When Xu Tongdao got home, the front gate was already wide open. His younger sister, Ge Yuzhu, was wiping down the table with a rag.
She had always been diligent. Every morning, she wiped the tables clean, then carried all the teacups to the small ditch not far away to wash them. Recently, with the heavy rains, the water in the village ditch had become murky, so she'd been using a basin to draw water from the household water vat instead.
There was movement coming from the kitchen as well—Xu Tongdao guessed their mother was busy inside.
Hearing footsteps, Ge Yuzhu turned around. When she saw Xu Tongdao, her face immediately lit up with a bright smile.
"Big Brother, when did you go out to catch fish?"
Xu Tongdao gave a short acknowledgment, propped the shrimp rake by the doorway, and carried the fish basket inside.
Curious, Ge Yuzhu trotted over and craned her neck to look inside the basket.
Seeing it half full of fish, she was both shocked and delighted.
"Wow! Big Brother, you're amazing! Second Brother was out all day yesterday and didn't even catch half of what you got in one morning!"
As she spoke, Xu Tonglu happened to walk out of the room. Hearing that, his face darkened slightly.
Xu Tongdao glanced at him but said nothing. As long as the kid didn't stir up trouble, there was no need to discipline him every time.
Their mother seemed to hear the commotion and came out of the kitchen.
"I cooked some porridge. There are still a few cooked fish left from last night. Go wash up and eat! Xiao Dao, you don't need to go on flood duty today—my fever's gone. I'll go instead."
As she spoke, she leaned over to look into the fish basket. Seeing how much fish there was, she looked surprised.
"That's so much! We can't possibly eat it all."
"Then pick out the bigger ones and sell them," Xu Tongdao said casually.
He took out the 150 yuan he had just earned and handed it to his mother.
That stunned Ge Xiaozhu, Xu Tonglu, and Ge Yuzhu.
"Where did this money come from?" his mother asked.
"Good luck today. I caught a black fish and a softshell turtle—over two jin. I sold them to Teacher Xu Weizu. Take it, Mom. Use it for Tonglu and Yuzhu's school fees."
After stuffing the money into her hand, Xu Tongdao went straight to the kitchen to wash up, ignoring their reactions.
Behind him, Ge Yuzhu exclaimed in amazement, "A black fish? A softshell turtle? Big Brother, your luck is incredible!"
Luck?
Xu Tongdao smiled bitterly to himself. Maybe after rebirth, his luck really had turned.
At breakfast, their mother frowned in worry. "Selling fish… where would we sell them? It's far to the town, and the roads are bad with all this rain."
Xu Tongdao glanced at her, sighed inwardly, then turned to his sister.
"Yuzhu, after breakfast, pick out the larger fish. Borrow a small scale from Aunt Xu Ping next door, then try selling them around the village. If you can't sell them all, have your Second Brother go with you to the next village."
He paused, then added, "The money you make, keep it. Buy something you girls like."
Ge Yuzhu was startled. "Me? Sell them?"
Their mother frowned. "Yuzhu's still young. I should go."
"It's not heavy work. She can do it," Xu Tongdao said firmly.
After some hesitation, Ge Yuzhu nodded. "Okay, Big Brother."
Xu Tonglu kept his head down, eating in silence.
Only when Xu Tongdao was nearly finished did Xu Tonglu suddenly speak.
"I don't want to go catch fish today. Can I read your third-year middle school books?"
Everyone looked at him in surprise.
Xu Tongdao paused—then smiled.
"Of course. I won't be studying anymore anyway. They're all yours."
After breakfast, Xu Tongdao headed back to flood duty.
This time, he didn't escape.
By the time he reached Shandou Village, the team leader was already shouting for everyone to reinforce the dike, and Xu Tongdao found himself once again hauling baskets of mud along the slick embankment.
TL: If you want to read ahead by at least ten chapters, patreon.com/EdibleMapleSyrup