Return to the City: The Strongest King
Chapter 401 - 402: The Hooligan Crawfish

Chapter 401: Chapter 402: The Hooligan Crawfish

"Alright, if we’re going to catch them, let’s do it. It’s been so many years since I’ve been back. I don’t even know if there are any left," Song Xiaodong said with a laugh as he agreed.

Looking up and down the stream, Song Xiaodong pointed upstream and said, "Let’s head upstream, it should be easier to catch them there."

They walked a few dozen meters upstream where the river was shallow and full of jumbled rocks. Song Xiaodong took off his shoes, rolled up his pant legs, and stepped into the river barefoot; the water only came up to his ankles.

Miao Xuanxuan immediately called out from the bank, "I want to come too, I want to come!" She quickly took off her shoes and socks. Since she was wearing capris, she didn’t need to roll them up and directly walked into the river.

However, she was in a bit of a hurry and just as she entered the river, she stepped on a slippery stone. Her body tilted and she almost fell over.

Fortunately, Song Xiaodong was right in front of her and quickly reached out to grab her hand, preventing her from falling as he said, "Take it slow. What’s the rush?"

"Hehe, it was just a mistake, it’s nothing," Miao Xuanxuan said nonchalantly. She didn’t let go of Song Xiaodong’s hand and asked, "Tell me quickly, how do we catch them?"

Song Xiaodong answered, "I’ll give it a try first. When we were kids, crayfish weren’t considered anything special, didn’t have much meat, and hardly anyone caught them. Now, crayfish are in high demand, they sell for a lot in the city. Maybe they’ve all been caught."

Miao Xuanxuan immediately widened her eyes and said, "No way?"

"Just stand still and don’t wander off, I’ll know after I try," Song Xiaodong said as he let go of Miao Xuanxuan’s hand, then found a rock and bent down to reach underneath it.

"Did you find anything?" Miao Xuanxuan asked, watching Song Xiaodong intently.

Song Xiaodong shook his head, then reached under another rock. On the fourth rock, he suddenly said excitedly, "There’s one here."

"Ah, quick, get it out! Hurry up!" Miao Xuanxuan’s eyes lit up with excitement as she eagerly yet carefully made her way to Song Xiaodong’s side.

Song Xiaodong quickly pulled out a crayfish from under the rock. It was quite large, and he held it by the body as its two claws waved around, trying to pinch his hand.

"Wow, it’s a big one!" Miao Xuanxuan exclaimed excitedly, wanting to grab it but still a bit scared of being pinched by its claws.

Song Xiaodong smiled and told Miao Xuanxuan how to hold the crayfish without getting pinched. She quickly understood, and it wasn’t until Song Xiaodong had firmly grasped the crayfish’s claws that she cautiously took hold of the crayfish’s back shell.

However, as soon as Song Xiaodong let go, the crayfish started to struggle and Miao Xuanxuan felt it squirm. Her confidence evaporated, and she loosened her grip, allowing the crayfish to fall into the water.

"Ah!" Miao Xuanxuan cried out in surprise, and then said with an annoyed face, "I let it get away."

Song Xiaodong laughed and said, "If it gets away, we’ll catch another. Since we found such a big one, it means there’s still plenty of crayfish here."

"Can I... try catching one on my own?" Miao Xuanxuan asked.

"Of course, you can. Crayfish won’t pinch you when they’re inside their holes, but you have to be careful because they do have a sharp spike on their heads. Plus, they back into their holes, so their heads are facing out. So when you reach into the hole, don’t do it too quickly or you could easily prick your hand."

"Oh, okay," Miao Xuanxuan nodded repeatedly and then eagerly began to bend over and search among the stones, initiating her crayfish-catching mission.

Xiao Yingying was already impatient on the bank, and now she too was clamoring to come down. Song Xiaodong took her hand and led her into the middle of the river.

Miao Xuanxuan was squatting in the water, feeling around in the crevices between the stones, while Song Xiaodong stood by her side offering reminders about what to pay attention to—for example, if there was no hole around the stone, there was no need to feel around it any further, and if the hole’s opening was too small, to first dig away the surrounding sand to avoid getting stuck while reaching in.

Song Xiaoru watched Song Xiaodong and Miao Xuanxuan playing happily in the river and said to Miao Qingqing, "Qingqing, why don’t you join them and have some fun as well?"

Miao Qingqing did feel somewhat tempted but hesitated slightly and didn’t immediately agree.

Song Xiaodong gave a slight smile and said, "Since we’re here to have fun, just relax a bit. You’re always too serious. Being too serious as a girl is not good either."

Only then did Miao Qingqing nod and say, "Then I’ll give it a try."

The four of them started to fish for crayfish, and in no time, they all had some success. Unbeknownst to them, Song Xiaodong had fashioned a small basket from the reeds growing in the river and had put everyone’s catch into it.

Miao Qingqing was a bit reserved at first, but after playing for a while, she became as excited as Miao Xuanxuan. Song Xiaodong laughed and said, "See, you look so much more beautiful when you smile like that."

"Stop it," Miao Qingqing’s smile brightened even more.

"Wowza, look at the one I caught!" Miao Xuanxuan exclaimed, catching another crayfish that was particularly large, her shout reflecting her excitement.

Miao Qingqing snorted and said, "What’s so great about that? I’ll catch a bigger one in a moment." She quickly caught a huge one and proudly shook it at Miao Xuanxuan, saying, "See this one I’ve got?"

However, in her shaking, something went wrong. She held the crayfish incorrectly, and its claw managed to pinch her hand.

With the pain, Miao Qingqing instinctively flung her hand and inadvertently sent the crayfish flying.

It wouldn’t have been a problem if the crayfish had just been flung away since her hand wasn’t pinched too badly, but coincidentally, when Miao Qingqing flung it, the crayfish landed right on Miao Xuanxuan.

That would have been fine as well, but it ended up falling right into the neckline of Miao Xuanxuan’s T-shirt, which was rather loose that day, and the crayfish slipped inside.

Feeling something cool suddenly sliding into her collar, not just any woman, but even a man would be startled at that moment.

Miao Xuanxuan screamed and yanked open her collar, shaking her shirt in an attempt to get the crayfish out.