters will agree? Giving away good stuff like that! You're really something!"

"Boss, you have to be reasonable."

"Heh! You didn't even try to reason with me when you were giving away good stuff..." Chen Liansheng patted Lin Feng's shoulder teasingly.

"As long as you can get the fish here, I can give you anything you want that others can give you!"

Chen Liansheng raised his eyebrows as he spoke. "If there are any more of those big trucks, I've got a bicycle voucher here! Want it or not?"

Lin Feng swallowed hard, trying to keep his expression steady. "I'll go try my luck..."

Hearing this, Chen Liansheng was surprised. He had originally intended to teach the kid a lesson, but he hadn't expected the kid to take it seriously. "Then I'll wait for your good news!"