Winter Time Rendering

Chapter 31: Chapter 10: Twist, Lick, Dunk, Part 2

Lu Qinglian was a quick study; she got the hang of it after watching just once. Zhang Shutong looked at her hands, which had clearly seen their share of hard work. ’She must have mended her own clothes before,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, she wouldn’t be so deft.’

The hook and line were incredibly compliant in her hands, like vines dancing under a Mage’s command, imbued with a life of their own. They seemed to wrap themselves around the eye of the hook, succeeding on the very first try. Lu Qinglian politely thanked him. Zhang Shutong nodded, then showed her how to bait it:

"That’s very good for your first time. Next, pick a spot to cast your line. It’s best if you stand up, and then..."

But before he could finish, the girl twisted at the waist and cast the line while still seated. The motion was brisk yet powerful, and possessed a distinct beauty.

Only then did Lu Qinglian add,

"I’ve already learned how to cast."

"Even better."

Zhang Shutong sighed in relief. ’Finally, some peace and quiet.’ Just as he was about to relive the simple joys of his childhood, he looked down and found his hands completely empty.

Lu Qinglian was holding his fishing rod.

She held a pose quite similar to the one in the photo, her back straight and her gaze fixed on the water’s surface.

"That’s my rod—" he began to say, but the girl, without taking her eyes off the water, raised a finger to her lips and shushed him. Just then, the float bobbed. Lu Qinglian lifted the rod, and a palm-sized fish leaped into the air.

Zhang Shutong was stunned.

’Has it even been thirty seconds since she cast the line?’

’For real?’

’Even in my prime, I was never this good. No, this is beyond skill—it’s pure luck.’ He watched as Lu Qinglian unhooked the fish, tossed it into the bucket, and, before he could say a word, baited the hook again. With another twist of her slim waist, she sent fresh ripples across the water.

The entire sequence was as smooth as flowing water.

"Have you fished before?"

"This is my first time."

"Ah, beginner’s luck."

"What do you mean?"

"It’s meant to let a beginner fully experience the joy of an activity..."

"Hold on."

Before he could finish, she shushed him again. The float trembled—another fish was on the line. This one was smaller, but the rate at which she was catching them was completely absurd.

A penguin hunting for fish in the water would probably catch them at her speed.

"What were you saying?" Lu Qinglian asked, casting her line again with a stylish flick. Her high ponytail swayed with the motion. He had to admit, she was actually kind of cool when she was focused, like a queen who had descended upon these waters.

"...Nothing. You go ahead and fish."

Zhang Shutong suddenly lost all interest. He had come here to fish, but now it felt like the water was teeming with Du Kangs.

Fortunately, the third fish didn’t come as quickly as the others.

The two of them stared at the water, one with rapt attention, the other yawning from boredom.

"Why’d you come here today, anyway?" Zhang Shutong asked casually, propping his chin on his hand.

"To fish," Lu Qinglian replied, her expression unchanged.

"Hmm... What a half-hearted answer."

’Not that I really care all that much,’ he thought. ’She’s different from Gu Qiuyan. At least she’ll make it through the next eight years safely. She doesn’t even need me to check in on her.’

’Besides, if I sit next to her any longer, my composure is going to crack. It might cast an indelible shadow on my beloved pastime of fishing.’

He was about to call Du Kang and Ruoping over to take his place. But just as he started to get up from the stool, he heard Lu Qinglian’s quiet voice.

"You’ve been giving me the brush-off this whole time too, haven’t you, Zhang Shutong."

Zhang Shutong froze.

For some reason, when she said that, he could have sworn he heard a hint of sternness in her voice. Her tone was still even, but that air of natural ditziness around her completely vanished. It was as if she’d suddenly dropped a disguise... or rather, transformed from a girl into a queen.

Zhang Shutong knew it was an inappropriate thought, but it reminded him of her funeral portrait. In it, the young woman’s brow was slightly furrowed, her eyes as still as the water in an old well. She had been sealed in black and white, as beautiful as she was eight years in the future, but she gave off a completely different aura than the student she was now. An aura just like the one she had at this very moment.

"If you have nothing more to say, then sit down and listen to what I have to say."

The girl said calmly,

"First of all, there is something you need to apologize to me for."

Zhang Shutong was a bit surprised, but it was indeed his fault. There was nothing to argue. "You’re right, my mistake. I’m sorry. I’ll find a way to clear up the effects in the next day or two."

"That’s not it."

But she shook her head, her own face as expressionless as the gloomy surface of the water she stared at.

"I’m talking about how you shouldn’t have kept brushing me off for your friend’s sake. It’s very impolite."

"Are you referring to..."

"Don’t play dumb." She seemed to have seized control of the conversation, her tone leaving no room for argument. "And another thing. It would be best if you didn’t deliberately try to set us up. I know it might seem like I’m making a big deal out of nothing, but I think it’s better to clear the air about this sooner rather than later."

Zhang Shutong stood there, dumbfounded, at a loss for words.

He tried to remember when Du Kang had been officially rejected by Lu Qinglian. His friend had confessed to her once, but that was supposed to happen after their middle school graduation. He’d lamented how pathetic it was to like a girl for four years without saying anything, so a few of them had hyped him up. In the end, Du Kang had gone to the temple early in the morning, only to come back at noon looking as wilted as a frost-bitten eggplant.

’But why did it happen ahead of schedule?’

His mind raced through the possible causes. ’It could have been those cartons of student-brand milk, or maybe this fishing trip...’

As if on cue, Ruoping finally let Du Kang go, and he immediately jogged over to them.

"Lu Qinglian, um, about before..." He hemmed and hawed for a moment before finally asking, "Do you need me to teach you how to fish?"

"Thank you, but he’s already taught me," the girl replied, politely declining.

"Well, if there’s anything you don’t understand..."

But Lu Qinglian cut in, "I can just ask Zhang Shutong."

Du Kang looked like he wanted to press his case, but Ruoping grabbed him by the collar and dragged him away.

’It couldn’t be that serious, could it?’ Zhang Shutong wondered. ’Don’t tell me that kid Du Kang let his inner beast out while they were walking over here and really pissed her off?’