Chapter 32: Can It Really Understand Human Speech?

As it happened, the man was fishing by the river again today.

Fang Ning’s brood of goslings, upon seeing the water, bolted like wild horses off their tethers, charging straight into the man’s net and turning his fishing efforts into total chaos.

"Fang Ning, will you never stop?" Wang Changdong roared, his fury boiling over. "Don't think I won't dare to lay a hand on you!"

Fang Ning offered a weak explanation: "Uncle Wang, if I told you I didn't mean for this to happen, would you believe me?"

She truly could not control those runaway beasts!

Fang Ning’s attitude caught Wang Changdong off guard, leaving him stunned and incredulous. Since when had Fang Ning become so soft-spoken? Could it be true, as the village rumors suggested, that she had finally gained some sense after that accident in the water?

"Uncle Wang, I couldn't hold them back. Let me apologize—please don't be angry, okay? I’ll help you retrieve these fish, how about that?"

"What kind of trick are you pulling now? If I give you the net, you’ll just claim you caught them and the fish will all be yours!"

"I swear I won't. I know I was in the wrong last time; please, don't be angry," Fang Ning pleaded with such soft, endearing charm that Wang Changdong found his anger dissipating.

"Forget it. I shouldn't be bickering with a little brat like you." Wang Changdong shooed the goslings out of the net and cast it once more.

"Uncle Wang, it’s hard to catch big fish like that. Listen to me..." Fang Ning stood by, directing him to pull the net in and guiding him on how to cast it again.

Wang Changdong was skeptical, but to his surprise, the haul after pulling in the net was far greater than anything he usually caught.

"Well, I’ll be! It actually worked!" Wang Changdong was overjoyed. "Come, Ningning, show me again. I'll share some of the fish with you later."

Wang Changdong’s tone toward Fang Ning had shifted instantly from cold formality to the affectionate "Ningning."

The two of them, one adult and one child, squatted by the river and filled a bucket to the brim with fish.

Wang Changdong grinned from ear to ear. "I really owe you today. I’ve never caught this many fish before. I’ll send some over to your house in a bit. And listen, Ningning, don't you go back to your old ways, hear me?"

"Don't worry, Uncle Wang, I promise. Oh, and Uncle Wang, may I offer a small suggestion?"

"Go ahead."

"The fish are spawning right now. Would you consider waiting a month or two before coming back to fish? I don't mean anything by it, I just think it’s the only way to ensure the fish in the river don't disappear."

Wang Changdong thought it over and realized Fang Ning was right. He nodded, "Alright, Uncle Wang promises you. I won't come fishing here for a while."

"Thank you, Uncle Wang."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"Thanking you on behalf of the little fish in the river."

Wang Changdong laughed heartily. He returned the small fish and the ones heavy with eggs back into the water before heading off. "I'll send those over to your place in a moment."

"Alrighty!" Fang Ning waved.

Feeling a bit bored, she called out to the goslings, "Come back, we’re going home."

She had only said it offhandedly, but to her surprise, the goslings actually began swimming toward the bank.

Fang Ning was stunned. "Can you actually understand human speech?"

The lead gosling tilted its head and looked at Fang Ning with an expression that clearly labeled her as a simpleton.

Fang Ning never expected that one day she would be discriminated against by poultry!

"I am your provider of food and shelter, show some respect."

The lead gosling waddled onto the bank and strutted past her, ignoring her completely.

Fang Ning: "..."

She finally understood that her father wasn't imagining things—these goslings were definitely insulting him. It seemed the leader was the brains of the operation.

The goslings strolled leisurely toward the old Fang estate, pecking at whatever they encountered along the way. Fang Ning felt a sense of moral failure, like walking a dog without a leash.

The village chief’s dog was chased off, yelping and scrambling for its life. The goslings became famous overnight. The entire Futian Village knew that Fang Ning owned a flock of exceptionally unreasonable geese.

When they reached the house, Fang Yu was standing by the courtyard gate, facing inside, and didn't make way. The five goslings pounced, pecking at the innocent boy until he burst into tears.

Seeing this, Si Yuheng darted forward and scooped Fang Yu up, rescuing him. The goslings continued to chase them aggressively.

Fang Ning covered her face; she really hadn't meant for that to happen!

She roared, "If you act up again, I’ll pull your teeth out and roast you for dinner!"

Only then did the goslings relent, returning to their coop with the arrogance of kings.

"Your geese are just like you," Si Yuheng teased.

Fang Ning glared at him. "I think they’re more like you—petty and holding a grudge!"

Si Yuheng stared at her with a tight, humorless smile.

Fang Ning couldn't help but shiver. "Young Master, I was actually talking about myself."

You don't cross the powerful. Endure!

Si Yuheng looked away and set Fang Yu down.

"Thank you, Young Master," Fang Yu sniffled.

"It's nothing," Si Yuheng said, moving slightly away from the boy.

"Is Ningning home?" Yu Dong’s voice called out from outside.

"I’m here," Fang Ning said, welcoming his timely arrival.

Yu Dong walked in. "Oh, the Young Master is here too."

Si Yuheng gave a slight nod.

Yu Dong turned to Fang Ning. "Ningning, here’s the thing. Even though we beat the Xu Family Village the other day, I went to check today and the water to our fields at Stone Shoal has been blocked again. We can't watch it every second of the day. Why don't you come with me to Xu Family Village again?"

"Arguing like this isn't a solution. Let’s just divert the water ourselves."

"How? Their fields are closer to the source. Even if we divert the water, it has to pass through their land, and they’ll just give us trouble again."

"Take me to Stone Shoal first."

While they lacked proper drainage pipes, bamboo served as a natural conduit. She wouldn't have to beg the Xu family for anything; they could build their own irrigation system. Even if it had to be rebuilt every year, it was better than begging for favors. After all, no one could guard the fields all day.

The way they were bullying Futian Village—she would make them regret it sooner or later!

Fang Ning went to Stone Shoal with Yu Dong, and Si Yuheng followed out of curiosity.

After walking around the area, Fang Ning quickly came up with a plan. The river flowed past the Futian fields, but the fields were higher than the river, while the Xu family’s fields were upstream, allowing them to siphon off the water. By blocking the channel, they left the Futian side bone dry.

Rice required water to grow. Without it, how could it survive?

"Uncle Yu, we can completely bypass their fields and divert the water," Fang Ning said, pointing upstream. "This stretch of land along the river belongs to us."

"Building a canal isn't realistic!"

"We don't need a canal. Uncle Yu, have you ever thought of using bamboo?"

"Bamboo?"

"Yes, knock out the joints to make pipes. We can stack stones to create supports to hold the bamboo, and the water will flow right over. If stones are too much trouble, we can use wooden forks."

"Why didn't we ever think of that?" Yu Dong slapped his thigh in realization.