#4 - Chapter 4: Hope of Making Money

Secretly memorizing the faces of those two people, Cheng Feng continued with his work.

What? Not concerned about that girl? What does that have to do with Cheng Feng?

He doesn't know her, nor is he familiar with her. Wouldn't rushing in be asking for trouble?

And if it brings trouble to his family, who will bear the responsibility?

Alas, the experiences of adult society always make people overthink.

There's no helping it; these are all lessons learned from suffering in his previous life.

Without thinking things through, rash actions are likely to fail and bring trouble.

But the condition for resolving trouble is usually money, and not a small amount.

It's a small amount that most families can't afford.

This is like betting your family's future.

If you win, you don't gain much advantage; if you lose, you have to compensate with your family's savings.

The adult world not only emphasizes relationships but also focuses on tangible benefits.

Everyone has a family to support; who has time for sentimentality!

Seeing that it was almost noon and his fishing rod hadn't moved an inch, Cheng Feng fell into deep thought.

What's wrong? Why? Is there no fish in the river?

Unable to restrain himself, he took off his clothes, bared his torso, and went into the water to calm himself down.

Cheng Feng began to think about the difference.

Either he didn't imitate the fishing techniques he learned from the videos well enough, or he lacked experience to form a skill on the panel.

After all, he had never played with this stuff before.

But that's not right. Didn't he form a skill in just one day yesterday?

So, what did he do yesterday?

He didn't do anything; he just had some children impart some experience, and then he succeeded by chance!

Imparting? Experience?

A flash of inspiration crossed Cheng Feng's mind.

Perhaps it's not just that. The original owner of this body also used to catch fish in the river, but the results weren't great, so he stopped going.

He felt that going was a waste of time; it was better to do something else if he couldn't catch fish!

But he did have some successful experience.

Original owner's experience + yesterday's children's experience + one successful fishing result = skill?

Cheng Feng thought back and forth, and considering all the factors, he could only think of this.

So, if this formula holds true, the conditions required in the early stage are quite numerous!

To simplify it further, it would be:

Experienced skill + one success = skill.

That's all there is to it.

The mystery is solved.

It should be like this.

No, perhaps it's not just once. Counting the previous owner's successes, perhaps it requires a few more times, but it generally stays within this range.

The doubts in his mind were completely dispelled. Now, it's time to get to work.

The air in ancient times is so good. If there were no living pressures, it would be nice to come here for a vacation!

Perhaps because the skill had formed, Cheng Feng didn't feel the panic and fear he had when he first entered the water. He smoothly held his breath, entered the water, and turned over.

Not daring to go to the center of the river, he swam along the edge.

Looking at the small fish hovering near the bait, Cheng Feng was secretly pleased. It doesn't matter if he can't catch them with a rod; he can catch them by hand.

This has the same principle as setting bait for hunting in the mountains.

Perhaps because he wasn't proficient at the beginning, after a lot of effort, Cheng Feng caught three small fish weighing less than two pounds, and one medium-sized fish weighing about four pounds. It's not that there were no big fish, but they just didn't bite.

Even so, it was still quite a good harvest.

If he could continue like this, and persevere, in less than three months, his family's wealth would be thicker than before.

The fiery clouds at sunset were exceptionally red, like the hope in Cheng Feng's heart.

In the evening, when he returned home, looking at the fish in the bucket, Cheng Father and Cheng Mother couldn't stop smiling.

His eldest brother and third brother were also extremely happy. If their brother was capable, they could at least get some benefits at the dinner table.

Looking at the smiling faces of his family at the table, Cheng Feng took the initiative to ask: "Dad, I've now discovered the secret to catching fish. Maybe we'll have fish to eat often in the future. Do you think these fish of this size can be sold for a good price?"

Cheng Father carefully looked at the fish and said: "The too small ones won't do. At least like this four-pound one can be sold for a price. If it's as big as yesterday's, you can't escape getting five small coins for it."

Cheng Feng's heart dimmed slightly. If he could catch such big fish every day, that would be great, but not catching them would delay the speed of making money.

Fortunately, he finally had a channel to make money, so he wouldn't be sitting idle and letting his family's wealth dwindle, and he could replenish it.

Cheng Feng then inquired about Wang Po and Lai Er from Cheng Father in a roundabout way.

Cheng Father gave a general account and then felt it was inappropriate, and instructed: "That Lai Er is a local ruffian. Don't associate with him and learn bad habits."

Cheng Feng smiled and said: "I just saw that the man was so ugly and also somewhat fierce, so I asked about him, so I don't provoke him in the future."

Cheng Father was very satisfied with his second son's attitude of protecting himself. They were honest farmers, doing farming work, and shouldn't think about unnecessary things.

In a few months, when the autumn harvest comes, they'll save some money. His second son will sell fish and save some more. It's time to consider the eldest son's marriage.

Otherwise, taxes will be increased again.

That's right. These days, even unmarried bachelors have to pay extra taxes.

Many who can't afford to marry have to borrow money to avoid this.

After all, getting married solves everything.

The government also collects the adult tax the following year, which gives people time to get things done quickly.

The tax rate increases every two years, so you're not afraid of not getting married.

If you don't get married, you pay money and taxes. Getting married is also a good thing for the county magistrate to gain political achievements, a win-win situation.

Cheng Shu is 18 this year, and if he doesn't get married, the government will increase taxes next year. In the past, they really didn't have money. This year, they had some spare money, but they spent it on treating Cheng Feng's illness.

Seeing that Cheng Feng can get fish, eat meat, and also sell some money,

The plans that should have been there before have been brought up again.

But don't worry, let's take a look and see first. Maybe the second son is just lucky these two days!

Young people are just not down-to-earth and easily impetuous!

Cheng Mother went to cook, and Cheng Feng turned to Cheng Lei and said: "Third brother, don't go out to play tomorrow. Come with me to catch fish. Remember not to tell others."

Shi Tou happily said: "No problem."

In the third child's heart, why eat less meat when you can eat more?

Playing with Sanwazi is also just idle fun.

After their second brother recovered from his illness, he was indeed much more cautious than before.

And Cheng Feng thought: Before his family has saved enough money, he will hide this method for as long as possible.

The village is so big, and there are people who are jealous. It won't be easy to reverse the situation when difficulties arise.

The village is not big, and people's hearts are complicated.

Just Wang Po and Lai Er have opened his eyes.

That's his daughter-in-law, one wants to buy and one wants to sell. If it weren't for the injured groom being unwilling to let go, the newly married wife would have been sold.

Cheng Feng knew that the local ruffians didn't do honest work, and often engaged in speculative and opportunistic bad deeds.

The main thing is that they don't produce anything and always want to take advantage.

The eldest brother continues to work with Cheng Father, Cheng Mother cooks at home, and Cheng Feng himself and the third brother go to make money for the family.

Why did ancient times emphasize men over women?

Cheng Feng now also appreciates some of the taste. The Cheng family has three sons. When they grow up, they are three men. Whether it is the speed or quality of doing things, they have the confidence.

If a local ruffian wants to take advantage, they have to consider it. Everyone looks up and doesn't see each other. Is it worth it for this trivial matter?

Are you really not afraid of the three brothers stealing from their homes and hurting people?

If you really offend them too harshly, who dares not risk their lives?