Chapter 98: Bear Cubs Fishing

Liu Heming peered into Xiong Da’s mouth, but Xiong Da had no idea what his boss was looking for. Still, Liu Heming was the one who fed them, so if he wanted to open its mouth, he could.

Initially, Liu Heming had been worried about the bear cubs. But now that he’d discovered they were sneaking fish, his worry turned to curiosity.

The bear cubs were curious little things, but they never strayed far, mostly wandering around the ranch. The ranch had only two water sources: his small lake and that almost dried-up branch of the river channel.

Fish in his lake? Impossible! That lake got smashed out by the System’s weird landing method! The water there probably just connected to underground river channels. How could there be fish? And even if there were, it was a lake. How did the cubs catch them?

“Dad, does the bear cub have wormy teeth?” Alex scooted closer, looking scared.

“No, they were sneaking food,” Liu Heming said, closing Xiong Da’s mouth and wiping its muzzle with a napkin.

“Stinky.” The little girl wrinkled her nose.

“Haha, they just ate some stolen fish, so their breath stinks,” Liu Heming chuckled. Then he turned to the two bear cubs. “Come on! Show me how you’re catching these fish.”

He was genuinely curious. And honestly? He was craving some fish himself.

Everything here was great, except getting fish was really hard. People in the United States just weren’t that into fish. Probably because of the bones. When they did eat it, they mostly ate sea fish, and only a few kinds at that.

But here in Montana, way out in Xiangshui Town? You couldn’t even buy fish! The place was too dry, and folks didn’t like it anyway. River fish? Forget it.

But for Liu Heming, fish were important in his diet, big or small, river or sea, he loved them all.

Judging by the evidence—the blood smeared around the bears’ mouths from big fish—it wasn’t tiny fish they were eating. If it was small fry, they’d probably just swallow it whole.

The others weren’t that keen on fish, but watching how these bear cubs caught fish? That interested everyone.

A whole crowd followed the bear cubs down to the ranch’s small lake. Near the house side of the lake, the ground was marked with many paw prints. The cubs must catch their fish right here. Luckily, it was summer. With the daylight hanging around longer, they could all watch properly.

“Go on, then. Catch a couple of fish. I’ll give you an extra treat tomorrow,” Liu Heming patted Xiong Da and Xiong Er, encouraging them.

The two bear cubs hesitated. Just as everyone was starting to think they hadn’t understood Liu Heming, they suddenly wiggled their behinds and scampered off towards the sweet potato field.

Liu Heming was baffled. Were these two cubs actually running away?

This had never happened before while raising them! Feeling they must have a purpose, he stayed put with the others to wait and see what they’d do next.

The cubs were strong and fast runners. Soon, they were back, each carrying a finger sweet potato in their mouths.

“Haha, they must have hidden those when we were digging sweet potatoes today! Do they think you found out?” Robin laughed.

“Nah,” Liu Heming shook his head. “If they knew they were caught doing something wrong, they’d actually lead me to their hiding spot.”

Sure enough, the cubs didn’t hand over the finger sweet potato upon returning to the lake. Instead, they bit it in half! Xiong Er gobbled down one half immediately and then sat down calmly by the lake.

Now everyone’s attention snapped to Xiong Da. Its next moves made its plan embarrassingly obvious.

Xiong Da padded to the edge of the lake right where the paw prints were. It lay down completely still. The surprising thing was that it gently dipped the remaining half piece of finger sweet potato into the water’s surface, holding it in its mouth!

“What’s it doing now?” George blurted out. “They don’t seriously think they can fish like this, do they?”

Liu Heming chuckled weakly. “No clue. Let’s watch.”

The cubs’ actions had surprised him too. He was starting to wonder if these two weren’t unusually clever.

Their patience shocked everyone. Xiong Da lay perfectly motionless. Nearby, Xiong Er also sat stock-still, its little bear eyes fixed intently on its sibling.

They waited… and waited… for over half an hour! Then, suddenly, Xiong Da moved! It jerked its head upwards sharply. A splash disturbed the water’s surface, and a massive fish head burst out! Had Xiong Da not pulled back fast, the fish would have chomped down right on the finger sweet potato… and potentially Xiong Da’s snout!

Before anyone could properly see, Xiong Da’s powerful right paw lashed out, striking deep into the water. Whomp! A fish easily forty centimeters long got flung clear out of the lake! It sailed straight towards the waiting Xiong Er.

Xiong Er leaped up instantly! Both its paws shot out. Liu Heming’s eyesight was sharper than most—he clearly saw the small, surprisingly sharp claws extending from its pads.

The big fish had no chance of escaping the waiting paws (claws might be more accurate!). The claws clamped down. Xiong Er twisted its body expertly, pinning the slippery fish firmly onto the ground. Then, with a swift motion, it plopped its furry little bottom right onto the fish for extra hold! One final, sharp smack with its right paw sealed the deal.

The entire group was stunned! Little Alex’s mouth hung open.

She just thought the whole sequence looked amazing—her bear cubs could catch fish! But the adults? Seeing these two cubs execute such flawless teamwork to land a fish this big, this easily? That was a whole other level of disbelief. It was frankly hard to process.

Back at the lake’s edge, Xiong Da washed its paws then swallowed the remaining half of the finger sweet potato in its mouth. Munching happily, it strolled over proudly to Liu Heming.

“You did great! As your reward, you can keep those finger sweet potatoes you hid,” Liu Heming praised, rubbing Xiong Da’s head. “This fish is yours too. I’ll cook it really tasty for you.”

So the lake actually has fish… he mused, his mood getting even brighter. This meant future comforts: fishing right here, catching big fish, and cooking them fresh. Wohoo! That will be amazing.

He couldn’t help but grin. Eating only meat got dull eventually. Getting some “fresh lake catch” for a change was a big deal for him. As for how the fish got there in the first place? That question didn’t cross his mind. Did it matter?