Only after Fang Qiu was seated properly did Hu Tao finally let go of her hand.
After the mooring rope was untied, the small boat slowly drifted away from the shore. When they were about a hundred meters from the harbor, Xiangling brought the boat to a halt.
"Let's do it here. There should be plenty of fish here."
Xiangling checked the sea conditions around them, then crawled from the stern to the bow as she spoke.
"Alright, let's do it here then."
Fang Qiu nodded, rubbing her hands together with a hint of excitement.
Come to think of it, this was her first time fishing.
In her past life, aside from writing, she was just writing some more; there were many things she had never tried.
She hadn't been to amusement parks or zoos, hadn't seen snow, and hadn't seen the ocean.
Well...
She had seen the ocean now.
Liyue's sea was much prettier than she had imagined, sharing the same color as the sky.
However, this fishing experience didn't seem quite so perfect.
The bait was hooked by Xiangling, and the rod was cast by Hu Tao.
All she did were two things.
One was telling Hu Tao where to cast the line.
The other was sitting cross-legged at the bow, holding the rod, and waiting for a fish to bite.
Hu Tao sat beside her, while Xiangling sat at the other end of the boat.
But it wasn't just the preparation; even the process of fishing wasn't quite as she had envisioned.
Damn it!
Are fish really this scarce?
Those videos in her past life were indeed all lies...
They sat for a full fifteen minutes or more without seeing a single bite.
While waiting for a fish to take the bait, the three of them chatted about everyday matters.
During their chat, when asked about Uncle Tian who lent them the boat, Xiangling told them that Uncle Tian was a diner who often came to eat at Wanmin Restaurant.
And he loved fishing very much.
He often brought the fish he caught to Wanmin Restaurant for processing.
Over time, they got to know each other.
"By the way, Fang Qiu, you've been at home writing your new book these past few days, right? How is it? Is the new book going smoothly?"
Hu Tao, sitting by Fang Qiu's side and looking at the sparkling sea surface, asked.
"It's already been submitted to the editor for review. If no problems arise, it should be published after a few edits."
Fang Qiu said.
"What kind of story did you write this time? Tell us about it. The Your Lie in April you wrote last time was so touching; even after so long, diners at Wanmin Restaurant are still discussing your book."
Xiangling put down her fishing rod, stood up, and held onto the awning, looking interested as she spoke.
"Roughly speaking, it's a story about two people who meet, get to know each other, and fall in love on a ship, remaining faithful until death, disregarding life and death itself."
Fang Qiu thought for a moment and said.
Although Titanic had other deeper metaphors.
For example, the rich possess wealth and power, acting recklessly, resulting in the inevitable collision with an iceberg like a giant ship.
And even when the ship sinks, the ones who suffer in the end are the common people at the bottom, while those of the wealthy class can still find ways to escape.
But there was no need to bring that up during such a relaxing moment.
"A story about falling in love on a ship?"
Hu Tao murmured. She subconsciously stole a glance at Fang Qiu, only to see Fang Qiu focusing intently on the float in the water ahead. Her rosy, delicate lips curved into a faint smile, and her quiet, pretty face was slightly pale, making her look soft and frail.
A breeze blew past, and Fang Qiu squinted slightly, using her hand to tuck back the strands of hair messed up by the wind.
Just then, the boat rocked slightly, and Fang Qiu's shoulder gently bumped against Hu Tao's shoulder.
Before Fang Qiu could react, a pulling force suddenly came from her hand.
Hmm?
Fang Qiu was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted.
A fish took the bait!
Hiss!
Such strength!
Looks like a big fish.
"Hu Tao, quick, help me out."
Fang Qiu shouted hurriedly.
Without a second word, Hu Tao immediately set her fishing rod aside, reached out, and helped Fang Qiu grab onto her rod.
Even Xiangling heard the commotion and gathered near them with a net. Seeing Hu Tao and Fang Qiu pull the fish to the side of the boat together, she struck decisively, scooping the fish up in one go.
"Big harvest, big harvest! I didn't expect Fang Qiu to catch such a big fish so quickly. Looks like I need to put in some effort too!"
Looking at the fish in the net, Xiangling couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
That fish was a full thirty centimeters or so, with a plump body.
However, Fang Qiu didn't recognize what species of fish it was. But judging by Xiangling's expression, the taste of this fish shouldn't be bad.
It was just that when Fang Qiu leaned in to look, the fish suddenly began to struggle violently, almost slapping Fang Qiu with its tail through the net.
Although Fang Qiu retreated in time, sea water still splashed into her eyes.
"Ya."
Startled, Fang Qiu let out a cry and retreated two steps. Fortunately, Hu Tao caught her; otherwise, she would have experienced how Jack and Rose felt falling into the sea.
After standing steady, Fang Qiu covered her eye, feeling a wave of lingering fear.
It wasn't that she was afraid of getting hurt.
It was a matter of dignity! She was actually almost beaten up by a fish?
If word of this got out, even if she could nail the Overlord of the Vortex, who stirred up trouble in Liyue, into the seabed with a single ice spear in the future, it wouldn't change the reality that she had once been slapped by a fish.
Watching Xiangling take the fish out and throw it into the bucket where it struggled desperately, Fang Qiu couldn't help but sneer.
This guy will soon know the price of wanting to slap her.
Time passed slowly.
Warm sunlight fell on their bodies, and a lazy breeze brushed past. No fish took the bait for a long time.
Listening to Hu Tao and Xiangling talk, Fang Qiu suddenly felt a bit drowsy.
Seems she stayed up too late yesterday...
A strong sleepiness gradually washed over her.
Maybe I'll just lean on the edge of the awning and sleep for a while.
"Fang Qiu... eh?"
Hu Tao was just about to speak when Fang Qiu leaned onto her shoulder.
Fang Qiu's sudden movement gave her a fright. However, she saw Fang Qiu's high, rounded chest rising and falling slightly with her light breathing.
Fang Qiu... fell asleep leaning on her shoulder?
Hu Tao's body stiffened slightly, and the hand gripping the fishing rod tightened a bit, causing the rod to creak under the strain.
Seeing Fang Qiu's sleeping face frown slightly, in order to make Fang Qiu more comfortable, Hu Tao hurriedly relaxed her body. Feeling her "pillow" become soft, the frown on Fang Qiu's brow unknotted. As she relaxed, Fang Qiu gently nuzzled against her shoulder, shifting her body to snuggle closer to her.
"Smells so good."
Hu Tao whispered softly, a faint blush rising on her pretty face.
The sea breeze blew, and strands of hair fluttered gently.
"Hu Tao, Fang Qiu, look quickly, this fish is so strange, it has tiger stripes on its body..."
"Shh."
Before Xiangling could finish speaking, she saw Hu Tao turn her head slightly, placing her index finger against her lips and making a soft shushing sound.
"Mmh."
Seeing Fang Qiu sleeping soundly, Xiangling nodded knowingly, put the fish back into the bucket, turned around, and returned to the stern to continue fishing.
"Wu..."
Fang Qiu gently opened her eyes. That nap was truly comfortable.
Only, when she opened her eyes, what she saw was not the endless azure sea, but a gigantic ship.
Eh?
What's the situation?
________________________________________
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