Suijun starts with the principle of rewarding diligence.

Chen Qing struggled desperately in the whirlpool, but his body felt like it was stuck in mud, and he couldn't get up at all.

It was clearly just a small vortex, yet it felt like an abyss, slowly dragging his body inside.

"Brother Bu, Brother Bu, I was wrong!"

Chen Qing couldn't control his body; the only thing still somewhat useful was his mouth.

"Wrong? What's wrong?"

Bu Qu sneered and looked at Wang Erlang standing to the side.

Seeing that he was covered in bruises, a chill immediately appeared in his eyes.

"I shouldn't have done that." Chen Qing struggled in the whirlpool. "I have water-patterned fish on my boat that can heal wounds! Brother Bu, give the water-patterned fish to Wang Erlang, and he'll be fine again in no time."

Buqu stepped onto the side of the awning boat and leaned forward.

There really was a rippled fish lying in the wooden bucket.

Without wasting any words, he quickly took out a water-patterned fish and made Wang Erlang eat it.

Before long, Wang Erlang came to his senses. Not only were his injuries healed, but he also looked as if he had become several years younger.

Upon seeing Bu Qu, Wang Erlang's nose tingled with emotion: "A Qu, I never imagined that our next meeting would be on the Yin Boat."

Bu Qu splashed water on Wang Erlang's face: "What Yinzhou? Uncle Wang, what nonsense are you spouting in broad daylight?"

Wang Erlang was splashed with water and came to his senses.

Looking around, he realized he was still on Blackwater Lake and breathed a sigh of relief, muttering to himself, "So I'm not dead after all."

Caught off guard by Chen Qing in the whirlpool, Wang Erlang stood up angrily and cursed, "You bastard! You'd rather be a fishing tyrant than a proper fisherman!"

He knew that Bu Qu was capable, and he figured that this vortex didn't appear out of thin air; it must be Bu Qu's doing.

Chen Qing struggled in the whirlpool, forcing a smile as he said, "Uncle Wang, look, you're alright now. Let's pretend nothing happened, we're even. How about it?"

Seeing that Wang Erlang showed no intention of forgiving him, Chen Qing said again, "Why don't you beat me up and vent your anger?"

He turned his gaze to Bu Qu: "Brother Bu, as long as you release me, I'll do anything you ask. I'll even become your adopted son!"

Bu Qu sneered and turned to seek Wang Erlang's opinion.

It's not a question of whether to let him go or not, but how to kill this guy.

Wang Erlang angrily said, "A-Qu, that bastard just told me that Blackwater Lake is deep!"

"The water's deep, isn't it?" Bu Qu smirked, looking at Chen Qing in the whirlpool. "Blackwater Lake is indeed quite deep. Look at you, you can't even climb out after falling in. With such poor swimming skills, how can you be a fisherman?"

"Brother Bu... Uncle Wang..." Chen Qing's eyes were filled with despair. He could only cry and beg for mercy, hoping that Bu Qu would show leniency and spare his life. He had no other thoughts in his mind.

Before long, Chen Qing lost the strength to struggle and was swallowed by the whirlpool.

Shortly afterward, his body floated to the surface of the water.

Bu Qu found it an eyesore, so he took the anchor off Chen Qing's boat and threw it onto his corpse, where they sank together.

After venting his anger and feeling a sense of relief, Wang Erlang felt a sense of emptiness.

He slumped onto the sampan, grumbling, "These bastards, all they know is how to bully the weak and fear the strong."

As he rambled on, he recounted to Buqu all the hardships he had endured in recent days.

"As long as you're a fisherman, you're bound to be bullied."

Bu Qu shook his head.

The original owner had received a lot of favors from Wang Erlang, and now that he had the ability, it would be a way of returning the favor by helping him out.

"Uncle Wang, would you like to go to the city to make a living?"

"Go to the county town? Who wouldn't want to?" Wang Erlang's eyes lit up. "A-Qu, can you help me get into town?"

Bu Qu laughed and said, "There are only two ways to enter the city. One is to obtain a household registration in the county; the other is to sign a contract and work for someone else."

Upon hearing this, Wang Erlang sighed, "Getting household registration done requires connections and costs a lot of money. Where would I get that kind of money? As for working for others, at my age, what wealthy family would be willing to hire me?"

"I have a fishpond that's just sitting idle. Uncle Wang, what do you think? You can sign a contract with me and raise fish in the pond in the city. Once you've saved enough money for a local residency permit, you can get a free identity and make a living in the city."

Wang Erlang thought it sounded promising.

"Hmm? Ah Qu, you're letting me register under your name, which means you already have a household registration in the county?"

Bu Qu nodded.

Wang Erlang was overjoyed: "Hey, I knew A-Qu was capable!"

Bu Qu smiled in return: "Uncle Wang, what do you think of this?"

"Needless to say? I couldn't be happier!"

Bu Qu glanced at the sky; the sun was already setting, but it was still not time to close the city gates.

"In that case, let's hurry back and pack up. There's still time to get into the city."

"Okay!"

The two boats returned together to the familiar lakeside.

Bu Qu arrived at the small, dilapidated house, looked around, and finding nothing of value, returned to the front door.

When Zhang Cuihua heard that Buqu had returned and that he was going to take them to stay in the city, she was overjoyed.

She saw Buqu come out of her house and greeted him with a smile: "I've always known that Buqu is the most capable! Now that Buqu has become a city dweller, he still thinks of us. Auntie doesn't know where to begin to thank him..."

Buqu waved his hand: "Auntie, you're joking. We're all family, no need for thanks. Hurry up and pack, just take the valuables. I have other things. If you're too late, the city gates will be closed."

Wang Xiaoya helped out inside the house, avoiding coming out to meet them.

After Buqu and Zhang Cuihua carried their things to the awning boat, Wang Xiaoya finally came out of the house. Seeing Buqu's back, a feeling of having been apart for three days welled up in her heart.

The person she wanted most had always been by her side, but she had been blind to it.

Wang Erlang's family was only slightly better off than Buqu's original self; they weren't destitute, but they didn't have much more either.

After a while of work, the two boats headed towards the county town.

Zhang Cuihua sat openly in the middle of the awning boat, chatting with Bu Qu about her childhood.

Bu Qu also smiled in agreement.

I'm busy cultivating my skills and catching treasure fish every day. Occasionally, when I have some free time, I chat about everyday things, which adds a touch of life to my day.

Wang Xiaoya sat at the bow of Wang Erlang's boat, her gaze fixed on the lake, her mind filled with a myriad of emotions, yet she didn't know how to face them.

Before long, the two boats entered Heishui County along the river and rowed towards the fishpond in the northwest corner of the county town.

Zhang Cuihua's expression was strange: "A-Qu, you haven't gone the wrong way, have you? This fishpond belongs to the Zhong family..."

Bu Qu smiled and said, "You haven't gone to the wrong place, this is it."

"Don't joke around. Auntie used to live in the Zhong family mansion. How could Auntie not recognize the Zhong family's fishpond?"

"Grandpa Zhong has already given me the fishpond."

"You gave it to me?" Zhang Cuihua asked incredulously.

You can't joke like that!

Such a big fishpond, given away just like that.

Wang Erlang and Wang Xiaoya were stunned upon hearing this.

They only knew that Buqu had bought a fishpond in the county town.

But to everyone's surprise, the fishpond Buqu mentioned was actually the fishpond in the Zhong family mansion that was like a small lake!

Despite his disbelief, Buqu had already rowed the boat toward the fishpond.

Arriving at Tangjing House, Wang Xiaoya stared blankly at the three-courtyard mansion, filled with regret: 'What did I miss? The Zhong family should be someone he can't afford to offend! Why would they give him such a large fishpond? This is ingratiating... no, this is currying favor!'

Wang Xiaoya lowered her eyes, her gaze fixed only on the straw sandals on Bu Qu's feet. A torrent of bitterness and regret welled up within her...