Chapter 77 - Chapter 77: Chapter 72 Fishingi (2/2)

By planting this acre of corn, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about going hungry.

Hunting depends on luck.

Farming is the true path; as long as one doesn’t encounter a natural disaster, there will be a certain harvest.

Carrying a hoe, he went to the cornfield to check, and there were some weeds, but the corn seedlings had already grown taller than a person. The weeds posed no threat to them.

Qin Niu had never found farming as relaxing as it was now.

Carrying the hoe to the fields, he found there was hardly any work to be done.

“All Niu, I heard that Daoyuan Village got flooded and lots of people are fishing. Are you going?”

The one calling him was the villager Liu Shengli.

In his late twenties, he made a living by farming. His family owned two mu of infertile land and rented four mu from Wang Furen’s family.

If the harvest was good, they could live a decent life.

The Liu family was populous and one of the major clans in the village.

Liu Shengli usually ignored Qin Niu, but now he was surprisingly enthusiastic towards him.

As the saying goes, “Unwarranted kindness is either scheming or thievery.”

Most likely, he had heard that Qin Niu could sell a basket of mountain fertilizer for fifty wen money and wanted to curry favor to get the fertilizer formula.

People like that, Qin Niu naturally kept at a respectful distance.

“I still have work to do!”

Qin Niu declined politely.

His disliking for interactions didn’t mean he would offend others without reason.

Liu Shengli meant well by inviting him to fish together, even if he had some ulterior motives, Qin Niu could refuse in a friendly manner.

“Your corn seedlings are growing so well, they don’t need tending. By catching some fish, you could improve your life a bit. Come with me!”

Qin Niu was about to refuse.

Er Dan arrived, carrying a fishnet and holding a small bucket. It seemed he too was going fishing.

“Brother All Niu, Daoyuan Village is flooded; they say the water is receding. Let’s go fish together!”

Several little “child soldiers” followed behind Er Dan.

Don’t be fooled by their young age of five or six; each of them was an excellent swimmer.

They would dart into the river like loaches.

“Aren’t you afraid of your dad beating you?”

Qin Niu asked Er Dan with a smile.

“My dad approved today, and he said if I catch a big fish, he’ll reward me with two copper coins.”

“Haha, alright! 1’11 go with you guys!”

Qin Niu was only this casual when talking to Er Dan.

Liu Shengli watched this scene and thought to himself that Ah Niu was still just a kid at heart, enjoying playing with Er Dan and the other “child soldiers.”

With some effort, getting the mountain fertilizer formula from him shouldn’t be hard.

The Liu family had been woodcutters for generations, relying on the mountain to make a living.

Liu Shengli might be young, but he was very shrewd. It was said that his current wife was originally introduced by a matchmaker for his cousin, but because he found her beautiful and capable of managing a household, he charmed her into marrying him instead.

In theory, his cousin should have been very angry.

Yet Liu Shengli managed to find another match for his cousin, a flashy girl. His cousin, of course, was delighted and didn’t hold a grudge about Liu Shengli stealing his bride.

However, it was said that the wife his cousin married, while beautiful, was a lazy woman who loved to eat and dress well. As long as her own husband couldn’t satisfy her, she would threaten to go to the city to find a rich man to live with.

Now, Liu Shengli’s cousin was firmly under her thumb.

The family’s financial situation wasn’t great either.

He worked hard every day to earn money to provide for his beautiful wife.

Just last year, it was said that they had a child, but the child didn’t resemble his cousin at all.

The villagers didn’t dare to gossip about it.

“All Niu, you don’t have a fishing net, do you? I can lend you one,”

Liu Shengli offered to Qin Niu with goodwill.

“No need, no need. I’ll just bring a bucket and feel for fish with Er Dan and the others. You go ahead, or else if you’re late, all the big fish will be caught by others.”

Hearing Qin Niu say this, Liu Shengli also worried that the big fish would be taken by others, so after exchanging a few pleasantries, he hurried off.

In terms of wisdom, Liu Shengli had at best some small cunning and petty schemes.

He was far inferior to someone like Qin Niu, who had resolve and true wisdom..