Chapter 171: Possessed by the Lucky Carp
“This incident is so big, and the person caught was from our team. Word spread fast. As soon as I heard, I hurried over to check on you. I’m glad you’re okay.”
Ning Qingyuan released Ning Xiyue after seeing she was unharmed, finally feeling a sense of relief.
“Brother, come on, let’s go inside. Since you’re here, stay for dinner. There’s nothing much to do on a snowy day anyway.”
Ning Xiyue thought of the scarf she was about to finish, perfect for letting her brother try it on.
“Alright, come in and explain everything to me properly.”
Ning Qingyuan pushed his bicycle and followed Ning Xiyue toward the kitchen.
“Brother, come in quickly! I specifically learned to knit a scarf — this one is for you. Try it on to see if the length is right. If it is, I’ll finish it off.” Ning Xiyue held up the scarf for him.
“Sis, you knitted it so beautifully.”
Ning Qingyuan parked his bicycle, set down a basket on the floor, and couldn’t hide the smile on his face as he looked at the scarf.
He gently picked up one end and wrapped it around his neck twice — just enough, with no extra length.
“Enough, sis, it’s perfect.”
Wrapping it only twice wouldn’t do. Ning Xiyue shook her head, removed the scarf, and continued knitting: “I’ll add a bit more length and finish it properly. Longer is better.”
As Ning Xiyue’s hands flew over the knitting, she recounted today’s events to Ning Qingyuan in detail.
After hearing her story, he was completely at ease. As long as his sister was safe, everything else didn’t matter.
Looking at the scarf, Ning Qingyuan sighed while winding the yarn: “I wonder if I can get a few more days of home leave this year. I haven’t been home for the New Year in two years.”
Ning Xiyue also missed her parents and wanted to return home for the New Year.
But she later learned that comrades Wu Guifang and Zhao Jianshe at the Youth Workstation had hardly returned home since arriving. At first, there were no holidays, and later, the few holidays weren’t enough for the long train journeys.
It took Ning Xiyue two and a half days to come by train, leaving only five days for a round trip. Her home was far, too — at least seven or eight days of leave were needed to return.
“I’ll ask the team leader tomorrow and report back to you. Probably both our teams have similar leave situations.”
Saying this, Ning Xiyue sped up her knitting — she had to finish her second brother’s scarf and then make scarves for the rest of her family.
She wanted to prepare as much as possible before returning home for the New Year — either carry the items herself or send them beforehand.
Ning Qingyuan nodded. “I’ll also check back home and try to get more leave.”
As it was getting late, Ning Qingyuan got up to start preparing dinner.
Ning Xiyue continued knitting.
By dinnertime, her fast hands had added another length to the scarf roughly equal to Ning Qingyuan’s forearm. She decided to finish the scarf before eating.
The scarf had used about three taels of yarn, leaving four and seven-tenths pounds from a five-pound skein — enough to knit two sweaters.
She hadn’t learned to knit sweaters yet, so she would set the yarn aside until she learned from Aunt Qiujuh or Aunt Yangliu.
After completing the last stitch, Ning Xiyue neatly folded the scarf and happily handed it to Ning Qingyuan, who was resting his head at the dining table waiting for dinner: “Brother, it’s done. Try it on.”
Worried about snagging the scarf, Ning Qingyuan carefully tended to the skin around his fingernails before wrapping the soft scarf around his neck. He couldn’t stop touching it, thrilled by its warmth.
His face lit up with joy, pride, and admiration: “Sis, you’re amazing. It’s warm and beautiful. No one else’s sister can compare to mine.”
“Brother, stop praising me, you’re going to make me fly to the sky.”
Though she said this, Ning Xiyue beamed at her brother’s extravagant praise.
After trying it on, Ning Qingyuan carefully folded the scarf and set it aside before bringing over the meal.
After dinner, Ning Qingyuan pulled out the basket he had brought, mysteriously beckoning Ning Xiyue over. He lifted one corner of the burlap covering the basket.
He pulled out a dried chicken and a bag of peanuts, leaving one item still inside, which he didn’t reveal yet.
He placed the basket in front of Ning Xiyue and whispered: “Sis, look! On the way here, I found something else.”
Ning Xiyue peered into the basket. Her eyes immediately widened.
A huge Lingzhi mushroom — a purple Lingzhi.
“Brother, what luck! Last time you found a rabbit, and now a huge Lingzhi, in the middle of winter under thick snow. This is incredible!”
Ning Xiyue was thrilled. This must be the work of the Carp Spirit — her second brother was completely breaking free from his tragic past, and his luck would only get better.
Ning Qingyuan scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.
“It was just luck. I think the mushroom was exposed when Zhang Si rolled down the hill and pushed the snow aside. Luckily, it wasn’t crushed.”
“That’s still your good fortune. No one else noticed it, but you did.”
This was luck akin to being possessed by a “lucky carp.”
Ning Qingyuan smiled and nudged the basket toward Ning Xiyue: “Sis, put it away quickly. Don’t let anyone see it. Let’s get rich quietly.”
“Okay, I’ll store it safely. Later, we can trade it for something else.”
Ning Xiyue stared at the Lingzhi, thinking about harvesting spores to cultivate it in her space. She already had ginseng there — she just needed this super-nourishing Lingzhi.
After Ning Xiyue stored the items in her cabinet, Ning Qingyuan stood up, wrapped the new scarf, and prepared to leave.
“Brother, wait.”
Ning Xiyue added a piece of wild boar jerky with a spicy flavor into his basket, along with a jar of hand cream and a moisturizing face cream.
Men also needed to protect their hands and face — especially to prevent cracking, which was painful.
“Brother, this jar is for your hands, to stop them from drying and cracking. This one is for your face, to protect it from the wind and snow. It’s winter, dry and windy. After washing your face, use it. If your hands feel dry, use the hand cream.”
“Okay, don’t worry. I’ll use them every day.”
Ning Qingyuan efficiently pocketed both jars. He didn’t care about using products traditionally considered “for girls” — if his sister recommended it, he would use it. His sister always had his best interests in mind; no fuss needed.
“I’m off then, sis.” Ning Qingyuan hopped on his bicycle, waving as he rode off.
Ning Xiyue stood outside the kitchen, waving back.
“Brother, be careful on the road.”
“Alright, go inside, it’s cold out here.”
He rode off to the neighboring team.
Once he left, Ning Xiyue placed the Lingzhi in her space, quickly washed up, crawled into bed, and closed her eyes, eager to start studying Lingzhi spores in her space.
She couldn’t wait.
