Chapter 4: The Overlord of the Waters

"Yuniang, eat some more. The meat of these small crucian carp is the most tender and nourishing, especially good for a young woman like you," he said warmly. "By the way, Yuniang, do you know what they call this big pot of stew in Fujian?"

"They call it 'fish rice.'"

"Why is that?"

"Because the fishermen over there are also poor. They can't afford to buy grain, so they can only eat fish as their staple."

Inside the warm clay-walled house, Yuniang watched her brother carefully picking out the fish bones for her while chatting energetically, and felt as if this was the happiest day of her life. Her brother was not only so kind to her but had even learned to catch fish...

And today, she could actually eat both fish and rice, eating her fill for once...

Yuniang couldn't help but wonder if, in a previous life, she must have saved the whole universe to deserve such good fortune now...

After a while, seeing that Yuniang had eaten more than half of a carp over a foot long, as well as seven or eight small crucian carp, and truly couldn't eat another bite, Li Yuanjing finally nodded in satisfaction.

"Yuniang, didn't you suspect your brother was only pretending to catch fish? Today, don't go anywhere else. Stay home and help your brother, and see if I'm telling the truth or not!"

"And another thing!"

"As for the money, your brother will find a way. You just focus on getting healthy, understood?"

In the past, if Li Yuanjing had said such things, Yuniang would never have listened. After all, if his former self had made such promises, their only fate as a young couple would have been to starve. There was no other way out.

But now, with Li Yuanjing as he was, and with the fish and rice in front of them—enough to eat freely for several days—Yuniang felt a deep sense of security. Her beautiful eyes sparkled, and she dared not contradict him anymore. She nodded obediently.

...

With clever and skillful Yuniang helping him, weaving fish baskets became much easier for Li Yuanjing. Before long, the two of them finished another fish basket, even better crafted than the first one thanks to her help.

Seeing Yuniang about to pick up the remaining rattan strips and keep weaving, Li Yuanjing suddenly had a thought. "Wait, Yuniang, hold on. Let me think for a moment."

He carefully recalled the layout of the pond. Suddenly, he realized that using the last of their rattan strips to make another small basket would be a waste. He sensed, with his own familiarity with the place, that a pond like that likely held big fish!

Ordinary small fish weren't worth much, but what if he could catch a big one? Even in modern times, catching a big fish could mean a windfall for anglers, let alone now.

Very soon, Li Yuanjing said, "Yuniang, let's make this one bigger at the opening, see? About this shape." Though his explanation was a bit vague, Yuniang was clever and quickly understood, and the two began weaving together.

It took them more than an hour, using up nearly all the remaining rattan, but finally, a large, sturdy fish basket over a meter long was finished.

This time, for bait, Li Yuanjing didn’t bother with his "golden water." He had specially rendered plenty of fish oil while cooking earlier. Mixing fish oil, some tender fish meat, and grain—this was almost equal to modern bait.

But making two small and one large fish basket was already a big project; doing it in broad daylight might draw too much attention...

After thinking it over, Li Yuanjing simply called Yuniang to rest, telling her they would go fishing after midnight, once they had eaten well and recovered their strength.

After all, in an era when even vegetable soup was a luxury for common folk, their household eating fish and white rice every day would certainly stand out...

...

Shortly after midnight.

The moonlight was cool, and the village lay in silence. Well-fed and rested, Li Yuanjing and Yuniang set out carrying their three fish baskets. Arriving at the larger pond near the smaller one from that morning, Li Yuanjing followed the steps: first driving in a stake, then tying a safety rope.

He had Yuniang watch the rope while he set the baskets.

Splash, splash.

Soon, all three baskets—two small and one large—were placed in the water. Perhaps because the bait was so aromatic, it wasn't long before fish were thrashing into the baskets with loud bangs.

Yuniang was instantly stunned. She looked on in disbelief at the scene before her. Just as she was about to speak, she quickly covered her mouth with her hand. But when she looked at Li Yuanjing, stars seemed to dance in her eyes.

Her brother truly lived up to his reputation as a scholar. Only someone like him could come up with such an ingenious method.

Feeling Yuniang's admiration, and hearing the continuous thumping of fish in the baskets, Li Yuanjing felt invigorated. Perhaps this era wasn't so bad after all...

Once the debts were paid off, he could slowly build his business, construct a grand house, and perhaps even marry a few beautiful concubines...

Ah, such a life—who would trade it, even with the gods?

But Li Yuanjing quickly returned to reality. Fishing was only the first step. The important thing was to find a way to turn the catch into silver, pay off the heavy debts and the crushing taxes owed to the benevolent Xue, and finally be free.

Suddenly, as his thoughts wandered, the still pond exploded with a huge splash.

The large fish basket began to shake violently.

He quickly signaled for Yuniang to step back and not move recklessly, while he widened his eyes, trying to see what was happening.

His mouth fell open in astonishment.

A massive black fish, nearly a meter long, was half-trapped in the basket, struggling desperately.

"Brother, a fish—a huge fish!" Yuniang gasped, her face white as a sheet, trembling as she hid behind Li Yuanjing. She had never in her life seen such a large fish; it was almost bigger than she was.

"Heavens above, it's my destiny to strike it rich!" Li Yuanjing couldn't help but pump his fists in excitement.

The enhanced bait had certainly done its work! This was clearly a giant catfish. Although catfish weren't considered particularly valuable—often seen as pests, the source of the so-called "catfish effect"—the sheer size of this one was remarkable.

A wild catfish of this size could easily fetch a small fortune, even in modern times. Here and now, even at a fraction of that value, it could sell for three to five taels of silver at least.

"Don't panic! Don't shout or move carelessly!"

In his previous life, Li Yuanjing had often accompanied his boss and future father-in-law fishing to curry favor, and he knew a thing or two about landing big fish.

He instructed Yuniang to step back further, making sure not to agitate the giant catfish. She quickly and obediently retreated.

The pond was now a scene of violent splashing. This giant catfish, clearly the tyrant of the waters, was unaccustomed to such defeat and was thrashing with all its might.

Fortunately, Li Yuanjing had made the basket tight enough. Despite its tough skin, the mouth of the basket had not yet cut through, holding the fish firmly by the head and part of its body, so it could not escape.

He had also made sure to drive the stake deep enough; otherwise, the fish might have dragged both basket and stake into the pond.

Once he was certain the catfish could not break free, Li Yuanjing decisively sprang into action. He grabbed the thick rope tied to the basket and heaved with all his strength.

Splash!

But he had underestimated the catfish's power. Not only did he fail to lift it, but he nearly got pulled into the water himself.

"Yuniang, help me! Let's pull this monster up together!"

"Ah? Oh!" Yuniang snapped out of her shock and hurried to his side.

With the two of them pulling as hard as they could, like a tug-of-war, they finally managed to get the basket moving. Luckily, they had eaten and rested well—otherwise, they might not have been a match for this river tyrant.

Soon, the catfish's head was cut by the rattan and started to bleed, dyeing the water red, but still it struggled fiercely.

"One last effort—let's haul this beast ashore!"

Dripping with sweat and out of breath, Li Yuanjing called for Yuniang to use all her strength. Together, using every ounce of energy and their combined weight, they finally managed to lift the basket above the water.

Out of the water, the catfish's strength waned.

With a final shout, the two of them pulled the giant catfish, basket and all, onto the bank.

Even on land, it thrashed about, splattering blood everywhere, frightening Yuniang so much she shivered uncontrollably and hid behind her brother.

Li Yuanjing himself was trembling all over; his arms were numb, and he still felt a lingering fear.

What had seemed less than a meter long in the water was, once ashore, easily over a meter and weighing fifty or sixty pounds—a true tyrant of the pond.

Never mind the usual small fish and shrimp—even a child falling into its territory might be swallowed whole.

After a moment, Li Yuanjing and Yuniang looked at each other, both breathless. Yuniang's cheeks flushed with shyness, but soon her excitement overwhelmed her, and her voice trembled with disbelief:

"Brother, this big fish—did we really catch it ourselves..."