Upon arriving at the edge of the rice paddy, Wenxi and Tian Shengnan changed into boots and then carried baskets down into the paddy. The water in the paddy was not deep, only about ten centimeters, so it was very safe.

With her head down, Tian Shengnan searched and said expectantly, "I really hope to catch more fish so I can dry them and send some home."

"I hope so!" Wen Xi wasn't sure if it was true or not, so she didn't speak too definitively, otherwise what if she disappointed Tian Shengnan?

Moreover, judging from how much Tian Shengnan loves her home, her family relationship must be quite harmonious. As for sending Tian Shengnan to the countryside, it's probably because her family's financial situation is just average and they are really powerless to help.

If the family could afford it, they certainly wouldn't have let Tian Shengnan go to the countryside. After all, Tian Shengnan seemed much more well-mannered than the other four, and her family upbringing was quite good.

"Fish! I see a fish!" Tian Shengnan suddenly shouted excitedly. Wen Xi rushed over to check and was surprised to find a palm-sized crucian carp among the withered rice straw roots!

Wen Xi laughed too. Since there really were fish, Tian Shengnan wouldn't be disappointed, and neither would anyone else.

Tian Shengnan put down her basket, bent down and reached out to grab it, but the crucian carp darted away to another spot. Tian Shengnan quickly chased after it, while Wen Xi smiled helplessly and also bent down to search in the rice paddy.

Since Song Lan and Zhou Bai didn't have boots, they could only stand on the bank. When they learned that there really were fish in the rice paddies, they couldn't help but look at each other and laugh.

"Wenxi, Tian Shengnan, watch your step, don't fall in the rice paddy and catch a cold," Song Lan hurriedly reminded them. He really wished he could go down and catch fish too, but he didn't have any boots.

He hadn't expected Wenxi to bring so much stuff to the countryside. He remembered being shocked when he met Wenxi on the train and learned that Wenxi had brought four large suitcases and one small suitcase. He thought Wenxi might have brought her whole family with her. Now he realized how wise Wenxi's decision was.

Song Lan decided to check out Wen Xi and Tian Shengnan's results. If they could catch a lot of fish, he would borrow boots from the villagers to catch fish in the rice paddies, dry them into dried fish, and send them home to add a dish to the family's dinner table.

Wenxi knew that the countryside was rich in aquatic resources, and that there were fish wherever there was water, but she did not expect that she could catch fish in the rice paddies in the winter when the temperature was only a few degrees Celsius. She was surprised to find that there were quite a few kinds of fish.

Crucian carp, common carp, catfish, and some other small miscellaneous fish whose names I don't know...

Wenxi and Tian Shengnan were having so much fun catching fish that they didn't even feel the cold water. They would throw a fish into their basket every now and then. Seeing this, Song Lan and Zhou Bai couldn't resist any longer and quickly went to the tool room at the brigade headquarters to borrow boots to catch fish. The villagers didn't like these small fish with many bones, but they did.

Soon the two of them arrived wearing boots, and then went to the rice paddy next to them, bending down to look for fish in the water, without competing with Wen Xi and Tian Shengnan for fish in the same rice paddy.

"Tian Shengnan, I'm going back now." Wen Xi didn't really need these small fish, so she wouldn't compete with them for them; they could catch the fish in the rice paddy themselves!

Although she really wanted to send things home, she hadn't been able to contact them yet. Sending too many things would only benefit her older sister and brother-in-law, so she wouldn't send anything nice home until she could actually get in touch with her parents and second brother.

Wenxi went ashore, carrying a dripping basket, and walked back. Fortunately, there weren't many people loitering outside, so no one paid attention to the actions of these outsiders.

Wen Xi walked to the last row of the village where there was no one and bumped into Lu Xiaoyun. Wen Xi didn't want to have anything to do with this scumbag Lu Xiaoyun and wanted to avoid him, but unexpectedly, Lu Xiaoyun walked towards her.

Lu Xiaoyun reached out and took the basket from Wenxi's hands. When he saw the palm-sized fish inside, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he didn't talk about the fish. Instead, he smiled and said, "Wenxi, it's been a while since we last met. Let's go up the mountain and gather firewood while we chat! I have something I want to tell you."

After saying that, without waiting for Wenxi's reply, Lu Xiaoyun picked up Wenxi's basket and walked straight ahead. Thinking that her home was at the foot of the mountain and nothing would happen, Wenxi followed behind Lu Xiaoyun.

And she was genuinely curious to know what kind of insincere words Lu Xiaoyun would say to her.

Arriving at the place where everyone often gathered firewood, Lu Xiaoyun walked behind a relatively secluded tree, stopped, and turned to look at Wen Xi.

Wen Xi pretended not to understand and looked at Lu Xiaoyun, asking in confusion, "Lu Xiaoyun, what do you want me to do up the mountain? The fish in my basket are dying, and I need to hurry back to deal with them!"

“Wenxi, I like you, and I want to be your girlfriend.” Lu Xiaoyun said directly, “Actually, I liked you the first time I saw you, but because of what happened later, I never told you about it.”

Wen Xi looked at Lu Xiaoyun with amusement. She didn't expect this scumbag to say he liked her. It seems that he no longer has Nie Xiulan as a backup and is eager to find someone to play with.

Unfortunately, we ran into her, a tough nut to crack.

Wen Xi reached out and leaned against the tree trunk beside her, looking at Lu Xiaoyun with curiosity. "Lu Xiaoyun, can I know about your relationship with Nie Xiulan? I can sense that there's a story between you two, but you said you liked me as soon as she got married, and that you fell in love with me at first sight. Doesn't that sound so fake? If you liked her, you wouldn't have fallen in love with me at first sight. If you liked me, you wouldn't have let her frame me, would you?"

"Although Nie Xiulan is married, I still feel that she can't let go of her feelings for you so easily. Lu Xiaoyun, you haven't finished resolving things before you come to confess to me. Aren't you deliberately trying to harm me? If Nie Xiulan retaliates against me again, how will you handle it?"

Lu Xiaoyun was stunned for two seconds. He didn't expect Wen Xi to be so direct. This was a question that was really hard for him to answer. If he said he didn't like Nie Xiulan, he was still waiting to marry her. But if he said he liked Nie Xiulan, he was unwilling to accept it.

He used to think that since he couldn't disobey his family's orders anyway, and would eventually have to marry Nie Xiulan, his dating history before marrying Nie Xiulan should have had nothing to do with her, right?

Anyway, he'll eventually go back and marry Nie Xiulan.

But as soon as he showed even the slightest interest in other women, Nie Xiulan would cause all sorts of trouble. Now that Nie Xiulan is finally married, she has no right or reason to bother him anymore, and he can start dating now.