I am the old, fiery-faced man from the senior department.

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The painting she left for Ben Axi.

The self she depicted in that painting was the complete opposite of her actual personality.

The wedding picture, the wedding dress... what exactly did she say to that stupid Ah Xi?!

But there's no need to dwell on what exactly Xi revealed to Bai Zhou in the painting.

Now, Xi's mind is filled with the paintings that Bai Zhou just mentioned.

She, dressed in her wedding gown, was exactly the bride he had imagined.

This is telling her that they are the ones...

"gentlemen……"

Her eyebrows were slightly lowered, and her reflection was mirrored in her azure eyes.

"My wife."

Chapter Sixty-Two: The Beginning of Mystery

At midnight, before the sun had risen, the two moons were still shining.

"cluster~"

With a soft scraping sound, the dim candlelight dispelled a small patch of darkness.

He placed a small boat lamp beside his leg so that his failing eyesight could find the oar handle.

"Ugh……"

After letting out a long sigh, he grabbed the oar and began to row, stroke by stroke.

They hadn't caught any fish for three days in a row. At this rate, they wouldn't even have enough money for their grandson's school fees, let alone firewood and rice.

I have to get up early again to catch fish today... I hope I'll have a good catch.

He looked up, the hair that had fallen beside his cheeks was whipped by the wind and floated forward.

"The wind is picking up..."

It's good that the wind is picking up.

This way he can rest for a while and doesn't have to keep paddling.

If we conserve our energy, we can go to more distant waters to catch fish later.

Some small boats drifted past his boat; they were all returning with the night tide. But no matter whose boat it was, they all looked empty.

"Hey, Old Wang, going out early again?"

He recognized the old man in the boat coming towards them; he was an acquaintance of his, and the one who had gone to fight with the brat last time was his son.

"Yes, if we don't go early, we might not even catch a small shrimp."

"Hey, these past two days, let alone shrimp, we haven't even seen a single river fish."

The old man across from him sighed, but he didn't respond.

These past few days have been tough for everyone.

He didn't know what had happened to the river; the river fish that were once a common sight were now nowhere to be seen. This huge river was cleaner than his own door. At least on his door, he could occasionally see a few flying insects perched on it.

"I'm done, I'm exhausted."

He responded softly, then sat down in the boat and drifted downstream.

It was still some time before he reached his favorite river area, and whenever this time came, he would lie on the boat to think and relax.

The sound of flowing water filled my ears, and the only light I could see was from the boat's lanterns.

He suddenly thought of the past.

He was young then, only nineteen years old. Not only was he a skilled swimmer, but he also caught a lot of fish every time he went out to fish with his father. He wouldn't say he became rich, but at least he didn't have to worry about food and drink every day.

But now... as he gets older, his health is deteriorating. Compared to those young people, his old bones are too weak to move at all.

The neighbor's second son, Xiao Ergou, was young and strong. He went out to work at the age of sixteen, carrying goods at the dock and earning a hundred coins a day. In ten days, he would earn a string of cash.

He gets up early and works late every day to catch fish in the river. After a busy day, if he's lucky enough to catch a big fish, he can barely sell it for twenty or thirty coins. Not to mention that he's been getting empty nets lately.

Sigh... I just hope my son will study hard and achieve academic success in the future, which would bring honor to our family!

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of all the random thoughts.

Thinking too much is useless. If no fish are caught in the net today, thinking more is just wishful thinking. You can't get the little devil to eat meat just by thinking.

He raised his head, wanting to see what the heavens were looking at today.

"Dark and gloomy... these are not good clouds."

The sky was shrouded in darkness, and the wind was growing increasingly cold. He guessed that today was not a good day, and it might rain heavily at any moment.

He should have closed the net and gone home, but...

As I said before, the family is already so poor they can't even afford to eat. If he stays home for another day, he and his son will have to eat tree bark tonight.

He dipped his hand into the river, and the icy water invigorated him and also put his mind at ease.

What's that line that storytellers always say again?

He gripped the oar, racking his brains over the words from the stories he had heard.

"Oh! Fortune favors the bold!"

He had an idea.

If we can catch a big one today, we can at least buy two ounces of meat for the little brat to have a good meal.

■

【Fuyu Town, Dulin Pavilion】

"Have you heard about it? That matter?"

After ordering a plate of braised river fish, Sun Yuanyi looked at her classmate sitting across the table with a pained expression.

River scales were incredibly precious during this period, and he spent over fifty coins just to have some fun.

Which one?

Huang Chang had just finished get off work and was still in his constable uniform when his gossipy friend dragged him over to ask about those strange tales.

"It's about that wrecked ship that drifted back last night."

Sun Yuanyi knew that this matter could not be publicized, so he spoke to him in a low voice.

"Now everyone knows that demons are causing trouble, monsters are eating people, the river god is angry... all sorts of rumors have spread."

"Old Huang, give me the rundown, has the government found anything?"

"Oh, about that."

Huang Chang took a sip of tea, then shook his head.

"Where can I check?"

"The ship was chewed to pieces, and there was no blood or evidence left inside. The people were gone too."

"The river is so big, where can the government's dozen or so constables possibly investigate?"

"Neither the living nor the dead could be found. Even if the coroner came in person, he wouldn't be able to find a single clue, let alone the magistrate."

Huang Chang sighed softly.

"However, someone did figure out whose ship it was."

"?who?"

Sun Yuanyi immediately asked curiously.

"Old Wang from the east of the city."

"That grumpy old bird?"

Sun Yuanyi remembered it after her friend mentioned it.

That stubborn Li Boli.

"I heard that all that's left in his family is him and his young grandson who is still in school."

"That's right."

After drinking the tea in his cup, Huang Chang sighed deeply.

“My father died in the river when he was young. His wife also fell ill after going on a boat trip with him. His son finally grew up and got a wife, but then his son drowned while saving someone. The white-haired man burys the black-haired man.”

"The reward of official robes was issued, but his daughter-in-law ran off with the money, leaving him with his infant grandson."

Given such experiences, it's no wonder he developed that strange temper.

Sun Yuanyi shook his head and sighed.

"What about Old Wang's little grandson? Should we send him to an orphanage?"

"The government sent people to investigate."

"Oh, thanks, waiter."

As the two were talking, the prepared river fish was brought up.

“Come, Kuan Yi, try this fifty-six-coin river fish.”

"It looks pretty good. It's just that these scales have become increasingly difficult to catch these days."

Their attention shifted from gossip to the food.

"Yes. I think the theory that a man-eating beast appeared in the river is more plausible."

"Perhaps. But how big of a beast would it have to bite a five- or six-meter-long boat like that?"