"Alright! I suppose I was wrong."
Lu Changsheng surfaced from the river.
A moment ago, a long-tailed fish had successfully slipped away right before his eyes, leaving him feeling somewhat frustrated.
"Perhaps I should find some tools to catch them!"
Lu Changsheng stopped groping for fish.
He wanted to spend some time crafting fishing tools, but after looking around, he found quite a few difficulties.
Most tools were hard to come by.
As for using a sewing needle to make a fishhook, that was no simple feat either.
It was his old mother’s prized possession, the only one in the entire household. If he were certain he could catch fish every single day, it might be worth a discussion, but if he couldn't, he would feel his mother’s wrath within a few days.
And if by some mishap the hooked fish managed to escape with the needle, that would truly be losing both the bait and the line!
The cost was too high.
With resources so scarce, catching fish was difficult enough as it was!
No wonder fishing had become a primary means of survival in the village.
Lu Changsheng returned to groping for fish.
Today, Wang Heihou’s luck wasn't great. He failed to catch any fish, so his plan to sleep while clutching a book naturally fell through.
On the other hand, Niu Dazhuang, who usually wasn't very agile, had managed to grab a white carp. He held it in his arms, beaming, which made Wang Heihou look on with great resentment.
"What’s he so smug about? Look at that silly expression! It’s just a fish!"
He naturally had his reasons for being resentful.
In the village, Niu Dazhuang had always been considered the slow-witted one, usually serving as little more than a background character.
Seeing someone like that catch a fish would certainly make others jealous.
Fortunately, Zhao Family Village was relatively harmonious, and there was rarely any such infighting.
Otherwise, there was no telling what might happen.
...
Lu Changsheng walked among the group, not specifically avoiding the other children.
Integrating into society was a basic instinct, as well as a strategy.
For instance, if he hadn't spent time hanging out with Wang Heihou, he never would have known about the book in his house.
Information was spread between people.
Having one more friend was always better than having one more enemy.
Lu Changsheng was clear on this.
Actually, it was his "cheat" that was to blame. If it were like those stories where one could simply add attribute points, or where effort directly translated into proficiency, there would be no need to socialize at all.
But his cheat was unreliable!
A point every five years, and it only increased talent—if he didn't follow the "masses" route, he would really just be making life harder for himself.
"If we're talking about fishing, you're definitely the best, Heihou!"
"That’s for sure!"
Wang Heihou had no idea what humility meant.
He accepted all of Lu Changsheng’s flattery without a second thought.
And so, Lu Changsheng naturally steered the conversation to his ultimate goal.
"Do you have any tricks for catching fish?"
Wang Heihou was floating on cloud nine from the praise and didn't hold anything back.
Besides, there was nothing really to hide.
The tricks of fishing were all the same; the most important thing was one's own talent.
Some people knew exactly what to do when fishing, but when they actually got into the water, they couldn't execute it.
There was always a gap between theory and practice.
Listening to Wang Heihou rattle off his insights, Lu Changsheng quietly took notes in his mind.
That was the atmosphere among the children; once a topic was opened, it was easy to get everyone involved.
Under Lu Changsheng’s subtle guidance, the conversation soon turned into a "fishing exchange symposium."
A group of children squatted at the edge of the village, trading tips.
One would say: "You can't do it that way; you have to strike a little earlier!"
Another would say: "No, that's wrong! You have to do it like this!"
...
Lu Changsheng listened with great interest, memorizing each point.
When he went fishing the next day, he began to test them one by one.
Finally, he summarized it all.
In short: fast, accurate, and ruthless!
The movements had to be fast, the eyes had to be fast, the reaction had to be fast; the strike had to be accurate, swift, and ruthless...
The rest was just about improving his own technique!
Lu Changsheng discovered that his feel for the water had truly changed. He used to feel that he was a few beats behind in every aspect, but now, he could gradually keep up.
"Is this the effect of superior talent? Using it just to catch fish is truly a waste of a gift!" Lu Changsheng thought to himself.
...
Time passed in a blink of an eye.
Three days had flown by.
During these three days, the village children left the village early each morning to fish in the river.
Everyone had occasional successes, though most were just one or two small fish.
Although Wang Heihou had the skill, his luck was lacking.
For these three days, he hadn't managed to catch a single fish.
No one mocked him, though.
Fishing relied on both technique and a bit of luck.
It wasn't strange at all to go three or five days without catching anything.
Otherwise, the villagers wouldn't be swallowing their saliva at the sight of a single fish.
Lu Changsheng, however, had a very steady mindset. He found that his talent was indeed working; both his swimming and his fishing technique had improved significantly.
He was immersed in the joy of progress, and he had a vague premonition that he was getting closer and closer to actually catching fish.
That day, after eating a bit of food in the early morning, Lu Changsheng went out to work with his parents.
In the past, the field work had been mostly heavy labor, and children their age lacked the strength, so they didn't need to go out. But now, things were different.
So, except for Xiao Heitu, everyone else had to go out.
After a busy day, Lu Changsheng dragged his tired and hungry body back home.
Dinner was the same as usual: wild vegetable root soup and some thin porridge.
"There isn't much rice left at home. Tomorrow, I'll see if the others are heading out and go with them," Father Lu said, stirring the roots in his bowl.
The crop yields from the fields were very low, and if they encountered wild beasts or bandits, they could lose more than half of what they had. To avoid starving, they had to eat as little as possible.
"Let's just hold on a bit longer. Once the harvest comes in a few months, things will be better," Mother Lu said, stroking Xiao Heitu’s head.
Lu Changsheng watched this, feeling a tightness in his chest, but he said nothing and went to lie down on his bed.
The next day, as soon as he stepped out, he saw Niu Dazhuang.
"Erdan, let's go catch some fish!"
"Alright!"
Lu Changsheng didn't have any aversion to Niu Dazhuang, that simple-minded boy.
In fact, he rather liked that personality.
Of course, out in the real world, such a person would surely be taken advantage of.
When they arrived at Wang Heihou’s house, Wang Heihou’s mother said he hadn't woken up yet.
Lu Changsheng didn't wait.
It was quite early; only the village women were up and about preparing breakfast at this hour, while most of the men were still fast asleep.
If they really wanted to wait, it would take at least another hour.
The two of them went straight to the river.
"There are only two of us, so be careful once we get in the water!" After giving Niu Dazhuang a warning, Lu Changsheng stepped into the water and began to fish as usual.
After diving several times, he suddenly saw a school of fish darting through the water not far away.
With a sudden jolt of his body, Lu Changsheng lunged forward like an arrow, scooping his hands out in front of the school.
One of the panicking fish happened to land right in his palm.
Curling his five fingers, he gripped the fish firmly by its gills.
"Splash!"
Lu Changsheng surfaced, his face full of joy.
After many consecutive days, he had finally caught a fish!
This was a rare and significant improvement!