The story of Rose starts with being a brother

Chapter 410 Prelude to the Lost (Part 3): Zhuge Risk Hedging?

A little earlier, at Dianshan Lake.

"Dali, with your fishing method, all the bait I brought will just be used as groundbait to feed the fish."

Wearing a new straw hat, Wen Sheng looked at Zhuge Dali, who was constantly stirring the fishpond in the lake, and complained helplessly.

Zhuge Dali, who was baiting the fishing hook, paused, lifted the straw hat on her head, glanced at the fish in the fish basket next to her, and asked, "But some of these fish were caught this way."

"..."

Who can say for sure about newbie gift packs?

Wen Sheng sighed and chuckled, "Then you shouldn't keep stirring up the bait. Look how much bait you have left. If you replenish the bait a little, you won't have any left to catch."

Zhuge Dali glanced at the bait in front of her, which was smaller than her small fist, and quickly turned around to check if Wen Sheng had any more bait in his bag.

The most exciting time for fishing is when you've just caught a few fish, your confidence soars, and your hunting instincts are triggered. This is when many anglers become addicted.

With Wen Sheng's help, Zhuge Dali had indeed caught a few fish, and now her interest was growing even stronger.

However, after rummaging through Wen Sheng's bag, she turned around and said dejectedly, "Uncle, we're out of bait."

"If it's gone, it's gone. The hole you just drew is enough for a while." Wen Sheng smiled. "There's still a little bit left. Calm down and sit for a while."

"Oh."

Although ten-year-old Zhuge Dali was somewhat unwilling, she still sat quietly and stared at the distant float after baiting the hook and casting the line.

Wen Sheng glanced at his float, then turned to look at Zhuge Dasheng, who was sitting in a folding chair under the constructed canopy not far away, reading a book and eating fruit.

Seeing that the other person seemed to notice and was about to look over, he turned back and continued to stare at the float.

Because he had drunk a little at the bar earlier, he came in the other person's car, and the two chatted briefly along the way.

To be honest, even though I knew the other party was a lawyer, I rarely saw that lawyer's serious demeanor on him along the way.

On the road from the city center to the suburbs, the urban atmosphere gradually faded from the lawyer's persona.

Perhaps because this outing was mainly to accompany his daughter Dali, unlike the previous trips with colleagues which had a semi-social aspect, Attorney Zhuge was noticeably more relaxed.

Even after gaining Wen Sheng, her daughter's friend, she only maintained the initial politeness.

For the latter half of the journey, Zhuge Dasheng actually began to regard this man, who was only a few years younger than her, as a friend of her daughter.

It's because Wen Sheng spent most of the journey chatting with Zhuge Dali about childish things.

Although Zhuge Dali is a genius girl in the original drama, she is only ten years old now and her mind and interests are not much different from many children.

However, if we had to say what's unusual about her, it would be that, having been raised by her mother, her personality is more like that of a little boy.

This is actually not an ordinary thing. The family environment has a significant impact on children's growth.

It goes without saying that orphans and left-behind children in rural areas have relatively few well-developed personalities. Children raised in single-parent families, whether they have only their mother or only their father, also experience different effects.

For example, under normal circumstances, boys raised by their mothers may tend to be gentle and even cowardly. Of course, this also depends on the mother's usual personality and cannot be generalized.

A little girl raised by her father may be outgoing, but often she can also be rough and tomboyish. Of course, this also depends on the father's personality, since a weak father is unlikely to instill resilience in his child.

Similarly, the difference between mothers taking care of little girls and fathers taking care of little boys is likely to exacerbate this situation. This is not due to habitual thinking or prejudice, but at least in general.

However, these situations are more pronounced in rural areas, while they are less noticeable in Shanghai, a highly developed economic and political region.

Even so, it is still somewhat unusual that Zhuge Dali, who was raised by her mother, has a personality and hobbies that are more like those of a boy. It's not that she is a tomboy, but that she is like a boy in some ways.

Just like her interest in excavators, fishing, and whether Wensheng could act as a human jack to right her mother's car that she hadn't parked properly... Would a typical little girl be interested in these things?

While Zhuge Dasheng's background as a lawyer certainly played a role, Zhuge Dali's own personality also had its own unique characteristics.

Throughout the journey, Wen Sheng chatted with her about nothing but little boys, even their discussions about cartoons were mostly action-packed ones like Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Naruto, and they were still comparing fighting power, including Tiga, Zero, and Belial...

They did talk about domestic shows, but Dali felt some of them seemed childish. Fortunately, she still liked watching shows like Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf, Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit. The awkward thing was that when Wen Sheng was talking about Little Fairy and Sailor Moon, Dali and Da Sheng looked at him strangely.

Shouldn't all tough guys watch "Balala the Fairies"?
So it's no wonder that Zhuge Liang sometimes looked at him like he was a child.

"Uncle, your float is moving."

Just then, a loud sound reached Wen Sheng's ears, bringing him back to his senses. Seeing the float sink in the distance, he immediately picked up the fishing rod to feel the weight of the fish that had taken the bait.

Zhuge Dali was even more nervous than him at this moment, subconsciously holding her breath and staring at the churning water.

After Wensheng dragged the fish to the shore, she took the initiative to use a landing net to catch them.

"More crucian carp."

Zhuge Dali was having some difficulty gripping the net, so Wen Sheng reached out and helped her pull the pole back.

"It seems like the fish we caught this time aren't as big as the ones you caught last time, Uncle."

After placing the fish in the fish basket, Dali said with some regret.

After rebaiting, Wen Sheng laughed and said, "There are differences in the methods, water conditions, hooks, lines, and bait for catching big and small fish. Even if we catch a big fish today, we won't be able to cook it well. This palm-sized one is just right."

"Ok."

Zhuge Dali sighed, then couldn't help but draw two more sticks.

"Uncle, we're out of bait."

"Why are you looking at me if you've run out of bait? Do you want me to jump in and bait your spot?" Wen Sheng said with amusement, but seeing the other person's unsatisfied look, he thought for a moment and said, "You've already caught quite a few. Do you really want to continue?"

Dali didn't say much, he just kept nodding.

Seeing this, Wen Sheng said, "I have two folding entrenching tools in my big backpack, go and get them."

"it is good."

Zhuge Dali, who has always had exceptional execution skills, immediately got up and went to Tianmu to find Wen Sheng's backpack.

"Dali, are you hungry?"

When Zhuge Liang, the Great Sage under the sky, saw his daughter running over, he put down his book and asked her a question.

"Mom, I'm not hungry yet."

After responding, Dali immediately rummaged through Wensheng's backpack and pulled out two entrenching tools, then ran over to Wensheng.

When Zhuge Dasheng saw his daughter like this, he thought for a moment, then got up, took two slices of watermelon, and went over.

"Dali, Wensheng, have some watermelon."

Wen Sheng was teaching Dali how to assemble an entrenching tool when he heard the sound behind him. The two men wearing straw hats turned around at the same time, and Zhuge Dasheng had already handed them a watermelon.

"Thank you, Sister Sheng."

After Wen Sheng took the watermelon, Zhuge Dasheng asked again, "How many have you caught?"

"There are several now." Upon hearing this, Zhuge Dali handed the watermelon to her mother again, and then excitedly pulled up the netted fish basket a little. The fish in the basket immediately began to splash on the surface of the water. "Some of these are ones I caught."

"Lili is great!" After praising her daughter, Attorney Zhuge looked at Wen Sheng and asked, "Are you hungry? How much longer do you want to fish?"

"Mom, I want to fish for a little longer."

Wen Sheng wanted to say he wasn't hungry, but after thinking for a moment, he replied, "Sister Sheng, I brought some picnic supplies. I'll fry some fish for later."

This time, Attorney Zhuge didn't mention anything about how bad it was to start a fire in the wild. After hesitating for a moment, he smiled and nodded, saying, "Okay, you guys continue. I'll read for a while longer."

"No, Mom, we're out having fun, so don't just keep reading. Why don't you go fishing for a while?" Dali urged.

"Me?" Zhuge Dasheng was taken aback, then waved his hand, "Never mind, I don't know how to fish."

"It's alright, Sister Sheng. Dali and I are going to dig for earthworms over there. You can sit here and watch those two floats. Whichever float sinks, pull out that fishing rod. It's okay if you don't catch anything, just enjoy the breeze," Wen Sheng said after taking a bite of watermelon.

“This…” Attorney Zhuge hesitated for half a second before nodding, “Okay, I’ll keep an eye on it for you.”

But she quickly frowned and looked at her daughter: "Dali, are you sure you... dare to dig for earthworms?"

"..."

Zhuge Dali hesitated slightly, but remembering that she herself had wanted to continue fishing, she adjusted her expression and nodded firmly, saying, "Of course, what's there to be afraid of?"

"Don't worry, Sister Sheng, I'll keep an eye on Dali."

After a pause, Wen Sheng added, "Don't sit too close to the water while you're sitting here, or you might fall in."

"I'm not a child," Attorney Zhuge said with a sullen laugh, then waved his hand, "Alright, you guys go ahead, I'll keep watch here."

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Dali and Wen Sheng exchanged a glance, picked up their entrenching tools and the small box containing earthworms, and headed towards a nearby area where the flowers and grass were denser and the soil was softer.

"Uncle, do you think we might... dig up a snake?" "..."

Seeing Dali, who had been so determined just moments before, now looking somewhat frightened, Wen Sheng wanted to laugh, but still comforted him, "Don't worry, you won't find any snakes here. Even if you do, we'll just give you some extra food later."

After adjusting his straw hat, he nodded, a little nervous, and said, "Okay."

Soon enough, the two, one big and one small, wearing straw hats, began digging for earthworms.

Not long after...

"Uncle, I found an earthworm."

"Put yourself in the box."

"Okay... my hands are sticky, it's a bit disgusting."

"You can put the small clods of dirt into the box along with the fish, but if you want to fish later, you'll still need to use a hook with earthworms."

"..."

While they were digging for earthworms, on the other side, Lawyer Zhuge, sitting in a chair, was looking left and right, staring at the floats on both sides.

Then she would occasionally look back at the two people digging for earthworms. Just watching the two people, one big and one small, wearing straw hats and shouting and laughing from afar, she always had a kind of dazed feeling.

But soon, when a float in the corner of her eye bobbed, Attorney Zhuge immediately regained her composure. She went to Wen Sheng's fishing rod and recalled the little fishing knowledge she knew.

As soon as the float sank, she immediately picked up the fishing rod and pulled it sharply upwards!
"Snapped."

The fishmonger cut the line.

The missed strike caused Zhuge Dasheng to instinctively take a step back, his eyes filled with confusion.

Two and a half seconds later, she looked at the upright fishing rod and realized—the line had broken!

"..."

Attorney Zhuge was immediately embarrassed. Seeing that there was only one hook left on the line that should have had two hooks, she hesitated for a moment before putting the last remaining ember on the fishing rod back into the water.

Then she got up and walked towards Wen Sheng.

Seeing that the other person was standing to the side making a phone call, Zhuge Dasheng did not get too close. When she saw that the other person was looking at her, she quickly gestured to indicate that the line had broken and that she was not good at fishing. She didn't know if the other person understood her, so she just nodded and smiled.

"..."

However, Wen Sheng quickly ended the call after saying something to the phone.

"Sister Sheng, what's wrong?"

Wen Sheng shouted loudly.

"The wire broke!"

When Lawyer Zhuge's words reached us, the first person to react was not Wen Sheng, but Zhuge Dali, who was enduring the nausea while digging for earthworms.

Seeing that there was already a lot of bait in the box, she quickly ran back: "Mom, whose line broke?"

“Wen Sheng’s.”

Seeing Wen Sheng running over, she said somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm sorry, just now when the fish took the bait, I pulled hard and broke the line."

"It's alright, I still have fishing hooks and lines." Wen Sheng shook his head and smiled. "Sister Sheng, you can't rush fishing. You have to be patient when the fish takes the bait, and you also have to be patient once the fish is hooked. It's about the struggle, playing the fish, and only bringing it to shore when the fish's struggle weakens. A large part of the fun of fishing is in the process of finally getting the hooked fish ashore."

Attorney Zhuge nodded in agreement with Wen Sheng's words. In any case, they couldn't pull the lever abruptly. However, she felt that there was something more to his words.
Just then, Zhuge Dali suddenly raised the box and said with a grin, "Look, Mom, this is my bait!"

"ah!"

Zhuge Dasheng looked down and was immediately startled, taking two steps back: "Take it away, it's disgusting!"

"Hehe, you won't be afraid after a few more times." Zhuge Dali wanted to continue laughing, but when she saw her mother's brows start to furrow, she quickly ran away, "I'm going to continue fishing."

After her daughter ran away, Attorney Zhuge caught her breath and looked at Wen Sheng apologetically, saying, "Dali is getting more and more naughty."

"Lively and cheerful, curious about many things, willing to spend time learning, etc., Sister Sheng, you should know best how outstanding Dali is." Wen Sheng said with a smile as they walked and chatted.

Hearing this, Zhuge Dasheng couldn't help but smile: "I have a clear training plan for Dali, but I later found that I don't need to urge her too much. Dali will study on her own and exceed the goals I set for her. It's a pity that I'm a bit busy with work now and can't spend more time with her. Otherwise, she would have dragged me to come fishing with you last month."

Towards the end, Zhuge Liang sighed.

Seeing this, Wen Sheng thought for a moment and then smiled and said, "Dali has a strong sense of self-reliance. Although she is still young, her sense of independence is far beyond that of her peers. As long as we pay attention to safety, we only need to guide her a little and spend more time with her. She will grow in a better direction on her own."

“Hmm.” Attorney Zhuge nodded. What the other party said coincided with what she had been thinking, and that’s what she had always done. But soon she sighed again, “I know all that too.”

However, I will be starting a new law firm soon, which will mean I'll have even less time to spend with Dali.

She didn't say this, and Wen Sheng didn't ask any further questions. After walking over to Dali, who was putting an earthworm on the fishhook, Wen Sheng picked up his own fishing rod and looked at it. He wasn't in a hurry to change the hook, but instead pulled the fish basket up again and said:

"It's getting late, I'll fry these fish first."

"Uncle, aren't you going to fish anymore?"

"Wait a minute," Wen Sheng said with a smile as he poured the fish out. "We're camping now, we can't just fish and not eat. You can keep fishing."

"it is good."

……

As the sun begins to set, in Love Apartment 3602.

When Zeng Xiaoxian pushed the door open, he saw Qin Yumo sitting alone on the sofa, lost in thought.

"Yu Mo?"

Qin Yumo snapped out of her daze, turned around and saw Zeng Xiaoxian, forcing a smile: "Teacher Zeng, are you done working overtime?"

"It's not really overtime, just a meeting." Zeng Xiaoxian's smile also stiffened as he recalled what had happened at the broadcasting building earlier. "What are you doing sitting here?"

"Hehe, I... just sitting here casually."

After a few awkward words, the two people, both burdened with their own thoughts, realized the tension in the atmosphere. They looked at each other for a couple of seconds, then suddenly spoke in unison:

"Are you alone?"*2.

"It's just me." *2.

"Where is Wen Sheng?"*2.

"I don't know." *2.

"When will he be back?"*2.

"..."

The worst thing is when the air suddenly becomes very quiet. At this moment, the two stared at each other, then tacitly shut their mouths.

After a long silence, Zeng Xiaoxian, who had a stronger mental fortitude, spoke first: "Yu Mo, what do you want to see Wen Sheng about?"

"I..." Qin Yumo's expression changed, and after a few seconds she waved her hand haphazardly, "Oh, it's nothing serious, I just wanted to eat his cooking."

After saying that, she immediately asked Zeng Xiaoxian, "Teacher Zeng, what about you? What do you need Wen Sheng for?"

"I..." This time it was Zeng Xiaoxian's turn to have a change of expression. On one hand, there was brotherhood, and on the other hand... the Alashan Desert. What was he supposed to do?

"I don't have anything else to do, I just wanted to find him... to play some pool, haha."

"Oh."

Although it was obvious that the other person was lying, both of them had bigger guilty consciences at the moment, so they didn't ask each other too many questions.

Qin Yumo stood up and said with a smile, "I'll go downstairs to the bar for a bit."

"Ah, I'll go review the previous episodes."

Both individuals, harboring their own secrets, were afraid of being exposed by the other, so they made an excuse and parted ways.

One of them is going to be an undercover agent by Wen Sheng's side. Now, we can only hope that Wen Sheng can continue to maintain his image as a good man, otherwise Zeng Xiaoxian will be caught in a dilemma between loyalty and righteousness.

Another woman, who had almost given up hope and was genuinely treating Wen Sheng as a friend during this time, was thrown into a daze again by a phone call just now. No one wants to be immoral, but reason and emotion are always in conflict...

Well, Zeng Xiaoxian and Qin Yumo's expectations for Wen Sheng also coincidentally clashed.

……

The sun finally disappeared into the steel jungle of Shanghai, replaced by a deep, starless, and boundless night.

Wen Sheng finally returned to Love Apartment as night deepened.

(End of this chapter)