Courtyard House: I fish in the heavens, a professional bird abuser.

Two chances? He Yuanchao's lips curled up.

It seems this system calculates costs daily, which is quite fair.

"Start fishing now!"

hum!

The mysterious fishing rod, which was translucent and flowed with a restrained starlight, instantly condensed in my mind!

A flash of silver light appeared on the rod tip, and it was suddenly swung forward! The fishing line, formed by a silvery stream of light, became taut as a string, and the peculiar hook at the end silently disappeared into the void!

The space rippled with visible waves.

In just a moment!

Whoosh!

[Ding! Fishing successful! Caught: 100 liters of pure pressed tea oil! Mousetrap (reinforced steel version) x1!]

He Yuanchao was slightly taken aback, then a look of joy flashed in his eyes!

100 liters of pure, cold-pressed tea oil! This is really good stuff!

These days, cooking oil is an extremely scarce commodity, with each person only having a few ounces of oil coupons per month!

Rapeseed oil and soybean oil are already very precious, let alone tea oil, which is even rarer and healthier! 100 liters!

This was enough to allow him complete freedom in terms of "eating" in this era of scarcity! He could stir-fry, fry, and put in as much as he wanted! Just thinking about those oily dishes made one's mouth water.

Mousetrap (reinforced steel version)? He Yuanchao checked the details with a thought.

A mousetrap, gleaming with a cold metallic luster, exceptionally sturdy in structure, and with astonishingly strong spring force, appeared in the system space.

The description next to it reads: "Made of high-quality steel, with a sensitive trigger and strong clamping force, it is highly effective in capturing and punishing rodents (and certain humanoid creatures with unclean hands and feet)."

】

He Yuanchao looked at the "humanoid creature" label and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

This thing came at just the right time! He'd been waiting for a chance to deal with that kid Banggeng and some of the habitual thieves in the yard!

"Great! Keep fishing!" He Yuanchao was in a good mood and used his second chance without hesitation.

hum!

The mysterious fishing rod is cast again! The silver line taut!

This time, the fishing hook seemed to take a little longer to sink into the void.

Whoosh!

[Ding! Fishing successful! Result: Max level Fishing Skill (Passive)!]

He Yuanchao: "!!!"

An indescribable flow of information, like a flood bursting its banks, instantly surged into his mind!

Countless profound insights and instinctive experiences regarding water flow, fish behavior, bait, season, time of day, fishing tackle, techniques, etc., are deeply imprinted in the depths of his consciousness!

It was as if he had been fishing in rivers, lakes, and seas for thousands of lifetimes and had already figured out all the mysteries of the underwater world!

From the slightest tremor of the float to the most ferocious struggle of the big fish, everything is under control!

This isn't a skill; it's an instinct ingrained in your soul! It's the ultimate realm of fishing!

He Yuanchao suddenly opened his eyes, his dark pupils seemingly swirling with deep eddies, reflecting invisible waves.

He felt his senses become incredibly sharp in an instant, noticing the movement of moisture in the air and the faint sound of flowing water mixed with the distant city noise...

Everything became clear and distinct!

He could even "sense" that at this moment, there were several crucian carp slowly swimming in the underground ditch deep beneath the courtyard...

Max level fishing skills!

From then on, the entire city of Beijing, no, anywhere with water, became He Yuanchao's fishing grounds!

Before the morning chill had been completely dispelled by the sunlight, He Yuanchao was already busy at the stove in the small side room.

In the clay pot, the Thai fragrant rice, which had been simmered in bone broth last night, had already blossomed, the thick rice paste bubbling and releasing an irresistible sweet aroma.

Several thin slices of pork belly, as thin as cicada wings, were scalded until they curled slightly, their pinkish-white color tempting, and garnished with emerald green scallions.

Even more extravagantly, he cracked an egg into it, and the golden egg flowers rolled and spread in the thick porridge, perfectly blending with the aroma of top-quality rice and rich meat.

The richness of the fat, the tenderness of the sliced ​​meat, the smoothness of the egg drop soup, and the sweetness of the rice porridge forcefully pierced through the blandness and oppression of the courtyard in the early morning, penetrating every crack in the window and door.

The tattered curtain of the Jia family's door in the middle courtyard was suddenly flung open, revealing Jia Zhangshi's sallow, swollen face, which looked exhausted and filled with resentment.

The triangular-eyed creature glared menacingly toward the backyard, as if it wanted to tear a piece of flesh from the source of the aroma with its gaze.

"Pah! That damned, childless wretch! Causing trouble again so early in the morning! A jinx that kills without a second thought!"

She lowered her voice, and vicious curses poured out like sewage from a gutter, "Eat, eat, eat! You'll choke to death sooner or later! Your intestines will rupture! You'll die a horrible death! Old Jia! Come up here and take him away! This aroma... it's making my heart race..."

Banggeng huddled on the cold edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) in the room, his little face sallow, his stomach rumbling loudly.

The irresistible aroma of the meat congee permeated every nook and cranny, like countless tiny hands scratching at his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys.

Overwhelmed by immense grievances and hunger, he was instantly consumed by them.

"Milk! Meat! This meat porridge smells so good! I want to eat it! I want to eat it!"

Banggeng suddenly jumped off the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), rushed to the door, clung to the door frame, his eyes fixed on the backyard like a hungry wolf, and let out a low growl like a wild beast.

He couldn't hold back any longer. He plopped down on the ground, kicking his legs wildly, and burst into a heart-wrenching wail, his face streaked with snot and tears: "Waaaaah—! I want He Yuanchao's meat porridge! Give it to me! If you don't, I'll die! Waaaaah—!"

Xiao Dang and Huaihua were also lured into tears by the irresistible fragrance.

Jia Zhangshi's face instantly contorted! The resentment in her triangular eyes was almost spitting fire!

She spat out a mouthful of phlegm, slapped her thigh, and said in a hoarse but still sharp voice, "What a terrible thing! That heartless bastard! He's deliberately trying to drive our whole family to our deaths! He's cooking meat porridge so early in the morning!"

It smells so good! You're really trying to entice us Korean hamsters! You heartless, rotten thing! Eating it will just make you poop! May you poop to death, you bastard!

In high spirits, He Yuanchao slowly finished the bowl of fragrant meat porridge, even cleaning the bottom of the bowl thoroughly.

After clearing away the dishes, he walked to the corner, and with a slight thought, the [Mouse Trap (Stainless Steel Reinforced Version)], which radiated a cold metallic luster, had an exceptionally sturdy structure, and possessed an astonishing spring force, appeared in his hand.

The serrated edges of the clamp gleamed coldly, exuding a chilling and intimidating power.

His gaze swept over his small side room.

The window latches were old and the door locks were practically useless.

A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips as he unhesitatingly placed the mousetrap in the shadowy corner below the windowsill—the easiest place to overlook and the easiest place for someone to reach in.

The clip was cleverly wedged between the shadow and the gap in the old wooden box, triggering a mechanism that aimed at the window crack. Anyone who tried to pry open the latch from the outside or reach in to grope would inevitably fall into the trap!

After doing all this, he clapped his hands, as if he had just casually placed an insignificant little object.

Pushing open the door, a rush of fresh, cool air rushed in.

He deliberately ignored the area in the middle courtyard that seemed to still faintly retain some ominous atmosphere and Jia Zhangshi's resentful gaze, and steadily pushed his brand-new Forever 28 towards the front yard.