Chapter 37

Shen Yiyi once again used the same method to “teach” Da Bao and Wang Cai. Since Xiao Bao was still too young, she did not teach him.

In short, under her mysterious tricks, Li Tiezhu and the others were convinced that there were plenty of fish in the river and that they were easy to catch.

Excited by this idea, they rolled up their pant legs and began imitating Shen Yiyi, reaching into the water to catch fish.

After catching more than ten fish, Shen Yiyi and her group stopped.  

More than ten fish were already quite a lot, and they certainly couldn’t carry them all back by hand.

Er Bao eagerly volunteered to run back and get a bucket, while the others sat by the riverbank, guarding the fish and waiting for him. Meanwhile, they watched Li Tiezhu and his group attempting to catch fish.

Li Tiezhu and the others copied Shen Yiyi’s technique, staring intently at the water surface with wide eyes. However, after staring for a long time, they still couldn’t figure anything out. Eventually, they gave up and simply reached out to grab the fish. In the end, they caught nothing—not even a single scale.

Just as they were about to give up, a fish suddenly appeared on the murky water’s surface. The group was startled, and Li Tiezhu and He Weidong reacted the fastest, lunging at it in unison.

Mud and water splashed everywhere.

“Ah!”  

“Hiss!”  

The two of them collided head-on and missed the fish entirely. Not only did they fail to catch it, but they also bumped their heads together. Li Tiezhu winced in pain, his eyes turning red as his voice choked slightly. He angrily scolded: “He Weidong, why did you pounce over here? It’s all your fault! You scared the fish away!”  

“I was trying to catch the fish!”  

“I saw it first! Why would I need you to catch it?”  

“How the hell was I supposed to know you saw it?”  

The two of them started arguing, and as they bickered, their eyes welled up with tears. The other two boys, along with Goudan, stood there dumbfounded, staring at them in confusion.

Shen Yiyi, the troublemaker, remained silent. “…” They were all just a bunch of half-grown kids.  

“Mom!”  

Er Bao came running over like the wind, carrying the bucket. His face beamed with a bright smile as he shouted excitedly: “I brought the bucket!”

Shen Yiyi took the bucket from Er Bao’s hands, picked up a crucian carp from the ground, and placed it into the bucket. As she did so, she said: “Put them all in the bucket. We’ll take them back and have fish for dinner tonight.”  

“Okay~” Da Bao, Er Bao, Xiao Bao, and Wang Cai responded excitedly, their faces now filled with joy, showing no trace of the anger and frustration from earlier when their fish had been snatched.  

They busily picked up the fish from the ground and placed them into the bucket.  

Meanwhile, Li Tiezhu and He Weidong had stopped arguing. They quietly wiped their tears, their expressions gloomy. They had failed to catch a single fish and could only watch enviously as Shen Yiyi’s group harvested their bountiful catch.  

Shen Yiyi glanced at He Weidong, whose eyes were red, though he stubbornly refused to let his tears fall. She waved at him.  

He Weidong immediately walked over but still felt a bit embarrassed due to the earlier scuffle. “Second Aunt-in-law Li, you called me?”  

“Do you want to eat fish?” Shen Yiyi asked.  

He Weidong swallowed hard, his gaze secretly drifting toward the bucket. Inside were all kinds of fish—crucian carp, grass carp, black fish—each one big and plump. He had never caught such large fish before.  

“If you answer my question, I’ll give you one.” Shen Yiyi coaxed. “Just now, did you guys steal Wang Cai’s fish? And did you bully Da Bao and the others?”  

“Cough, cough.” Li Tiezhu immediately panicked upon hearing this. He was so flustered that he forgot about his earlier tears, fearing that He Weidong would betray him. He quickly coughed twice to warn him.  

However, his reaction had the opposite effect. Instead of staying quiet, He Weidong, out of sheer defiance, blurted out: “Yes!”  

“Do you know you were wrong?”  

Li Tiezhu became even more anxious. Unable to hold back, he stepped forward and called out: “He Weidong!”  

“I know!” He Weidong replied, deliberately shooting him a provocative look.  

“Then apologize to them. If they forgive you, I’ll give you a fish.”  

He Weidong hesitated.  

He licked his lips. After all, he was just an eight- or nine-year-old child. In a time when even rice had to be mixed with sweet potatoes to barely fill their stomachs, fish was an irresistible temptation.

He Weidong looked at the Three Baos and Wang Cai, his voice slightly muffled as he said: “Sorry.”  

No one had expected him to actually apologize. Da Bao and Er Bao tilted their heads up to look at their Mom.  

Shen Yiyi smiled. “Do you want to forgive him?”  

Er Bao glanced at his older brother. Da Bao thought for a moment before nodding, but he added a condition: “You can’t bully Wang Cai anymore.”  

Wang Cai also turned to look at his Mom.  

Lin Daniu’s eyes welled up with tears the moment she heard He Weidong say “sorry.” She had always known that these boys were bullying her son, but she had always taught Wang Cai to endure it. She had never imagined that one day, they would actually apologize.  

Seeing her son look at her now, she quickly wiped her tears and said: “Wang Cai, if you want to forgive him, then forgive him. If you don’t, then don’t. You don’t have to ask me.”  

Wang Cai, half-understanding, turned to He Weidong and said: “I… I forgive you.”  

Shen Yiyi reached into the bucket and pulled out a crucian carp. “Here, this is yours. Look at how generous your younger brothers are. You must not bully them again in the future.”  

At first, He Weidong still felt a little defiant when he apologized, but now, he suddenly felt ashamed. He mumbled: “Maybe… I don’t want the fish anymore.”  

“Take it.” Shen Yiyi said. “Just don’t bully your younger brothers again in the future.” Then, she turned to the other two—Liu Guanjun and He Fugui—and smiled. “What about you two?”  

He Fugui was He Weidong’s cousin, so naturally, he followed his older cousin’s lead. Liu Guanjun, on the other hand, wanted to eat fish, so he also apologized to Wang Cai.  

Shen Yiyi handed each of them a fish.  

Seeing this, Goudan eagerly stepped forward, his eyes shining. He was sure that Second Aunt-in-law would ask him next.  

However, Shen Yiyi did not turn to Goudan. Instead, she looked at Li Tiezhu.  

Li Tiezhu lifted his chin. He wanted a fish, but he refused to apologize. Still, he knew that Goudan would definitely admit his mistake, which meant Goudan would get a fish. If Goudan took the fish home, then he would get to eat it too.

Back at home, Li Tiezhu had once nearly turned the entire household upside down just for a bite of meat.

Now, with such a big fish right in front of him, he still refused to admit his mistake? Shen Yiyi didn’t believe he had that much pride. So, she turned to look at Goudan, who was staring at her eagerly.  

Goudan immediately said: “Second Aunt-in-law, I know I was wrong! Da Bao, Er Bao, Wang Cai, and Xiao Bao, I’m sorry! Will you forgive me?”  

Shen Yiyi glanced at Li Tiezhu. Sure enough, he was sneaking sideways glances in their direction. She smiled slightly, then reached into her pocket, pulled out a White Rabbit Creamy Candy, and placed it in Goudan’s hand. “Admitting your mistakes makes you a good child. Here, take this and enjoy.”  

Goudan clutched the candy, but his eyes remained glued to the fish in the bucket. He seemed confused—why did He Weidong and the others get fish when they apologized, but he only got candy?  

“Because your brother hasn’t admitted his mistake.” Shen Yiyi said. “Second Aunt-in-law doesn’t want to give him fish to eat.”  

As soon as she finished speaking, another fish appeared in her bucket.  

He Weidong had placed the fish they had taken from Wang Cai back into the bucket, looking at her with a hopeful expression. “Second Aunt-in-law Li, this is Wang Cai’s fish.”  

Shen Yiyi nodded approvingly. At least this one is still teachable.  

Li Tiezhu’s eyes widened in shock.  

As he watched Shen Yiyi and the others walking farther and farther away, the realization hit him—he wasn’t going to have any fish tonight! Regret surged through him, and in an instant, he rushed forward, calling out: “Second Aunt-in-law, I know I was wrong! Da Bao, Er Bao, Xiao Bao, and Wang Cai, I’m sorry! Can you forgive me?”  

Then, he turned to Shen Yiyi with a fawning smile. “Second Aunt-in-law, can I have a fish now?”  

“Of course.” Shen Yiyi stopped and smiled.  

“Absolutely not!”