Chapter 251 - 192: Amusing and Lively (Part 2)

This assumption might not hold true in other provinces, but in the Bashu Region, it was spot-on!

Whether someone could cook well was a matter of skill, but their willingness to do so was a matter of attitude.

Ni Bingyan nodded in satisfaction. She found a shady cove by the water’s edge, unfolded her folding chair, took out a basin to scoop up some stream water, and began to mix her fish bait.

Once she had adjusted her rig and found a suitable water depth, she cast her line and sat down on her folding chair to wait patiently.

She didn’t waste a moment while she waited, pulling out her earbuds to listen to the international news.

’Even if I’m out relaxing, I still have to get today’s studying done!’

As the sun climbed higher, Sang Yuan, worried Ni Bingyan would get burned, immediately opened the sun umbrella.

Unable to find a base for it anywhere, he simply jammed the steel pole of the umbrella directly into the soft earth behind her chair.

There weren’t many stones here, which made it convenient.

Ni Bingyan felt the shadow fall over her and looked up to see the umbrella. She said nothing, just continued to watch the water, a small smile playing on her lips.

She loved this feeling of being cared for.

In large part, her willingness to accept Sang Yuan stemmed from the sincerity she felt from him.

She had many suitors. Some were after her beauty, approaching her with the simple intent of a womanizer. Some coveted her good resources and lack of scandals, wanting to generate buzz with her to further their own careers. Others were after her father’s money, hoping to quit the rat race and just coast...

Of course, there were also those who wanted a genuine connection, but they either weren’t her type, or they simply lacked that natural chemistry when they spent time together.

’To find someone like Sang Yuan, who ticked all her boxes in every way, was actually quite lucky, when she thought about it.’

A fish took the bait. Ni Bingyan could tell from the feel of it that it was a small crucian carp, and she reeled it straight in.

After setting the sun umbrella in place, Sang Yuan immediately reached out, grabbed the fishing line, and expertly unhooked the fish.

But as he tried to open the fish basket with one hand, he lost his grip. The carp slipped away and zipped back into the water.

They stared at each other, and Sang Yuan was utterly mortified.

The thing was, in his past life, he had often gone fishing with Ni Bingyan. He was a natural at unhooking fish and handling the landing net; what just happened had been a moment of carelessness.

"Sigh, this is all your fault. What are you smiling at? I was distracted looking at you, and that gave the fish its chance! Hey! You think it’s going to go home and snitch? What are we supposed to do if all its aunts and cousins don’t show up now?"

Ni Bingyan scoffed at him, but the smile never once left her face.

The fish had escaped. What else was there to do? Time to bait the hook and start over!

After all the chum she’d thrown in, it was the prime time for bites.

He saw she wasn’t talking and knew that fishing required quiet, so Sang Yuan brought his own folding chair over and sat beside her, soaking up the sun.

Wangcai, tied to a tree, was leaning against its large trunk, enjoying the natural breeze and sleeping soundly.

Sang Yuan had intended to help her unhook the fish, but not long after he lay down, he fell asleep.

He’d been too excited to get much sleep the previous night. The morning sun was warm and cozy, not yet scorching, and sleepiness came upon him in an instant.

The sunlight crept across the ground, and before long, it was warming Sang Yuan’s legs.

Ni Bingyan looked at the umbrella over her head, then gently put down her fishing rod. She then proceeded to pull the sun umbrella, which had been jammed into the earth, right out of the ground.

Gauging the position of the sun, she carefully replanted the umbrella in the ground behind Sang Yuan.

Seeing that he was now completely covered in the sun umbrella’s shade, Ni Bingyan contentedly found a straw hat to wear and resumed casting her line.

Maybe it was because this was such a popular fishing spot, but the fish weren’t easy to catch. It took her over an hour to land just six crucian carp of varying sizes.

After the sixth fish was hooked, a long while passed without another bite. Ni Bingyan stared at the glittering surface of the water and, before she knew it, had leaned back in her chair.

Sang Yuan hadn’t been able to sleep last night, and neither had she, really.

After insisting on driving all that way this morning and then sticking it out fishing for so long, she was exhausted too.

By the cool little stream, under a large, lush green acacia tree, the two of them lay on their folding chairs, sheltered by an orange sun umbrella.

Some time later, the sound of a car stopping on the road above startled Sang Yuan awake.

He saw that Ni Bingyan was mostly in the sun while he was lying comfortably under the umbrella. One look at the hole in the dirt behind him, and he knew she had moved it for him.

’Sigh. She’s always so kind, always thinking of others, never minding if she puts herself out.’

Feeling both touched and guilty, Sang Yuan got up as stealthily as a thief. He moved the sun umbrella behind Ni Bingyan, readjusted its position, and made sure she was once again covered in shade.