Chapter 11: Clairaudience

In the past two days, Tang Huaixu had already gotten used to his sister’s impulsive behavior, so without even thinking about it, he nodded in agreement. For Tang Huaixu, as long as his sister was happy, he was willing to do anything.

Seeing her daughter so excited, Su Meijuan reminded her:
“That river is quite deep. You must be careful when you go fishing, understand?”
“We know, Mother. Don’t worry,” Tang Wanning replied.

As soon as she finished speaking, she hurriedly grabbed the makeshift bamboo fishing rod she had made earlier and dashed out the door. Tang Huaixu, on the other hand, went looking for a small shovel and bucket to dig earthworms. Before he even had time to decide which bucket would be best for holding the fish, his sister had already disappeared from sight. With no other choice, Tang Huaixu just grabbed a random bucket, two small stools, and ran after her.

“What’s with Sister today? It’s not like this is the first time she’s gone fishing at the river. Why is she in such a rush?” he thought. Though he didn’t understand, Tang Huaixu didn’t complain. He only quickened his pace to try to catch up.

By the riverside, Tang Wanning had already found a perfect spot—one where she could observe the entrance of the brigade office without easily being noticed. Once she was sure of the location, she finally relaxed a little. Today was the day Bai Xiuying was supposed to answer the phone, and she couldn’t afford to miss it. She had to keep a close watch.

Relaxing reminded her of her little brother whom she had left behind. Just as she was hesitating whether to go meet him, she saw his figure approaching from a distance.
“Xiaoxu, I’m here!” she waved.

Seeing his sister beckoning, Tang Huaixu sighed inwardly. Even though she was two years older, she still acted like a child. It seemed he needed to grow up faster so he could better protect his family.

When Tang Wanning saw her younger brother panting heavily, she rubbed her nose awkwardly.
“Xiaoxu, I haven’t been fishing in so long. I got a little excited and ran too fast. Sorry for tiring you out.”
“Sis, it’s fine. These things aren’t heavy anyway,” Tang Huaixu replied, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “Sit here and wait for me a bit. I’ll go dig some earthworms.”
“I’ll go with you.”
But remembering how his sister reacted when she saw earthworms before, he said:
“I’ll go by myself. You wait here—it won’t take long.”

Hearing her brother, Tang Wanning didn’t insist, since she was also worried she might miss Bai Xiuying’s arrival.

Tang Huaixu picked a shady, damp patch of soil by the river and began digging. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before a few wriggling earthworms appeared. The sight made his scalp tingle. But thinking of how excited his sister had looked earlier, he gritted his teeth, grabbed the worms, and tossed them into the bucket. After digging up a few more, the nausea became unbearable, and he stopped. Taking a deep breath, he composed himself before bringing the bucket back.

“Sis, here are the earthworms. You start fishing first, I’ll go dig a few more later.”

When Tang Wanning saw the worms twisting around in the bucket, all her hair stood on end. At that moment, she felt fishing was a terrible decision!

Seeing her reaction, Tang Huaixu forced himself to pick up a worm and hook it onto her fishing line.
“Alright, sis. Cast your line.”

After that, he quickly ran to the river to wash his hands. Only when they were completely clean did he pull out a handkerchief to dry them.

But Tang Wanning didn’t notice her brother’s discomfort, because her full attention was fixed on the brigade office. She didn’t even realize her rod had caught a fish. Seeing his sister daydreaming, Tang Huaixu’s heart sank.

At first, he thought she ran so fast because she was too excited about fishing and even forgot the bucket. But now, she wasn’t interested in fishing at all—she just kept staring at the office door. So she wasn’t here to fish at all, but to wait for someone. But who could she be waiting for? She had grown up in the village, and the people she knew were all from here.

Whoever it was, she was clearly hiding something from him and from the family. Thinking this through only made him more worried, but he didn’t show it. After all, his sister took him everywhere these days—if something really happened, he would find out soon enough.

Watching the ripples spreading on the water, Tang Huaixu didn’t remind her about the fish. He too occasionally glanced toward the brigade office.

It wasn’t until Tang Wanning suddenly felt a strong pull on her rod that she realized she had a bite. It really was like “a willow planted by chance grows into shade.” Still, catching a fish was always something to be happy about—it meant there would be fish for lunch.

She quickly stood up, gripped the bamboo rod with both hands, and pulled hard. Since the crucian carp weighed only a little over a pound, she landed it in one go. Seeing it flop around on the ground, she was overjoyed.
“Xiaoxu, look! I caught a fish!”
“Sis, you’re amazing,” Tang Huaixu praised as he put the fish into the bucket, then baited her hook with another worm.
“You caught one in just a few minutes. My rod hasn’t even had a nibble.”
“Of course, I’m a little fishing prodigy!” she said proudly, before casting her line back into the river and resuming her watch on the brigade office.

Over the next three hours, she kept catching fish one after another, but she wasn’t happy at all—because no one ever came out of the brigade office.

“Could it be that the call will come in the afternoon instead?” she wondered anxiously.

Just then, the brigade leader hurried out of the office, which instantly made her perk up.
“They’re here!”

“Sis, I want to use the toilet too. Why don’t I come with you?” Tang Huaixu blurted out when he saw her excitement.

But Tang Wanning was there to gather information—she couldn’t take her brother along. Besides, there were so many fish already. If they both left, someone might snatch them, and she’d be heartbroken.
“You’re a boy, just find somewhere to go. I’ll be quick. Watch the fish for me,” she urged.

Not waiting for his reply, she ran off toward the brigade office toilets. Originally, she had planned to eavesdrop by the door, but the risk of being spotted was too great, and she might not hear clearly anyway. So instead, Tang Wanning thought of using the “Eavesdropping Ear” from the system’s marketplace.

She found a good hiding spot and then saw the village chief leading Bai Xiuying into the brigade office in a rush. After waiting a moment, she opened the system store.

【Would you like to spend 20 points to redeem the one-time martial arts skill—Eavesdropping Ear? Confirm/Decline】

“Confirm.”