Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

  “Is it on the hook?” Snowy shrieked.

  “It’s on the hook! Boy, it’s a big one!” Jin Er stood up from the chair, and stared at the floater.

  Rookies usually pulled on the rod as soon as there was a bite, but the fish could escape that way. If it was a big fish, it usually fought back. If the rookie didn’t have a firm grip on the rod, it could fly out of their hands.

  Jin Er wasn’t a professional fisherman, but he was very familiar with fishing. As soon as the rod sank, he raised the rod so that the hook could pierce through the fish’s mouth. As thin lines and small hooks were used to fish Crucian Carps, if the fish fought back, the line could break. Fighting the fish was necessary to catch it.

  He adjusted his grip on the rod and followed the fishing line’s movement with his eyes. He tightened or loosened the line to control the fish.

  It was the first time that Snowy witnessed the fishing process. Her mouth was half open in amazement, and her fists were clenched on behalf of Jin Er.

  In the winter, Crucian Carps had less strength, so they didn’t fight back as hard. It wasn’t long before Jin Er felt the fish giving up. He carefully reeled in the line and lifted the rod.

  Whoosh!

  A huge Crucian Carp came out of the water and suddenly started fighting back, it flopped its tail and splashed water everywhere.

  “Snowy! Get the net for me!” Jin Er shouted.

  Snowy grabbed the net immediately.

  However, as she was nervous, she wasn’t in sync with Jin Er. While Jin Er swung the rod to the right, she swung the net left. She stomped her feet in frustration, and both of them were screaming.

  The Crucian Carp used all its strength to get off the hook. It landed on the ground, about one meter away from the lake. It wiggled its body and flopped its tail. With each jump, it got closer to the lake.

  Snowy threw the net away, and Jin Er did the same with the fishing rod. They bent down at the same time to catch the fish. However, the fish was too slippery, and escaped their hands each time.

  As they were about to lose the fish, a flash of white came out of the alley and swung its paw to move the fish to the side. Another swing and the fish was firmly pressed on the ground.

  It was Snowball.

  “Wow! Snowball, you’re awesome!” Snowy rubbed Snowball’s head. “You’ll get an extra can of fish today as a reward!”


  “Meow!” Snow Ball squinted its eyes out of joy.

  Jin Er looked at Snowball, then at his own dog rolling in mud. He almost wanted to cry.

  The Crucian Carp slowly stopped fighting. As Snowball didn’t plan to eat it, it moved its paws away. Jin Er put the fish on a scale. “Wow! It’s 14 ounces. That’s the heaviest Crucian Carp I’ve ever caught!”


  Snowy gazed at him with puppy eyes.

  Jin Er understood what she was thinking. He unhooked the fish, picked up a thin long branch, and pierced it through the fish’s mouth. “Take it. This is the only one for now, but I’ll keep fishing. Take this as my red packet for the New Year.”


  “Thank you, Uncle Jin!” Snowy took it with excitement.

  Jin Er had given Snowy red packets in the past for the New Year, but had never seen her as happy as she was right now. He was happy to give it to her. It was true that giving gifts was just as fun as receiving them.

  Snowy hesitated on whether she should drop Snowball off at home, or take it with her to the pet shop. It didn’t take long for her to decide on the latter, as she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to come out again after going home.

  “Uncle Jin, I have to go somewhere. If my mom comes to look for me, please help cover for me,” She begged.

  “Okay.” Jin Er grinned. He didn’t want to get involved, but he also didn’t want to refuse Snowy.

  He filled the bucket halfway with water. “Here, the fish is still alive. Put it in the bucket, or it’ll turn stale.”


  The bucket was small, so it only fit one fish.

  Snowy put the fish inside and covered the lid. The fish was half alive in the bucket, and flopped it tail occasionally.

  She called Snowball, and they walked out of the community together. Jin Er sat back in his chair, ready for another fight. Fishing with an empty hook was nice, but fishing with real bait from time to time was very satisfying as well.

  After leaving the community, Snowy called a taxi and went straight to the pet shop.

  There were very few cars on the road, so they arrived quickly.

  As soon as she entered, she realized that the pet shop was quieter than usual. The shop was empty. It was Chinese New Year’s Day, after all.

  Zhang Zian’s back faced the door. He put one hand on his waist, the other hand held a slipper pointed at a grey parrot on top of the shelf. “I was talking about borrowing arrows with boats loaded with straw. What do you mean by ‘f*cking the boat while borrowing arrows?'”


  “Quack!” Richard rolled its eyes mischievously. “I was wrong. You idiot is b*tchy enough. You don’t need to borrow any more arrows!”


  Zhang Zian didn’t know what to say.

  “Quack! Let’s have a truce. Put down the slipper” Richard shrunk its neck.

  Despite the absense of the two workers, the pet shop was still full of action on New Year’s.

  “Hello! Zhang Zian, Happy New Year! Yiyun, Happy New Year!”


  Zhang Zian turned and found Snowy standing at the door with a smile, with a white Persian cat sitting behind her.

  Lu Yiyun shifted her eyes from the number pad, and saw it was Snowy. “Snowy, Happy New Year! Are you here for a live broadcast?”


  “Happy New Year.” Zhang Zian responded.

  Snowy’s appearance always meant a live broadcast, and he didn’t think it was appropriate to hold slippers in front of her viewers, so he tossed them.

  “Why are you here? Don’t you need to stay with your family? Are you doing a live broadcast?” He asked.

  “Not exactly.” Snowy shook her head. “I’m not planning to do a live broadcast today, and my trip here was unplanned. Didn’t you announce that you need fresh Crucian Carps? Did you get any?”


  “Not yet.” Zhang Zian sighed.

  “Is that so?” Snowy lifted the bucket. “Well, I’m bringing you one as a red packet for the New Year. Fish for the New Year!”