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Chapter 13: A Familiar Scene
After entering the house, the old doctor quickly came back out, holding a small box in his hand.
"Take this."
He handed the box to Lu Qing.
"What is it?" Lu Qing asked, opening the box to find a small bundle of nearly transparent white thread inside.
"This thread," the old doctor said, "was given to me long ago during my travels. I once saved a wounded martial artist, and this was his gift in return. I don’t know exactly what it is—only that it's incredibly strong, nearly impossible to snap. It should suit your needs for fishing line perfectly."
"Chen Ye Ye, this is too precious—I can’t accept it," Lu Qing said immediately, pushing the box back.
Something given as repayment for a life-saving act must be extraordinary. He truly didn’t dare take it lightly.
But the mention of "martial artist" stirred something in his heart.
So it was true—this world did have people beyond the ordinary.
Chen Laodaifu didn’t take it back. He waved his hand dismissively.
"Just take it. It’s useless to me. I’ve had it for over ten years, and never once used it. If you hadn’t mentioned needing strong thread, I’d have forgotten it even existed."
"Since you need it for fishing line, use it. That’s what it’s for—putting it to good use, instead of letting it gather dust in my drawer."
"If you still feel uneasy about taking it, just bring me something good when you catch it. The little fish from yesterday? Delicious. Perfect with a drink."
Lu Qing held the box tightly, feeling both deep gratitude and quiet shame.
The old doctor had treated him and Xiao Yan so kindly. And yet, he’d even thought of secretly learning the old doctor’s combat techniques. He felt truly embarrassed.
Gazing at the small box in his hands, Lu Qing made a silent promise to himself.
From now on, unless Chen Laodaifu offered to teach him directly, he would never again attempt to simulate the old doctor’s combat techniques.
"Relax, Chen Ye Ye," Lu Qing said earnestly, gripping the box. "When I catch something good, I’ll bring it to you right away!"
The old doctor chuckled heartily. "Ha! Then I’ll be looking forward to it!"
Stepping out of Chen Laodaifu’s house, Lu Qing felt exhilarated.
Today’s harvest had been enormous.
He’d gained the old doctor’s goodwill, improved his health, secured the chance to learn herbal identification, and even received a mysterious box of thread with an unknown origin.
Something deep inside told him—this thread was no ordinary thing.
But earlier, in the old doctor’s house, he hadn’t dared stare too long at the thread. Otherwise, he could’ve used his abilities to investigate it.
Coming down from the mountain with Xiao Yan, they returned to the village just as several villagers came back through the gate, carrying bamboo poles and buckets, chatting and laughing.
One of them spotted Lu Qing from afar and called out:
"Lu Qing!"
"Shi Shu! You just got back from fishing?" Lu Qing asked, noticing the poles slung over their shoulders.
"Yeah!" The man Lu Qing called Shi Shu replied, excitement in his voice. "Yesterday, we listened to your idea about using earthworms to fish. This morning, I and Da Shan went digging for earthworms and tried it by the river. And guess what? Your method actually works! Look at our catch!"
He lifted the bucket for Lu Qing to see.
The fish inside were no small amount—probably one or two pounds total.
A few of them were even bigger than the ones Lu Qing had caught the day before.
Looking at the other villagers’ buckets, he saw that everyone had landed something.
The smallest catch was half a pound, and one man had even pulled up a fish weighing over a pound.
But the man was grumbling:
"I had a bigger one—right at the start! But that fish was so strong, it snapped my hemp line clean in half. Lost the hook too!"
"Didn’t I tell you not to yank it so hard? You’re supposed to let it tire itself out. Of course it broke!" someone else snapped.
"I didn’t expect the fish to be that strong! That one had to be five pounds at least!"
"Please. It was probably only two. If it were five, you wouldn’t have even held on for a second!"
"Definitely five pounds!"
As the villagers argued over the size of the fish that got away, Lu Qing couldn’t help but smile.
This scene… he knew it too well.
In his past life, whenever a fishing buddy lost a fish, no matter how it happened, they’d always insist it was a monster—ten pounds or more.
Less than ten? That would be an insult to their fishing skill.
And now, even in another world, here he was—watching the same thing unfold.
It was clear: no matter where you were, fishermen were always the same.
His laughter made Shi Shu and the others feel a little embarrassed.
Especially Xiao Yan, whose eyes were wide with curiosity as she watched the grown men bicker like children.
It was undignified—adults arguing like this in front of two kids.
"Lu Qing, where were you two coming from?"
Shi Shu changed the subject, trying to ease the awkwardness.
"We just came back from Chen Ye Ye’s," Lu Qing replied.
Shi Shu nodded. "Ah, Chen Laodaifu. Makes sense. Your illness was healed by him—ought to pay your respects."
He misunderstood, thinking Lu Qing had gone to thank the old doctor.
"True," Lu Qing said without denying it. "If it weren’t for Chen Ye Ye, I might not even be standing here today."
"By the way, Lu Qing," Shi Shu said, "you gave us the idea for fishing with earthworms. You can take a few fish back for dinner."
"Yeah! If it weren’t for you, we’d never have known earthworms could be used this way!"
"Take mine—mine’s the biggest!"
"Ha! My fish is bigger than yours!"
"Mine’s the biggest! Pick mine!"
Others chimed in, all eager to give him fish.
"Thank you, but no need," Lu Qing declined. "I haven’t even finished the fish I caught yesterday."
"Can’t hurt to eat more! Look at you and Xiao Yan—you’re both so thin. Fish is nutritious. You should eat more!"
Eventually, Lu Qing couldn’t refuse.
He took a few fish from each bucket, tying them together with a blade of grass by the roadside.
In the end, he ended up with half a pound of fish.
"Take a little more!" Shi Shu urged.
"I really can’t take more. We don’t have enough oil or salt at home to cook more than this," Lu Qing insisted.
This time, he meant it.
Hearing that, Shi Shu and the others finally gave up.
After all, without oil and salt, fish would taste too fishy to enjoy.
With a string of fish in hand and Xiao Yan beside him, Lu Qing bid farewell to the villagers and returned to his small courtyard.
Once home, he first placed the fish in the kitchen.
Then he took out the small box Chen Laodaifu had given him.
Opening it, he stared quietly at the mysterious thread inside.
(End of Chapter)
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