I chopped away, saying, "Auntie, I'm not tired, thank you for saving my life last night. Having nothing to offer in gratitude, I must help you with some chores."

The older woman waved her hand dismissively. "No, no, we didn't save you much. It was Nini who pulled you from the water. You were lucky; it was your own good fortune."

Zhou Ni, drowsy from sleep, heard voices in the courtyard. A sudden alarm jolted her awake. Where was she? Who had covered her with clothes? Right! Where was that big hooligan?

Fearing the big hooligan might have caused more trouble, Zhou Ni rushed to the courtyard to survey the scene.

Seeing Zhou Ni rush out of the room, I knew my moment to impress had arrived. I neatly split two thick, heavy logs, set down the wood axe, and bowed deeply to her.

"Comrade Zhou Ni, I am eternally grateful for your selfless rescue. I shall repay your immense kindness as a beast of burden for the rest of my days. Last night, fever made my mind scatter, and I likely spoke nonsense, acted foolishly, and behaved improperly. If I offended you in any way, please, I beg your forgiveness."

Zhou Ni snorted, pointedly ignoring me, but addressed her mother instead. "Mom, I think he's better now. Let him leave quickly. Too much has been happening in our house lately; keeping him here is inconvenient."

The mother nodded. "She's right. It's just the two of us here now; having him stay is indeed awkward. Let him eat breakfast, and then he can be on his way. Young man, where are you from? Head home quickly after breakfast."

I replied, "I am from the Capital. Do you know how far it is from here?"

The mother’s eyes widened. "You're from the Capital! It’s terribly far from the Capital—perhaps over two thousand li. How did you get here? And how did you fall from the sky?"

I had no choice but to fabricate a story. "It's like this, Auntie. I'm an adventure enthusiast planning a global drift via hot air balloon. Unfortunately, the balloon malfunctioned and exploded right over your land. It seems I'll need to stay here for a while, awaiting rescue from my family."

"Is that so," the mother said, nodding. "Then stay here for a few days. As for what others may say, let them talk. Our family has already been through enough turmoil." Zhou Ni exclaimed loudly, "Mom, you can't keep him here!"

The mother became slightly irritated, speaking from the heart. "Nini, what have I always taught you? When people are in difficulty, we must help them if we can. If everyone weren't so selfish, there would be far fewer injustices in this world."

Zhou Ni dared not disobey her mother. Huffing, she grabbed a water bucket, preparing to fetch water, but then she noticed the water vat was already full. She paused, then snorted again and ran back inside.

I quickly finished chopping the firewood and looked for an opportunity to connect with Zhou Ni. Only by letting her see the beauty within my heart would she forgive my regrettable actions last night. Zhou Ni carried the sack of rice to the water vat to wash it, turning the sack upside down and shaking every last grain into the basin.

"Mom, we're out of rice. I saw a few fish in the pond; perhaps I can catch some and trade them for flour or rice. Father's Tóu Qī is soon, and we might have guests."

The mother, busy stoking the fire, replied, "Fine, you handle it. My head has been aching badly these past few days; the household depends on you."

I moved closer, helping Zhou Ni scoop water into the basin. "I'll go with you."

Zhou Ni snatched the ladle from my hand with force. "No need!"

I murmured quietly, "Zhou Ni, I truly apologize for last night. It wasn't intentional. I have somnambulism, and I had a high fever. I might have done something inappropriate—please forgive me."

Zhou Ni’s eyes were cold and sharp. "I don't understand what you're saying, but I know you are not a good person!"

Thus, the entire morning passed without me having a chance to confess or explain to Zhou Ni; she simply gave me no opening. If I walked east, she went west; if I chased the ducks, she herded the chickens. I said one thing, she said two—we were talking cross-purposes.

Feeling dejected, I sat down at the dining table and nearly tipped the whole thing over by accident. Looking down, I saw it only had three legs!

Thank goodness the congee hadn't been served yet, or it would have spilled everywhere, and with no grain in the house, everyone would have gone hungry. I knew their lives were difficult, so I never dreamed of expecting bread or fried dough for breakfast; everyone received just two small bowls of watery congee, and there was no more if you wanted it. I was hungry; although this evolution didn't require eating snake meat to replenish energy like the last time, the expenditure was still immense. Otherwise, I wouldn't even be unable to enter supersonic speed.

If the congee wasn't enough, I ate pickled vegetables. Their preserved pickles were delicious—a plate piled high with colorful ingredients: green leafy vegetables, red radishes. The mother and daughter barely touched their chopsticks; I ended up eating most of the plate myself.

After the meal, the mother cleared the bowls, and Zhou Ni hauled the large net used for fishing from the corner of the wall. I remained silent, bearing my hunger, and quietly followed behind her. I was supposedly pulled from the pond last night, and since I knew I was completely naked (wú piān chǐ lǚ), I figured everything was exposed—though I knew they probably weren't interested in looking.

The fish pond was close to the village. Before we arrived, Zhou Ni suddenly shouted and began running. "You scoundrels! How dare you come to our fish pond to steal fish at a time like this! Don't run!"

I chased after her, glancing up. Sure enough, two young men were casting nets in the pond. They saw people approaching and, terrified, dropped their nets and fled.

Zhou Ni was a girl; how could she outrun them? Besides, with the weight on her chest, running fast was impossible anyway.

This was a prime opportunity to shine. Catching fish thieves didn't require supersonic speed. I closed the distance in a few swift steps, tripped both thieves, sending them sprawling, and then settled my backside firmly on top of them.

The two men squawked and struggled beneath me. At that moment, Zhou Ni caught up. She had been running too quickly and had to clutch her chest to prevent strain. "You... you are despicable! Do you have any humanity left? My father was just drowned here by fish thieves, and before his Tóu Qī ritual is even over, you come stealing fish!"

Damn, so that’s how Zhou Shan died. I thought he didn't look like someone who died young.

The men beneath me protested, "We just got here! We hadn't even caught a single fish before you caught us. You didn't lose anything anyway, so please let us go."

I slapped the backside of the fellow beneath me. "You didn't steal anything today, but who knows if you've stolen before? One hundred yuan fine for each of you. Pay up and scram."

"What!" Even Zhou Ni looked slightly stunned. One hundred yuan was no small sum.

"My good sir, a single fish is worth only a few yuan. You fine us one hundred? Go die yourself!"

I grabbed both their necks. "Fine, if I die, you won't be comfortable either. I'll start by strangling you both right now."

Who knew that at such a critical moment, Zhou Ni would yank me back? "Let them go, let them leave." She then turned and walked back toward the fish pond without looking back.

I cracked my knuckles menacingly. "Fining you no money is fine, but you must each bring me ten steamed buns from home, or find somewhere else to reattach your arms."

The two men gasped in pain. "Done! Ten buns each, we agree. Just wait, we'll be right back."

Zhou Ni fished around the pond for a long time; there couldn't have been many fish left. Those two fellows hadn't caught anything, and now she hadn't either.