Suijun starts with the principle of rewarding diligence.

The market town in Heishui County is built along the river, with horse-drawn carriages on one side and boats on the other, reminiscent of the ancient charm of the water towns in southern China.

Buqu spent a few coins to purchase all the necessary items, including fishing gear.

Seeing Zhong Ling's excited face, he felt a headache coming on.

Taking a girl shopping is always a physically demanding task.

Whenever she sees something fun, Zhong Ling immediately goes to join in and has a great time.

"Fortunately, Zhong Ling is also quite wealthy and doesn't spend my money." This was the only thing that made Bu Qu feel comforted.

After wandering around for an hour, they finally managed to pull Zhong Ling back to the awning boat.

After rowing a few strokes, I saw an old man setting up a stall on the shore.

Scattered on the stall were piles of gold and silver, and in the middle was a water vat about half a person's height.

Putting everything else aside, the fact that the gold and silver on the stall weren't stolen is enough to show that this old man has some connections.

A group of people gathered around the stall, playing a fish-catching game.

The tank contains ornamental fish of various colors. Whoever can scoop up a fish can take away a corresponding amount of gold or silver based on its color and species.

After a quick glance, Bu Qu understood how to play the game:

In this fishing game, the nets used to catch the fish are made of paper-thin fine yarn. They break at the slightest touch.

To put it bluntly, it's just a scam to swindle money.

They wouldn't let me use the net I brought; I had to buy one from him. But his nets were practically useless at catching fish.

Of course, the rewards are incredibly generous in order to lure people in.

In addition, dog catchers will be arranged to scoop up fish. The nets used for the dog catchers look no different from ordinary nets, but they are extremely durable.

When passersby see how easy it is to make money, some will inevitably succumb to the temptation and give it a try.

It's not surprising that some people who get easily carried away can lose everything in one fell swoop.

Bu Qu shook his head, showing little interest, and prepared to row away directly.

Zhong Ling, however, became interested: "Those people are really useless; they can't even catch a fish."

"It's all a scam. If you were in their shoes, you wouldn't be able to catch them either."

Buqu regretted it as soon as he finished speaking.

As expected, Zhong Ling raised her eyebrows after hearing this, grabbed the side of the boat, and leaped ashore.

She pushed through the crowd, rushed to the old man, and asked, "Sir, how much does it cost per game?"

The old man replied with a smile, "One tael of silver."

Zhong Ling took out a coin from her purse and handed it to the old man. She then took a porcelain bowl and a net from him, and her gaze swept around the water tank before settling on the largest koi.

She can get an ounce of gold simply by scooping the koi carp into a bowl with a net.

One coin of silver can be exchanged for one tael of gold; it's incredibly profitable.

"Hmph, how hard can it be to catch a fish?"

Zhong Ling lowered the net into the water tank and approached the koi, only to see the koi flick its tail, tearing a large hole in the gauze.

Her eyes widened: "One tael of silver, just like that, gone?"

Bu Qu had already moored the awning boat and came to Zhong Ling's side: "Have you had enough fun? It's time to go back."

Zhong Ling, unconvinced, took out an ounce of silver and said to the old man, "Eight more, please!"

Bu Qu shook his head, thinking, "Oh well, she's not short of money anyway. Consider it a lesson learned."

Before long, Zhong Ling had lost all of his tael of silver.

The koi swam arrogantly in the water tank, its mouth opening and closing as if challenging her.

Zhong Ling was furious and wanted to try again.

Bu Qu quickly stopped him, saying, "Don't send any more money."

Zhong Ling's eyes were red and she looked like she was about to cry: "No! My monthly salary is only two taels of silver. I have to win it back!"

It's impossible not to feel bad about losing half a month's allowance all at once.

If Bu Qu hadn't intervened, she might have lost even her underwear.

"How about this? I'll help you win it back, and you can go home obediently."

"Really?" Zhong Ling looked at Bu Qu expectantly.

"Yes, as long as you obediently return home, I will win it back for you."

Seeing Zhong Ling nod in agreement, Bu Qu took out a coin from his money bag and handed it to the old man.

The old man smiled and asked, "One is enough?"

"enough."

The onlookers were also seething with anger, either frustrated by their own lack of skill or lamenting their bad luck.

Seeing that Zhong Ling had lost so much, I felt much better.

Seeing that Bu Qu was going to stand up for Zhong Ling, they all looked on in disbelief.

That little girl tried almost ten times, but she couldn't get the fish out of the water.

You come in and say one is enough, isn't that just bragging?

The group of people all looked at Bu Qu with expressions of amusement.

The old man had a big smile on his face.

He's seen plenty of people who think they could do it too.

In the end, clinging to pride will only lead to greater losses.

He was overjoyed: "Today is another great harvest day!"

Buqu didn't rush to catch fish. He twirled the net in his hand a couple of times and blew two breaths onto the gauze.

Seeing this, the old man smiled and said, "Young man, don't worry. I've always been honest and fair when I set up my stall. These nets are all handmade by me; there's absolutely nothing fishy about them."

"That's good."

Bu Qu smiled. This fine yarn is windproof, but it becomes extremely brittle when wet. The weight of a fish alone can easily pierce a large hole in it.

Seeing Bu Qu preparing to scoop up fish with a net, Zhong Ling pointed to the largest koi and said, "Catch it! Catch it! I'm going to catch it and eat it!"

The crowd burst into laughter.

Bu Qu rolled his eyes, thinking to himself, "Why are you getting so worked up over a fish? What's your grudge?"

He shook his head, holding a bowl in his left hand and a net in his right, ready to pretend to scoop fish with the net.

With the ability to control water, he can make the fish jump into the bowl on their own, even without a net.

But this is a game after all, and it's still necessary to respect the rules.

He dipped his net into the water, positioned it directly beneath the koi, and scooped it up with a sudden jerk.

Startled, the koi leaped up as it was being scooped up by the net.

Buqu caught the bowl steadily with his left hand.

The onlookers stared wide-eyed, only to find that the net was perfectly intact, without even a tiny hole.

"good!"

After the initial surprise, the passersby erupted in cheers.

The old man stood there, stunned.

One or two taels of gold, gone just like that?

Zhong Ling was overjoyed. She reached out and picked up the tael of gold from the stall, saying happily, "It's mine!"

A young man next to Bu Qu noticed that the net in his hand wasn't torn and urged, "Brother, what are you standing there for? The net isn't torn, keep going!"

Although he couldn't earn that money, the young man felt great seeing the old man suffer a loss!

He lost a small amount of silver here, and he felt terrible.

Now that they see a master in the room, they can't wait to let him win all the gold and silver the old man has on hand.

The old man's face darkened, and he leaned close to Bu Qu and whispered, "Young brother, please show mercy. I have the Xia family backing me up; you can't afford to offend them."

"The Xia family? The prestigious family that Xia Zhuxin belongs to?"

Bu Qu had long suspected that he had powerful connections.

He originally only intended to have some fun and earn the money back for Zhong Ling; he never thought of offending anyone.

Since the old man had said so, he decided to take his leave while he was ahead, and prepared to return the net to him and leave with Zhong Ling.

Zhong Ling perked up his ears, listening intently.

Seeing the old man bring up the Xia family mansion, she put her hands on her hips and said angrily, "Hmph, the Xia family mansion? So what if it's the Xia family mansion? It's nothing in front of our Zhong family mansion. You old man, you're all smiles when you're winning, but when you lose, you use the Xia family mansion to bully us. Do you think I, Zhong Ling, am easy to bully?"

The old man's expression changed drastically upon hearing this.

Unexpectedly, this little girl is from the Zhong family. This is a big problem.