Chapter 183 – Another basket of fish!
That basket wasn’t really that big, but at that moment, it was filled with fish, about seven or eight of them, each weighing at least a pound or more. There were black fish and grass carp among them.
The fish at the very top, almost falling off, was a black fish, noticeably larger than the others, probably weighing over two pounds.
Their beautiful scales shimmered in the sunlight.
“Ningning, look, you caught a whole basket of fish!” Xu Xiangdong exclaimed instantly, drawing the attention of Xu Xiangbei and others who were also fishing.
“Wow, it’s actually a whole basket of fish! Did you catch them all at once?”
“The key is that they’re not small fish, especially the one at the top, it must be over two pounds.”
“They seem a bit foolish, just being caught like that, staying in the basket without moving, not trying to escape or jump out?”
Don’t blame them for saying that. Unfortunately, the fish they usually encounter are quite cunning. Any slight disturbance and they immediately swim away cleverly.
Sometimes, it turns into a battle of wits between the fishermen and the fish, but in the end, they still can’t catch them.
To catch fish in Qinghe River, you really need experienced hands.
If you think you can just lightly scoop a basket into the water and catch fish, that’s absolutely impossible.
Because you won’t catch any fish at all. Even if you’re lucky enough to catch one, by the time you lift the basket, the fish would have already jumped out and escaped.
That’s why Aunt Hua was so sure that Xu Jinning couldn’t catch fish with a basket.
Actually, her thinking wasn’t wrong.
It applies to ordinary people.
But unfortunately for her, she was dealing with Xu Jinning!
At that moment, all the fish in the basket were clearly alive, yet they remained still as if they were dead.
“How… how is this possible?” Aunt Hua couldn’t believe it.
“Why is it impossible, Aunt Hua? You can see it for yourself now,” Xu Xiangdong retorted.
If it weren’t for Ningning holding him back, he would have argued back long ago.
Although he found it hard to believe that his little sister could catch a whole basket of fish, the fact remained.
Even faintly, he felt it was only natural.
Because in the hearts of the Xu family, Xu Jinning was a lucky star.
Lucky star, so what if she’s a bit luckier!
“I told you so, our Ningning can definitely catch fish,” Xu Xiangbei also gave a thumbs-up to Xu Jinning, quite proud.
Xu Jinning herself was also stunned.
She never thought she could catch fish.
Initially, she just wanted to catch one, even if it was a small fish or a loach, just to avoid becoming a laughingstock in front of Aunt Hua.
And now…
How did she end up catching a whole basket of fish, and they’re so well-behaved too?
Was it just a lucky coincidence, or…
Xu Jinning couldn’t help but think of the novels she read before, where the lucky female protagonists could have fish jump into their water buckets while washing clothes by the river, find ginseng and lingzhi casually while resting on the mountain, and even have wild rabbits and chickens hit the trees in front of them while strolling at the foot of the mountain…
She, she wouldn’t be like that, would she? It’s impossible, isn’t she just a cannon fodder?
Xu Jinning couldn’t believe it. She felt it must have been a stroke of good luck.
Yes, that’s it!
Xu Jinning didn’t want to become a female protagonist. She knew that most female protagonists indirectly stripped others of their luck and used them as stepping stones to success, especially in novels written by this author. So, she didn’t want to be a female protagonist, even if it came with a protagonist halo. She didn’t want to take away what belonged to others!
Meanwhile, Xu Xiangdong poured the fish from the basket into Xu Xiangbei’s bucket. As soon as the fish entered the bucket, they became active and almost jumped out.
However, this also made everyone realize that these fish weren’t dead.
But why were they so obedient just a moment ago in Xu Jinning’s basket?
Meanwhile, Xu Xiangdong filled his own bucket with half a bucket of water from the river and brought it to Aunt Hua.
“Aunt Hua, didn’t you say that if Ningning could catch fish, you’d drink this river water?”
“If you say something, you have to do it.”
“I’m not asking you to drink all the river water, just drink this half bucket.”
Aunt Hua was dumbfounded and felt extremely embarrassed. She didn’t expect that her casual remark would be remembered by Xu Xiangdong and come true.
Aunt Hua looked at the half bucket of murky water, unsure of how much silt was in it.
Could she drink this half bucket of water?
Naturally, she couldn’t.
She was just talking big.
But could Aunt Hua admit it? Of course not, with so many people around, it would be too embarrassing.
So, she stubbornly said, “I don’t believe she can keep catching fish.”
“You don’t believe it, huh? Ningning, come on, try again,” Xu Xiangdong really got into it with Aunt Hua.
He handed the basket to Xu Jinning, gesturing for her to try again.
Xu Jinning: !!!
Wait, big brother, I just got lucky earlier.
I might not be able to catch more later.
But seeing the hopeful and confident eyes of her big brother and second brother, Xu Jinning couldn’t bring herself to refuse.
Sigh, she didn’t expect to be set up like this.
Thinking this, Xu Jinning still took the basket and casually scooped it into the river again.
With this scoop, oh, she really couldn’t lift it again. Could it be…
“Can’t lift it, huh? It’s okay, second brother will help you,” Xu Xiangbei quickly helped lift the basket.
“Oh my god, caught fish again.”
“Another basket of fish!”
That’s right, another basket of well-behaved fish successfully prevented Aunt Hua’s imminent words from coming out.
“Haha, Ningning, look, you caught fish again. I told you, you’re our family’s…” The words “lucky star” weren’t suitable for public saying, but Xu Xiangbei still leaned close to Xu Jinning’s ear and said quietly.
This time, not just others, even Xu Jinning was stunned.
How did she catch fish again?
Could it be… could it be…
First time catching a basket, second time catching another, if she could catch a basket every time, then others wouldn’t need to fish.
“No way, she caught fish twice, do the fish really like this little girl Xu Jinning?”
“Her luck is so good, catching fish every time?”
“Then what fish can we catch? Won’t all the fish be caught by her?”
“It’s impossible, she just got lucky.”
“There’s a saying, ‘once is luck, twice is coincidence, three times is skill’. I don’t believe she can catch fish a third time.”
“If she does catch fish a third time, then it’s truly remarkable.”
Although superstitions and feudal beliefs have been debunked nowadays, rural people still have some belief in these things.
Maybe, this little girl Xu Jinning isn’t simple!
“Xiangdong, let your little sister try again.”
“Yeah, why not use your bucket this time.”
Others stopped fishing and just wanted to see if Xu Jinning could really catch fish every time.
Xu Xiangdong didn’t expect everyone in the village to be paying attention to his little sister.
He thought to himself, this could be bad.
If she can’t catch fish this time, it’s fine, but if she does for the third time, how will the villagers react? It wouldn’t be possible for his little sister to continue fishing.
Even if he doesn’t let her fish a third time in front of everyone, people will still secretly watch her if she fishes again later.
Plus, there’s Aunt Hua watching too, that needs to be resolved.
“Ningning, do you want to fish?” Xu Xiangdong asked Xu Jinning.
Xu Jinning hesitated for a moment and then nodded, “I’ll fish!”
In fact, Xu Jinning just wanted to try and see if she could really catch fish every time.
I’m guessing the villagers didn’t consider that if Xu Jinning catches fish every time, then there would be less for them to catch, lol.
Thanks for the chapter! 😀
I like these types of Mary Sue novels 🤣 The fish just laying there like 🧍♂️