Suijun starts with the principle of rewarding diligence.

"girl....."

Just call me Lotus Leaf.

Lotus Leaf immediately recognized the fish in the bucket as water bream. Without saying a word, she took out a five-tael silver ingot from her purse and handed it to Bu Qu.

The coachman chuckled, "The master will be delighted to see this rippled fish. Lotus Leaf, hurry and take the fish to him."

"Okay. Ma Yi, you can continue collecting fish here with the wooden sign. Ma Qi and I will go back to the inner city and come back to pick you up later."

"Okay!"

Bu Qu accepted the silver ingot, opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

The medicinal properties of the water-patterned fish are said to cure all kinds of diseases.

According to He Ye, could it be that Master Zhong is ill?

Perhaps it wasn't the Zhong family patriarch, but rather his children or grandchildren who contracted the disease, which could only be cured by a water-patterned fish.

But this is a family matter of the Zhong family, and it's not something a fisherman like him can meddle in.

Lotus Leaf smiled at Bu Qu: "I forgot to ask, what's your name?"

"Buqu".

"I've got it. If you manage to catch another treasure fish next time, just come find me again."

Bu Qu nodded: "Does your household still accept rippled fish?"

"receive."

"it is good."

He replied with a single word, pondering to himself: 'Can't a single rippled fish cure this? Could it be that this rippled fish has some other use? Or perhaps the Zhong family simply wants to eat the treasure fish?'

After a moment's thought, he put the matter out of his mind.

For him, money is all that matters.

As for what the Zhong family wants to do with the precious fish, that's none of his business.

A worker at the wooden wharf approached Bu Qu and said, "Hey, you haven't paid your mooring fee yet, have you?"

Bu Qu frowned: "Can you open it?"

He had spent all his spare change at the market, and now all he had was a five-tael silver ingot.

"This..." The waiter was also a little hesitant.

Lotus Leaf took a tael of silver from her sleeve and tossed it to him, announcing loudly, "Listen up, everyone. From now on, if anyone rows a boat to the fish market to sell precious fish, the Zhong family will cover the mooring fee!"

The waiter accepted the loose change and thanked him repeatedly.

The crowd gathered at the fish market also made a commotion.

One tael equals eight mace, and one mace of silver equals 125 wen.

The mooring fee was only fifty coins; the extra money was all tips, enough to cover several days' wages.

Bu Qu smiled to himself, thinking, "She's really putting on a show, paying a fortune for someone's legacy. No wonder she's a maid from a wealthy family; she knows quite a lot."

He bowed slightly to the lotus leaf, then turned and left.

Lotus Leaf also helped Baoyu onto the carriage and called the coachman Ma Qi to return to the county town.

He hadn't taken two steps when an old acquaintance blocked his way.

Upon seeing those rat-like eyes, his initial joy vanished instantly.

"You're lucky, kid. You actually managed to catch a treasure fish."

Yan Song narrowed his rat-like eyes, making his already small eyes look like two beans.

He held out his hand, smiling, and said, "Give it to me."

Bu Qu remained unmoved: "We agreed beforehand that you would pay me back at the end of each month. It's all in black and white. Are you planning to break the agreement?"

Yan Song sneered: "Are you trying to teach me how to do things?"

Bu Qu smiled slightly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd of onlookers, and then said to him, "What, if I don't give it to you, are you planning to rob me in the fish market?"

Paying back debts is a private matter, but open robbery is a completely different matter.

The fish market cannot stand idly by and watch this happen in order to maintain normal operations.

Even if there are some conflicts, they must be resolved privately; it's impossible for them to escalate into a major conflict at the fish market.

Yan Song was taken aback, then burst into laughter: "What do you mean by blatant robbery? That sounds so awful. You already owe me money, and now I'm asking you to discuss it?"

Bu Qu laughed and asked, "How do you plan to discuss this?"

"Since you have five taels now, return five taels to me first. Return the remaining one tael at the end of the month." Yan Song rubbed his fingers together, signaling Bu Qu to quickly hand over the silver ingot.

"That's wishful thinking."

Bu Qu chuckled lightly: "What kind of repayment is that? I do have five taels of silver right now, and if you want it back in advance, I can return it to you. But since you breached the contract first, don't even think about interest. We're even, and you can stay out of this for good."

Seeing that Yan Song did not reply, Bu Qu continued, "If you are unwilling, come to me again at the end of the month. One tael of silver will be given to you in full."

Among the onlookers at the fish market were many ordinary fishermen.

Seeing Bu Qu negotiating with the fishing tyrant like this, I couldn't help but feel a chill for him.

Yan Song narrowed his beady eyes, thinking to himself, "Li Xian has good judgment. Not only is he capable, but he also has great courage. Who wouldn't want an adopted son like that?"

He thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Alright! Give me five taels, and we'll be even from now on."

"Judging by his appearance, he's really short of money."

Buqu was somewhat reluctant to part with it.

The five taels of silver I just received had to be given away; I hadn't even had a chance to enjoy it.

But then I thought, it's better to settle this matter sooner rather than later.

It's just a matter of one precious fish.

He has now mastered the habits of the water pattern fish, and will verify it again in a couple of days.

If all goes well, he will be able to catch a rippled fish on every sunny day from now on.

In addition, you can also catch bass in the water after a heavy rain.

For him, catching a precious fish that other fishermen might not catch even once a year is just a matter of a few days.

If we can learn more about the habits of the silver carp in the future, catching them will be much easier.

One day, we might even be able to eat the treasure fish as a meal.

Thinking of this, he handed the silver ingot to Yan Song and said, "Here you go."

Yan Song accepted the silver, took out the IOU, and tore it up on the spot.

Buqu nodded and walked towards his small sampan.

With the debt settled, Yan Song had no reason to cause him any more trouble.

As for the shady dealings of the fishing tyrant, Buqu was not afraid at all.

Or rather, they're just waiting for them to come to Blackwater Lake and rob them!

Yan Song watched Bu Qu leave, a slight smile playing on his lips, and then turned and walked toward the fish stall where Xu Kezhou was.

Seeing that Bu Qu had left, Chen Qing straightened up, preparing to slink away in disgrace.

At this moment, he dared not go to Wang Xiaoya again.

There were quite a few onlookers at the fish market at the time, witnessing the bet. If someone were caught in the act, they would surely be spat on in the face.

Losing face is one thing, but if he loses face in front of Wang Xiaoya, how will he ever be able to hold his head up again?

Wang Xiaoya might dislike him because of this.

"Little Ya still cares about me. I'll go see her after this storm passes."

Chen Qing secretly vowed in his heart: "I'll go to Blackwater Lake right now to catch the treasure fish. If I can catch one too, we'll be even."

"Ah Qing, why are you in such a hurry to leave? Are you going to find Wang Xiaoya?"

Chen Qing wanted to leave, but the waiter next to him quickly grabbed him.

Let's share this juicy gossip.

Now that you're gone, who will you find to have fun with?

Everyone chimed in with their own comments, making Chen Qing blush with embarrassment.

Xu Kezhou leaned against the railing, his face ashen.

Bu Qu has set a bad precedent. If he is not given a wake-up call in time, other fishermen who catch precious fish in the future may also sell them to the Zhong family.

The loss of four taels of silver for a single precious fish was painful for Xu Kezhou.

Just then, Yan Song walked over and, seeing Xu Kezhou's unwell expression, couldn't help but ask, "Old Xu, is something on your mind?"

Xu Kezhou snorted coldly: "It's all because of that brat Bu Qu."

Yan Song laughed and said, "How can you catch a treasure fish every day? It's just a matter of good luck."

"He broke the rules."

"That's true."

Yan Song lowered his voice: "Old Xu, don't worry, I'll teach him a lesson later."

Xu Kezhou nodded slightly: "It's time to teach them a lesson." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a hint of ruthlessness.

Neither of them could bear to see Bu Qu's current glory.

The difference is that Xu Kezhou only wanted to teach Bu Qu a lesson, while Yan Song wanted to be his godfather.