Chapter 11: Fishing in the River

"How long do we have to walk today? Big sister, Beibei wants to eat wild fruits, the kind that are sour and sweet. We haven't seen a forest in a long time. Brother Feng said that only when we see a forest can we eat our fill. Is that true?"

Qin Xiangnuan held the little baby in her arms, and Beibei lay obediently on her shoulder, mumbling with a pouty look on her face.

"Yeah, Beibei, just be patient. It probably won't take long."

According to Qin Xiangnuan's prediction, this flat stretch would take at least half a day to complete. Everyone in the General's Mansion was barely mustering their energy to keep going. A long, hopeless path was prone to wearing down one's will; this kind of mental torture was far more painful than physical.

This is also another meaning of exile.

Qin Xiangnuan suppressed her expression, but suddenly heard the sound of running water. She had been walking ahead, but she stopped. Qin Feng caught up with her and asked with a tired look on his face, "Cousin, are you tired? Let me hold you for a while, Beibei. You're already thin, and you're being too stubborn."

"Cousin, did you hear any sound?"

Qin Xiangnuan stopped him from carrying Beibei over, raised her chin, and pointed forward with a pout.

The two held their breath, and the sound of the rushing water became clearer.

Qin Feng ran over excitedly, and soon he was waving his arms happily, shouting loudly, "It's a small river, there is a small river ahead!"

"Let's go faster and take a look!"

Qin Xiangnuan handed Beibei to Liu and quickly followed Qin Feng.

After passing a flat road, the scenery before them suddenly opened up, revealing a wide river. Seeing them stop, the leading official approached Qin Xiangnuan and said, "Miss Third, your constant stopping and starting these past few days has really slowed down your progress. If we continue at this pace, how long will it take us to reach the border? We brothers will make it easier for you, so please don't make things difficult for us."

"If we continue down this river, we'll reach the post station in another seven or eight days. Why not go there..."

Qin Xiangnuan could see that the officer was getting a little impatient.

Even if they were given money, they were still on duty. One day late would mean they would return to the capital one day later.

Things in the government office change rapidly, and you might miss some lucrative jobs when you return.

They'd been without game for days, and the General's Mansion was constantly plagued by problems. They hadn't received any more silver to compensate, so it was inevitable that they were irritable and dissatisfied. Qin Xiangnuan's eyes rolled slightly, but she didn't argue. She simply bowed and said in a soft and gentle tone, "Your Excellency is right, but you can see that everyone is too weak to walk any further. Even if we were to urge them on and whip them, I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to walk any faster than half a day."

"I see the river is clear, so there must be fish swimming in it."

"Why don't you give us a few more hours? Cousin Feng and I will go catch some fish and bring them back as a present to the officers. If we're lucky and there's a lot of fish, we can all have a good meal. Once we're well fed, we'll naturally travel faster. What do you think?"

Seeing him wavering, Qin Xiangnuan pointed to a spacious open space in front and said considerately, "You adults don't have to do anything, just wait. We will do all the rough and tiring work."

"In that case, let's wait another half day..."

The officer swallowed his saliva. He had been eating only bland food these days, so he couldn't help but feel a little greedy.

Qin Xiangnuan got his consent and called Qin Feng, who was eager to try. He and he picked up two wooden sticks on the ground and rubbed them on the stones to make sharp points. The two of them rolled up their trouser legs and walked slowly towards the river.

The wound on my second uncle’s leg hasn’t healed yet, so he naturally can’t go into the water.

Qin Feng patted his chest, taking on the responsibility, and said with confidence and pride, "Don't worry, cousin, just look at me! Back in the countryside, before I came to the capital, I often went fishing with my friends. I'm very familiar with it! No fish can escape my grasp."

"Cousin, be careful..."

Qin Xiangnuan listened to his bragging and saw a fat and big fish swimming past his feet.

Qin Feng didn't pay attention and almost slipped.

After missing this opportunity, Qin Feng scratched his head in embarrassment, "I haven't done it for a long time, so I'm a little rusty."

"My cousin is here. I'll go take a look ahead!" Qin Xiangnuan couldn't help laughing, but she also saw a backflow area where people were carried on their backs, so she walked towards it. Since there was a river, even if she couldn't catch any fish, she could take some out of the space and pretend that she had fished them to provide nutrition for the people in the general's mansion.

Qin Xiangnuan closed her eyes and went into the space to choose.

Carp, grass carp... and lobster and abalone. If these were taken out, they would probably attract attention.

"You look good!" Qin Xiangnuan's eyes lit up. She saw the two small fish in the pond and caught them. She also took some seafood. It was about time, so she wanted to go back to find Qin Feng.

At sunset, Second Uncle and Third Uncle had already lit a bonfire on the shore, and they were looking forward to Qin Feng and Qin Xiangnuan's harvest.

"Cousin, let me open my eyes. How many fish did you catch?"

Qin Xiangnuan said this jokingly, but Qin Feng's face was filled with anger. He gritted his teeth and looked back at the officers in the distance, whispering, "I caught a few, but they snatched them all away! They said it was a promise you made... There's nothing left for me. Daddy and Third Uncle will definitely be disappointed..."

"It's okay, I found a lot, enough for us to eat."

Seeing that he was depressed, Qin Xiangnuan patted his shoulder and handed the fish in her hand to him.

Qin Feng was so surprised when he saw the plump fish that he couldn't close his mouth. He gave a thumbs up in admiration, "Cousin, you are much better than me! Where did you learn how to fish? Teach me someday!"

"Okay..." Qin Xiangnuan smiled and walked back with him.

The smell of fish wafted from where the officials were staying. They were shouting, and the firelight flickered red on their faces.

Qin Xiangnuan's eyes were attracted by the fish they were grilling on the wood. Even from a distance, she could vaguely see that the fish was particularly swollen when it was raw. Could it be that the nutrition in the river was so good that the fish were bigger than normal?

"Big sister, what delicious food did you bring back?"

Just as Qin Xiangnuan was thinking, Beibei ran over, hugged her legs and acted coquettishly, interrupting her thoughts.

Qin Xiangnuan picked her up, rubbed her chubby face and said, "Sister will grill fish for you today, okay?"

When the second and third uncles saw them come back, they were very happy. Everyone was busy cleaning up and soon put the fish on the fire. The flames roasted the fish skin and made oil flower, and the air was filled with the smell of burnt food.

"Eat more."

Qin Xiangnuan handed the grilled fish to Liu and Old Madam Qin. Just as she was about to take a bite, she heard an urgent shout from a distance, "Boss! Boss!"