Chapter 177

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

"If your father had a filial daughter like you, he'd be so happy he'd kick his coffin lid open and come back to life just to eat these four dishes of yours..."

"Naturally."

As for whether Song Qiushui's father Song Qingshan could eat four dishes before he died, that was unclear, but he would definitely "happily" kick his own coffin lid open.

At least, Song Qiushui had now decided to ignore Chai Dajun from now on.

After Chai Mi's advice just now, Song Qiushui decided to stay away from that idiot Chai Dajun.

After all, according to Chai Mi, idiots generally have viruses, easily contagious... once contagious, it infects the whole family...

Song Qiushui still wanted to be a quiet magical girl warrior, not wanting to enter the world of being an idiot herself so soon...

The two were chatting idly when splashing sounds came from the water; a large fish, guided by the faint light of the flashlight, swam toward the steamed bun crumbs above.

Song Qiushui was thrilled: "Damn! Is this fish blind? Can't it see we're about to catch it?"

"What nonsense? Grab the net and catch it..." Chai Mi complained.

This time Song Qiushui was quick-eyed and quick-handed; with a whoosh, she netted the fish.

The fish flopped and jumped, splashing water all over both their faces...

Having finally caught the fish, Song Qiushui was very happy, raising an eyebrow and humming a little tune: "Recalling past years, tears un-dried, the embroidered ball matches a good match, Pinggui subdued the red-maned steed, the Tang King rewarded me as a princess consort, the princess consort was especially rich, Qin Shi Huang built the great tomb on Mount Li... Oh my, I love you..."

"Give me a break, I feel the lyrics from Wu Jia Po aren't quite right..." Chai Mi pouted.

Afterwards, the two took the fish ashore to look at it.

It was a large grass carp weighing three or four catties...

Chai Mi frowned, but Song Qiushui was overjoyed.

The fish was still flopping, and Song Qiushui went up and gave it a big slap: "Stop being stupid, if you keep being stupid I'll kill you."

But obviously, the grass carp didn't give Song Qiushui any face, and flopped even harder.

Song Qiushui got angry, grabbed the grass carp, and threw it hard.

The ground was mostly gravel and sand; with that throw, the grass carp instantly breathed in more than it breathed out.

It flopped a few more times, then kicked the bucket...

Chai Mi didn't mind: "Why are you so angry? I was thinking of just putting it back. Grass carp is tasty, but has too many bones... I'm too lazy to pick bones when eating fish."

"I caught it back... it was disobedient, so I killed it. I want the fish to understand that I, Song Qiushui, am not easy to mess with." Song Qiushui said shamelessly: "I can't beat people, but can't I beat a fish? What a joke!"

Chai Mi laughed and cried: "Okay, okay, you're amazing. My Qiu Shui is the fiercest. Forget one fish, even if a dragon came, you could pull its tendons, skin it, and light a sky lantern for it."

"That's for sure!" Song Qiushui said huffily. "In a bit I'll catch an honest fish and raise it at home. I, Song Qiushui, must prove to the fish: those who follow me prosper, those who oppose me perish."

Chai Mi silently gave a thumbs-up: "Sister, excellent!"

In the Northeast, besides Song Xiaobao, you Song Qiushui can be considered a second tough person who can go toe-to-toe with dried fish.

They both seem to have the surname Song; maybe five hundred years ago they were one family.

Chai Mi and Song Qiushui hadn't brought a water bucket or anything; coming here to catch fish was far away, and they only had woven bags. Even if Song Qiushui hadn't killed the fish, it would probably die of thirst in a while.

Might as well be reborn early.

Hope to be a fish that doesn't get caught in the next life... live out a natural lifespan.

After putting this grass carp into the woven bag, Chai Mi and Song Qiushui took their flashlight and fishing net again, preparing to start catching fish.

"Chai Mi, what kind of fish tastes better?"

"Big carp maybe... not that tasty, anyway big carp has lots of meat and few bones, easy to eat. If you stew it with tofu, vermicelli, and peanuts, and serve some corn cakes on the side, it must be especially good."

Since Liaoxi isn't near the seaside and there aren't many rivers, even in later generations eating fish wasn't common.

So ordinary families rarely ate fish, only eating fish once during New Year festivals.

Symbolizing abundance year after year.

When Chai Mi attended banquets before, she had eaten carp once; the taste was average, but there was lots of meat and few bones, and it was good to eat. Most importantly, it was simple to make, which Chai Mi liked.

Actually grass carp tastes better, but it's troublesome to clean.

Eating a fish means picking bones and cleaning up; if you're tired, you lose the joy of eating fish.

"Chai Mi, here comes another one..."

"What's the use of calling me, net it..."

Song Qiushui was quick-eyed and quick-handed, netting a large fish.

"Hahaha, not bad, not bad. Good luck today. I feel we can catch twenty fish tonight."

Chai Mi also felt Song Qiushui's goal wasn't too far off. This place was strategically dangerous, and generally few people were willing to come here to catch fish.

After all, Tian Men Shan was right behind them; hearing that name, this broken mountain wasn't a good place.

Actually, Tian Men Shan really wasn't a good place, full of vertical rocks, very hard to climb.

There's a term here to describe the steepness of Tian Men Shan, called "vertical steep cliffs." There's nothing on this mountain, not even a tree, only rocks.

Actually, the Tian Men Shan where Chai Mi was located became a scenic spot and historic site in later generations. According to archaeological excavations, there was a Tian Men Dong on Tian Men Shan, where ancient human activity sites from fifty or sixty thousand years ago were found...

Based on the range of ancient human activity and survival conditions, this mountain was indeed very steep, and this river, the fish here should be many.

Otherwise, ancient humans generally wouldn't live in a place without food.

Chai Mi saw Song Qiushui catching fish very smoothly and was happy in her heart; who would worry about too good a harvest?

"Throw it in the bag, keep working."

In a short while, the two had caught over twenty fish; the small ones were all released, and the ones kept were all large fish.

These fish were small ones at three or four catties, and the big ones were a good ten-plus catties.

Especially the two ten-plus-pound carp caught — clearly koi at a glance … the kind that smells incredibly fragrant when eaten.

"Aiya, Chai Mi, how come I can't catch an Aladdin's lamp?" Song Qiushui said rather dejectedly, her face full of a lifeless look: "You say if I catch an Aladdin's lamp, I can make a wish, then I'll simply make three wishes: I, Song Qiushui, want eternal life, the most beautiful under heaven, and the richest in the universe!"

Chai Mi looked at Song Qiushui with a face full of disdain: "Sister, not even Aladdin's lamp can satisfy your wish, I feel even the Jade Emperor is scorching enough to satisfy you. Besides, the lamp is Arabian, can't you dream a Chinese dream?"

Song Qiushui nodded, muttering under her breath: "River God, River God, I just dropped a big gold bracelet into the river…"

"You're something else, why don't you say you dropped an old man into the river?" Chai Mi poked Song Qiushui: "It's not early anymore, we should go back."

Indeed, they'd been out for several hours already, climbing mountains and crossing ridges plus catching fish, by now it was nearly past midnight.

Song Qiushui pouted: "Aiya, haven't played enough yet, go home to do what? Pitch dark, better we go do something bad, like go to your grandfather's house and smash his glass? I'm telling you, I've painstakingly practiced my slingshot skills, all for the day I can help you get revenge and smash those two old things' glass to pieces."

Chai Mi was a bit dazed.

Just in that instant.

So Song Qiushui practiced slingshot at home so she could help herself get revenge one day…

Problem… there was no need to treat her own home's glass as targets and smash them all to pieces.

Chai Mi was touched, but had that feeling of having a pig for a teammate: "Qiushui, you don't actually need to practice at home, you can practice your slingshot by shooting birds in the village, no one cares. Besides, smashing glass is child's play, I still won't do it. If we're going to do something, let's do something with small risk and big reward."

"Ah… do what? Kidnap Chai Erwei, then make them pay ransom? Or give your grandmother two catties of arsenic… or put some rat poison in your grandfather's grain?" Song Qiushui muttered: "This thing is exciting, I still have several bags of rat poison at home, just put it in that old codger's rice bowl, he licks it… immediately the next day he's at a banquet,"

Chai Mi gasped: "Qiushui… you think our police station people all grew up eating dry rations. Maybe they're not good at small things, but if a life is lost, see what happens, they'll catch us both in minutes. Then, one of us singing Huangmei opera in an iron cell, the other treading sewing machines until they smoke in a labor camp… the point is, I'm afraid it's you treading the sewing machine, your physique can't bear it."

Chai Mi also said: "What I just meant was, you say I take a brick, sneakily block their chimney, they'll be staring blankly."

Song Qiushui hissed: "Have to say, doing wicked things, I'm not as good as you."

Blocking the chimney seemed like nothing, but actually, especially lacking fire…

Northeast chimneys go from the earthen kang up the gable wall, about the size of a brick.

If you threw a brick, it would get stuck in the middle of the chimney.

And the middle of the chimney is the wall.

The only thing to do is use a rope to hang a heavy object and smash it down. Problem is, once smashed down it would still be stuck at the end of the kang and couldn't come out…

Eventually they'd have to dismantle the kang.

And rural people make fire and cook and sleep on this kang.

Dismantle the kang, and people have to sleep on the ground.

That's why Song Qiushui said those words just now.

"Go home first, then this really needs your cooperation. We have to do it like this, like this…" Chai Mi muttered a whole bunch.

Song Qiushui listened seriously, finally said: "Don't worry, I'll change into running shoes when I get home in a bit, guarantee no one catches me."

Then she said: "By the way, come to my house for dinner tomorrow, bring Xiu'er. I'll cook four dishes for you."

"Afraid you can't afford four dishes before your old man dies, is that it?" Chai Mi rolled her eyes at Song Qiushui.

"Then five?"

"Five for offerings."

"Six?"

"Six for a birthday."

"Seven?"

"Seven for the dead on the first seven days." Chai Mi sighed: "Just make four… or three would do, forget five six seven eight."

"Hao la."

Song Qiushui took a flashlight, Chai Mi shouldered the fish, and they set out…

These fish were over a hundred catties, and slippery, carrying them got slime all over.

But Chai Mi really wasn't comfortable letting Spiritual Little Sister Song Qiushui carry them.

With Song Qiushui's physique, she really couldn't, too weak.

This girl stayed up late and got up late every day, stayed up late losing weight, as long as she didn't collapse it was already not bad. Let her walk a long way, she'd be panting, make her do physical labor, she'd probably collapse in minutes.

Though Chai Mi often did physical labor, had strength, and worked efficiently, this over a hundred catties of fish was indeed a bit heavy.

And the two of them, to take a shortcut, took the mountain road.

Along the way, Chai Mi rested four or five times, before barely carrying the fish back.

Arriving at the east side of the village, Chai Mi gave most of the fish to Song Qiushui, keeping only four or five fish for herself: "Someday I'll borrow a bicycle or something, go again. When my younger sister's full moon wine comes, just right as a dish. You eat these first, if you can't finish, dry them into fish jerky."

Song Qiushui wasn't polite: "Fine, anything's fine. Your younger sister's full moon banquet dishes, I'm telling you, just by my Little Tyrant Song Qiushui's name, I can steal and cheat to make twelve dishes. Leave this to me, I'll get it done perfectly."

"Why don't you say you go rob… you can manage four or five dishes, but twelve? Sell your old man…" Chai Mi said smiling: "Don't be improper, go home and rest. I guess it's twelve-thirty now, around two o'clock I'll come find you."

"Hao la." Song Qiushui made an "no problem" gesture, dragging a big half-bag of fish, toward her own home's gate she began a round of pounding.

"Dad, Dad… Old Codger!!!" Song Qiushui pounded the door for a long time, before discovering the light in the room was on: "Come out and receive me, I really can't carry it! Your all-powerful, all-knowing treasure daughter is home… I've brought back twenty-plus big fish… I can make you four dishes for half a month…"

Song Qiushui pounded the door, Chai Mi also carried six big fish home.

Two big carp, two big Wuchang fish, two fathead fish.

All good playthings.

Of course, Song Qiushui's bag was all good fish too.

The two were busy for half a night, the bad fish weren't taken at all, all thrown away.

Actually if taken home, dried and sold for money or something, it would be possible, but this time Chai Mi wasn't prepared enough, didn't bring buckets or anything, absolutely couldn't take them.

The fish were put in the woven bag, by the time they got home the fish were long dead.

Dead fish, not worth money.

Of course, live fish weren't worth much either.

The surroundings were all rural villages, common people generally didn't buy fish to eat. Even if they bought, purchasing power was very limited. And if taken to the county town…

It wouldn't even cover the fuel money.

She couldn't possibly walk into town to sell fish.

Chai Mi arrived home, looked at the house, and figured her father Chai Youqing was already asleep, so she hung the fish on the Fang.

That way, dogs and cats couldn't reach them. She wouldn't have to worry that after staying up half the night catching fish, they'd all be eaten by cats in the morning.

Although Chai Mi's home had neither dogs nor cats...