Er Ya hurriedly ran toward the riverbank when Uncle Zhang, squatting by the roadside, stopped her with a shout, “Er Ya, where are you going?”
Er Ya quickened her pace, circled around him, and cheerfully replied, “I’m going to catch some fish.”
Uncle Zhang watched her back as she walked away, rubbing his hands together. “Er Ya has grown up; she’s become a mature woman,” he muttered, staring after her a few more times, then chuckled to himself.
This river was called the Da Ya River. It is about two meters deep and the water quality flowing through the village is astonishingly clear.
It was still early, but many people had already gathered by the riverbank. Most of them were young men from the village, standing in small groups. Both men and women were full of energy.
Zong Xiaomo was carrying an empty bamboo basket. “Brother, later I’ll leave the basket by the water. You throw the fish directly into it.”
Zong Yuan stood a few meters away from the river, his body stiff from the overwhelming smell of fish in the air. “I’ll do my best.”
A girl with twin braids passed by them, “Brother Yuan, you’re here too! Can I join you?”
Her eyes were full of affection as she blinked at Zong Yuan.
Zong Xiaomo skillfully rejected her, “Sister, that won’t work. My brother is already struggling enough with just me. You’ll have to find someone else.”
Jiang Shengyan watched as the pretty girl walked away, looking back at them every few steps. “Heh, seems like you’re quite popular.”
Zong Yuan modestly replied, “It’s nothing.”
Zong Xiaomo proudly chimed in from the side, “Of course! My brother is the guy every girl in the village dreams of marrying. Everywhere you go, there’s someone who likes him. But brother, our future sister-in-law must know how to take care of people.”
Jiang Shengyan snorted, “So not knowing how to take care of people is a deal-breaker?”
Zong Xiaomo hesitated, “But my mom likes daughters-in-law who are good at taking care of people too.”
Jiang Shengyan suppressed his annoyance and fell silent.
Zong Yuan glanced at him. “I don’t have any particular requirements; as long as I like her, it’s enough.”
Zong Xiaomo nodded understandingly, “True, brother, you’re too picky.”
The three of them walked to a quieter part of the riverbank. Zong Xiaomo eagerly ran to the water’s edge, turned around with excitement, and called out to Zong Yuan, “Brother, start catching the fish! The sooner we finish, the sooner we can go home.”
Zong Yuan silently took a step back. He could still see a few fish jumping out of the water, seemingly unafraid of humans. His face was tense, frozen in place by these tiny, scaly creatures with their pale, unsettling eyes. Every extra glance felt torturous.
Zong Xiaomo, confused, called out, “Brother?”
Zong Yuan spoke in a low voice, “Little sister, I’m not feeling well.”
Suddenly, Jiang Shengyan grabbed Zong Yuan and started pulling him in a different direction. He waved at Zong Xiaomo as they left, leaving her with two carefree backs. “You stay here and catch whatever you can. I’ll take your brother to check out the other side.”
Zong Xiaomo, still processing, dazedly replied, “Okay.”
Jiang Shengyan held onto Zong Yuan’s wrist as they walked. Zong Yuan’s gaze lingered on the spot where their skin touched. He suddenly recalled how many times Fu Xin had led him away from the fish market in a similar manner.
“Jiang Shengyan,” Zong Yuan called out to the bold and swift Jiang boss, “a bird is pooping above your head.”
Jiang Shengyan instinctively dodged to the side, then glared at Zong Yuan with a dark expression, “You’re messing with me!” There wasn’t a tree in sight and not a single bird in the sky. There was no way anything was pooping.
Jiang Shengyan tugged him along, marching forward in a hurried, random direction. Now, who knows where they had wandered off to. The surroundings were empty and not a person in sight. Even the trees had cleared out in a vast, barren space.
There was another stream here, clear and shallow, without even a trace of fish scales.
Zong Yuan reached up to Jiang Shengyan’s head and plucked off a fluffy willow leaf. He casually brushed the slender leaf across Jiang Shengyan’s face and said, “Boss Jiang, don’t be mad.”
Jiang Shengyan’s face itched, but he didn’t feel like scratching it. Zong Yuan’s expression was so soft when he spoke that Jiang Shengyan was entirely focused on him. “I’m not mad.”
Zong Yuan smiled, “Good boy.”
Jiang Shengyan snapped back to reality, feeling goosebumps all over. “Gross! Can you not be so sickeningly sweet?”
0046 laughed like a squealing pig.
Zong Yuan continued, “Weren’t you the one who said you’d help me catch fish?”
Jiang Shengyan mocked him, “Do you even dare? Don’t act tough—being scared of fish is being scared of fish. I’m not going to make fun of you.”
Since you put it that way, Zong Yuan nodded, “Yes, I’m scared of fish.”
Jiang Shengyan burst out laughing, “Hahaha!”
Zong Yuan watched him laugh, sighed helplessly, and muttered, “You’re asking for it.”
Suddenly, he asked 0046, “Didn’t you say you’d ask headquarters? Did you find anything out?”
0046 sulked, “Headquarters said they’re investigating. But they’ve been super busy lately, so no idea when they’ll get results.”
Zong Yuan nodded knowingly, “Got it.”
For now, the most important thing was ensuring Jiang Shengyan’s safety and finding the person responsible for his murder.
After a while, Jiang Shengyan finally managed to stop laughing. Zong Yuan just stood there quietly watching him, his face unreadable. Jiang Shengyan’s heart skipped a beat, feeling guilty. “You’re not mad, are you?”
Reluctantly, he added, “Fine, I’ll help you catch fish.”
Who knows if Jiang Shengyan had lost his mind, but he started pulling off his shirt, getting ready to wade into a fishless stream.
Zong Yuan’s eyelid twitched as he rushed over, grabbing Jiang Shengyan’s hand, frowning deeply. “What did I tell you yesterday?”
“Don’t take off your clothes in front of other men.”
The cicadas buzzed loudly. Jiang Shengyan paused for a moment before lazily responding, “But I want to take them off in front of you.”
Zong Yuan replied, “Then go ahead.”
Boss Jiang was quite bold.
Jiang Shengyan smirked, his hands lowering to undo his belt. With his slender waist and long legs, just standing there casually gave off an inexplicable air of intimacy. The waistband of his black underwear peeked out by a centimeter or two, like a hook igniting the fire in people’s hearts.
Zong Yuan kept his eyes straight ahead, looking at everything but him.
Jiang Shengyan was incredulous, “Hey!”
Suddenly, a faint sound of crying came from outside the woods. Zong Yuan focused and heard a voice, “Help…”
His expression changed instantly. He exchanged a glance with Jiang Shengyan, who hurriedly pulled his shirt back on as they both ran toward the source of the cries.
The overgrown weeds in this part of the woods made it hard to navigate, but Zong Yuan rushed forward quickly. His serious demeanor collided with a scene of a couple in a passionate embrace.
“Crap…”
He turned around, blocking Jiang Shengyan’s path, forcefully spinning him in the opposite direction, his face dark. “Don’t go. It’s nothing.”
Jiang Shengyan was confused, “What’s going on?”
He tried to turn his head back for a look, but Zong Yuan quickly covered his eyes. “Not for children.”
Jiang Shengyan tugged at Zong Yuan’s hand a bit, his breath brushing against Zong Yuan’s palm as he spoke, warm and teasing. He lightly tapped Zong Yuan’s pinky, “I’m definitely suitable.”
Zong Yuan hadn’t expected to be flirted with like this. He chuckled, leaned in close to Jiang Shengyan’s ear, and whispered, “You’re pretty impressive.”
Jiang Shengyan’s ears twitched slightly.
Meanwhile, Zong Xiaomo was diligently scooping up fish and shrimp with her bamboo basket. Er Ya ran over in a hurry, glanced around, and asked in disappointment, “Where’s Brother Yuan?”
Zong Xiaomo replied, “My brother and Boss Jiang went somewhere else.”
Er Ya sighed, “Seriously, I’ve been waiting so long to talk to your brother and I didn’t even get to see him.”
Zong Xiaomo rolled her eyes, “Come on, you were hanging around outside my house yesterday. Honestly, Er Ya, my brother doesn’t even know who you are. You’re way too shy.”
“You can’t even bring yourself to talk to him. Even if you saw him now, you’d definitely chicken out.”
Er Ya pouted as she looked at the river, “I saw Uncle Zhang this morning.” She shuddered, “It was so disgusting. He kept staring at me. Next time you see him, stay away. He’s afraid of your brother but not you. When his pervy side comes out, it’s terrifying.”
Zong Xiaomo frowned and muttered, “What a shameless creep.”
By the time Zong Yuan and Jiang Shengyan returned, it was already noon. Zong Xiaomo, bored, was splashing around by the riverbank. She jumped up in surprise, “Brother, Boss Jiang!”
Jiang Shengyan was holding two fish tied up with a string and Zong Yuan stood far away from him. Jiang Shengyan had been glaring at him the whole way back, but he finally let it go and tossed the fish to Zong Xiaomo. “Here, your brother caught them.”
The two fish were big and plump. Zong Xiaomo quickly placed them in her bamboo basket, excited. “Brother, you’re amazing!”
Zong Yuan, on the other hand, didn’t think being amazing in this way was anything to be proud of.
Jiang Shengyan gave him a side glance, “Aren’t you going to say something?”
Zong Yuan thought back to the image of him catching fish with his bare hands, his eyelid twitching. “Let’s have lunch together.”
Jiang Shengyan begrudgingly accepted this token of appreciation, “Fine.”
Chen Hongmei came back at noon to prepare lunch. “Wow, two fish! A’Yuan, that’s impressive.”
Zong Yuan, seeing her eagerness, feared that she might start asking him to catch fish every day. “Mom, Boss Jiang caught them.”
Jiang Shengyan sat innocently on a stool with his legs crossed, looking like he had never touched fish in his life. “What?”
Chen Hongmei smiled, “Oh, A’Yuan is just shy. Don’t worry, I won’t make you catch fish every day. Tomorrow, there’s a market in town. You and Xiaomo can help me buy some household supplies. I’ll make a list and leave it on your desk later.”
Zong Xiaomo responded, “Got it, Mom. I’ll go pick some cilantro.”
Zong Yuan couldn’t bear to watch her butcher the fish and retreated to the side, wincing as if in pain. Just as Chen Hongmei was about to start, Jiang Shengyan spoke up, “Ms. Chen—Auntie Chen, why not make some fish balls? Do you know how to make them?”
At least with fish balls, Zong Yuan wouldn’t have to see the fish in its original form, so he should be able to eat them.
Chen Hongmei thought for a moment, pleasantly surprised. “That’s a great idea! I know how to make fish balls. Thanks for the suggestion, Boss Jiang.” She quickly began scaling and deboning the fish, chopping ginger and green onions with fluid, practiced movements. In no time, the fish didn’t even look like fish anymore.
Standing next to Jiang Shengyan, Zong Yuan commented, “Boss Jiang is so thoughtful.”
Jiang Shengyan snarked back, “What good is being thoughtful? Some people have already had their first love, unlike me—I’ve got nothing.”
Zong Xiaomo curiously glanced over, “Who had a first love?”
Jiang Shengyan, feeling the irritation flare up again, sneered, “Your brother.”
“No way,” Zong Xiaomo immediately denied, “My brother’s never had a relationship.”
Jiang Shengyan paused, his expression odd. “You’re sure?”
Zong Xiaomo confidently nodded, “Absolutely not.”
Jiang Shengyan turned to Zong Yuan, who rubbed his nose and admitted, “I really haven’t dated anyone in this world.”
Suspicion filled Jiang Shengyan’s eyes, “Then what about the ‘first love’ you mentioned?”
Zong Yuan leaned in close, his buzzed head poking Jiang Shengyan’s face as he whispered in his ear, “In my dream. My first love even had a little black mole on their left butt cheek. Tell me, Jiang Shengyan, isn’t that quite the coincidence?”
Jiang Shengyan shifted uncomfortably. “I…”
He wanted to say, “I don’t have a mole,” but what came out was, “I’m the person you dreamed of.”
Your “first love”.
