Rebirth: Splendid Marriage in the 80s Chapter 2446 - 2382: A Man Who Does as He Pleases

Previously on Rebirth: Splendid Marriage in the 80s...

Zhu Shun gazed at Chiang Xiao in awe after witnessing her calmly seize and twist the head off a venomous snake dangling above Wang Yi's head in the forest. Despite her insistence that she feared snakes and found them repulsive—evidenced by her repeated handwashing by the lake—Zhu Shun remained stunned, learning she was not merely an ordinary university student but a renowned painter. The group then marveled at their recent catch of a massive twenty-to-thirty-pound fish trapped between rocks, which Zhu Shun had been pursuing for days amid his free-spirited wanderings, having crafted a simple boat to drift on the scenic lake for sustenance and leisure.

"Grab it and grill it up—with weather this cool and the chill from the spring water keeping it fresh, it won't go bad anytime soon. That's why I was dead set on catching it, but the darn thing was slippery as could be. I chased it around in a battle of smarts for a full two days and still came up empty-handed."

Hearing that, Chiang Xiao tossed in a light comment, "Sounds like that fish has some real spirit to it. Wouldn't it be kinda heartless to chow down on a smart one that dodged you for two whole days?"

To their surprise, Zhu Shun stopped short, then smacked his palms together and declared, "Sister-in-law's got a point! For a fish to get that massive in this lake, it has to be soaking up some spiritual energy! Plus, over these last two days, it kept me company—without it, I'd have died of boredom! So yeah, it's basically my buddy now—how could I possibly eat a friend?"

Saying so, he dashed over right away to scoop up the fish that was still wriggling on the sandy shore, bolted toward the lake, and tossed it back into the water without a second thought.

"Buddy! I was wrong to even consider roasting you! Good thing someone snapped me out of it and I came to my senses just in time! Forgive me, please!"

Chiang Xiao and the other three gawked at him in total shock.

What on earth just went down?

They never would've guessed that a single remark from Chiang Xiao would make Zhu Shun set the fish free!

And here he was griping earlier about wasting two days on the chase, moaning about how tough it was to trick that fish into the gap.

On top of that, it had taken all three of them working together to haul the thing out.

Yet he let it go just like that, all because of a few words.

"Brother Xinian, is Brother Shun usually this way?" Chiang Xiao turned to Meng Xinian.

So impulsive.

Meng Xinian shook his head, "Truth is, I've only crossed paths with him a handful of times. The most we spent together was three days straight. Since he quit the special operations team, I haven't laid eyes on him. Back then, he was laid-back, but nothing like this level of whimsy."

"Was there a particular reason he left the special operations team?"

Meng Xinian gave a nod, "I'll fill you in once we're back, but keep it away from him for now."

Clearly, Zhu Shun had his reasons for ditching the special operations team, and it was a topic best left alone.

Zhu Shun hustled back from the lake's edge, eyed the group, then the grub sizzling on the metal rack, gulped hard, and muttered, "Oh no. My plan was to split the fish—half to show thanks for your help, half to trade for other eats to share with you all. But with no fish left, does that mean I can't dig into your spread and end up in your debt?"

Meng Xinian shot him a look, "Eat up, eat up—cut the chit-chat."

"Hahaha, I figured you'd be the biggest softie! No gripes from the rest of you, huh?" Zhu Shun glanced at Chiang Xiao and the others.

Of course, the three of them all shook their heads.

On this trip, they'd packed a ton of gear; while shopping, it all looked useful, figuring variety was key, but once they had it all, they saw they'd overdone it big time.

The five crowded round the barbecue, fired up and flipping the food with gusto.

Wang Yi quizzed Zhu Shun with curiosity, "Brother Shun, you were set on boating around here for days without packing any grub?"

"Nah, didn't pack a thing—figured the lake's full of fish, so a couple matchboxes and a pinch of salt were plenty. What more could a guy want?"

While speaking, he smacked his forehead all of a sudden and chuckled, "Hold on, hold on—there's actually something awesome I nearly overlooked! I was gonna savor it solo on the boat under the stars, but since you're all here now, let's raise a glass together!"