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Once they reached the middle of the lake, Xu Feifei realized and said, "It seems we didn't bring any bait with us."

"I brought it."

Lin Yuan took out a small, red can of fish bait from his bag.

Xu Feifei looked at the bottle of red bait. "Is this enough? I remember that fishing requires a lot of bait, like groundbait."

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "Is that so? I'm not sure, this is my first time fishing."

"I don't really know much about this stuff, and it's my first time fishing. Whatever, fishing is just a way to relax. I'll be happy as long as I catch a big fish."

"I'm afraid not. This lake is not artificially aquacultured; it's flowing, and the fish are all wild small fish; there aren't many big ones."

Xu Feifei looked at the lake with disappointment and said, "Huh?"

"Do you want to catch a big fish? How about I book a sea fishing trip? The fish in the deep sea are usually quite big."

She went deep-sea fishing for big fish, but as a novice, she didn't even know whether she was fishing or the fish was fishing for her; the possibility of being caught by the fish was extremely high.

Xu Feifei quickly shook her head and said, "No need, no need, I'm not very interested in sea fishing. Let's get some bait and see if we can catch any fish."

"good."

Lin Yuan prepared the bait according to the instructions, kneaded it into a small ball, and then hung it on the hook, saying, "Is this all right?"

Xu Feifei leaned closer to look at the instruction manual, and... well... she didn't understand, but still nodded and said, "I guess so."

Lin Yuan handed the fishing rod to her. "Here you go."

"Huh? You're not fishing?"

"Come here."

Xu Feifei hesitantly took the fishing rod from his hand, asked again uncertainly, and after receiving an affirmative answer, she let out a little more fishing line and cast the hook out with all her might.

The fishing hook flew straight toward the shore and got caught on the water plants.

Xu Feifei said in annoyance, "Oh dear, I swung it too hard, and it got all stuck in the grass."

Lin Yuan chuckled beside him, "It's alright, try and see if you can pull it back?"

"Okay, I'll give it a try."

Xu Feifei first reeled in the line and then yanked the fishing rod hard. The fishing line jumped taut, but the hook never came back.

"Oh no! It seems like we're stuck and can't get out of there."

Lin Yuan stepped forward and took her hand. "It's not like that. First, loosen the fishing line, and then gently lift the rod."

With Lin Yuan's help, Xu Feifei successfully retrieved the fishing hook and happily said, "Hehe, the fishing hook is back."

This time, I didn't cast the fishing hook again, because I was now in the middle of the lake and just needed to wait quietly for the fish to bite.

With a "thud," the bait fell into the lake and slowly sank to the bottom.

A few minutes later, Xu Feifei pulled up the fishing line to check, and seeing no fish, she put it back. After repeating this several times, she couldn't help but sigh, "Sigh, why aren't any fish biting?"

"You'll have to wait a while before the fish bite."

"I don't want to fish anymore, you go ahead and fish."

Xu Feifei shoved the fishing rod back into Lin Yuan's hand, rested her chin on her hand, and looked at the float. She didn't have much patience when fishing, and she always wanted to pull the fishing rod up to take a look.

Lin Yuan didn't say anything, just smiled and took the fishing rod.

Xu Feifei glanced at the bottle of red bait on the boat, and out of boredom, she opened the cap, poured out the bait, and threw it one by one into the water.

"Aren't you bored? Do you want to go back?"

"It's alright, let's wait until we catch some fish before going back. We've already come all this way, it would be a waste not to take anything back with us."

"Okay, remember to let me know if you want to go back."

Xu Feifei nodded and said, "Mhm."

Before they knew it, the bait in the bottle was all gone, and no fish had come up to them or taken the bait. Xu Feifei looked at the water surface curiously and said, "Are there no fish here? Why haven't any fish taken the bait for so long?"

Lin Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Yes, I think so. I saw fish swimming in the distance when I was rowing."

"Really? Maybe the fish in the mountains don't like eating high-tech and grueling food."

Lin Yuan frowned and looked at her, asking in confusion, "What is it?"

Xu Feifei pointed to the ingredient list of the empty bottle and said, "There are a lot of chemical additives in the ingredient list."

The white clouds in the sky slowly dispersed. August was the height of summer, and the large, dazzling sun peeked out.

Xu Feifei looked up and squinted at it, then handed the bottle to Lin Yuan, saying, "Sit closer to me."

Once Lin Yuan got closer, she moved closer as well. Lin Yuan's shadow fell obliquely on her face, blocking the sun, so she lay down there.

The boat began to rock on the water, and Lin Yuan hugged her, asking, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I just want to lie down for a while, it's just that the boat is a bit small and I can't stretch out properly."

"Rest your head on my lap, it'll be more comfortable that way."

After saying that, Lin Yuan rested her head on his lap.

Xu Feifei looked up at him. Her hair was shiny black from the sun. This wig was of really good quality; it looked just like the real thing.

Lin Yuan noticed that she was staring at him, so he lowered his head and asked, "What are you looking at?"

Xu Feifei turned her head away and denied it, saying, "No."

The summer sky was a deep, clear blue, and the long, drawn-out chirping of cicadas echoed through the woods, a sound both calming and irritating. Fortunately, a mountain breeze occasionally swept by, carrying away the restlessness.

Xu Feifei closed her eyes, savoring the tranquility of the moment and the precious time they had together. Sometimes she really wished that the day could last forever, so that the time of parting would be slower.

Lin Yuan looked down at her face, tracing her features in his mind, imprinting them deeply in his heart.

Suddenly, the fishing rod in my hand moved; the float sank and then rose again—a fish had taken the bait.

"Feifei, a fish has taken the bait."

"Really?"

Xu Feifei sat up straight immediately and looked at the buoy. Sure enough, something was pulling on it. Excitedly, she said, "Quick, quick, pull it up!"

Lin Yuan handed her the fishing rod and said, "Here you go."

"It doesn't matter who comes, just pull it up quickly, or the fish will get away!"

Seeing that Lin Yuan still hadn't reeled in the line and was waiting for her, Xu Feifei got impatient and pulled the line up herself.

As the line was pulled up, the fish took the bait, and the water from its tail swished through the air in a perfect, dazzling arc.

Xu Feifei hurriedly tried to catch the fish, but it was all wet and kept jumping around, making it impossible to catch.

"Lin Yuan, save me!"

In a moment of panic, he tried to hand the fishing rod back to Lin Yuan, but as soon as he turned slightly, the fish swung its tail and slapped Lin Yuan right in the face.

With a crisp, loud "snap," it rang out.

"Lin Yuan".

Lin Yuan seemed to feel no pain as he grabbed the fish and smiled at Xu Feifei, saying, "Got it!"

"My God, are you alright?"

Xu Feifei stepped forward and carefully examined Lin Yuan's face. The area where he had been hit by the fish was already turning red and was still wet. She wiped it with her hand and looked at the red spot, asking, "Does it hurt?"

Lin Yuan rubbed her hand. "It doesn't hurt."

Xu Feifei looked at it carefully and said, "It's all red here. You should go back and apply some ice."

"No need, I'm tough and thick-skinned, it'll heal in a bit. Feifei, bring a bucket and put the fish in it."

"All right."

Xu Feifei filled the bucket with water, and Lin Yuan took the fish out and put it into the bucket.

The fish wasn't big, it looked like it weighed about 8 ounces, but I didn't expect it to struggle so much. Was it wild and trained a lot? Or did it have a strong survival instinct?

The fishing hook was cast back into the water. Xu Feifei took her bag and rummaged through it, finding alcohol wipes and anti-swelling ointment.

"Don't move, let me apply some medicine for you."

Lin Yuan felt a slight coolness on his face, but he didn't move, his eyes full of smiles as he looked at her. After the ointment was applied, the previously burning area began to cool down.

Xu Feifei looked at his face from left to right, then said, "Okay."

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "Feifei."

"Hmm? Your bag is really well-stocked, it has everything. There's an umbrella, water, and snacks. Do you want some candy?"

Xu Feifei took out a milk candy from inside and gave it to him.

"Just in case, I will try my best to consider all aspects when I go out with you."

Xu Feifei pursed her lips, turned her head away, and didn't say anything.

A gentle mountain breeze blew by, causing strands of hair to flutter wildly around her ears. The leaves in the woods rustled, and as the sun moved, shadows grew longer and longer.

"Lin Yuan, we actually caught three or four! That's amazing!"

Looking at the fish in the bucket, Xu Feifei couldn't help but sigh. At first, she thought she wouldn't be able to catch any fish, but the result was unexpected.

Lin Yuan put away his fishing rod and glanced at the three fish in the bucket, each one smaller than the last. Seeing her happy smile, he cheerfully replied, "Yeah, we're lucky!"

"We've used up most of the bait, let's go back, it's getting sunnier and sunnier here."

There are no trees in the middle of the lake to provide shade, so even with an umbrella, it's still a bit difficult to stay cool.

"good."

Once back on shore, Xu Feifei immediately thought of moving the small boat back, but Lin Yuan stopped her, saying, "The boat will be heavier if it gets wet, so let's leave it here for now."

Xu Feifei looked at the boat, then at him, and said, "Oh? Should we carry it ashore?"

Lin Yuan shook his head and said, "No need, just leave it for now."

"But if you don't move it ashore, it won't dry on its own. And if you don't secure it, what if it drifts away with the current and you can't find it?"

"Wait here for me a moment, I'll go back and get the rope to secure it."

"Wow! Wow!"

Lin Yuan looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Do you know the way? Let's go together."

Xu Feifei turned her head and glanced at the white little house, pointing at it and saying, "Isn't it over there? It won't run away by itself. I can go by myself. I'll take the fishing rod and bucket back with me."

The fish in the bucket suddenly jumped and made a sound.

"Hey, should we still keep this fish? They all look so small, they must have a lot of bones."

She nudged the fish with her hand, and now they weren't as lively as when she first caught them, especially the first one, which didn't move much at all.

Lin Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Take it home to raise?"

"Huh? Isn't this just an ordinary fish? We don't have a fish tank or anything like that at home. It'll probably die easily if we take it back. We should just release it."

"It's alright, I'll have someone send these over."

Xu Feifei looked at the fish in the bucket, and after staring at them for a while, she felt a sudden empathy for them. She frowned and said, "Let's put them back. They come from the river and are not suitable for being kept in captivity."

Lin Yuan looked at her for a long time before saying, "I'll listen to you."

"Great! I'll put it back right away."

Xu Feifei happily poured the fish from the bucket into the lake. As soon as the fish returned to the lake, they flicked their tails and disappeared in an instant.

"I'll go back and get the rope now. Wait here for me for a bit."

Before Lin Yuan could reply, she grabbed the bucket and fishing rod and ran off.

When they arrived at the door of the cabin, they made a point of checking to see if Lin Yuan had followed them. They breathed a sigh of relief when they found that he hadn't.

Upon entering the house, I first placed the fishing rod and iron bucket in the corner, wondering if there would be any tools or methods to get back here. I wondered if Lin Yuan might have hidden his phone here.

Thinking of this, Xu Feifei couldn't help but start searching. She searched for a long time but couldn't find anything useful, not even a rope. However, she did find a fishing rod hidden in the corner of the wall.

Xu Feifei touched the fishing rod and said, "Sigh! It's no use finding it now, we've already fished them all out."

The fishing rod slipped and fell when it was touched, getting stuck in the gap.

Xu Feifei reached out to grab the fishing rod, but couldn't reach it no matter what she did; it was too deep.

They quickly moved some of the clutter away, and as soon as they moved a can, the rope that had been pressed down by the can was revealed.

"Hey, the rope, I got it without any effort at all."

Xu Feifei happily pulled out the rope and found another box underneath. The box looked old and had been there for many years, but that couldn't hide its original exquisite appearance.

Curious, I took the box out, dusted it off, and opened it to find several photos hidden inside.

"This is?"

Xu Feifei took out the photo with a puzzled look. There were three people in the photo: two adults and one child.

Looking at the child's face, I felt inexplicably familiar. He was chubby and looked a bit like the lucky baby in a New Year's painting. He was smiling happily at the camera.

The woman standing next to the doll looked at the child tenderly, but the man's face was blacked out with paint, making it impossible to see his features.

Several sheets were like this, and some were even torn apart.

"Did you find the rope?"

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