NOVPUB
Chapter 515: Chapter 343 Confession (5200 words)
Jiang Ning fished upon the lake, casting and retrieving his rod, always snagging a fish, never coming up empty.
Xue Chuchu watched intently, this scene seemed almost magical; Jiang Ning’s fishing carried a natural grace. He sat in the boat as if he merged with the surrounding ecosystem, a born angler.
As time passed, two more pleasure boats appeared on the lake, each keeping their distance, without disturbing one another.
Jiang Ning’s bucket increasingly swelled with fish, Xue Yuantong gave up on using a net. She crossed her legs and prayed for Jiang Ning, trying to share in the labor and prove she was not useless.
Xue Chuchu gently rowed the boat, she’d been eating well lately, keeping up with nutrition, and her strength was better than before.
From afar, Li Shi, Lin Zida, and Wang Yong sat on another boat, just enough to play cards. They enjoyed the fruit and card games, a pleasure in its own right.
Li Shi caught sight of Jiang Ning’s group in the distance and expressed surprise, "They’re here too?"
Wang Yong was a student from Class 8, newly into his first year of high school, and he had inquired about Jiang Ning for Lin Zida, hence his extra attention.
He said, "Their home is near the river dam, it’s normal for them to know about this place."
Li Shi had a realization, and her surprise turned into understanding; she smiled, "Renting a pleasure boat isn’t cheap, and he’s likely to spend all of the prize money he scarcely won from the sports meet."
There was a sense of superiority in her words.
Zhuang Jianhui listened quietly, his expression calm. They came from An City, their family had businesses across the country, never wishing for material wealth.
Such an environment, which 99% of the world lacked, naturally elevated their mindset, and although they seldom showed it, their occasional behavior was revealing.
Indeed, this was the true society one faced beyond the school gates.
After hearing this, Wang Yong initially wanted to say that it wasn’t as they imagined, that Jiang Ning’s family was actually well-off. Before, Jiang Ning used expensive headphones and fountain pens, and he even donated Red Bull at the sports meet.
Yet, seeing Li Shi and Zhuang Jianhui’s expressions, he decided not to speak.
In terms of interpersonal interactions, Wang Yong was more mature than Li Shi and Zhuang Jianhui. Without the same resources, he had to compensate in this regard.
Lin Zida, who had interacted more with Jiang Ning and often discussed various console games, knew well that someone who could afford genuine console games could easily spare a few hundred for rowing.
He sighed, "Jiang Ning won quite a prize sum, enough to buy several games."
When the sports meet first started, there were rumors that the champion would win over a thousand yuan. Although the final awards were not as much, Jiang Ning’s three championships and record-breaking performances came close.
Seeing Jiang Ning fishing, Lin Zida was tempted to give it a try.
"Wang Yong, let’s go chat with them," said Lin Zida.
Li Shi felt as if her status had dropped; it didn’t seem right that they should approach Jiang Ning instead. With her commanding personality, her peers should be the ones initiating interaction with her.
But at this moment, it was Lin Zida taking the lead; she remained reserved.
The small boat performed well, and as Lin Zida and Wang Yong rowed, they quickly neared Jiang Ning’s boat.
Xue Chuchu was surprised; normally each boat kept to itself on the lake, so why was someone approaching now?
She gripped her oar tighter.
When Jiang Ning saw Lin Zida, he greeted, "What a coincidence."
Being from Class 8, Wang Yong asked, "Jiang Ning, how’s the catch?"
"Not bad, enough for a meal," Jiang Ning replied, his demeanor relaxed as he lifted the rod, a palm-sized crucian carp flicking its silvery tail, sending droplets splattering through the air.
Jiang Ning skillfully removed the fish and tossed it into the bucket.
Wang Yong and the others looked on with envy. It was not about the value of a single fish, but the joy of achievement in catching it was delightful.
Lin Zida, feeling the itch to fish, realized he couldn’t just take up the rod now.
"Do you have any fishing gear?" inquired Lin Zida.
"Yeah," Jiang Ning casually picked up a net from the boat. "Do you want it?"
Lin Zida glanced at the net; using it seemed straightforward, a simple scoop and the fish would be netted. But he knew well how slow one is with a net in the water compared to the speed of the fish.
Catching fish with a net was too difficult unless it was electrified—but that would be electrofishing.
Lin Zida shook his head, out of the question.
"You won’t catch any with this," he said.
Upon hearing this, Xue Yuantong first felt a bit angry but then somewhat pleased. See, others didn’t even dare to try, but she had the courage to attempt it. Without a doubt, her image in Jiang Ning’s eyes must have grown.
Upon Lin Zida’s refusal, Jiang Ning said, "The pleasure boat owner has fishing rods; you can rent a set."
Lin Zida heeded his suggestion and rowed towards the shore, while Jiang Ning continued fishing.
Xue Yuantong looked into the bucket and exclaimed, "Enough, enough, broke even!"
The fishes were nearly worth the price of the boat ticket, and the owner even provided complimentary fruit and braised snacks; it was practically a loss-making business.
"Let’s process the fish," said Xue Chuchu, who had been independent from a young age and was no less skilled in household chores than Tongtong.
Jiang Ning rowed to shore to handle the fish at the boat rental shop. Xue Chuchu, worried the owner might disapprove, asked Jiang Ning before giving a few fish to Boss Li.
Once the crucian carp were cleaned, Xue Yuantong prepared the seasoning, cut the tofu, and they set a stove aboard the boat. It was a fire-safe stove, ensuring no accidents would set the boat ablaze. 𝚗𝚘v𝚙𝚞b.𝚌𝚘m
Under the midday sun, which remained gentle, with comfortable temperatures and a light breeze, the weather was perfect to enjoy the scenery on a pleasure boat, savour chilled drinks, eat stewed fish, and be accompanied by two girls of fifteen or sixteen—a delightful indulgence.
Xue Yuantong took out a deck of cards, and the three of them played a game of landlord.
Lin Zida was still fishing when he smelled the fragrance of the stewed fish being cooked on Jiang Ning’s boat, utterly tempting; the cold braised snacks lost their soul in comparison.
