Chapter 48

Qixiang was enjoying his meal, but after a while, he suddenly felt something was amiss.

"Is there something wrong with the dishes? Don't they suit your taste?" Qixiang asked, his brows slightly furrowed. He had only looked up unintentionally to notice that Xiaoding was drinking aimlessly, not touching his chopsticks at all.

"No, no, no..."

Xiaoding hurriedly waved his hands, quickly picked up his chopsticks, and picked a white shrimp to taste. As he chewed, he smiled bitterly and said, "Mr. Qixiang, what I said earlier is true. Ever since I had that lake feast, I have no appetite for anything else."

"I now eat just to fill my stomach, without tasting the flavor at all."

To prove his point, Xiaoding chewed a few times and swallowed the white shrimp whole, as if he were swallowing a date.

"Was that lake feast really that delicious?" Qixiang couldn't help but be surprised.

Xiaoding raised his hand and swore, "Mr. Qixiang, I can assure you. That lake feast is the most delicious thing I have ever eaten, unique and unforgettable."

"Ha, if I get the chance, I would like to try it too." Qixiang laughed, but he couldn't imagine how exquisite it must be to make Xiaoding so nostalgic, making other foods taste like wax.

"This..." Xiaoding looked hesitant, as he was powerless to do anything about it.

After all, his discernment wasn't bad, and he knew that Mr. Tian seemed to be someone of great importance, who had only cooked the lake feast out of respect for Young Master Hai.

Xiaoding didn't think he had the influence to ask Mr. Tian to cook another exquisite meal for him.

Fortunately, Qixiang was just talking and didn't take it seriously.

"If you don't eat, I'll enjoy it all." Qixiang didn't hesitate and finished a large bowl of drunken shrimp, then continued to clear the other dishes on the table.

As he was eating, he suddenly heard Xiaoding excitedly shout, "Mr. Qixiang, look, it's that ship."

"Hmm?"

Qixiang followed his gaze and saw a large, classically styled, seemingly all-wooden ship slowly passing at the far end of the misty lake. Due to the distance, Qixiang only caught a glimpse before the ship disappeared.

"Are you sure it's that ship?" Qixiang was somewhat surprised.

"Absolutely sure." Xiaoding nodded vigorously, "I remember it clearly, there's no way I could be wrong."

"Such a ship must be rare, right?" Qixiang thought for a moment and asked, "As a local, have you ever heard of its origin?"

"Uh?" Xiaoding was taken aback and shook his head, "I really don't know..."

"Why don't you ask someone?" Qixiang waved his hand to call the waiter over and inquired, "Young man, that large ship looked quite unique. Is it a tour boat?"

"It doesn't seem to be..."

The waiter, who had been on the lake for a long time, knew more than Xiaoding and explained carefully, "That ship has only appeared in the past month, circling around Lake Tai. No one knows what it's doing. But it looks like a private vessel, not open to tourists."

"If you two want to tour, I can help you arrange a dedicated boat..." The waiter was very considerate.

"No need, thank you." Qixiang waved his hand to dismiss the waiter.

"Mr. Qixiang, I didn't say anything wrong, did I?" Xiaoding seized the opportunity to say, "That ship only appeared recently, so it's no wonder I hadn't heard of it before. After all, I have things to do and can't often come to Lake Tai..."

"That's true." Qixiang agreed and raised his glass, "Forget it. Let's have one more drink and then go back."

After eating and drinking to their fill, why not leave?

Xiaoding rushed to pay the bill, then waved from the boat, and a small boat that had been circling near the water restaurant rowed over to pick them up.

The two got on the small boat, and just as Qixiang was about to ask the boatman to take them back, Xiaoding whispered, "Mr. Qixiang, it's still early. Why don't we fish for a while and go back later?"

To please Qixiang, Xiaoding had racked his brains.

"If we're lucky, we might catch a few fish, and we won't have to worry about dinner tonight." Xiaoding smiled, mainly wanting to spend more time with Qixiang to understand his personality and preferences, making it easier to cater to him.

Qixiang glanced at the time and saw it was only around 5 PM. If he went back now, he wouldn't know how to pass the time. Since he had nothing to do, fishing on the lake seemed like a good idea.

Seeing Qixiang's interest, Xiaoding quickly made arrangements.

The small boat was equipped with fishing gear, including rods and bait, all of which were professional. Clearly, the boatman also offered this service while taking passengers on tours.

Hearing that the two wanted to fish, the boatman readily provided the gear and took the boat to deeper waters.

Unlike the shore, the water in the deeper part of the lake was clear and clean, a tranquil blue like jade.

Xiaoding, being more experienced, observed the lake surface carefully after the boat stopped. He pointed to a small whirlpool on the surface and said enthusiastically, "Mr. Qixiang, there's movement there. There might be fish below..."

"Let's try." Qixiang baited the hook and cast it into the small whirlpool, where it slowly sank.

Xiaoding also cast his line and then lowered his voice, chatting casually with Qixiang.

He didn't say much, just hinted that in the entire Lake Tai region, not just in Huzhou, but also in Suzhou, Wuxi, and Yixing, he knew experts in collecting.

"Oh, Brother Xiaoding, you have a wide network of friends, which is impressive." Qixiang smiled, knowing that Xiaoding wasn't lying.

The Lake Tai region itself was a circle. With Suzhou as the hub, the cities were closely connected, sharing resources. It wasn't strange that Xiaoding's network spanned several cities.

When Qixiang was in Jinling, it was the same. He knew people in the surrounding cities. Networks were like a spider web, expanding from points to form a circle.

As long as one was willing to put in the effort, the circle would naturally grow larger, and the connections would become denser. Unfortunately, he was now far from Jinling, and the relationships he had cultivated there were of little use.

"Mr. Qixiang, you flatter me." Xiaoding kept a low profile and smiled, "We are just trying to make a living. How can we compare to you, who have the eagle's vision and the wolf's vigilance, doing big business..."

Eagle, wolf, insect, bear, sheep, shrimp—these were the levels in the world of collecting.

"Eagle's vision and wolf's vigilance," a term with a negative connotation, was a high praise in the world of antiques. Qixiang knew he didn't have the strength of an eagle or a wolf; he mainly relied on cheating, not real skills.

So, Xiaoding's flattery sounded a bit harsh to Qixiang... not pleasant to hear.

"Cough!"

Qixiang waved his hand and whispered, "Be quiet, it seems a fish is on the hook."

As he spoke, he pulled the line, and the hook flew out of the water. The bait was still on the hook, and no fish had bitten.

Xiaoding saw this and quickly comforted him, "Mr. Qixiang, don't be discouraged. The lake is deep, and there are few fish... why don't we try another spot..."

"No need, this place is fine." Qixiang shook his head, "We might have disturbed the fish with our talking."

Xiaoding was very considerate and immediately nodded, "That's true. Let's keep quiet and focus on fishing!"

For a moment, both were silent, concentrating on fishing.

Surprisingly, as soon as they quieted down, a fish bit the hook. Xiaoding felt his rod sink and became excited, exclaiming, "Here it comes, here it comes, there's a fish."

His reaction was quick. As soon as he felt the line move, he gripped the rod and slowly reeled it in.

In an instant, a fish leaped out of the water, dangling in mid-air.

"Ha, it's quite big." Xiaoding quickly removed the fish and measured it. The fish was longer than his palm and struggled fiercely in his hand, full of wild energy.

Next, as if blessed by a deity, Xiaoding caught six or seven fish in just a few minutes. His fish basket was almost full.

While Xiaoding was elated, Qixiang, sitting next to him, had an empty basket, with no fish at all.

Upon noticing this, Xiaoding's excitement was immediately dampened. He was there to accompany Qixiang, and outshining him would only make the guest unhappy, not himself.

Although Qixiang didn't seem to mind and even helped Xiaoding with the hooks and bait, Xiaoding was bothered by it. He quickly found an excuse to give up his position at the bow and rushed to the stern.

Qixiang was taken aback but soon understood Xiaoding's thoughts. He shook his head, thinking Xiaoding was overthinking it. His heart wasn't so narrow that he couldn't tolerate such a small matter.

However, it was indeed embarrassing to fish for so long without catching even a small fish.

Qixiang blinked and suddenly focused on the water. At that moment, his eyes glowed slightly, and his vision easily penetrated the water, seeing through to the depths.

For a moment, the water seemed very clear, allowing him to easily see the fish swimming leisurely below.

Qixiang naturally knew how to seize the opportunity. He subtly adjusted his rod and carefully placed the bait in front of the mouth of the fattest-looking fish.

As expected, the fish opened its mouth and swallowed the bait.

"Men die for wealth, birds... no, fish die for food, truly a profound truth."

Qixiang smiled, ready to pull the line, but suddenly a white shadow darted through the water, and he felt a strong force pulling his rod...

...

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