"Master Chen, are you teaching Xiao Bai to tend the stove?"
"Uh… I didn't say Xiao Bai's not smart, but I didn't think it would be this smart."
"And this is fire, what if something goes wrong?"
Just as the viewers were discussing, they watched in amazement as Xiao Bai, using its paws, managed to dig up a bamboo stick and clumsily pushed it into the stove with its front paws.
The moment the viewers saw this, they were all dumbstruck.
After a long pause, someone typed: "Is this dog… enlightened?"
"Is the intelligence of dogs really this high?"
"Husky: I swear I just heard someone call my name."
"Dog intelligence isn't low. Some dogs can actually do this. What's really impressive is that Xiao Bai understood the command and learned it so quickly. It's mind-blowing."
"Meanwhile, Da Hei can't do anything except cry."
"Xiao Bai is lucky to have met Master Chen. In less than a month, it's become healthy and fat. If Master Chen hadn't found it, it would probably be long gone."
"All thanks to Second Grandpa feeding it well. Otherwise, how could it grow so fast?"
Even the slower viewers eventually noticed the change in size between Xiao Bai and Da Hei.
Da Hei, though, was fine. It had always been big.
But Xiao Bai? Just a while ago, it was barely half a meter long, and now it had nearly doubled in size.
Although the viewers were puzzled, they all attributed the rapid growth to Second Grandpa's good care.
Soon, lunch was ready, and the viewers witnessed something utterly shocking.
Chen Yang came over with three bowls, each filled with rice and a hearty portion of vegetables. He set them down and said, "Eat slowly, don't spill it."
"Don't waste food, alright?"
After getting an affirmative nod from his two companions, he picked up his own bowl and began eating.
"This…"
"I don't even know what to say. Could someone with 18cm of wisdom explain this?"
"I've got 20cm, I'll explain. Wait, what was I supposed to say?"
"I feel like they aren't animals, they're like little kids!"
"Yeah, exactly! Look at them sitting at the table, eating so carefully."
"Do they even like cooked food?"
"My worldview is shattering."
"Guys, you've got it all wrong. The real issue here is… pets shouldn't be on the table! That's a bad habit."
"Hold up, you got it wrong. Da Hei and Xiao Bai aren't pets; they're Master Chen's friends!"
"Yeah, Master Chen never treats them like pets, okay?"
Seeing this discussion unfold, Chen Yang chimed in, "Let me clarify. Da Hei and Xiao Bai are my friends, not pets."
"Da Hei? It's from South Mountain, just temporarily living here with me."
"Technically, I should be charging rent, but Da Hei doesn't earn money, so I thought, why not waive its rent?"
Chen Yang joked with a smile.
"Pfft~ Da Hei can stay because of Master Chen's favor. You think I'd charge rent?"
"Da Hei will never be a servant! Unless you offer me free meals and a place to stay~ Mmm, that's perfect."
After lunch, Chen Yang said, "Alright, chat with Da Hei and Xiao Bai for a while. I'm going to take a quick break before heading up the mountain."
He had been busy all morning and didn't want to face the wrath of his viewers for not doing anything for the rest of the day.
As for taking a "break"—that was just an excuse.
He actually had something else in mind: a lucky draw.
While "taking care of business," he activated the lottery.
"Congratulations, host, you have gained Master-level Fishing Skills."
"Congratulations, host, you have gained Fishing Theory and Practice."
"Congratulations, host, you have gained Spiritual Soil."
"Congratulations…"
"Fishing?"
Chen Yang raised an eyebrow. This was unexpected, but a pleasant surprise.
He had originally planned to head to the mountain reservoir or to Girl's Lake today, but he hadn't expected this new skill to come up.
After clicking to learn, a flood of information immediately entered his mind.
It didn't take long for him to absorb and process it.
A few minutes later, he walked out of the room, ready to go.
"I'm good now. Wait for me a bit, I'm going to get ready."
Chen Yang immediately headed to the kitchen, fiddled with something for a while, and then returned holding some tools.
"Alright, today we're doing one thing."
"Guess what I'm holding?"
In his right hand, he held a long, thin bamboo pole, and in his left hand, he carried a water bucket with a machete inside.
"Is this… for planting trees?"
"Pfft, are you a devil? Who uses a bamboo pole to plant trees? Are you trying to make me laugh to death?"
"Plant trees, my foot! This clearly looks like something for poking bird nests."
"Wait, I think it's a trap. He's probably going to catch rabbits or something."
"Yeah, that makes sense."
Chen Yang smiled and said, "Congratulations, everyone. You're all wrong."
"I'm going to the mountain today to fish."
"Since this was a last-minute decision, I didn't buy a proper fishing rod."
"But in the countryside, a bamboo pole works just fine for fishing."
"This fishing line and hook, I bought them before, so they should still work."
Chen Yang double-checked his gear: bamboo pole, line set, and a modified landing net.
As for the machete, that was just for cutting through some brush.
"Alright, we're good to go. Let's head up the mountain."
Chen Yang set off with Da Hei and Xiao Bai, making their way up the mountain.
On the way, they ran into Uncle Zhu, who was heading out.
"Yang Yang, where are you going? Oh, heading out to fish?"
"Yep, I'm going to try my luck. There's a reservoir up in the mountain, so I thought I'd catch some fish there."
"Better head to Girl's Lake."
Uncle Zhu shook his head. "That reservoir's been empty for a while now."
"What? I thought the reservoir was leased by the village next door? Shouldn't there be plenty of fish?"
Chen Yang recalled how, as a kid, they used to run to the reservoir whenever the sluice gate opened. Fish would jump out of the sluice, and all they had to do was catch them.
Uncle Zhu replied, "That was back in the day. Since last year, there's no more fish in that reservoir, and no one's leasing it anymore."
"People from Zhujia Village keep coming to do electric fishing, frying everything in sight. Who can stand that?"
Chen Yang frowned. "Electric fishing is illegal."
Uncle Zhu laughed. "You've been studying too much. This is our village—do you think people care about laws here?"
"Electric fishing, stealing fruit, trapping birds with nets, you name it. They've done it all."
"The fruit and tea gardens up on the mountain? They've all been wrecked by these guys. We used to make a bit of money from the tea and fruit, but now even that's gone."
"Do you think calling the police will help? By the time they arrive, the culprits are long gone."
Shaking his head, Uncle Zhu added, "Just go to Girl's Lake. There are still fish there, though it's crowded with fishermen, and it's tough to catch anything."
...
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]