Volume 1 Chapter 25 Fishing

  "Now that Zi Xuan has changed, it's a good thing, so why should Grandfather be angry?" Zhang Congwen said with a smile.

  Mr. Zhang's face relaxed a bit, but he still looked worried, "After all, she is a girl, if she becomes too rigid and turns into a dull person, I would not be able to face your aunt."

  "It's better to be dull and rigid than to cause trouble," Zhang Qi didn't believe that Fang Zixuan would change, he just spoke coldly, if she really became more honest he would set off firecrackers to celebrate. After speaking, he felt it was too harsh and added, "Ayun never expected much from Zixuan anyway, as long as she doesn't cause trouble it's fine, being a bit strange is nothing. Dad, didn't you used to complain that she causes trouble every day and doesn't study well, ruining the reputation of both our families? Isn't it a good thing that she's changed now?"

  "After all, she's a girl..." Old Master Zhang sighed heavily. Although he hoped that Fang Zixuan could grow up healthily and lively like his granddaughters and great-nieces, he couldn't help but admit that Zhang Qi was right. Compared to her past self, the changes in her now were already quite welcome. Even if she had become a bit too rigid, it was still better than watching her degenerate.

  Zhang Qi was busy with work and had never been patient with such trivial matters, let alone his niece who he had never been close to. He quickly put her affairs out of his mind. Zhang Songwen, although curious about Fang Xuan, had just returned to China to take over some of the family's businesses and was too busy to care.

  Only Mr. Zhang felt increasingly uncomfortable as he watched Fang Zixuan's rigid and polite attitude every day, Fang Zixuan was a thoroughbred otaku, as long as no one urged her to go out, she could spend the whole day without leaving her room except for meals, copying books, doing homework, reading, and living a monotonous life like a monk, which made even Mr. Zhang feel unbearable, but she didn't have any complaints, making him feel more and more heartbroken.

  "Don't you need to breathe in some fresh air?" Old Zhang finally couldn't help but say.

  "I have opened the window." She replied seriously, although it was a hot summer, in order to ensure air circulation, she still insisted on opening the window for ventilation every morning and evening.

  "Don't copy these books anymore."

  "Yes."

  "You're a young girl, don't stay cooped up at home every day. When you have time, go out and take a walk. Your grandfather isn't trying to restrain you, just stop hanging out with those rascals. Wherever you want to go is fine, do you want to go on a trip for a few days?" Old Master Zhang slowed down his tone as much as possible.

  "Good."

  "So where would you like to go?"

  "No."

  "Cough, cough," Old Zhang felt that it was really hard to communicate with this granddaughter of his, but he was a man who became more courageous in the face of setbacks and never feared challenges. "You don't have to stay home tomorrow either, come fishing with me."

  "Good."

  She never had an opinion, rarely showed any expression, and to be honest, such a girl was not likable. But Zhang Lao Yezi was after all different from ordinary people. The more Fang Zi Xuan was like this, the more he paid attention to her, just like how weak children easily get adults' attention. In Zhang Lao Yezi's heart, he always felt that Fang Zi Xuan was extraordinary.

  "Old Zhang, you're late today." said an old man sitting by the lake fishing without looking back.

  "It's you who are too early." Old Zhang said discontentedly. "Zi Xuan, come here, Grandpa will teach you how to fish."

  The old man who had been sitting all along raised his eyelids and glanced at Fang Zixuan, "This girl looks unfamiliar."

  "My granddaughter Fang Zi Xuan, Zi Xuan, just call this old man Zhou Ye Ye." Old Master Zhang introduced casually while teaching Fang Zi Xuan how to fish hand in hand.

  "Grandpa Zhou is well." Fang Zixuan politely asked and then turned her head to stare at the water.

  The old man didn't say a word, he just stared quietly at the float in the water, but his heart was quite puzzled. Fang Zixuan was not very old, but her reputation as a spoiled girl was well-known in the circle. He had also heard Old Zhang complain about this granddaughter's lack of ambition, but what he saw now was indeed unexpected. This quiet and gentle-looking girl didn't have any hint of being a reckless girl.

  In the past, it seemed that Lao Zhang was very dissatisfied with Fangzi Xuan. Not to mention bringing her fishing, it's probably hard for him to have a good conversation with her. But now it seems that Lao Zhang's concern and enthusiasm for her are not fake at all. It seems that she has won his favor more than his lively grandchildren.

  Fishing is actually a very dull activity, often sitting for an entire morning without catching anything. The two old men have experienced wind and rain throughout their lives, and by the time they reached old age, they were accustomed to this way of life, settling their emotions amidst the beautiful scenery of the lake and mountains. They could sit still for long periods, and even conversation was scarce.

  Ke Fang Xuan was different, she was a young girl, at an age of curiosity and vitality, even if she tried to be mature and serious, it would be hard for her to sit still.

  The old man glanced at her with the corner of his eye, and saw that she was still motionless, staring intently at the water's surface with a serious and focused expression, if not for the faint breathing, he would have thought it was a statue.

  He's indeed a man of great endurance. The old man couldn't help but look at him with new eyes, it seems the rumors were indeed unreliable.

  "Old Zhang, this granddaughter of yours is quite good." The old man said calmly.

  Mr. Zhang didn't say a word, and could only smile wryly at him, then looked at Fang Zixuan with concern, seeing that she hadn't noticed anything, he subtly leaned in towards the old man and lowered his voice to a whisper that Fang Zixuan couldn't hear, "Does your grandson know any psychiatrists at the hospital?"

  The old man looked at him strangely and asked, "Are you ill?"

  "You're the one who's sick!" Old Zhang glared at him. "It's my own granddaughter, and I've always felt that something is off about her."

  "It doesn't look like it's going well." The old man looked at Fang Zixuan, who was holding a fishing rod, and thought that this little girl looked really pleasing to the eye, with a strong and dignified air about her. He really didn't know how such a good girl could be surrounded by those messy rumors.

  "It looks too good," said Old Man Zhang with a puzzled face. "This girl was originally a reckless and impulsive person, but after being punished by me and her grandfather to copy the Four Books and Five Classics for a while, she became like this dull and stupid appearance. If I hadn't forced her out of the house, she might have been able to stay at home for ten days or half a month without taking a step outside... In these few days, not one sentence she said to me exceeded five words..."

  "Hahaha……" The old man burst into loud laughter, as if he had heard some joke, startling the birds in the trees to fly away. Zhang Lao Yezi glared at him with a face full of shame and anger, and even the fish that were making some noise in the water were about to be scared away by this old man. Fang Zi Xuan's face only slightly turned aside, but she didn't turn her head around, still intently staring at the surface of the water.