Chapter 77: Whether You Catch a Fish or Not Doesn’t Matter—It’s All About the Experience

Hearing her dad say that, Mengmeng was overjoyed. She raised two fingers and cheered, “Yay!”

Cao Shujie glanced in the rearview mirror at his daughter, who was gleefully rolling back and forth on her mom’s lap. His heart warmed with happiness.

When they arrived back at Cao Family Village, it was still before 4 p.m. Before they even got out of the car, they spotted his mother, Wang Yuelan, chatting with their neighbor, Lian Fengying, at the gate.

Lian Fengying was the mother of Cao Shujie’s childhood friend, Cao Zhen.

Seeing the car pull up, Lian Fengying turned to Wang Yuelan and said, “Yuelan, we were just talking about your granddaughter, and here they are!”

Wang Yuelan smiled brightly. “What a coincidence. You’re back from the county so early?”

“Granny, it’s so hot out. Why are you standing outside? Come inside, have a seat and a glass of water,” Cao Shujie said as he got out of the car.

Cheng Xiaolin followed, carrying Mengmeng in her arms. She greeted Lian Fengying as well, “Granny, we’re not busy right now. Come hang out at our place for a bit.”

“No need. I just came from your place,” Lian Fengying replied.

“I had some free time today, so I came by to check on your dad. Looks like he’s almost fully recovered.”

“If he weren’t getting on in years and recovering slowly, he’d already be up and about,” Cao Shujie said.

“Well, you can’t blame it all on age. Your dad took a nasty fall this time. Thank goodness he didn’t break any bones—otherwise, it’d be a whole different story,” Lian Fengying said.

No kidding. Even Cao Shujie still felt a wave of relief that his dad hadn’t suffered any fractures.

“Yuelan, look at your son now—he’s doing great. A family of three staying close to you and the old man, working on things at home. That’s way better than running around aimlessly out there,” Lian Fengying said with genuine envy.

She sighed, “Our Cao Zhen’s been messing around in the county for years and hasn’t made anything of himself. I should’ve let him follow his second uncle and work on the roads. At least he’d have a stable government job.”

Cao Shujie thought to himself, Granny, you probably haven’t seen how well my Bother Zhen is doing in the county. With his skills, it’s only a matter of time before he makes it big.

“Granny, I just talked to my Bother Zhen today. He said he’ll be back by the end of the month,” Cao Shujie said out loud.

“Really? He’s coming back?” Lian Fengying looked surprised. “Then I’d better hit the market in a couple of days and stock up on groceries.”

“Really, Granny. They’re releasing water upstream on the Yellow River, so I went to the county today to buy a fishing net. Bother Zhen said he’ll come back for a bit at the end of the month.”

“He’s only good at catching fish,” Lian Fengying grumbled about her son.

“Shujie, you should talk some sense into your Bother Zhen. He’s almost thirty and still hasn’t settled down. What’s that about?”

Cao Shujie chuckled, “Sure, Granny. But I think there’s no need to rush when it comes to love. Who knows, maybe Bother Zhen will find you an even better daughter-in-law.”

Lian Fengying was clearly pleased to hear that, though she kept a straight face. “If he could really find someone on his own, he’d be married with kids by now. I wouldn’t have to worry so much.”

Speaking of kids, Lian Fengying looked at Mengmeng and said, “Yuelan, look at this girl—so well-behaved and clever, not the least bit naughty.”

“Thank you, Grandmother!” Mengmeng, knowing she was being praised, quickly responded just as her mom had taught her.

Her good manners earned her even more compliments. Delighted, Mengmeng wriggled out of her mom’s arms and insisted on running a few laps around the yard.

But Cao Shujie couldn’t help rolling his eyes. Well-behaved and clever?

Are they really talking about *his* daughter?

…

After returning home, Cao Shujie’s days were filled with the sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking. He rose early and went to bed under the light of the moon and stars. During the day, he checked on the young fruit trees in the orchard, pruned the older ones in the Old Orchard, picked off the bad fruit, and planned to water them again in a few days. The rest of his time was spent with his parents, wife, and daughter.

By the end of the month, his father, Cao Jianguo, was finally able to walk on his own again.

But judging by the way he furrowed his brows after walking just a bit, it was clear he hadn’t fully recovered.

Still, Cao Jianguo had his pride. He was sick of lying in bed all day.

“Dad, are you sure you’re okay? If not, take a couple more days to rest,” Cao Shujie reminded him.

“My legs aren’t broken! What do you mean, ‘okay or not’?” Cao Jianguo shot back.

Just then, he noticed his granddaughter Mengmeng mimicking his walking. Instead of getting annoyed, he burst out laughing. “Mengmeng, don’t you think Grandfather’s right?”

“Right!” Mengmeng answered crisply.

Then she added, “Grandfather, let’s go fishing!”

“You guys go. I’m not up for it yet,” Cao Jianguo replied honestly.

He gestured as he spoke, “If the Yellow River suddenly floods, I wouldn’t even be able to run. I’d get swept away and never see Mengmeng again.”

“Nooo!” Mengmeng immediately grabbed her grandfather’s hand, her little face full of panic.

She might be small, but she was sharp. She understood more than most kids her age.

Wang Yuelan saw how frightened her granddaughter was and gave her husband a scolding. “You old fool! Your legs aren’t working, and now your mouth’s running wild too. Look how scared you’ve made Mengmeng!”

“I was just saying,” Cao Jianguo muttered, a little embarrassed. He hadn’t expected his granddaughter to actually understand.

Cao Shujie packed up the fishing rods, net, bucket, and little stools, then called out to his wife and daughter, “Let’s go! It’s nice and cool out—let’s see if we can catch a few fish for dinner.”

Hearing her husband, Cheng Xiaolin grabbed a hat and came out. “Come on, Mengmeng! If we catch some fish, we’ll cook them up for your Grandfather.”

“Yay, yay! I wanna fish too!” Mengmeng nodded excitedly.

They had gone fishing at the Yellow River two days ago but hadn’t caught a single thing. Still, that didn’t dampen Cheng Xiaolin’s enthusiasm—she genuinely enjoyed fishing.

She helped Cao Shujie load the gear into the back of the electric tricycle. Just as they were about to head out, Daha and Erha—who were tied up in the yard—started barking like crazy. The two dogs had been cooped up for too long and were gnawing on their cages in frustration. Now that they saw the family heading out, they wanted to go along and stretch their legs too.

Mengmeng saw them and shouted, “Daddy, the doggies!”

“Alright, bring them along.” Cao Shujie walked over to unclip the leashes and led the dogs onto the tricycle. Then, riding the tricycle, he headed toward the banks of the Yellow River.

At home, he increasingly felt that having a car was more of a burden than a convenience.

For short trips like today, an electric scooter or tricycle was far more practical than driving. Back in their hometown, they rarely needed to go far, so the car was getting used less and less.

In just over ten minutes, they arrived at the riverbank.

Seeing that the water level was still low, with adults and kids playing on the exposed riverbed, Cheng Xiaolin asked, “Honey, why hasn’t the water risen yet? Did the folks upstream forget to release it?”

“No way. Haven’t you seen the news? They’ve been talking about the water release for days now,” Cao Shujie reminded her.

Cheng Xiaolin then recalled—yes, the news had indeed mentioned it.

Cao Shujie locked the electric tricycle, unloaded the water bucket and fishing gear, and Daha and Erha jumped down after him.

He picked a good spot and said to his wife, “You watch Mengmeng for now, don’t let her run off. I’ll help you set up your rod.”

“Just take care of your own. I don’t need your help,” Cheng Xiaolin shot him a glance. Fishing only involved a few simple steps—if he did everything, what was left for her?

The whole point of fishing was to enjoy the process.

(End of chapter)