80s Transmigration: The Young Widow's Hustle to Riches

Chapter 411 - 409: Beginner’s Luck

Li Xiangyang jumped to his feet, excitedly fumbling with the rod as he pulled it up. A yellowhead catfish followed the line out of the water, thrashing its tail violently in mid-air.

Lin Changyou quickly scooped up the catfish with a landing net. He looked even happier than if he’d caught the fish himself, clapping Li Xiangyang on the shoulder. "Not bad, not bad. You’re a natural. I only had to teach you once and you’ve already got it."

Having caught a yellowhead catfish on his first try, Li Xiangyang’s lips curved into a joyful smile. "Dad, you’re a great teacher."

Hearing this, Old Li’s mouth twitched. ’It’s like I raised this son for nothing,’ he thought. ’That brat. I’ve taught you so much, and I’ve never heard you say that once.’

Li Xiangyang cheerfully placed the catfish into the fish basket. Noticing the small river shrimp in a wooden basin, he asked, "Dad, are the river shrimp for bait too?"

Lin Changyou smiled. "Little Lan likes to eat them, so I netted a few. But for fishing, yellowhead catfish, regular catfish, they all love them."

Li Xiangyang nodded, baited his hook again, and cast his line into a different part of the river, settling down to wait for another bite. But he had only been sitting for a moment when he got another one. He happily reeled it in.

His face lit up with excitement. "Haha, another yellowhead catfish!"

Old Li nodded with a smile. "Not bad. Beginner’s luck is always the best."

Lin Changyou also nodded and smiled. "That’s right, a new hand brings good fortune!"

Having caught two yellowhead catfish in a row, Li Xiangyang’s confidence soared. He decided to try for a different kind of fish, so he found an earthworm in the bamboo tube, baited his hook, and cast it into the river, waiting patiently for a bite.

Less than a minute later, he felt a tug on his line. He had a bite!

Li Xiangyang shouted to Old Li, "Dad, I got one! Another fish is on the hook!"

Old Li and Lin Changyou said in unison, "Reel it in and let’s see! What kind is it?"

Li Xiangyang pulled the fish up effortlessly. It was a carp, weighing over a pound.

Old Li and Lin Changyou both laughed when they saw it. "A carp over a pound is perfect for pickled vegetable fish," one of them said with a grin.

Li Xiangyang nodded with a smile and checked the time. "Dad, let’s fish for another half hour, then pack it in and head back."

"Alright," the two men agreed with smiling nods.

Back at home, Lin Lan and Wu Shufen scraped the assorted wild mushrooms and shiitakes clean, washed them, and spread them out on separate wicker trays to dry. They checked the time, went back inside for a nap, and woke up to find it was almost five o’clock.

Wu Shufen sat up and saw Lin Lan still wrapped in her bedding, fast asleep. She gently patted her. "Little Lan, time to get up. It’s already five."

Lin Lan opened her eyes and sat up, rubbing her groggy head. She looked listlessly at Wu Shufen. "Mom, I don’t feel well all over. I think I might have a cold."

Wu Shufen remembered her daughter sneezing a few times on the mountain path. She reached out to feel her forehead and frowned. "Why are you so hot? You must have gotten a chill after sweating while carrying Wan Jiao and then getting hit by the wind on the way down."

Lin Lan agreed that it was probably from sweating and then being exposed to the wind. Right now, her head felt heavy and her whole body ached uncomfortably. She looked weakly at her mother. "Mom, I have some Keganmin in my bag. If you get it for me, I’ll just take one and I should be fine."

"Oh!" Wu Shufen hurried to open the trunk and took out Lin Lan’s shoulder bag. She found two medicine bottles and brought them over. "Little Lan, quick, take a look. Which one is the Keganmin?"

Lin Lan glanced at them. "The one in your left hand."

Wu Shufen went to the kitchen, found the kettle, and poured a bowl of water. She brought it back to the room and urged, "Take this first. I’ll go wash some ginger and boil it into a tea for you. You just need to wrap yourself in the blankets, sleep for a bit, and sweat it out. You’ll be fine."

In those days, people with a minor cold or fever would almost always drink water boiled with ginger and the white parts of scallions. If that didn’t work, they’d usually wait until they were too sick to get out of bed before going to the brigade’s medical clinic to buy some medicine.

Lin Lan said listlessly, "Okay, just give me the bowl. I can take it myself."

"Alright!" Wu Shufen handed her a pill and watched her take it. "Lie down. Mom’s going to make you some ginger tea."

"Mm," Lin Lan agreed, then unfastened her hair before lying back down. ’When people who rarely get sick fall ill,’ she thought, ’it always seems to hit them especially hard.’ Even her scalp was aching terribly.

Wu Shufen went out, washed two pieces of ginger, crushed them, and boiled a bowl of ginger tea. After a moment’s thought, she opened a packet of brown sugar, scooped out a spoonful, stirred it in, and blew on it to cool it down before carrying it into the room. "Little Lan, sit up and drink some ginger tea before you go back to sleep!"

Lin Lan pushed herself up, took the bowl, and drank it down with a few big gulps. "Mom, I’m going to sleep a little longer. Can you wake Little Douzi up so he doesn’t have trouble sleeping tonight?" Then, she added, "Don’t let the kids come in. I don’t want them to catch it."

"I know," Wu Shufen said, tucking the covers around her. Once Lin Lan was asleep, she went to the room where the children were napping and woke them. "Get up. If you sleep any longer, it’ll be dark out."

Little Douzi sat up, rubbed his eyes, and then flopped back down onto the bedding without moving.

Lin Jun, Lin Qing, and Lin Gang also sat up, leaning against the headboard, just as motionless.

Lin Hong slipped on her shoes and went out to find Wu Shufen sorting through the fish. "Grandma, how are we going to cook these fish?"

Wu Shufen quickly raised a hand. "Little Hong, quiet down. Your aunt has a cold and she’s sleeping."

Lin Hong glanced back toward the room and lowered her voice. "How are we cooking the fish?"

Wu Shufen thought for a moment. "Your aunt has a cold and no appetite. We still have a bowl of pickled vegetables, so let’s kill the yellowhead catfish and make a spicy stew. The heat should help whet her appetite. We’ll keep the snakehead alive to eat tomorrow. How about we send the yellow catfish and grass carp to your great-uncle’s house?"

Lin Hong nodded. "Okay! I’ll get my brother and we’ll take it over together."

"Go on, then." Wu Shufen waved her off, grabbing the grass carp and yellow catfish and putting them in a bucket.

Lin Hong went back to the room and said to Lin Jun and Little Douzi, who were still lazing in bed, "Auntie has a cold. Grandma wants us to take the fish to Great-uncle’s house."

"I’m gonna go see her," Little Douzi, who had been lying on the bed, scrambled down, put on his shoes, and ran outside.

Wu Shufen quickly grabbed him. "Sweetie, don’t disturb your mom. Let her sleep."

Little Douzi looked at the bedroom door. "Did Mama take her medicine?"

Wu Shufen nodded. "She did. Grandma also made her some ginger tea. She’ll be fine after she gets some sleep."

Little Douzi sat down by the bedroom door. "I’ll sit here and wait for Mama to wake up!"

"Don’t go inside. Your mom is worried she’ll get you sick," Wu Shufen said, ruffling his hair. "You be a good boy and sit here. Grandma is going to go prepare the fish."

Lin Hong and Lin Jun came out and went to the main room, calling to Little Douzi, "Douzi, we’re going to Great-uncle’s house to pick fruit."

Little Douzi hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "I’m not going. I’m waiting for Mama to wake up."

Wu Shufen came over and waved Lin Hong and the others on, saying in a low voice, "If Douzi doesn’t want to go, just leave him. You all hurry up and get back soon."

"Okay!" Lin Hong and the others were carrying the bucket to the gate when they ran into the three men returning from fishing. "Uncle, Auntie has a cold."

Li Xiangyang nodded and quickened his pace, striding through the courtyard gate. "Mom, Lin Lan has a cold? Does she have a fever?"

Wu Shufen nodded. "A little. I gave her some medicine and got her to sleep. She’ll be fine once she sweats it out."