Reborn in 72, I hunt to support my family and spoil my younger sister rotten.

Chapter 266 A God-Sent Opportunity to Make a Fortune

"Wife, I'm so lucky to have you."

After returning home, Li Xiaoyun had just put down the basket in her hand when Li Xiangyang hugged her waist from behind.

Li Xiaoyun's ears turned slightly red. She turned around and wrapped her arms around her husband's neck: "What nonsense are you talking about? Now that I've married you, your family is my family too."

Li Xiangyang gazed into his wife's eyes and couldn't help but lower his head and kiss her.

The two embraced and walked toward the bed.

The moonlight was like water, and the mingling of emotions immersed both of them in a silent sense of contentment.

Early in the morning, Li Xiangyang got up.

"Honey, you sleep a little longer. I'm going to the river. I'll be back before lunch!"

After smiling and speaking to Li Xiaoyun, who had also opened her eyes, Li Xiangyang got up to wash up.

Seeing how energetic he was, Li Xiaoyun quickly got up, washed her hands, and cooked for him: "Don't rush, I've prepared some dry food for you before you leave."

A moment later, Li Xiaoyun handed him the meal she had prepared, and said with a smile, "Go on, be careful on the road, I'm going to take a nap."

After leaving the house, Li Xiangyang walked along the path towards the river.

When Li Xiangyang reached the riverbank, he was surprised to find Wang Ergou and Li Daqiang already there, busy tidying up their fishing nets.

"Hey, so early!" Li Xiangyang greeted him with a smile.

Wang Ergou turned around and saw it was him. He grinned and said, "Good morning? You're late. If you'd been any later, you probably would have gone home empty-handed."

Li Daqiang also looked up and pointed upstream: "Look over there, about ten people have already gone into the water."

Li Xiangyang looked in the direction he was pointing and saw that there were indeed many figures standing on the river, and several children playing and frolicking in the shallows.

"So many people?" Li Xiangyang asked, somewhat surprised. "Are they all here to slack off?"

"Exactly! We're just killing time in the summer heat anyway. We can't catch anything, but it's fun. There will only be more people coming, so we might as well go hunting in the mountains." Wang Ergou scoffed. "Hurry up, there will be even more people soon!"

The three men put on long trousers, rolled up the cuffs, and took fishing nets into the water.

The river water was slightly cool. Li Xiangyang found a place where the current was relatively calm and began to carefully explore the crevices in the rocks and the areas where aquatic plants grew.

Two hours later, Li Xiangyang's net only had about ten small crucian carp and a few crayfish. Wang Ergou and Li Daqiang's results weren't much better.

"There are too many people today, everyone's been startled," Wang Ergou muttered. "Let's do this for a little while longer and then head back."

Li Xiangyang nodded and walked upstream for a while longer, hoping to try his luck.

Just then, a panicked cry came from upstream: "Help! Help! A water monkey is pulling people out!"

A middle-aged man was struggling in the river, his body bobbing up and down as if he were being pulled by something.

People around panicked; some rushed ashore, while others stood there bewildered.

"Not good!" Li Xiangyang's expression changed, and he immediately dropped the fishing net and swam quickly towards the man.

Wang Ergou and Li Daqiang also realized what was happening and followed closely behind.

Li Xiangyang swam over to the middle-aged man in a few strokes, grabbed his arm, and pulled him forcefully to the shore.

The man struggled even more fiercely, repeatedly shouting, "Water monkey! The water monkey grabbed my leg!"

Li Xiangyang steadied himself, took a deep breath, and dived into the water.

Despite the blurred underwater visibility, he still managed to make out the situation.

The man's left foot was stuck in a thick branch in the water. The branch was also entangled with some water plants and swayed with the current, making it look from a distance as if something was pulling at it.

Li Xiangyang quickly pried open the tree branches and freed the man's foot. Then, the three of them worked together to pull the man to the shore.

"Uncle Liu, are you alright?" Li Daqiang recognized the middle-aged man and asked with concern.

Uncle Liu, still shaken, gasped, "I...I almost died! That water monkey grabbed my leg and wouldn't let go!"

The villagers who were watching started talking all at once.

"My goodness, there really is such a thing in the water? Or is this just a trick to scare kids?"

"Scare a kid? Does Uncle Liu look like the kind of person who lies? Would he risk his life to scare you?"

"Ah this..."

"Uncle Liu, what does this water monkey look like? Have you seen it?"

"I didn't see it clearly!" Uncle Liu said excitedly, "but I could definitely feel something pulling me, and hair!"

After Uncle Liu finished speaking excitedly, the surrounding crowd started discussing it even more. Some people said that they had encountered the same thing last year, and if they hadn't been lucky, they would have almost lost their lives.

Some people say that water monkeys like to prey on lone people, and once caught, there is little chance of escape.

Li Xiangyang originally wanted to explain that it was just a tree branch, but seeing Uncle Liu's determined expression, he became somewhat skeptical.

After all, although he could see clearly underwater, that was after the accident. No one could guarantee whether Uncle Liu had been pulled by any creature before the accident.

Just as everyone was talking at once, a ripple suddenly appeared in the middle of the river, and a dark figure swam past quickly.

"Water monkey! It's a water monkey!" someone shouted, and the crowd immediately stirred.

Another dark shadow swept across the water, and this time even Li Xiangyang could see it clearly—it was a long-bodied, glossy-furred mink, nimbly darting through the water.

"Run!" someone shouted in panic.

In an instant, chaos erupted along the riverbank as adults dragged their children ashore, leaving fishing nets and baskets scattered all over the ground without a care in the world.

Before long, the once bustling riverbank was left with only Li Xiangyang, his two companions, and Uncle Liu, who had just been rescued.

"Li Xiangyang, thank you for saving me." Uncle Liu, still a little pale, said hurriedly, "You saw what happened here, there's a commotion, I have to go now, I'll treat you to drinks another day."

Li Xiangyang didn't stop him, he just nodded: "Uncle Liu, take care on your journey."

Watching Uncle Liu's departing figure, Wang Ergou scratched his head: "Aren't we leaving?"

Li Daqiang also looked puzzled: "Yeah, it's broad daylight, and that water monkey dares to show itself and harm people. It's really creepy. I think we should get out of here quickly."

Seeing that the two of them were clearly tense, Li Xiangyang laughed: "What water monkey? That's a mink."

"Mink? What's that?" the two asked in unison.

"The mink, scientifically known as the American mink, is a semi-aquatic amphibian. As you can tell from its name, it's not a native species."

"I remember this thing was introduced around five or six years ago, mainly for breeding to obtain its fur for foreign exchange."

"This creature is adept at swimming and diving, and spends most of its time near bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, and streams. It is nocturnal and usually rests during the day in caves, tree hollows, or rock crevices."

"I suspect the reason we can see them during the day is because their habitat has been destroyed."

"There are no water monkeys at all; that's utterly absurd. I can guarantee it's mink. After all that commotion, who would dare go near the water?"

"This is undoubtedly a golden opportunity for us to make a fortune."