Suijun starts with the principle of rewarding diligence.

Xu Kezhou picked up a small stone from the lakeside and tossed it into the air.

Once the pebbles have fallen into the lake, the boat races will officially begin.

The waters on both sides of Pingtang Bay are about three or four miles apart.

The first person to row the boat to the other side and back will win the prize.

Seeing the small stones splash water, the fishermen began to row, and one small sampan after another set sail at the same time, creating a spectacular scene.

Before long, the row of sampans split into three groups.

Several small sampans, led by Chen Qing, rushed to the front; Bu Qu followed the main force in the middle; and some other small sampans lagged behind.

The small sampans at the very front were naturally aiming for victory.

Those who come in last are usually there with the mindset of "friendship first, competition second," just to join in the fun.

As for those in the middle, it's more complicated, with all sorts of mindsets, including some contestants waiting to make a strong push later on.

As Buqu rowed his oar, he smiled at Heye and said, "Tell me, what brings you here?"

Lotus Leaf frowned slightly, and said with a hint of coquettishness, "How can you be so clueless about romance?"

"Don't be ridiculous. You're just a maid from a wealthy family. If you didn't have important business to attend to, why would you just casually board my ship?"

The implication is that you are not allowed to make your own decisions about your marriage.

Lotus Leaf's eyes dimmed slightly, then she smiled and said, "I do have something to discuss with you."

"About the treasure fish?"

"Hmm." Lotus Leaf nodded. "Master was seriously ill and bedridden. After the doctor's diagnosis, he said that only the rippled fish could save him. Since eating the two rippled fish you caught, his health has indeed improved."

"That's a good thing."

Bu Qu smiled slightly, pondering to himself: 'Water-patterned fish can cure all ailments, yet Master Zhong has already eaten two, and He Ye's explanation only indicates improvement. Could it be that Master Zhong's illness is a disease of longevity?'

"That's definitely good news." He Ye's smile was a little stiff, and she looked quite stressed. "After examining her, the doctor said that although her condition has improved, the illness has not been completely cured. To be completely cured, she must eat fresh rippled fish."

Bu Qu frowned: "From the time I scooped up the rippled fish, it couldn't have been more than half a day. Isn't that fresh enough?"

Lotus Leaf shook her head slightly: "This... I'm not quite sure either. But according to the doctor, in order to fully exert the medicinal effects of the treasure fish, the edible rippled fish must be fresh enough, preferably just caught."

She pursed her lips, looked at Bu Qu with a troubled expression, and asked, "Do you have a solution?"

Treasure fish are something that can only be encountered by chance.

These days, expecting fresh, just-caught fish is a bit unreasonable.

But this matter concerned the life and fortune of the Zhong family patriarch, so everyone in the Zhong family naturally took it very seriously.

As the one responsible for collecting the treasure fish, Lotus Leaf bears the greatest pressure.

Seeing the hesitation on Bu Qu's face, He Ye smiled wryly: "If there's no other way, then forget it. Treasure fish are rare to begin with; even encountering one requires a bit of luck, let alone the effort of catching it and keeping it fresh..."

As she spoke, He Ye sighed again.

It's obvious that this is impossible.

She only managed to ask because of the pressure from the Zhong family. Otherwise, she wouldn't have made a special trip to Pingtang Bay to find Bu Qu.

If anyone at Blackwater Lake could accomplish this task, it would undoubtedly be Bu Qu.

Seeing his hesitation now, I guess there's little chance of it happening.

"have."

Lotus Leaf paused, wondering if she had misheard. She looked up at Buqu and received an affirmative answer.

"There is a way."

"really?"

Bu Qu nodded.

Lotus Leaf beamed with joy: "If you're confident you can catch the Water Pattern Fish, I'll inform the master in a moment and go sailing with you!"

Bu Qu shook his head: "There's no need to go through all that trouble."

Lotus Leaf looked puzzled.

Bu Qu looked up at the sky and smiled, "After a few days when the weather clears up, you can have Master Zhong wait for you at Pingtang Bay."

Pingtang Bay isn't far from the fish market; it only takes about an hour by horse-drawn carriage. Since it wasn't a day for the boat races, there weren't many people there.

Lotus Leaf hesitated for a moment: "Buqu, I meant 'fresh' rippled fish."

She specifically emphasized the word "fresh." If Buqu made Master Zhong wait in Pingtang Bay, how could the fish possibly be fresh?

Everyone knows that a precious fish cannot survive for more than a few breaths out of water.

Bu Qu smiled and said, "It'll definitely be fresh."

Lotus Leaf was a little skeptical: "Don't try to fool me. If you can't catch any fresh rippled fish, I'll give you a good scolding."

Bu Qu chuckled: "If you don't trust me, that's fine. It's not like you're the one eating it. Just say you can't find the person."

"No, that won't work." He Ye hesitated.

This is the predicament people face today.

Even though I know things are difficult, I have no choice but to do them.

"In that case, just report back as I said. Isn't Master Zhong waiting for the Water Pattern Fish to cure his illness? He'll be willing to wait."

"That's the only way. How confident are you?"

"About 50%."

Buqu didn't make any absolute statements.

Although the habits of the ripple fish have been basically determined, there is a high probability that one can be caught if you go to the shallow water area on a sunny afternoon.

But the sample size is too small. What if we don't catch them? Wouldn't that be embarrassing?

Moreover, Blackwater Lake is vast, and even if a rippled fish appears, it may not necessarily appear in the waters where he is located.

"Fifty percent?"

He Ye's tone was filled with surprise.

Even if it's only 10%, let alone 50%, that would be a very high degree of certainty.

If what Bu Qu said is true, then she has done a great service this time.

But upon closer examination, where does his confidence come from?

Lotus Leaf couldn't understand it, and the look of surprise on her face gradually faded.

That's what they say, but even if Buqu doesn't manage to catch the fish in the end, he won't suffer any loss.

If she were to give false information about the military, she would be committing a grave offense.

As they talked, the small sampan had already traveled two miles on the water.

Chen Qing's team was not far from the other side.

Bu Qu glanced at the sampan in front of him and smiled, "I can catch the rippled fish that Master Zhong wants for you. But you have to do me a favor in return."

Lotus Leaf nodded: "Go ahead and tell me. I'll do anything I can for you."

She didn't mind Buqu making requests. On the contrary, Heyue was happy when Buqu made requests.

The fact that he makes demands shows that he is truly confident about the matter.

Bu Qu smiled and said, "It's nothing serious. I want a household registration in the county town."

"Registered residence in the county seat?"

He Ye was slightly taken aback, but in an instant she understood Bu Qu's intention.

That's true. Now that he has money, he definitely wants to go to the city.

It's human nature for people to strive for higher positions and for water to flow downhill.

She nodded: "I can't make that decision myself. But I'll pass on the message to the master. If you can really catch some fresh rippled fish, I think he'd be very willing to help."

Bu Qu nodded, not surprised by this.

For the Zhong family, who lived in the inner city, obtaining a county-level household registration was a simple matter of lifting a finger.

The life of the Zhong family patriarch is extremely precious. It's well worth exchanging a household registration for health!

There is absolutely no reason to refuse.

Thinking of this, Bu Qu's face lit up with a smile.

I thought the rowing day wouldn't be very interesting.

Unexpectedly, after this whole ordeal, we got the awning boat and also a household registration in the county town.