Jiang Qiao couldn't understand, "Uncle, is this boat your own?"

Jianghu shook his head. "It belongs to the team. I used to ferry people across the river with my father. Later, when the collective was formed, the boat became the property of the collective."

Our team has an agreement with the village. People from inside and outside the mountains can give each other a ride when they need to go out. It doesn't take much effort. Few people come from our side, since it's remote. If someone does come, we just charge a ride fee, which isn't much money.

Jiang Qiao laughed, "Uncle, doesn't that mean I'm getting a good deal? I haven't even paid you for the boat yet."

Jianghu shook his head sheepishly, "You kid, we're all relatives, how could I take your money?"

Besides, I don't have any other skills, this is the only convenient thing I can do. Don't embarrass me. You can come to see me whenever you want, as long as I'm still here. We can decide for ourselves whether we want to take the boat.

Jiang Qiao nodded happily, "Uncle, I won't stand on ceremony with you. By the way, if you fish in this river, do you have to hand it over?"

Jianghu glanced at Jiang Qiao and sighed, "Let's not even talk about whether we can catch them or not. Even if we can, there won't be many. Most of them will just be taken home by themselves. No one here makes a living by fishing. After all, these fish aren't easy to catch. Fish in flowing water are much more cunning than those in small streams."

Besides, I don't have the time. I'm busy with farm work all day long, and I hardly have any time or the necessary tools.

Jiang Qiao smiled and pulled a net out of her luggage. "Uncle, look what this is?"

Jianghu exclaimed in surprise, "A fishing net? Miss, why did you bring that with you?"

Jiang Qiao explained with a smile, "Didn't I hear from Grandpa that there are mountains and rivers here? I was worried that he might overindulge, so I bought him a net."

But now it seems that giving him the net is useless. Without a boat, how can he fish?

"Uncle, how about this? I'll give you this net. If you fish, you don't need to bring it every day, just one fish every few days will do. The two old folks can't eat that much. If there's too much, I suggest you secretly take it to town to sell. That way you can supplement your household income. But you have to be careful."

Jianghu waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "Miss, this is inappropriate; this gift is too heavy—"

Jiang Qiao said while fiddling with the fishing net, "Uncle, you see, we're all out here, and only these two old people have come to trace their roots. We're usually so busy that we can't take care of them. Even if there's something good to eat, we can't let them have it."

I'm not giving you the fishing net for nothing. I also need your help taking care of the elderly. Although we give them money, it's inconvenient for them to go out. I would be extremely grateful if you could help them buy things from time to time.

Don't be shy about this. Let's try it with a net first. We'll catch a net full of fish, and you can take the rest back with you. Whether you sell them or use them to improve your family's life is up to you. I'll just take a few to my grandpa and grandma.

Now that things have come to this point, Jianghu felt that refusing again would make it seem like he was helping someone else take care of an elderly person.

"Don't worry, even if you don't give me this, I will still help you take care of your grandfather. After all, he is from our clan. Since the old man has come back to his hometown, it is only right for us, as his juniors, to take care of him."

However, Jianghu was completely dumbfounded. Good heavens, this girl looks so delicate, but who would have thought she's so capable? Once the fishing net is cast, it never comes up empty.

Jianghu knew perfectly well how shocked he was. He would never have believed that this girl was from the city. The way she cast the net didn't seem like someone doing this for the first time.

"Young lady, do you live by the sea?"

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to explain why Jiang Qiao seemed so familiar with this.

Jiang Qiao nodded. "I guess so. It's quite close to the sea, Uncle. I'll take a few, and you can handle the rest. We can't catch any more; the boat is too full. How far is it from where my grandfather lives?"

She checked the time; about half an hour had passed since they set off. After crossing the main river, they had turned onto a tributary.

Jianghu pointed to a mountain not far away and said, "Girl, look ahead. Once you cross that mountain, you'll reach your destination."

Jiang Qiao was dumbfounded. "Go through the mountains, and this is the only boat?"

Jianghu laughed and said, "You'll find out soon enough."

When they arrived at the destination and saw it with their own eyes, Jiang Qiao was dumbfounded. It was true that they had crossed the mountain, but there was a cave in the middle of the mountain. The boat passed through the cave. It was still water, but it was a bit dark inside the cave. Fortunately, the cave was not long and there was sunlight at both ends, so they could row through with the help of the sunlight.

Jiang Qiao exclaimed in surprise, "My God, where is this place? It feels like a paradise!"

Jianghu said while rowing the boat, "That's right. But this place isn't called Peach Blossom Spring; it's called Apricot Blossom Village. The scenery inside is quite nice, but there's not much land. After all, it's in the mountains, so it can't compare to what we have outside. Fortunately, there aren't many households in the mountains, so as long as you're willing to work, you shouldn't go hungry."

After passing through the cave, a bright and open space opened up before Jiang Qiao, filled with the sounds of birds and the fragrance of flowers. Jiang Qiao felt as if she had truly arrived at a paradise on earth.

There were women washing clothes on the shore. When they saw Jianghu coming, they greeted him quite warmly.

"Third Sister, go and call Third Master over. Tell him his grandson has arrived, and ask a couple more people to come and help carry the luggage."

The woman put down the mallet in her hand, quickly got up and ran to the back, while Jianghu stopped the boat at the shore.

The women around her looked at Jiang Qiao with scrutinizing eyes, making Jiang Qiao think that the people in this village didn't welcome outsiders.

An auntie suddenly spoke up, "My goodness, Third Master's granddaughter is so beautiful! Girl, you must have had a hard journey. This place is not easy to find, was it difficult?"

Jiang Qiao laughed and jumped off the boat. "Auntie, although this place is hard to find, the scenery here is really beautiful, with clear waters and lush mountains."

The woman, who had lived here for years, didn't think anything of it. "What? That's because you city people don't come here often. It's like this here. You don't see people like us in the city, do you?"

Jiang Qiao smiled and nodded, "Auntie, I envy you all. Living here, you're sure to live a long life."

Several women laughed heartily. "Look at that, city people really know how to talk. Come on, let's come and help too."

The women were dumbfounded as they watched Jianghu hauling things ashore. Was this a family visit? It looked more like a house move.

"My goodness, girl, did you move your whole family here? Tell me, how can a little girl like you carry so much stuff? It's too much for you."

Jiang Qiao explained from the side, "I've met so many kind people along the way. They've all helped me. To be honest, I find it unbelievable that I've made it this far. I was worried at first, but my mother was concerned. Now that the old man has come, I wonder how the two of them are doing."

"Look, my mother has thought of everything she could think of. My daughter is so thoughtful. I guess I'll just have to take on the burden as her granddaughter."