The day before Liu Kai Xuan and Zhao Fei Yan's engagement.
It was Saturday, and both Zhao Fei Yan and Liu Xiao Yue were off from school. Liu Xiao Yue clamored to go catch loaches in the river.
Later, Liu Kai Xuan and Zhao Fei Yan discussed and decided to try their luck in a small countryside stream.
After all, they wanted to leave behind a few rare romantic memories for their relationship.
Of course, catching loaches didn't sound romantic in any way.
But having a memory was better than having none, wasn't it?
Liu Kai Xuan rode his bicycle, carrying Zhao Fei Yan and Liu Xiao Yue, and they had already slipped away.
Zhao Fei Yan sat on the rear rack of the bicycle, while Liu Xiao Yue sat on the crossbar. The little girl was so happy she was practically dancing.
This had really put Zhao Tian Hai in a tough spot!
Zhao Tian Hai waited in the siheyuan for a long time, until noon, without any sign of Liu Kai Xuan.
...
Time flew to noon. Liu Kai Xuan and Zhao Fei Yan took turns using basins to empty a small, rather tiny pond.
This rustic method of fishing was the simplest way.
Unfortunately, in this era of material scarcity, too many people were fishing.
The fish and shrimp in the ditches had been almost completely depleted.
After working hard for most of the day, they only managed to catch a few tiny shrimps.
Zhao Fei Yan suggested, "Brother Kai Xuan, there's an even larger pond downstream!"
"Let's put in more effort this afternoon and empty that pond. There should be big fish in there!"
"Alright!" Liu Kai Xuan nodded in agreement.
Since Zhao Fei Yan was in such high spirits, Liu Kai Xuan didn't want to dampen her enthusiasm.
"Brother, brother, I need to go relieve myself. Please wait for me, Sister Fei Yan!"
Liu Xiao Yue clutched her stomach, needing to go to the restroom.
Zhao Fei Yan called out, "Xiao Yue, wait for me. It's too desolate here, with shrubs everywhere. Don't wander off and get lost!"
"I'll go with you!"
As they spoke, Zhao Fei Yan walked out of the pond and pulled Liu Xiao Yue to the nearby bushes.
Seeing that no one else was around, Liu Kai Xuan suddenly had an "idea."
In the morning, Liu Kai Xuan and Zhao Fei Yan had exerted immense effort to empty a small pond, only to catch no fish.
Liu Kai Xuan himself didn't care much, but Xiao Yue and Zhao Fei Yan were clearly unhappy.
So, in the afternoon, he decided to give them a "surprise."
With this thought, Liu Kai Xuan took out a batch of fish and shrimp from his farm space and released them into the larger pond beforehand.
By the time Zhao Fei Yan and Liu Xiao Yue returned, Liu Kai Xuan had already secretly completed his task.
Afterward, they all shared some dry rations under the shade of a tree and rested for an hour.
Then, Liu Xiao Yue eagerly ran towards the larger pond.
After working hard for most of the morning, they had ended up with nothing substantial.
This made Zhao Fei Yan's enthusiasm not too high when they started working in the afternoon.
But it was okay. Liu Kai Xuan had plenty of energy, and he didn't expect her, a young girl, to do all the heavy lifting.
The three of them toiled for over an hour, yet about a third of the water remained in the large pond.
At this point, Zhao Fei Yan was exhausted, her face drenched in sweat, unable to continue.
"Sister Fei Yan, look! There are so many fish in this water!"
Liu Kai Xuan was still busy scooping water, and Liu Xiao Yue, seeing the abundance, exclaimed.
"Hmm, there really are big fish?"
As the water level in the pond rapidly dropped, the fish hidden within could no longer conceal themselves and began to splash vigorously.
Liu Xiao Yue eagerly jumped into the water to catch fish. Liu Kai Xuan smiled and didn't stop her.
By now, the water level in the pond had dropped rapidly, reaching only about knee-deep for an adult at its deepest point.
Catching fish here was like being at an amusement park, entirely safe.
Liu Xiao Yue busied herself in the pond for a few minutes but couldn't catch a single fish.
Seeing this, Zhao Fei Yan couldn't stand it any longer and rolled up her sleeves to help catch fish.
Zhao Fei Yan didn't have much technique, but she was an adult after all.
After a few rounds, she caught a crucian carp.
"Wow, Sister Fei Yan, you're amazing! You caught such a big fish!"
Upon seeing Zhao Fei Yan catch the first fish, Liu Kai Xuan immediately dropped his basin and jumped into the water to catch fish as well.
At this time of year, although the weather was clear, it wasn't warm.
Liu Kai Xuan and Zhao Fei Yan, as adults, were fine, but Liu Xiao Yue, a little girl, would surely fall ill if she stayed in the cold water for too long.
Liu Kai Xuan had initially forbidden her from entering the water, but the girl insisted on coming in when she saw the big fish, and no one could stop her.
Since that was the case, they might as well finish quickly!
They would catch a few fish as soon as possible, make everyone happy, and then they could pack up and go home.
"Wow, Brother, you're so strong! You caught the biggest fish!"
When Liu Kai Xuan made his move, he naturally went for the biggest fish.
The crucian carp Zhao Fei Yan had caught earlier was at most half a jin. The catfish Liu Kai Xuan had caught now weighed at least three jin.
Zhao Fei Yan couldn't catch fish with her hands, so in desperation, she grabbed a shovel from the bank and, seeing a big fish, swung the shovel to smash it!
Mud and water splattered all over her, but the girl was still laughing happily because she had indeed hit a big fish!
...
After about twenty minutes of effort, they had caught seven or eight big fish, along with some medium-sized fish, shrimp, and crabs, filling a bag.
At this point, Liu Kai Xuan called out, "Alright, alright, let's stop here for today!"
"Even if we catch more fish, we won't be able to carry them all!"
"What a shame!"
Zhao Fei Yan said with a hint of regret, "There are still quite a few fish and shrimp in the water!"
"A big one just escaped, and I didn't catch it!"
"Come on, get out of the water quickly!"
Liu Kai Xuan, with his arms outstretched, pulled Zhao Fei Yan and Liu Xiao Yue onto the riverbank.
"Look at you two, your lips are already blue from the cold. Hurry and go warm up by the fire!"
"That's fine then!"
Zhao Fei Yan nodded and smiled, "This is enough for today. We'll leave the rest of the fish for next time!"
"If we catch them all now, there will be none left for next time!"
"Heh heh..." Liu Kai Xuan didn't know what to say to her at this point.
...
Siheyuan.
Zhao Tian Hai was still waiting anxiously at Liu Kai Xuan's doorstep when a middle-aged man wearing glasses approached.
"Excuse me, is this Comrade Liu Kai Xuan's home?"
The middle-aged man, seeing Zhao Tian Hai standing at the door, asked.
"Who are you?" Zhao Tian Hai glanced at the other person, whom he didn't recognize.
The middle-aged man continued, "I am Sun Yong, the Director of the Personnel Department at Dongfang Hong Factory!"
"I heard that Comrade Liu Kai Xuan has resigned from Hongxing Factory!"
"Coincidentally, our Dongfang Hong Factory is short-handed at the moment, so I've come to understand the situation!"