CHAPTER 187: CHAPTER 187: NOT WANTING TOO MUCH ATTENTION

Xinyan instinctively wanted to wave her hand, but she hadn’t yet said ’no need’.

He Jinxuan immediately followed up with, "No rush, there’s still a few days left, you can think it over slowly."

After saying this, he left with Ye Silai and Ye Siyan.

Xinyan closed the door, pondering what He Jinxuan had said, murmuring to herself, "Bring something along."

Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and her mood soared as she hummed a tune while preparing fish bait for tomorrow. The stock she had in her space was running low, so it was a good time to prepare more while she had the chance.

Every few days, she would go fishing at the Yuquan River, and many people in the residential compound knew about it. If anyone wanted to eat fish, they would go to her, since the spot where she fished was right there.

The next day, at the crack of dawn, Xinyan left the house with her equipment in hand.

Her specially made fish bait guaranteed a catch each time. By the time anyone arrived, she already had seven or eight big fish in her bucket.

Someone laughed and greeted her, "Xinyan, you’re here quite early today."

Xinyan replied with a smile, "It’s Monday today, need to get to school earlier."

The person looked into her bucket, "Wow, that’s a nice Fat Head Fish, give me one. Perfect timing, my son and daughter-in-law are coming over today, and they love this."

Xinyan didn’t turn her head, "Uncle, pick whichever one you want."

The old man chuckled and picked one out, just as Uncle Jiang, known as ’hands like a scale’, sauntered over with his hands behind his back.

The man who wanted the fish shouted with a laugh, "Old Man Jiang, hurry up."

Uncle Jiang came over every morning for exercise, and when he saw Xinyan fishing by the river, he would help weigh the fish. Of course, Xinyan never let him leave empty-handed; every time she stopped fishing, she let him pick a fish from the bucket as a reward.

Uncle Jiang was a principled man. He would never pick the largest fish from the bucket, but he wouldn’t refuse altogether, which made both parties comfortable.

Today was no different. Xinyan was in charge of fishing and collecting money, while Uncle Jiang was in charge of weighing the fish. The fish were indeed fresh, with mandarin fish, Black Fish, and Grass Carp being sixty cents per pound, while the other fish were forty cents per pound, much cheaper than market prices.

Many people came over in the morning to try their luck. After all, what Xinyan could catch wasn’t something she could control. Some were looking for Crucian Carp to increase milk production, some wanted Fat Head Fish, others sought rare fish like mandarin fish and Black Fish to entertain guests, and some kids were craving Grass Carp.

The old man earlier wanted Fat Head Fish and got lucky, he was all smiles with a payment of two dollars and eighty cents, even after rounding down.

It didn’t take long for the riverside to become lively. People were buying one or two fish, and in a short time, the fish in the bucket were all sold out. Xinyan looked at the time, "Sorry, I have to go back now. I can’t sell any more fish; they were reserved by someone yesterday. Everyone, disperse."

Xinyan’s rule was simple: when she said no more fish, there really weren’t any more. Those who didn’t act fast had to try their luck elsewhere with other fishermen.

Xinyan never sold too many at once; she didn’t want to draw too much attention and also needed to account for the money she had at hand.

After catching a few more fish, she finally stopped. Today, Uncle Jiang picked a Crucian Carp.

Xinyan looked at the fish in his hand, "Uncle Jiang, pick another one. That Crucian Carp isn’t very big, not enough for a meal."

Uncle Jiang waved his hand with a smile, "That’s the rule, can’t break it. It’s agreed every time, one fish as a reward. My second daughter-in-law’s niece just had a baby and needs the milk boost, I’ll have her take it over."

Xinyan noticed there was another, smaller Crucian Carp in the bucket and quickly threaded a piece of river grass through its gills, "One fish looks a bit shabby, take this one too."

Uncle Jiang looked at the fish and then took it, "Then I won’t take any next time, let’s consider this as advance payment."

Xinyan started cleaning up efficiently, "These Crucian Carp are small, two of them don’t even amount to one other fish. You’ve helped this girl out a lot recently, I can’t let Uncle Jiang be at a loss, can I?"

Uncle Jiang felt a bit embarrassed, but Xinyan insisted. He thanked her and left happily with the fish.

Xinyan carried her fish back to the residential compound and headed straight for the Zhang Family.

Uncle Zhang was already waiting, "Xinyan, let this old man see what fish you have."

Saying this, he looked at the bucket Xinyan was carrying. Once he saw the fish inside, he called out joyfully towards the kitchen, "Wife, bring out a basin."

Leaving a Black Fish and a Fat Head Fish, they were weighed using the household scale and placed in a big basin by Aunt Zhang, who pulled Xinyan aside to chat.

Uncle Zhang went into the house, and when he came back out, he brought with him a string-bound book, "Xinyan, how much in total?"

Xinyan replied with a smile, "The Black Fish is four pounds and two ounces, let’s call it four pounds, which is two dollars and forty cents. The Fat Head Fish a bit over six pounds, also two dollars and forty cents. You can pay a total of four dollars and eighty cents."