Chapter 16: Catching Crabs for Maan Maan

Gu Qingbai smiled and said, "I believe Sister Wu simply doesn’t want to continue living with such a scoundrel. It was just a small favor."

Gu Qingbai was eighteen this year, Wu Cuihua nineteen, and now separated again. Calling her Sister Wu was not incorrect.

Wu Cuihua gave him a grateful smile.

Only then did the entire Wu family march over to the Gu residence. After expressing their heartfelt thanks, they took Bao’er away.

Although the Gu family felt a bit reluctant to see Bao’er leave, since her own mother had come to take her, there was no reason to hold her back. After repeatedly reminding Wu Cuihua to bring the child over to play more often, they watched them depart.

Zhen Mi’er noticed that Gu Tingzhi was unhappy, seeming quite aggrieved. She coaxed him for a long time, yet he remained listless.

Assuming he simply loved children, she shyly gathered courage and said, “Husband, please don’t be sad. How about I bear you one of our own in the future?”

After speaking, she looked up at Gu Tingzhi with moist, sparkling eyes, eager to see his reaction.

Gu Tingzhi was stunned, his mind unconsciously imagining a miniature version of Manman.

He immediately brightened, nodding vigorously, “Three! No, five!”

As he said this, he held up five fingers toward Zhen Mi’er.

Her face flushed deeply red, toes curling inward.

Seeing her husband’s pure gaze upon her, she swallowed her shyness and nodded firmly.

The Gu family didn’t think much of Bao’er’s sudden appearance at their home. After all, a two-year-old walks steadily, and the two villages were close.

It was likely that when Zhen Mi’er and Gu Tingzhi returned home yesterday, Bao’er saw them and followed behind.

Everyone still had work in the fields to do after lunch. Zhou placed the pastries just brought by the Wu family on the table for them to eat first, while she and several daughters-in-law went to prepare the meal.

Seeing the pastries on the table, Gu Qingbai paused, a sudden insight flashing through his mind.

Having crossed two villages, why did the little girl choose their house rather than someone else’s? Yesterday, the third brother and his wife returned home, and the wife’s family happened to live next door to the Wu family! Also, the pastries Bao’er held this morning—they hadn’t caught his attention at the time, but now he realized those were the return-home gifts he had helped buy in town!

Gu Qingbai’s eyes grew inscrutable as he glanced at Gu Tingzhi beside him.

Was it as he suspected?

But seeing his third brother’s dazed, lovestruck look, he wondered if he was overthinking.

...

The matter of Bao’er was like a small pebble thrown into a calm lake; once it sank to the bottom, the surface returned to its original tranquility.

Gu Qingsong borrowed the village chief’s ox cart and planned to go to town again with the second brother to sell the fish Gu Tingzhi had caught last night.

They saved two fish for dinner.

Having learned from the last time they sold wild boar meat, the brothers didn’t plan to set up a stall today but took two baskets of fish directly to Wen Yue Pavilion.

After they left, Gu Lizong and Zhou went to the fields. Lin Huiniang and Su Heflower followed to help. Zhen Mi’er had wanted to go too, but Zhou insisted she stay home to take good care of Gu Tingzhi.

Zhen Mi’er decided to try fishing again. With Gu Tingzhi’s skill from yesterday, they might catch more and earn more coins to ease the household burden.

Together with Gu Qinghe, the three each carried a large bucket, chatting and laughing as they walked toward the Changyun River.

When they arrived, they found quite a few people there. It turned out that after Feng had a big quarrel with Gu Litang last night, she grew angrier, thinking neither her own family nor the fourth branch should benefit from this.

She hadn’t slept all night and early this morning went door to door, boasting that Gu Tingzhi and the others had caught dozens of fish in Changyun River, each weighing two to three pounds!

At first, no one believed it. After all, with the cold weather, there were hardly any fish in the shallow waters, and those had mostly been caught. The deep waters held more fish, but the current was strong and visibility poor. Even casting nets sometimes only caught a few slow fish; bad luck could mean getting chilled and catching a cold.

But when they learned the eldest son of the Gu family had borrowed the village chief’s ox cart again to take fish to town to sell, they believed Feng’s words.

Fearless of catching a cold, everyone rubbed their hands eagerly, determined to outfish the seemingly foolish Gu family third son.

Alas, fishing was truly a skilled craft. They tried both nets and spears but caught nothing!

Zhen Mi’er understood the river wasn’t their property—if they could fish there, others could too.

Yet she was unwilling to fish alongside those people, fearing they might bully Gu Tingzhi.

“Husband, shall we go downstream?”

Gu Tingzhi had no objections; he always listened to Manman.

The three walked a long way downstream. Once they no longer saw anyone, they found a large stone to place their shoes on, rolling up their pants to their knees to avoid getting wet, then waded into the water.

Recalling Zhou’s words last night that dead fish sold for less, Zhen Mi’er reminded Gu Tingzhi, who had already reached the river’s center, “Husband, let’s not spear the fish to death if we can help it.”

Tilting his head, Gu Tingzhi thought: not killing the fish with the spear means he can catch them with his hands?

Manman had given him the fish spear, and he had thought it was to kill the fish. Yesterday, many weren’t dead, and he wanted to spear them again.

He nodded vigorously, eyes shining, eager to try.

Zhen Mi’er, worried he had gone too far, dared not blink as she watched him, completely distracted from checking for fish nearby.

Gu Qinghe was bolder and had already reached the river’s center without realizing it. Her pants, rolled up in vain, were soaked as she stood immersed in the water, just like Gu Tingzhi.

Suddenly, she let out a cry. Fearing something had happened, Zhen Mi’er hurried toward her.

After a few steps, she saw Gu Qinghe bent down, holding a large crab by its two claws, grinning from ear to ear. “Third brother, third sister-in-law, look! I caught it! We’re having crab for dinner!”

Zhen Mi’er was delighted. The crab was quite large, surely full of roe—just the thought made her mouth water.

Gu Tingzhi, seeing her eager expression, wondered: could such a fierce-looking creature really be edible? He had seen many yesterday but hadn’t caught any. Now, he wanted to catch crabs for Manman too!

Thinking this, he widened his eyes, held his breath, and intently watched the riverbed, moving along the current.

The Changyun River was no ordinary stream; it was a branch of Litang River, the longest river in Daqi. The current was swift and strong, and normally only fishing boats dared venture into its center.

Standing by the riverbank, Zhen Mi’er saw the water had already reached Gu Tingzhi’s neck and was terrified.

“Husband, you’re too far out. Come a little closer to me!”

Gu Tingzhi looked back at her, seeing she was on the verge of tears. Reluctantly, he glanced once more at the river’s center before obediently moving back.