"Brother, what's this?"
Little Yan had been quietly watching Lu Qing working the entire time. Once he finished making the fishing rod, she couldn't help but curiously ask.
"This is called a fishing rod. It's for catching fish. Whether we have food to eat today will completely depend on it."
Lu Qing swung the bamboo rod around, testing the feel in his hand; he seemed rather satisfied.
In his previous life, he had been a fishing enthusiast. Whenever he felt like it, he enjoyed crafting small rods to mess around with.
Who would've thought this skill would come in handy here?
Little Yan's eyes sparkled instantly. "Brother, you can catch fish?"
"Whether I can catch any or not, that's uncertain. We'll have to try and see. If I do catch some, then we can have fish soup."
"Fish soup..." Hearing those two words, Little Yan was already lost in her imagination, and drool unconsciously escaped the corner of her mouth.
"Brother, let's hurry and go fishing!"
The little one was already getting impatient.
The last time she ate fish was a long, long time ago—during New Year's, when Father had brought home a big fish from the market.
In her memory, fish tasted incredibly amazing.
"Don't rush. We still need to prepare bait first."
Bait wasn't hard to find. Lu Qing dug into a shady, fertile patch of soil in the corner of the yard. With two quick shovels of dirt, he uncovered what he needed.
*[Red earthworms: great helpers in loosening the soil, and seemingly useful as a medicinal ingredient as well.]*
Ignoring the information floating up about the earthworms, Lu Qing collected them into a bamboo tube.
He wasn't digging them up as medicinal ingredients; he didn't know medicine anyway.
After sealing the bamboo tube, leaving only a small ventilation hole, he slung the fishing rod over his shoulder, grabbed an old wooden bucket, and the sibling duo strode off energetically.
Just as they exited the yard and hadn't walked far into the village, a woman stopped them.
"Lu Qing, is your illness gone? You're walking again?"
The woman was holding a stack of clothes, clearly just back from washing them.
Her tone was full of surprise.
Wasn't it said that the Lu family boy was critically ill, barely clinging to life? Even Old Doctor Chen, who had examined him, had said his fate was now in the hands of the heavens.
How was it that, after just a single day, he was now lively and even heading out?
Just last night, the villagers had been discussing when they should prepare his corpse for burial.
"Yes, Aunt Wang. Somehow, after sleeping for two days, my illness gradually improved. This morning, I could get out of bed."
Lu Qing responded in the tone that the original owner of his body had used before.
Fortunately, the original owner had been a quiet and somewhat brooding type, making it easy for him to imitate.
"Brother got better after drinking Grandpa Chen's medicine!" Little Yan chimed in from the side.
Aunt Wang didn't have the time to notice any change in Lu Qing's personality. Seeing that he truly seemed better, she smiled as well.
"It's good that you're better, so very good."
She also felt a deep sigh of relief in her heart.
Over the past two days, several elderly villagers had gone to check on Lu Qing, and they had said there was little hope for him surviving this ordeal.
Everyone had been discussing what to do if the Lu family boy passed away and what would happen to Little Yan.
The elders had suggested that the village could adopt Little Yan into one family's household, with others chipping in some money for her living expenses.
By some stroke of misfortune, Aunt Wang's husband had come home saying he wanted to adopt Little Yan himself, claiming that the Lu family patriarch had once shown him kindness during their escape from famine. He couldn't bear to see the man's only remaining bloodline left uncared for.
Taking on an extra burden for no good reason was something Aunt Wang naturally wasn't enthusiastic about.
But she didn't dare outright refute her husband, so she could only pray for Lu Qing to recover.
Now that Lu Qing really seemed fine, she was genuinely happy for him.
With that in mind, Aunt Wang spoke earnestly to Lu Qing. "Lu Qing, you have to take good care of yourself from now on. Little Yan only has you left to rely on. If anything happens to you, what will she do, all alone and helpless?"
Lu Qing was a bit surprised.
In the memories of the original owner of his body, this Aunt Wang didn't seem like this warm-hearted of a person.
Still, he politely replied, "I understand. Thank you for your concern, Aunt Wang. I'll make sure to take care of Little Yan."
"Mm, that's a good boy." Aunt Wang was appeased at last.
As long as Lu Qing stayed alive, her husband wouldn't entertain the idea of adopting Little Yan anymore, and she could rest easy.
Feeling lighter, Aunt Wang noticed the items in the sibling duo's hands for the first time.
"What are you two doing with a wooden bucket and a bamboo rod?"
"Aunt Wang, my brother and I are going to catch fish!" Little Yan said excitedly.
"Catch fish?" Aunt Wang asked skeptically.
With nothing more than a bamboo stick and an old bucket, what fish could they possibly catch?
She suddenly recalled the Lu family's dire circumstances and realized.
Surely, these siblings were so hungry they were planning to fish for food in the river?
Aunt Wang quickly interjected, "Are you two hungry? Come to my house. I still have some food. Lu Qing, your body just got better—don't go near the river and catch a chill, only to fall sick again."
"Don't worry, Aunt Wang. We won't go in the river. We're just going to try fishing from the shore," Lu Qing replied with a smile.
Securing a meal from Aunt Wang would certainly be nice, but the siblings couldn't keep relying on the village's generosity.
Even the strongest bonds would eventually wear thin with time.
"Fishing? You actually know how to do that, Lu Qing?" Aunt Wang asked in surprise.
She, of course, knew what fishing was, but none of the villagers had shown much skill in it. Yet Lu Qing knew how?
"Just a little. My father used to tell me about it, so I thought I could give it a try," Lu Qing said.
That reminded Aunt Wang: Lu Qing's father was literate and often traveled outside the village; his knowledge far exceeded theirs.
Perhaps he really did know some special technique.
Still, Aunt Wang couldn't help but worry. "There's no need to rush. You're just starting to recover. You should rest more. It's not easy to catch fish. If you end up spending too long by the river and catch a chill, it'll be no good."
If Lu Qing were to fall sick again, with his frail frame, surviving another bout of illness would be uncertain.
Lu Qing heard the concern in her tone and felt a touch of gratitude.
"Don't worry, Aunt Wang. I'll be careful and definitely won't overdo it."
Aunt Wang tried to persuade him a bit more, but seeing him adamant, she finally relented. "Alright, but promise me one thing. Don't go into the river."
"Alright, we absolutely won't go in. Goodbye, Aunt Wang."
Aunt Wang watched as the siblings headed toward the outskirts of the village. Suddenly, she had a realization.
"I need to quickly let that stubborn husband of mine know that Lu Qing has recovered, so he gives up on adopting the little girl."
She hastily rushed back home, while Lu Qing and Little Yan continued walking out of the village. Along the way, they encountered a few more villagers.
Each villager, upon seeing Lu Qing, expressed shock and asked how his illness had gotten better.
Each time, Little Yan would enthusiastically explain that her brother had recovered after drinking Grandpa Chen's medicine.
This left the villagers astonished, and they couldn't help but hold Old Doctor Chen in even higher regard.
*[Such impressive medical skill!]*
*[He could even bring Lu Qing, who'd been practically on death's door, back to life. Truly incredible.]*
After their amazement, folks were happy for the Lu family, as Lu Qing's survival meant that their bloodline would continue.
Upon learning that Lu Qing was headed to the river to catch fish, many villagers offered suggestions for him to tread carefully—stating that he had just recovered and shouldn't risk exposure to cold water.
It wasn't until Lu Qing repeatedly assured them he would stay by the shore, that they stopped trying to dissuade him.
Hearing that he intended to fish, however, did little to spark further interest among the villagers.
Fishing was something everyone knew about.
Some villagers had even tried their hands at it before.
After all, river fish were plump and delicious, and it wasn't owned by anyone—who wouldn't be tempted?
But those who had tried inevitably gave up.
Fishing seemed incredibly difficult to them.
Spending half a day often resulted in no more than one or two small fish.
Even if they occasionally caught something bigger, it wasn't worth the effort.
Who had the leisure for fishing, with all the farmwork piling up? A few measly fish couldn't justify wasting so much time—not when there was work waiting in the fields.
Only someone like Lu Qing, who had no farmland to tend to, no farming tasks needing attention, and not even a handful of grains left at home, would turn to fishing to ease their hunger.
Understanding Lu Qing's desperation, the villagers didn't obstruct him further and simply offered brief advice before going about their own work.
But a few curious children, hearing that Lu Qing was about to fish, suddenly grew excited.
They followed him and Little Yan, trailing at their heels, eager to watch how he planned to catch fish.