"Yes, they said it was possible." Su Qing nodded. "Either way, the medicinal powder I’m applying is working quite well."

"That’s good." Cheng Beilin smiled. "I can’t believe there’s such a skilled traditional Chinese doctor here. If I ever get sick, I’ll have you introduce me."

Su Qing couldn’t help but laugh. "I’ve never met someone who hopes to get sick."

"I’m just saying, what if!"

Even though Cheng Beilin was a wealthy socialite from Xiangcheng, she didn’t have the slightest air of superiority. In just a day or two, she had blended right in with the aunties and grandmas of Lihua Village. The children were especially fond of her. After getting candy from her, they would call her "Big Sister" one by one whenever they saw her, making Cheng Beilin absolutely giddy with joy.

Su Qing had promised to take Cheng Beilin ice fishing at the Pond, so she had prepared simple fishing rods early in the morning. As for the bait, she used corn grits from her storage space. These grits had been imbued with Spiritual Energy in the space, making them fatally attractive to fish.

Learning that Su Qing was taking her ice fishing, Cheng Beilin was so excited she got up at the crack of dawn. "Su Qing, when are we leaving?"

Su Qing laughed. "You’re up way too early. Let’s go after we eat breakfast and rest a bit. Otherwise, the temperature in the morning will be too low for you to handle."

"Oh." Cheng Beilin understood that Su Qing had a point. To be honest, the weather in the Northeast was just too cold. Even though she was bundled up, she still felt a chill the moment she stepped outside. It was a completely different world from the weather in the south.

The two of them ate breakfast, rested for a while, and then around ten o’clock, Su Qing finally took Cheng Beilin to the Pond.

Near the Pond was a patch of reeds, but it looked rather desolate this time of year. On the thickly frozen surface of the ice, the reed leaves had long since withered away, leaving only sparse, yellowed stalks swaying gently in the north wind.

As soon as Su Qing and Cheng Beilin arrived near the Pond, they heard a group of children cheering happily: "Ooh, a fish! Quick, grab it!"

Cheng Beilin smiled. "These kids got here even earlier than us."

Su Qing laughed. "The kids love coming here to catch fish in the winter. It’s not just fun for them; it also adds a meat dish to their family’s table."

"Oh." Cheng Beilin nodded. It was only after coming to Lihua Village that she realized there were people who might only eat meat a few times a year. Most of the time, they lived on coarse grains and wild vegetables. For Cheng Beilin, who had never had to worry about food or clothing, this was something she could barely even imagine.

"Let’s go, we’ll find a quiet place to fish." Su Qing glanced at the children and led Cheng Beilin in a different direction, toward a less crowded area. The Pond was huge, so there was no need to fish all packed together. Otherwise, if she tossed in her corn grits, she guaranteed the children wouldn’t be able to catch a single fish.

"Okay!" Cheng Beilin cheerfully followed Su Qing to a quiet spot. She watched as Su Qing took out the ice chisel she had brought and, with just a couple of strikes, chiseled a small opening in the ice.

Cheng Beilin was fascinated and quickly said, "Let me, let me try."

"Sure." Su Qing smiled and handed the ice chisel to Cheng Beilin. "Be careful not to hurt yourself."

"Hey, don’t you worry." Cheng Beilin was full of confidence.

As a result, the ever-confident Miss Cheng’s palms started to ache after just a few swings. She had only managed to leave a few white marks on the ice. Forget breaking through it; she hadn’t even made a single crack.

Humbled, Miss Cheng looked at Su Qing with a pout. "Why did I only make a few white marks?"

Su Qing pursed her lips to hide a smile. "You’re not strong enough. Let me do it. I’ll teach you how to fish in a bit."

"Oh, okay then." Cheng Beilin knew she wasn’t cut out for chiseling ice, so she readily handed the ice chisel back to Su Qing. She watched as Su Qing, with just a few more strikes, turned the small opening into an ice hole about fifteen centimeters in diameter. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"This ice is so thick!" Once Su Qing had finished the ice hole, Cheng Beilin leaned in for a curious look. Seeing that the ice layer was more than ten centimeters thick, she clicked her tongue in amazement. "I’ve never seen ice this thick before!"

"It’s very common in the Northeast," Su Qing said with a smile. She tossed a handful of corn grits onto the water’s surface in the ice hole, then dropped the baited hook in after it.

"When will the fish come?" Cheng Beilin seemed afraid of scaring the fish under the ice, so she lowered her voice. She glanced at the bucket they had brought, her heart filled with anticipation.

"It should be soon." Su Qing was clearly very confident in her bait.

Sure enough, they had barely exchanged a few words when there was a commotion under the ice. Su Qing said, "They’re here."

"Oh my god, there are so many." Cheng Beilin saw schools of fish scrambling to peck at the corn grits on the water. She let out a small gasp, but before she could finish, Su Qing yanked her rod. A big, four-to-five-pound black fish flew out of the water and landed on the ice, thrashing wildly.

"Ah, you caught one!" Cheng Beilin watched the black fish in pleasant surprise. Seeing it flopping around on the ice, she forgot all about the other fish in the water and rushed forward to grab it and throw it into the bucket.

"OOF! PTOOEY, PTOOEY!" Cheng Beilin never knew a fish could be so strong. She had just gotten her hands on the black fish, but before she could even lift it, its tail thrashed wildly, splashing water all over her head and face. She froze for a second, and with a FLOP, the black fish struggled out of her grasp. If it hadn’t still been on Su Qing’s hook, it probably would have flopped right back into the water.

"How can this fish be so strong?" Cheng Beilin found it incredible.

"These are wild fish; they’re very strong." Su Qing laughed, easily grabbing the fish, unhooking it, and tossing it into the bucket. There was already some water in the bucket, so after the black fish went in, it still thrashed a bit, but not as violently.

"Let me try, let me try!" Cheng Beilin was itching to go, eager to catch a fish herself.

"Alright." Su Qing smiled and handed the fishing rod to Cheng Beilin, baiting the hook for her at the same time.

Cheng Beilin excitedly cast the hook into the water. Thanks to the corn grits floating on the surface, plenty of fish were still scrambling to eat under the ice hole, so it wasn’t long before one took the bait.

"Ah, it’s so heavy!" Cheng Beilin was overjoyed to have hooked a fish. She strained to pull it up, as it felt incredibly heavy. Su Qing stepped forward to help, and soon a huge, seven-to-eight-pound black fish was dragged onto the ice.

"Wow, this one’s even bigger!" Cheng Beilin’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the black fish. She used her hands and feet to half-carry, half-wrangle the fish into the bucket, completely ignoring her wet cotton jacket and the water splashed on her face. This was the first fish she had ever caught ice fishing, and there was no way she was letting it go.

They had caught two big black fish in just a short while. Cheng Beilin was buzzing with excitement when suddenly, a panicked voice cried out from a distance: "Help! Someone fell into an ice hole!"