Ink Burns

Chapter 176 The Fisherman's Autumn
The clerk laughed in exasperation: "If you're a seventh-rank female official, then I'm a first-rank duke!" He reached out and took the whip from the outer guard, folded it into three pieces, and pointed it at the girl's nose: "Where did this wild girl come from! Get out of here! You've disturbed the peace of an important person, I'll beat you until you cry for your parents!"

The frayed whip was almost poking the little girl's eyeballs.

In the blink of an eye.

The minor official was swept away, and his rough-edged whip fell to the ground with a "whoosh".

"Get out of the way!"

Xue Chen stood beside the little girl, his fair face furrowed with brows: "This section of the river has neither my Xue family's name on it nor on my Xue family's household register. The whole world belongs to the king, what are you showing off here for? Is Qingdong County different from other places? Is it actually under the surname Gong?"

That's a very strong statement.

The minor official was immediately startled, his lips twitching, and he promptly fell to the ground with a thud. He recalled how, when he had just injured that country bumpkin, this Second Young Master Xue hadn't spoken so righteously. To protect this fishing spot for his father, many old men from nearby villages had been disciplined, but this Second Young Master Xue always adhered to three "no's": no giving orders, no demanding anything, and no questioning—he simply turned a blind eye and tacitly approved of their behavior.
If it were a young girl, would Young Master Xue suddenly become so righteous?

The minor official was timid and hesitant.

Xue Chen had already stepped aside to let the young girl into the courtyard: "Don't listen to them. These are the kind of cruel officials who are just using others' power to bully others. Please come in—" Xue Chen's eyes shone, and his smile was gentle and sincere: "Yesterday, did we meet? Right at the entrance of the Xue family's South Mansion?"

The little girl rolled her eyes, looked up, and revealed her clever and cunning black eyes.

Xue Chen smiled sincerely: "You must be Wei Sibu? I am Xue Erlangjun. Yesterday, you went to the Xue family to examine my sister-in-law's pulse. Right at the gate of the South Mansion, I rushed in, and you had just been seen out. My elder brother, oh, the Censor Xue Xiao, the one who is in charge of the Imperial Censorate, introduced you to me—"

Xue Chen tried her best to recreate yesterday's scene, attempting to help Shui Guang remember: "Do you remember?"

Shui Guang still had her lips slightly pursed, her round and large eyes glancing at him. There was no other word to describe those eyes except "lively".

Shui Guang still hadn't replied, and Xue Chen was slightly deflated: These days he'd been going to the back mountain, it was a short and easy journey, but today he changed his ways and risked calling a carriage to come to the east of the city. Was it all because of yesterday's words, "This is Wei Sibu of Qiushui Ferry Xinglin Hall"?

A sudden, inexplicable impulse, fueled by a strange sense of hope: What if? What if we just happened to run into each other?
They did meet, but the girl ignored him.

Just as Xue Chen was about to take a half step back, he heard the girl's crisp voice: "Did you catch any fish?"

The girl had already turned her gaze to the wooden tub next to the mahogany armchair.

The wooden bucket was completely empty, without a single scale.

Xue Chen suddenly felt a little embarrassed and stammered, "...I, I just arrived."

"They should be biting by now that they've just arrived." Shui Guang turned around and pulled two thin fishing rods out of the bucket. With practiced movements, she inserted and twisted them to make a small rod. Then she took out a bamboo tube from her waist, pinched an earthworm out with her fingers, and in the blink of an eye, she hooked the earthworm onto the hook and cast it accurately into the confluence of water with a high flick of her wrist. Her hands began to move rhythmically.

Shui Guang said with a focused expression, "I came to this bay the night before last. I was able to catch fish there. If you have good hand skills, you can even catch fish one after another. The reason you can't catch any is because you don't move—" As she spoke, she glanced at Xue Chen's bait, "The fish here have sharp teeth and are fierce. You can't use sweet potatoes. You need big worms or earthworms. They like to eat those."

As he spoke, Shui Guang suddenly jerked the fishing rod!
"bingo!"

A snakehead fish!
With a forearm-length hook, it can be easily pulled and lifted out of the water!

The water's surface revealed the type of fish. He moved his feet left and right, then reached out to pull the snakehead ashore. In no time, he had scooped it up.

"It's a blackfish!" Xue Chen exclaimed in surprise. "This fish is very strong, and you managed to get it ashore so quickly!"

Shui Guang turned her head, her right cheek bathed in the bright summer sun. She smiled, revealing her white, even teeth like sparkling gems: "How could it be as strong as me? In the mountains, I can hunt wild deer, dig bamboo shoots with a hoe, and start a fire with a diamond drill. If it weren't for the delicious fish, I wouldn't be sitting here fishing. My bones ache from sitting all day!"

When Xue Chen looked up, he was somewhat dazzled by the light.

Xue Chen quickly stepped aside: "This armchair is padded with soft cotton, it's comfortable to sit in. If you don't mind, it's best to sit here!" Shui Guang glanced at him with a smile, found a large stone stool, and then turned her head away: "I won't sit here, I'll get beaten up if I sit in your seat—that old man saw that the fishing was good here, secretly cast his line twice, and was beaten up by your men until his nose bled."

“Those aren’t my men!” Xue Chen immediately retorted, “They’re from the Qingdong County government! I never let them beat anyone up!”

Today, Shui Guang changed out of her official hat and round-collared dress and put on a dark green linen dress. Her hair was tied up in a low bun and held in place with a wooden hairpin. Her face was not as fair and delicate as that of ordinary girls in the capital. Her skin was slightly wheat-colored but shiny. Her face was round and her eyes were round. Her jawline was distinct but not thin. She had a clear and natural beauty like a mountain spring.

Shui Guang's legs, hidden under her skirt, were slightly parted to make it easier to hold the fishing rod. Her arms were casually resting on her thighs as she looked at Xue Chen with a smile: "You're quite capable, aren't you? Even the county magistrate uses you as his henchman?"

The tone was meaningless, without a trace of sarcasm, full of innocent inquiry.

Xue Chen immediately replied, "Don't misunderstand, he just wants to use me to climb up to the Xue family—" Then, realizing he shouldn't say that, he pursed his lips and puffed out his chest, "...He's not that powerful. My father was one of the three tutors and was the former Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince. The Xue family has been a family of upright officials for a hundred years and is a very prestigious aristocratic family. It's only natural that the magistrate wants to befriend me."

Shui Guang nodded noncommittally: "Really? And you? What kind of official are you?"

Xue Chen paused.

Shui Guang smiled again: "It was my fault. I should have waited another ten years to ask you."

Xue Chen peeked out: "Why, why?"

"Don't underestimate a young man's potential. Wait another ten years, and you'll be a high-ranking official, second only to the emperor." Shui Guang smiled, her eyes curving like the moon.

Xue Chen's eyes trembled. Before he could react, another fish appeared in the water. It was a long-mouthed fish, longer than an arm, but it escaped because the fishing rod was too thin.

Xue Chen sighed regretfully, "What a pity."

Shui Guang smiled and said, "It's no pity—I caught a fish early this morning."

Xue Chen looked at the snakehead fish in the bucket: Yes, this fish is also a good fish.

In less than an hour, Shuiguang packed up his fishing rod and headed back.

Xue Chen urged her to stay: "The fishing is best here at night—we'll build a shed on the rocks behind us, light a campfire, and grill the fish."

Shuiguang didn't look up, focused on setting up the fishing rod: "I need to go back to see a doctor."

"You can even treat illnesses?!" Xue Chen immediately realized her own stupidity: she was a medical officer in the Department of Medicine, of course she could treat illnesses!

Shui Guang's smile widened as she looked up at him with a smile: "You're really interesting—" She then lifted her foot to leave, but stopped halfway. Shui Guang turned around behind her, leaning slightly forward, as if she wanted to whisper something.

Xue Chen involuntarily leaned forward.

"Of course I remember who you are."

Shui Guang's voice was soft, brushing past one's ear: "I also saw the mark of fishing line on your right index finger—that's why I came here today."

That's all for now.

Shui Guang straightened up without the slightest hesitation, gave Xue Chen a deep smile with sparkling eyes, and then turned and left.

Xue Chen was left alone by the river, her face flushed and a half-smile playing on her lips as she stared into the distance at the figure that had long since disappeared from sight.