Reborn in 1994: Starting from the Autumn Harvest

The small river north of Anping Village connects to the Qingshui River outside. When people have nothing to do, they will fish along the banks, sometimes even forgetting to eat or sleep.

Chen Mian headed straight for the north bank, encountering mostly elderly men along the way. She made a point of greeting them and taking the opportunity to find out what kind of fish they had caught.

There were plenty of them, but they were all cheap silver carp, grass carp, and crucian carp. There weren't many of the more expensive big carp. This fish had a milder fishy smell than other fish, and it was also considered auspicious, as it was a must-have for weddings and funerals. The bigger the fish, the more expensive it was, while the smaller ones were just average.

Chen Mian observed the surrounding environment, the movement of the river surface and water ripples, and the fish caught by the people. After confirming that there were no fish he wanted to catch here, he shook his head slightly and continued to walk westward.

His unusual behavior also attracted the attention of the surrounding anglers. Everyone was fishing in one spot, waiting patiently. Some of them were not far away and chatted while keeping an eye on Chen Mian's movements.

"Old Yang, what's going on with that second son of the Red Army?"

"Who knows? I just wander around here and there, looking here and there, just aimlessly wandering around."

"I reckon this is a good place to set up a nest."

"Why bother with baiting? Just throw it in and you'll catch fish as much as you want. I can fill a bucket with fish in a day."

"Hey! That second kid stopped over by the bridge pier."

Chen Mian looked at the river surface and smiled with satisfaction. The water flow showed distinct differences in speed and pace, with some parts of the water surface being high and others being low, which indicated that there was a complex and chaotic rock structure underground.

He then took a few more steps forward and stared intently at an underwater stone platform that was faintly visible near the third row of bridge piers.

This was the auspicious place he had been searching for.

He immediately put down the stool, which was a true family heirloom left by his grandfather.

Because artificial lures are used, there is no need for much preparation. Simply hold the rod with both hands and let the fishing line drop vertically, ready for a straightforward and brutal encounter with the mandarin fish, banging on the door.

"Young man, why did you choose such a remote spot? Your Uncle Zhao didn't catch many fish here the other day." The speaker was a tall, thin old man wearing a straw hat and reading glasses.

When Chen Mian saw that it was Grandpa Yang Baoyuan, she immediately smiled. This old man was a primary school teacher in the village in his younger days, and he was highly respected. He had even taught her father to read. This bamboo pole was a gift from him.

"Grandpa, I didn't work in the fields today, and I was just killing time, so I thought I'd come over and have some fun."

Yang Baoyuan recalled the way Chen Mian carried the pole and bucket, swaying back and forth, which didn't seem like a casual act.

But watching Chen Mian flick the fishing rod every two seconds, it was really hard to understand.

Normally, fishing rods are quite heavy, and most people just wait patiently while fishing; the fish will bite on their own without much effort. Chen Mian's behavior is really incomprehensible.

"Hey kid, what kind of fishing method is that? Why are you moving around so much? You're going to kill all the fish..."

Before he could finish speaking, his pupils suddenly contracted, the fishing rod jerked violently, and a thought flashed through his mind: "I've got a fish on the hook."

"Hurry up, the fish is here."

He had been curious about what Chen Mian had been looking for earlier, and now that he saw that she had caught a fish so quickly, he became even more impatient and urged Chen Mian to cast her line.

Old Man Yang's sudden shout reached the ears of the others. They were already curious about what Chen Mian had been doing, and when they heard that the fish had been caught so quickly, they became even more curious.

Several people put down their poles without prior arrangement, and regardless of whether they were in their forties or fifties, or even sixties or seventies, they all rushed over.

Chen Mian, who had been holding the rod with both hands, reacted immediately. She hugged the fishing rod tightly with both arms and swung it back. The kite line was taut, but suddenly it seemed to stop.

Old Yang paused slightly, then guessed, "Is it stuck?"

"I reckon it's stuck. This kite line is pretty durable." The one who spoke was Zhao Jiefang, a somewhat portly man. He moved closer to the riverbank, staring intently at where the fishing line entered the water. "There are so many rocks over there, yet they insist on fishing there. How can they even catch anything like that…?"

Before the words were even finished, someone exclaimed, "It looks like they've come out!"

People only saw Chen Mian raise his arms and flick them left and right, then quickly step back, suddenly exerting force from his waist and hips, and forcefully jerking the fishing rod all the way up. The taut kite line "whooshed" out of the water, bringing out a fish that was violently thrashing its tail.

At the same time, Old Man Yang had already put on his reading glasses hanging around his neck. While keeping an eye on the leaping fish, he quickly grabbed the landing net and was about to catch it. Despite being nearly seventy years old, he was as agile as a young man.

"Good heavens, it's a mandarin fish."

"How could such a treasure be born in a river that's only a hand's width wide?"

"My God, my second son has struck gold! He's made a fortune!"

"I've been fishing for years and I've never seen one of these."

Yang Baoyuan stared blankly at the mandarin fish in the net, stunned. Flat and tall, with long spines and irregular spots, it was undoubtedly a wild mandarin fish.

This high-end, rare fish species, one of which is equivalent to a whole bucket of fish.

But that shouldn't be the case. He couldn't help but turn his head to look at Zhao Jiefang behind him. He had also been fishing here the other day, but he hadn't caught a single mandarin fish, let alone a mandarin fish.

His gaze slowly shifted from the mandarin fish to the net, and he sighed heavily. He hadn't seen a single mandarin fish in half a year, and this kid had caught one before he even had a chance to sit down.

Unlike everyone else who was focused on the mandarin fish, Zhao Jiefang, holding the fishing hook, looked somewhat bewildered. Puzzled, he went over and asked, "Second son, what's this yellow rubber strip?"

Chen Mian chuckled and said, feigning embarrassment, "I just didn't have any bait, so I made a fake one myself."

Upon hearing this, the previously bustling shoreline fell silent in an instant.

In everyone's understanding, fish need to eat food to take the bait, but Chen Mian caught a real mandarin fish using artificial bait.

The fishermen gathered together, heads bowed and faces hidden.

He glanced at Chen Mian's broken bamboo pole, kite string, screw sinker, and fake bait, and then thought about his own gear. Suddenly, he had the idea of ​​jumping into the river to keep company with the mandarin fish.

Zhao Jiefang couldn't help but rub his face. He was the most embarrassed one, since everyone knew he had fished here a few days ago.

Upon seeing this, Chen Mian immediately comforted him, "It's all about luck. Catching mandarin fish is all about luck. Don't take it to heart."

As he spoke, he reached for the landing net, for the fish he had caught were still unclaimed.

To his surprise, Yang Baoyuan didn't let go, looking reluctant.

"Young man, are you selling these fish?"

Upon hearing that Yang Baoyuan wanted to buy fish, everyone perked up and quickly moved closer, eager to watch the spectacle.

We're all seasoned anglers, so we know a lot about the prices of different kinds of fish. Mandarin fish is a rare and expensive species; it costs 12 yuan per jin (500g) even when delivered to restaurants in the countryside, and it's even more expensive when delivered to the county.

Ordinary villagers wouldn't spend more than ten yuan to buy a fish, but Yang Baoyuan was quite wealthy and his word was law at home; neither his son nor his wife dared to say a word against him.

Meanwhile, somewhere unnoticed, Zhao Jiefang smacked his lips. He had long been thinking about buying fish; he could make a profit as soon as he resold them. But since his old friend had spoken first, he felt embarrassed to ask for more.

"The old man has already spoken, so we have to sell it whether we want to or not. Just give us whatever you think is fair, or it's fine if you don't."

Chen Mian's exceptionally sensible and open-minded behavior drew frequent nods of approval from people, who praised the second son for his kindness and said that Chen Hongguo and his wife had raised him well.

Yang Baoyuan was already calculating in his mind how much to pay, but when he heard Chen Mian was so agreeable, he immediately raised the price again: "Whatever the restaurant pays, we'll pay. Otherwise, people will laugh at us."

Chen Mian hesitated for a few seconds, then carefully picked up the mandarin fish and tossed it around gently: "Grandpa, let's not talk about money anymore, or my dad will scold me again when we get back."

"How about this? You have some Lao Bai Gan (a type of Chinese liquor) there, right? This mandarin fish must weigh at least two jin (1 kg). Can you give me a bottle instead?"

"I'll be going out in a bit, so I'll just give it to you as a gift."

"It's just changing a bottle of wine, let's go pick it up at home." Yang Baoyuan looked Chen Mian up and down and nodded appreciatively.

Wine is easy to obtain, but mandarin fish is rare. He was very satisfied with the deal and looked at Chen Mian with even greater admiration. This child was much more mature than before and was a capable person.