Chapter 181 – Going Down the River
His little sister, how could she not be confident? She should be very confident, feeling that she can handle anything!
“Ningning, we can’t say negative words before we even start. We should say positive things. Often, some words, as we say them, start to come true. So, you should say that you can definitely catch a lot of fish!”
Now, regarding Xu Jinning’s character, the smartest Xu Xiangbei understood it somewhat.
He felt that those fifteen years, that hateful Lin family couple, had twisted Ningning.
This twistedness doesn’t refer to Xu Jinning being spoiled.
It’s that Xu Jinning was raised too sensible, sensitive, lacking confidence to the point of inferiority. Because of fear of getting hurt, she pretended not to care, because of fear of being scolded, fearing bad outcomes, so she wasn’t willing to try from the start, just obediently nodding.
Xu Xiangbei felt sorry for Xu Jinning’s state.
But he didn’t want his little sister to continue like this forever; he hoped she would be confident, sunny, and positive.
So, he comforted and encouraged Xu Jinning like this.
Hearing Xu Xiangbei’s words, Xu Jinning was somewhat stunned.
She knew that there were some issues with her character.
Though she claimed to be optimistic, with strong emotional resilience, it was because she didn’t want to get hurt, so she pretended not to care, pretended not to know, pretending to be a sensible, obedient child.
In her previous life, she would still pretend, but now, coming to the Xu family, realizing the love and care her family had for her, she didn’t want to pretend anymore, so she gradually revealed her true character.
She wondered if her sensitive, not-so-good aspects would still be loved by her parents and older siblings.
And now, listening to her brother’s encouragement and advice, Xu Jinning suddenly felt enlightened.
Perhaps she should change, knowing that she’s not good enough, she should strive to become better.
She didn’t want to live as she did in her past life, so she shouldn’t shrink back anymore. She wanted to, she wanted to try, so she bravely expressed herself.
At that moment, Zhang Ailian came over, hugged Xu Jinning’s shoulders, gently patted her, and said, “Ningning, Mom can see that you want to go.”
From the moment they talked about catching fish, Zhang Ailian noticed the sparkle in her daughter’s eyes.
She knew that her little girl wanted to go.
“If you want to go, then go. Don’t worry about so much.”
“Whether you can catch any, or how many you catch, don’t mind that.”
“Don’t feel pressured. Our family doesn’t need to rely on a few fish to survive. Just treat it as a fun outing, experiencing something new, without any burdens.”
“Yes,” Xu Aiguo also chimed in, “Even if you don’t catch a single fish in the end, as long as you’re happy and joyful while fishing, that’s enough. Mom and Dad will be happy too.”
“That’s right, the most important thing in anything is to be happy.”
“Relax, as long as you do it with heart, no matter the outcome, you can accept it.”
The comforting words from her family warmed Xu Jinning’s heart greatly.
It also brought forth a sudden surge of strength in her heart, encouraging her to move forward bravely!
“Yeah, I got it.”
Xu Jinning’s spirits were uplifted, her voice even raised a bit, and her eyes sparkled. “Mom, Dad, Big Brother, Second Brother, I want to go fishing. I want to go with you all!”
“Haha, that’s right, it should be like this!”
*
“Hey hey, cough cough, can everyone hear me? We have an announcement: tomorrow morning at nine o’clock, we will kick off our annual Qinghe River fishing event. It will last for three days, from nine in the morning until four in the afternoon. Each household can send three people to participate…”
“The fish market will also start at the same time, lasting for three days.”
“In addition, there’s another piece of news: this year’s fish market will allow buying and selling, of course, limited to fish.”
“The prices for different sizes of fish—large, medium, small—will be as follows…”
The next morning, the village broadcast carried the voice of the captain.
As soon as this broadcast aired, the atmosphere and enthusiasm in the entire Qinghe Production Brigade suddenly soared.
Everyone informed each other, and each household had already discussed which three people would go down to the river to catch fish.
Upon hearing that this year’s fish market allowed buying and selling, meaning other production brigades could buy their fish with money if they wanted them, everyone became even more excited. Their passion surged, and they all wanted to catch more fish.
Sell them well and earn more money!
The following morning at Qinghe River’s edge, it was already crowded, almost to the point of describing it as packed like sardines.
Not only were there people from the Qinghe Production Brigade, but also people from nearby production brigades.
Naturally, they couldn’t go down to the river to catch fish with the Qinghe Production Brigade, but they could watch and experience the atmosphere.
Moreover, if they saw good fish, they could directly buy them.
It’s worth noting that the fish at the Qinghe Production Brigade’s fish market every year were highly sought after.
Perhaps it was due to the good water quality of Qinghe River; the fish here were very fresh and delicious, whether fried, boiled, pan-fried, or made into fish soup.
Not only did people from nearby production brigades want to eat the fish, even their relatives in the city had told them in advance to buy fish at the fish market. Even if the prices were a bit high, it didn’t matter, because in the city, it wasn’t easy to get such good fish.
“It’s time, let’s go down to the river!”
As soon as the time arrived, with the command from the captain, the prepared people all carried various tools and went down to the river.
Those who couldn’t go down to the river cheered and encouraged them from the shore.
Xu Jinning naturally went down to the river too.
Unlike others who rolled up their trousers and went barefoot into the river, Xu Jinning wore rain boots.
These were specially bought by Xu Aiguo for Xu Jinning for her fishing trip.
It was still early spring, and the weather was quite cold, so the river water naturally was cold too.
Xu Aiguo and Zhang Ailian were afraid that if Xu Jinning’s feet were soaked in the icy river water, the cold would seep in and make her sick, affecting her health.
It might even affect her ability to conceive.
So, the two of them prepared rain boots for Xu Jinning.
In this era, few people thought about this aspect. Some might even find Xu Jinning wearing rain boots into the river a bit exaggerated because other women going into the river were barefoot.
At first, entering the river was cold, but they got used to it.
And besides, as long as they could catch fish, what did a little cold feet matter?
Xu Jinning was touched by her parents’ consideration for her health, so she didn’t refuse. Wearing rain boots and holding a basket, she followed her big brother and second brother into the river, amidst looks of envy, curiosity, or disdain from others.
“Ningning, just stay close to us. Don’t use your hands to touch the fish. The water is cold, so use the basket to scoop in the water. Whether you catch anything or not doesn’t matter.”
“Also, don’t keep bending over. Your back will ache if you do it for too long. If you’re tired, make sure to tell us and rest on the shore.”
Thanks for the chapter! 😀