Suijun starts with the principle of rewarding diligence.

The Zhong family's actions were so grand and ostentatious that they quickly attracted the attention of everyone at the dock.

When Xu Kezhou saw Bu Qu inquiring about the details of the Zhong family's acquisition of the treasure fish, he couldn't help but warn him: "A-Qu, not everyone can catch a treasure fish. If you're lucky enough to catch one, just bring it to your Uncle Xu. Would Uncle Xu cheat you? Don't be wicked and follow Fang Du's example. If you offend the Dragon King, you'll end up with your family ruined and drowning."

Fang Du was the one who had previously sold the treasure fish without permission.

Making an example of someone to warn others is a common tactic used by fishmongers.

The fact that he said that shows he thinks he's some kind of dragon king.

A lowly fisherman is only fit to beg for food under the Dragon King's command.

Anyone who dares to attempt to leap over the dragon gate must be promptly reprimanded.

Even the slightest thought is unacceptable!

"Uncle Xu is right. It's rare to even encounter a precious fish once in a lifetime; catching one is no easy feat."

Bu Qu forced a smile, but thought to himself, "They're both precious fish, but the Zhong family bought them for five taels of silver, while you only have one tael left. Even fishing tyrants can haggle over quality, but fishermen always have a fixed price."

The rules of the fish market have always been the same.

The money owed to the fishing tyrant was returned in full, while the fishermen's money was split 30/70.

The same precious fish can only be sold for one or two ounces by fishermen, but can be sold for three to five ounces by fishing tycoons.

Xu Kezhou nodded and went about his own business.

He couldn't afford to offend the Zhong family, but couldn't he handle a mere fisherman?

If any fishermen dared to bypass the fish market and supply goods directly to the Zhong family, he would find countless ways to get rid of them.

Even if it's just a fleeting thought, it must be nipped in the bud immediately!

Bu Qu thought to himself, "With my abilities, catching the treasure fish isn't difficult at all. As my water control skills improve, catching it will only become easier."

He wasn't worried about Xu Kezhou's threat. If he caught the treasure fish, he would definitely take it directly to the fish market and sell it to the Zhong family.

If this channel can be opened, we might be able to establish a relationship with the Zhong family, which would make it much easier to obtain a county household registration in the future.

As for the tactics of the fish market operators and the fishing tyrants, he knew them very well; it was nothing more than 90% coercion and 10% enticement.

Blackwater Lake is their main place for bullying fishermen.

But now, Blackwater Lake has become his home turf.

Buqu has now transformed into a water monkey!

Anyone who dares to cause trouble on his home turf, there's nothing more to say, just let them sink.

Mei Mu and Yan Song were chatting not far away.

"Brother Mei, that kid wants to catch treasure fish. If we can get him to catch a few, wouldn't he be able to pay back our twelve taels of silver all at once? If we had known this would happen, we should have asked for more."

"Brother Yan, what are you talking about? I don't quite understand. How easy is it to catch a treasure fish? An ordinary fisherman is lucky to catch one a year, let alone several!"

Yan Song chuckled twice: "I was saying, 'what if.' If he really does manage to catch the treasure fish, what should we do?"

Mei Mu laughed and said, "There are no 'what ifs' around. Brother Yan, you're just too shrewd. If he really had the ability to catch treasure fish one after another, wouldn't we be rich?"

"Hehe, you're right."

Fishermen have the ability to catch the treasure fish, so what are the fishing tyrants worried about? They should be happy!

Buqu and Wang Erlang turned to leave, but after taking only a few steps, they bumped into several fishermen.

The leader, a young man in his mid-twenties, was half a head taller than the average fisherman and had a lean build. He was known as "White Streak in the Waves" Chen Qing.

Standing among a group of fishermen, he certainly stood out from the crowd.

He was a top-notch fisherman on Blackwater Lake, earning two or three taels of silver a month from his catch.

Other fishermen might not catch even one of these precious fish in a year, but he can catch two or three!

Fish farms like Xu Kezhou's are most fond of fishermen like Chen Qing. Even the local fishing tyrant treats him with courtesy and never speaks harshly to him.

"Kid, you want to catch the treasure fish?" Chen Qing asked.

Bu Qu looked up at him. After a moment of thought, he finally recalled the person from his memory.

Those who come are not good, and those who are good don't.

He replied nonchalantly, "What difference does it make whether I want to or not?"

Chen Qing sneered: "Kid, you must be Bu Qu, right? That girl mentioned you to me once."

Upon hearing this, Wang Erlang smiled and said to Bu Qu, "That little girl is just stubborn on the outside but soft on the inside. Actually, she still cares about you a lot."

Bu Qu rolled his eyes, thinking to himself, "Uncle Wang, your ability to seize every opportunity is quite impressive."

Chen Qing laughed loudly: "Uncle Wang is joking."

He turned to stare at Bu Qu: "She told me the other day that you're the person she hates the most!"

Wang Erlang frowned: "Aqing, don't talk nonsense! Aqu is an honest man, but he's not someone you can bully so easily!"

The fishermen sneered.

Chen Qing said sarcastically, "But I heard Xiao Ya say that Bu Qu is not honest at all, and is a braggart who likes to boast."

"You..." Wang Erlang said angrily, "Did that little girl really say that? You brat, spouting nonsense! I'll teach her a lesson when we get back!"

Chen Qing raised an eyebrow: "Uncle Wang, don't be too angry. The first half of the sentence was what Xiao Ya said, and the second half was Chen Qing's own interpretation."

Wang Erlang glared at him fiercely.

"Knowing Xiaoya as I do, she might actually say that. Chen Qing changed his mind, probably to avoid getting into trouble with her." Bu Qu chuckled inwardly. "This guy probably has his eye on Xiaoya. He heard about Uncle Wang's matchmaking, so he's come looking for trouble with me."

He sized up Chen Qingyi.

At twenty-four or twenty-five years old, in his previous life he would have graduated from university a few years ago and still be busy with work; in this world, he would definitely be considered an older single man.

Wang Xiaoya mentioning herself in front of him probably means she's interested in him.

A pretty young woman was interested in him, so he had to protect her and fawn over her.

Bu Qu had no interest in arguing with this kind of person and cut to the chase: "Just say it, what brings you here?"

Chen Qing's eyes sharpened, and he sneered, "I want to make a bet with you. If you have the guts, don't refuse."

Bu Qu thought to himself, "They say love lowers a person's intelligence, and seeing it today, it's definitely true. He's so old, yet he acts like a little kid."

Without waiting for Bu Qu's reply, Chen Qing continued, "Didn't you want to catch the treasure fish? Let's see who can catch it first. If I catch it first, you should stay away from Xiao Ya."

Bu Qu countered, "What if you lose?"

Chen Qing was stunned; he had never imagined he would lose.

"Heh, I lost?" He chuckled. "If I lost, I'll disappear from Little Girl's sight."

Bu Qu nodded: "Okay, I'll bet with you."

Anyway, there's no real loss.

If we win the bet, we can also curb Chen Qing's arrogance. Why not?

"Good, you've got guts!" Chen Qing said to the crowd. "Everyone heard that, let's all be witnesses. If anyone breaks the contract, when we meet again, let's spit in their face!"

The onlookers, eager for a good show, just wanted to enjoy the drama.

Seeing Chen Qing's shouts, everyone chimed in.

After Chen Qing and the group of fishermen left, Wang Erlang's brows relaxed, and he nudged Bu Qu's waist with his elbow: "Ah Qu, so you've had feelings for Xiao Ya all along, why didn't you say so sooner? Uncle Wang will talk to Xiao Ya about it later, that child of hers, she's just so stubborn..."

Having witnessed Bu Qu's skill in water, he never imagined he would lose.

Compared to Chen Qing, Wang Erlang preferred Bu Qu, whom he had watched grow up, as his son-in-law.

Bu Qu rolled his eyes: "Uncle Wang, you're overthinking it. I just felt that Chen Qing wasn't someone Xiao Ya could entrust her life to, so I made the bet with him. As for myself, I only see her as a younger sister. Don't worry about it."

Wang Erlang's face stiffened: "Is that so...?"

If it were just that Xiaoya had no interest in Buqu, he could still try to bring them together.

But now that Buqu has no interest in Xiaoya, there's really nothing that can be done.

Wang Erlang sighed, thinking to himself, "That's true. With A-Qu's current abilities, she'll definitely have a good life in the future. Xiao Ya's only advantage is the affection she's had since childhood. But she's such a disappointment! Sigh..."