Chapter 49 Lots of Fish

Three days later, Steward Liu once again arrived at the Zhou residence with good news.

Neither Du Wanchun nor Zhou Ruiyuan was surprised. After chatting with Steward Liu for a while, they confirmed the details of the agreement.

“Miss Du, Master Fang has assigned you the shop on Southwest Street in Cheng’an County, and he will also arrange for an assistant to help you.” Steward Liu said with a smile. “As for when the shop will open, that depends on when you can have the incense ready.”

Du Wanchun nodded lightly. “Alright, Manager Liu, but before that, may we take a look at the shop first?”

Manager Liu squinted his eyes and smiled. “Of course. If you’re free today, you can come with us now.”

Du Wanchun immediately stood up. “That’s great. My husband and I will go with you now.”

She then turned to look at Zhou Ruiyuan.

Zhou Ruiyuan smiled at her in acknowledgment before getting up and heading outside to prepare the carriage.

The three of them set off early and made their way to Cheng’an County.

The shop Master Fang provided was indeed in a prime location. While it wasn’t as bustling as South Street, it was close to West Street and near the residences of high-ranking officials and nobles.

Du Wanchun was quite satisfied and turned to Steward Liu with a smile. “Steward Liu, besides the assistant assigned by Master Fang, we’d also like to have someone from our Zhou family working in the shop.”

Steward Liu chuckled and nodded. “Of course, since this is a business partnership, having one assistant from each side makes perfect sense.”

Seeing how readily he agreed, Du Wanchun had already decided who to choose.

Both Zhou Zhao and Zhou Feng were literate, but Zhou Feng’s eyesight wasn’t fully recovered yet. For now, Zhou Zhao was the most suitable candidate.

After finalizing their decision, Du Wanchun and Zhou Ruiyuan got on the carriage and prepared to return home.

Meanwhile, in Changliu Village, Zhou Feng and Zhou Zhao were working in the fields.

The rice crops were almost ready for harvest, and the two of them were busy cutting them down.

Zhou Feng’s eyesight hadn’t completely healed yet, so he could only assist by carrying the harvested rice.

The weather was getting hotter, and before long, Zhou Zhao was drenched in sweat.

“Second Brother, bring me some water,” Zhou Zhao called out to Zhou Feng, who was not far away.

Zhou Feng fumbled around, found the water jug, and carefully made his way toward Zhou Zhao. “Third Brother, here.”

Zhou Zhao took the jug and drank in big gulps. As he drank, his gaze inadvertently drifted toward a nearby pond.

It was a stagnant body of water—clear and fresh when it rained, but murky and foul-smelling when it didn’t.

The nearby villagers rarely used the water from this pond. Only Zhou Zhao would occasionally fetch some to water the vegetables when he had nothing else to do.

As he gazed at the pond’s surface, his eyes suddenly widened in shock. He quickly grabbed Zhou Feng’s arm and pointed, exclaiming, “Second Brother, that murky pond water looks much clearer than usual!”

Zhou Feng could only make out blurry shapes in front of him, unable to see clearly. However, he was just as surprised. “Hasn’t it not rained recently? How did the pond water suddenly become so clear?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll go take a look.” Zhou Zhao placed the water jug back into Zhou Feng’s hands and strode quickly toward the pond.

At first, he thought it might just be his imagination, but as he got closer, he was stunned. This pond wasn’t filled with murky, stagnant water—it was a crystal-clear spring!

Unable to resist, Zhou Zhao scooped up a handful of water and took a sip. It was sweet and refreshing, almost as if honey had been mixed in.

Not only that, but he could also see fish swimming in the water.

Small crucian carp and large grass carp darted through the lush green aquatic plants.

Zhou Zhao was overjoyed. He stood up and shouted excitedly, “Second Brother, there are so many fish in this pond!”

Zhou Feng perked up his ears, listening carefully. Following the direction of Zhou Zhao’s voice, he fumbled his way over. “Third Brother, hurry! Catch those fish!”

There weren’t many fish ponds in Changliu Village. Most villagers had to either buy fish from a neighboring village or go all the way to the distant Luoyang River to catch them.

Now that there was a pond full of fish right next to their own farmland, anyone would be thrilled beyond words.

Zhou Zhao was quick and agile. Without hesitation, he leaped into the pond and began catching fish with his bare hands.

The small crucian carp were packed together densely in the water.

All Zhou Zhao had to do was scoop, and he would catch one.

“Second Brother, get ready!” he called out before tossing the fish onto the shore.

Zhou Feng crouched on the ground, feeling around for the fish and placing them into the vegetable basket they had brought.

One fish, two fish, three fish…

One after another, the lively fish flopped onto the shore.

Zhou Zhao was having the time of his life in the pond, stirring up the water as he caught fish. It was as if the fish were disoriented, swimming straight into his hands.

With every grab, he caught one effortlessly. In no time, he had already caught over a dozen small crucian carp and three large grass carp.