Xing Lian’s cheeks were flushed red.
Yue Li covered her mouth with a light laugh, rowed the boat over to where the fishing rod was, and pulled the rod out of the water.
“Make sure you hold it tightly this time.”
Xing Lian took the fishing rod.
This time, she didn’t use too much force, gently casting it out.
The hook landed right at her feet.
Yue Li: “…”
“Um, let me try again.”
Two embarrassing attempts in a row made Xing Lian feel utterly ashamed.
She hurriedly reeled in the line and cast again.
This time, nothing went wrong.
The hook finally landed in the water.
Seeing this, Xing Lian breathed a sigh of relief, her eyes fixed on the water’s surface, hoping a fish would bite.
She didn’t have to wait long.
The hook jiggled, and ripples spread across the water’s surface.
Xing Lian was extremely excited.
She quickly lifted the rod and reeled in the line, but when the hook came up, there was nothing on it.
“Silly, you reeled in too hastily. You need to wait a bit longer, have some patience.”
Yue Li covered her mouth, laughing openly.
Xing Lian puffed out her cheeks and cast the hook into the water once more.
Not long after, there was movement in the water again.
This time, Xing Lian wasn’t hasty.
She waited patiently.
The ripples on the water grew larger, and the hook sank straight down.
“Now.”
Yue Li reminded her from the side.
Xing Lian lifted the hook, and a small fish leaped out of the water.
“I caught one!”
Xing Lian was thrilled.
She quickly reeled in the line and grabbed the small fish in her hand.
The fish was truly tiny, not even the size of a palm.
But since it was the first fish she’d ever caught, she felt a great sense of accomplishment and didn’t mind its size too much.
Catching that little fish boosted Xing Lian’s confidence immensely.
She started casting the hook frequently after that, and before long, she had caught half a bucketful.
Although none of the fish were big, they were the fruits of her own labor, achieved without relying on anyone else.
Just thinking about it made her happy.
Seeing Xing Lian so delighted, Yue Li felt she hadn’t made a mistake.
Today hadn’t been a waste.
They fished for two hours straight.
Though Xing Lian wanted to continue, her frail body was exhausted, and she no longer had the strength to fish.
“Let’s stop here for today. You’re already very tired. Go back and get some proper rest.”
Yue Li looked at Xing Lian, took out a handkerchief, and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
“Mhm.”
Hearing Yue Li say that, Xing Lian also felt very tired and nodded in agreement.
Xing Lian carried the small bucket of fish and was carried home by Yue Li.
Actually, she had wanted to walk by herself, but she had played too wildly, and the journey was long.
She truly had no strength left and could only rely on Yue Li.
Yue Li held Xing Lian’s petite body, not feeling tired in the slightest.
By the time the two returned home, it was already noon.
“You must be hungry. I’ll make you something delicious.”
Pushing the door open and entering the courtyard, after putting Xing Lian down, Yue Li headed towards the kitchen.
Xing Lian walked to the living room, poured a glass of water, and gulped it down.
Then she waited in the living room.
She didn’t have to wait long.
Yue Li soon brought lunch.
Lunch was an all-fish feast: sour cabbage fish, sweet and sour fish, steamed fish, grilled fish, fish soup…
Xing Lian didn’t particularly like eating fish, but she was very satisfied with this lunch.
After all, it was the fruit of her own labor, which added extra points to the taste.
After enjoying a lovely lunch, Xing Lian headed towards the bathroom.
She had fished for too long in the morning and was sweaty from exhaustion.
She now felt sticky and uncomfortable.
She fetched a change of clothes from the wardrobe, entered the bathroom, filled the bathtub with hot water, and stepped in.
The gentle water enveloped her body, and Xing Lian couldn’t help but let out a contented sigh.
Soaking in the bath felt so good, it was practically a luxury.
Closing her eyes, she cupped hot water in her hands and poured it over her snow-white, delicate skin, a slight smile curling at the corner of her lips.
Every day, she had books to read, could go out to play, ate well, dressed well, and lived well.
What a heavenly life this was.
Just as she was feeling happy, a pair of hands suddenly rested on her shoulders, startling her.
“Why don’t you make any sound when you walk? You really scared me.”
Xing Lian ‘saw’ who was behind her and gave her hand an annoyed pat.
Having spent so much time together and having done everything already, she no longer blushed over such small matters.
So what if her body was seen?
After being held by her, turned over and over, and examined inside and out so many times, this was nothing.
“Did I scare you? My apologies. How about I give you some compensation?”
Hearing this, Yue Li smiled, bent down, wrapped her arms around Xing Lian’s neck, rested her chin on Xing Lian’s shoulder, and blew gently into her ear.
“Compensation? That won’t be necessary.” Xing Lian hurriedly shook her head.
The first time she heard about ‘compensation,’ she had been quite pleased.
But when she learned what the compensation entailed, she wasn’t so happy anymore.
The compensation was cuddling and intimacy, which was basically just toying with her.
Unfortunately, Yue Li pretended not to hear.
She took off her clothes and also slipped into the bathtub.
The two bathed together.
Yue Li diligently attended to Xing Lian, scrubbing her back, massaging her legs, washing her feet…
Xing Lian greatly enjoyed her attentions, but she knew everything came with a price.
Sure enough, it didn’t take long for Yue Li to start getting restless.
The washing gradually turned into playful teasing.
After playing with her jade-like feet for a while, she started stroking her legs and kneading her waist.
Xing Lian’s breathing grew rapid.
Yue Li became more and more excessive, finally not even bothering to pretend anymore.
This bath left Xing Lian’s body weak, her cheeks flushed a deep red, and in the end, she couldn’t even stand steadily.
After this bath, instead of getting cleaner, she felt even dirtier.
Fortunately, Yue Li bathed her again.
After several rounds of this back-and-forth, she was finally washed clean and fresh, stepping out of the bathroom she feels refreshed and refreshed.
After leaving the bathroom, Xing Lian lay on the bed, not moving a muscle.
Although it was still early, she had no mind to go wandering around.
She had not an ounce of strength left, couldn’t even lift a book.
She could only half-close her eyes, lie in Yue Li’s embrace, and listen to her tell stories from books.
***
Discovering Xing Lian’s fondness for fishing, in the following days, Yue Li took her to the lake every few days.
After days of practice, Xing Lian gradually transformed from a novice into a skilled angler.
Her daily harvests were plentiful, so much that the small buckets they brought couldn’t hold them all.
Xing Lian loved her current life very much.
The days were peaceful and calm, and she thought of Fei less and less.
Just as she thought life could continue peacefully like this forever, an unexpected event occurred.
On this day, Xing Lian got out of bed happily, in a very cheerful mood.
Yue Li had promised to take her out today.
They had visited the previous lake many times, and the fish were almost all caught.
Today, the two were going to another lake, not far from the city, with very beautiful scenery.
Xing Lian was filled with anticipation.
She got dressed, walked to the small stool, placed her skirt underneath her, lifted one foot, extended her snow-white jade-like foot, and slipped it into the black stocking.
After putting on the left foot, then the right.
With both feet in stockings, she slipped on her little leather shoes and then left the bedroom for the living room.
Yue Li happened to enter just then, holding breakfast in her hands.
She looked at Xing Lian and smiled.
“Lian’er, you’re awake. Come over and eat quickly.”
“Mhm.” Xing Lian replied with a smile.
She walked over, sat down beside Yue Li, picked up her chopsticks, and began to eat.