Xiao Heran is a very responsible person. Before, He Zifeng jokingly asked him to teach him to write. The little guy found a twig from somewhere and said seriously, "Dad, learning should not be taken lightly."

He Zifeng kissed his son as soon as he saw him hugging him and said, "Let your little daddy learn. I have some things to do. Your little daddy can teach me in the future."

Xiao Heran was an honest child; he had no idea what his father was thinking. He simply nodded, and Qiu Yu went to play with the child. He picked up a bamboo basket and first went to wander around the fields. The fields had been fertilized, and this timely rain had ensured good harvests next year—two acres of good land.

He Zifeng was a restless soul. The stream had just been flooded after the rain, and he went into the water to catch fish. In no time, he had filled a small basket, including two large fish weighing three pounds each. Passersby were envious and called their friends to join in the fishing.

He praised, "Zifeng is really clever; he knew that there would be plenty of fish after it rains." People in the village didn't like to eat fish before because it had many bones and was difficult to cook, wasting oil and seasonings. But a few children loved to catch fish and grill them. Over time, this way of eating became popular. They would kill the fish, rub it with salt, and grill it over a fire; it was tender and not fishy at all.

He Zifeng scooped up a basket full of large fish; he didn't want the smaller ones. He then went ashore.

Seven or eight people came to fish nearby. Unlike He Zifeng, who was picky and only wanted big fish, they didn't have any big fish. They didn't let the small ones go either, and they all had a catch.

He Zifeng saw Liu San from the village scooping up a lot of snails, which looked to weigh about four or five pounds.

He Zifeng said, "Hey, would you trade your snails for some? I have some fish here."

"Change, change, change," Liu San said. He only started catching snails because he couldn't catch fish. They were naturally not as tasty as fish, so he didn't even want the basket anymore.

He Zifeng let him choose, and he took a fish that weighed two and a half pounds. Not wanting him to lose out, He Zifeng tossed him a small crucian carp that weighed a little over eight ounces from his own basket.

Those nearby saw this and quickly said, "Brother He, do you want some shrimp?"

Upon hearing this, He Zifeng asked, "Where are the shrimp?" He went over to look and couldn't help but marvel at how different they were. The shrimp, each the size of a little finger, were lively and jumping around, their bodies almost transparent. These shrimp only appeared after the streams rose in water. You didn't even need to remove the heads or tails. Coated in batter and fried in oil, they were soft, tender, and sweet—better than any kind of meatball. Normally, you couldn't even get your hands on them!

"Change it," He Zifeng said.

"Second Brother He, how about some loach? It's good for men."

They traded five catties of snails, two catties of live shrimp, and three catties of loach, leaving more than half a basket of fish. They'll give the village chief three catties of loach back. Village Chief Liu loves it; his favorite dish is braised loach. They'll also give Gouzi's dad a fish. The remaining dozen or so will be kept in the water tank, to be killed and eaten fresh.

He Zifeng carried these things home. As soon as he got back, he heard Xiao Heran teaching Qiu Yu the Three Character Classic. This "little teacher" was actually quite serious, swaying his head and reciting with a semblance of scholarly air. However, the little teacher was too playful; as soon as he saw his father return, his attention wandered: "Dad, what's this?" He Zifeng first threw out a three-pound fish, then dumped the rest into the broken water vat in the yard. He soaked the snails in a large basin; if he wanted to eat them, he'd have to make him spit out the sand first.

Xiao Heran insisted on coming over to see, but when he saw the loach, he was a little scared and took several steps back.

He Zifeng smiled. His son was only a little bit brave.

He Zifeng said, "Dad will cook you something delicious tonight." He could make fried shrimp himself.

"Okay!" the little boy said happily.

He Zifeng took the loach and the fish he had just caught outside and gave the fish to Gouzi's father first.

After receiving the message, Gouzi's father insisted on having a drink with him, but He Zifeng refused. Last time, after drinking, he had bullied Qiuyu quite a bit, and his wife wouldn't let him drink anymore. If he dared to disobey again, Qiuyu would be angry. After being refused repeatedly, he finally went to see Village Chief Liuzi.

The village chief's eyes lit up when he saw the loach, which was about two fingers thick. "What a find!" he exclaimed. He immediately told his wife to prepare it; he wanted to braise it in soy sauce. He even insisted on taking a bowl home for He Zifeng. He Zifeng, however, disliked the muddy taste of the loach and refused.

The village chief of Liuzi Village said in a serious tone: "You can only eat such fat loaches in the autumn, but he just doesn't know how to appreciate them."

The village chief of Liuzi Village had always thought highly of He Zifeng, and now that He Zifeng was rising rapidly in rank, he treated him even more as the most promising young man in Chishui Village.

They have endless things to say to him. According to the village chief's wife, they are even closer to him than to their own son.

He said, "Your father is such a worry." He sold off his ancestral property. The old folks of the He family come to him every day to complain about how unfilial the younger generation is, selling off what their ancestors left behind.

He Zifeng said, "Now that he has money, things should be better."

The village chief of Liuzi Village said, "If only he could just shut up. A few days ago, he hired a matchmaker to arrange a marriage. He's so old, and instead of finding someone to rely on for his two young children, he wants to find a woman first. He said a widow would be fine, but she can't have children. Who would be so foolish as to marry him? That matchmaker is close to my wife, and she came back and said a few words to him, saying he wouldn't do such a sinful thing!"

He Zifeng was speechless at his father's behavior; he couldn't live without women his whole life. He and Xiao Wanshi had been quite loving before, but Xiao Wanshi had only been gone a short time, and he was already thinking of bringing a new woman into the bridal chamber.

He Zifeng said, "He's already so old, nobody can control him."

Village Chief Liu sighed, "Sigh..." He also felt sorry for He Fan and He Tong. Their father only cared about himself. He heard that the incident of Xiao Wanshi running away with the money had greatly affected him, and now he was clinging to every penny. The family was so poor that they couldn't make ends meet, a far cry from their previous luxurious life. It was said that he didn't want to spend any money on the wedding, saying he would only give the bride's family three taels of silver at most. If she could give him a son, there would be an extra reward.

These days there are more men than women. If there were truly good women who didn't covet wealth, they would have been suppressed by those around them long ago. How could he possibly have a chance?

When He Zifeng returned from the village chief's place, he cooked spicy stir-fried snails, steamed fish, and fried shrimp that evening, which the family of three thoroughly enjoyed. Later that night, after little He Ran fell asleep, He Zifeng held him in his arms on the bed, with Qiu Yu nestled between them, and the two of them chatted in the night.

Qiu Yu was also shocked by her father-in-law's shamelessness: "He's so lecherous." Even at his age, he's still thinking about having a son with a new woman. She used to think He Zifeng was unloved, but that he treated his other sons well. Now it seems he hasn't changed at all; he treats everyone the same way, and he only loves himself!

He Zifeng quickly declared, "You're the only one I have."

Qiu Yu looked at him and gently leaned into his arms.

He Zifeng hugged his wife tightly.

...

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. It had been raining heavily for the past few days. The little guy was only able to run out and play for a while on the first day, and spent the other two days in the room with them.

Finally, it was time to leave. She packed a thicker blanket, clothes for the child, and chili sauce, saying, "Be good over there." Qiu Yu repeatedly reminded her, worried.

Xiao Heran nodded.

His two fathers took him to school, and He Zifeng had to go to work at the county government office, so he let Qiu Yu drive the carriage back by himself. He brought an umbrella so he could ride back in Brother Xiong's carriage that night!

As soon as he arrived at the county government office, he sensed something was wrong. Previously, the county government office was very laxly managed. Sometimes, not all the people would even show up, but today, despite the rain, all fifty people from Paradise were present. They all realized the situation was unusual and began exchanging information with each other.

He Zifeng looked at Brother Xiong, who was also completely confused.

Brother Xiong and Bingzi went to ask the people from the drinking party. Xie Rui came over. Ever since the day the two of them went out together, he had admired He Zifeng and always tried to get close to him. The other yamen runners didn't think much of it. After all, Xie Rui was too timid and couldn't muster any courage. Apart from the head constable who took care of him, not many of the yamen runners really thought much of him.

He Zifeng asked, "Do you know what it is?"

Xie Rui glanced around warily, and seeing that no one was paying attention to their conversation, he said, "A pair of notorious thieves have come to our county." These thieves were quite infamous; several provinces were hunting them down, and it was said they not only stole treasure but also killed people. Upon hearing that the thieves had come to their county, he dared not sleep at night, insisting that his maid light a lamp until dawn, fearing he might wake up with his head gone.

Xie Rui said, "This pair of thieves robbed our magistrate's private treasury clean. The magistrate isn't from here, and they even scattered the soil from his hometown in his bundle and left some writing on it, openly provoking the magistrate and infuriating him!" This time, a death order was given, instructing them to catch the pair of thieves at all costs.

Xie Rui truly lives up to his reputation as a member of the Xie family; he managed to uncover even such confidential information. It's quite an achievement for him; it's thanks to him that He Zifeng wasn't as clueless as the others.

A moment later, the head constable arrived. Seeing that everyone had arrived, he said, "A pair of notorious thieves have come to our county. These two are incredibly cruel, committing murder, arson, burglary, and all sorts of evil deeds. Everyone, keep a close eye on them these days. If we find them, the county magistrate says he'll use his private stash to buy drinks for everyone. If we can't find them, we'll all be in trouble."

These constables, seeing this as a golden opportunity to impress the county magistrate, readily agreed. The head constable then divided them into two groups. One group guarded the city, rigorously checking all passing vehicles and people; the other patrolled, reporting any suspicious activity immediately. The third group searched inns and red-light districts—places with high foot traffic where people could easily hide.

He Zifeng was assigned to a search team. The head constable finished assigning tasks and was about to leave when he glanced at He Zifeng and asked in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

As soon as he finished speaking, all the surrounding noise stopped, and everyone's eyes were focused on the two of them.