Chapter 265

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

Listening to Chai Xiu rattling off steps one pressing on another, Chai Mi's head was spinning a bit.

In the realm of intellect, Chai Mi had always felt Chai Xiu was a genius, while she herself was basically nothing.

Chai Xiu was the talent type — she could memorize books at a glance, and learned anything especially fast. For a trivial little task like weaving ground traps, Chai Xiu only needed Chai Mi to explain it roughly once, and she knew the specific steps.

Then Chai Mi brought over some very, very fine vine strips and handed them to Chai Xiu.

Chai Xiu's hands flew — *pili pala* — and in under ten-odd minutes she had woven three or four very long ground traps.

Song Qiushui, watching from the side, was dumbfounded: "No way... this thing, I feel people compared to people can piss you off. Your Xiu'er doesn't need to do anything else, just weave some flower baskets, mats, or little baskets to sell at the market, and your family would have no worries about food and clothing. This craftsmanship is too bizarre."

Chai Xiu smiled bashfully.

Chai Mi patted Chai Xiu's head: "Go back to your room and play."

Chai Xiu went back to her room.

"My little sister is obviously way better at studying, how can you waste this spare time on weaving baskets? You're truly wasting a heavenly gift. With Xiu'er's brain, casually, isn't she Tsinghua and Peking University seedling material? Your family would take a Tsinghua and Peking University seedling, with nothing to do, and have her weave baskets to sell at the market for money?" Chai Mi pursed her lips and asked.

"That definitely can't happen. But Xiu'er is idle anyway, and when she has nothing to do, helping weave a bit of this stuff can earn money."

"Forget it." Chai Mi handed the ground traps to Song Qiushui, then got on her bicycle herself. "Get on."

Song Qiushui hugged the ground traps and sat on the bicycle's back seat.

Chai Mi rode the bicycle, Song Qiushui shone a flashlight, and the two advanced at a not-very-fast speed.

Fortunately in midsummer, night falls especially late; even though it was already eight o'clock, there was still faint light, letting Chai Mi see the road clearly.

Ke County only has that one big river, so this trip was also to that river — the Da Ling He.

But this time the place was a bit different; Chai Mi planned to go near Yan Wang Nose east of Xiaohe Bian Village, where there were supposedly crabs.

The night wind poured along the river channel, carrying a damp fishy smell of river-bottom mud and sand. Song Qiushui on the back seat was jolted seven ways to Sunday, the vine traps clattering in her arms, painfully poking her.

"Chai Mi! Steady the handlebars! My ass is bruised into eight pieces! This broken road is even more broken than when we two went to Ge Zi Dong last time!" She howled while her flashlight beam waved blindly in the pitch-black night, "I'm telling you, you better not make me run this trip for nothing. I came all this way with hard work; tomorrow morning I must at least get some crabs back. If that really doesn't work, getting some shrimp is fine too."

Chai Mi pedaled the pedals hard, the chain *gazi gazi* squeaking: "If you hate the bumps, get down and run! Hugging an empty trap and howling like a mourner? The Da Ling He is such a big water, the Yan Wang Nose area is said to be an old whirlpool nest, full of rotten grass roots and stone bumps. Crabs are crafty thieves, they just crouch in those cracks catching small fish and shrimp! Keep dawdling and the River God will go back to his nap!" Her mouth showed no mercy, but in her heart she had confidence in the traps Chai Xiu wove — the mouths closed tight, looking sturdy.

About half an hour's time.

Water sounds drew near.

Chai Mi stopped the bike and had Song Qiushui get off.

"Ahead it's all rotten mud ponds; if we two still ride the bicycle, it's easy to fall. In a bit, watch the path — step where it's firm."

Song Qiushui didn't take it to heart: "Relax, you still don't trust my eyesight?"

Chai Mi *hehe*'d, and the next second Song Qiushui fell a huge somersault, her head *clang* hitting a willow tree.

"Damn it, this damn tree has no eyes, such a big living person and it can't see?" Song Qiushui cursed and swore, and after getting up she even kicked that big willow tree a few times.

"I told you to watch out, and you blame the tree?"

"No, you said watch the path, so I looked at my feet, didn't look at the tree at all. Damn it, this bad luck can't be blamed on society."

Song Qiushui hugged the vine ground traps, one foot deep one foot shallow, following behind Chai Mi.

Chai Mi handed the flashlight to her to light the way, while she herself stared at the slippery mud underfoot. "Don't shine it randomly, just shine on this bit of ground under your feet, see the stone bumps clearly! This late at night, that stuff is slippery, touch it once and it's a big gash."

Song Qiushui coldly snorted, but indeed started being careful.

The road underfoot grew softer and more rotten, the river's unique fishy smell grew stronger, mixed with the stench of rotting water plants.

"I'll ask a question... Chai Mi, do you know how to set this ground trap?" Song Qiushui said with an awkward face: "Anyway I'm telling you, I don't know. Where exactly to put it, how to put it, I haven't a clue. I only know if we don't catch crabs tomorrow, I won't get to eat meat. Can't eat crab, I'll go start a business to earn money, buy crab."

Chai Mi spread her hands: "I damn well don't know how to do it either. Anyway this thing isn't any technical work, just mess around and trust luck."

Chai Mi wasn't very invested in this; catching them would be better, not catching them was fine too.

This crab, also wasn't a must-eat.

Mainly, also don't know if it's tasty or not; anyway it's not as tasty as mutton.

But a maybe-one-flavor, these two days happen to have nothing to do, so just stay put for now.

But in a few days, Chai Mi plans to give that Inverted Donkey a major overhaul, buy two Ga Zi Cans.

(Ga Zi Can, that's a container for liquefied natural gas. As for why it's called Ga Zi Can, this author says: I don't know either, everyone just calls it that.)

Then buy two small pots, then buy some pots and pans, and can set up a stall.

Earning money is the right path.

Of course, Chai Mi isn't a money-grubber who wants to earn every kind of money.

She just wants to live a self-sufficient life where family conditions can be a bit better.

As for great wealth and high status, it's not her turn yet.

The two walked slowly, water sounds *hualala* in their ears, faintly hearing the dull thump of water hitting rocks.

"Let's put it here." Chai Mi stopped, pointing at a slightly flat, rocky shoal by the river, "The big whirlpool at Yan Wang Nose is a bit lower down, the water is more stable, there are more stone cracks, crabs love crouching in this kind of place.

Actually Yan Wang Nose this place has always been rather treacherous.

Peaks on both sides plus this Da Ling He in the middle, just like a nose, and the terrain is treacherous, so people call it Yan Wang Nose.

Later, a reservoir was built too, quite famous, called Yan Wang Nose Reservoir.

Of course, every place with a special name always has a rather magical legend.

Legend has it that year Yan Wang Zhu Di, northern expedition to the desert north, because his son delayed grain transport and missed a military opportunity, in the end Yan Wang Zhu Di killed his son near this area, giving birth to a legend: Yan Wang Pressuring His Son.

This was originally a good legend story, but the locals had little culture, their speech accents were heavy, and slowly they turned Yan Wang Pressuring His Son into Yan Wang Nose.

Although this has a bit of a rumor-spreading meaning, by now indeed very few hear its legend; only the local common folk say this area's terrain is treacherous, like Lord Yan's nose, and call it Yan Wang Nose.

"Anywhere works, the problem is how to set this ground trap. Mom said it seems you put it in the mud on the side, then dig some messy little ditch, and the crabs crawl in on their own at night."

"Seems like that's how it's done, but that seems to need some bait or something, a piece of chicken meat or whatever." Chai Mi spread her hands: "We didn't bring anything, so we can only catch them bare-handed."

Song Qiushui: "Uh....... like a blind cat bumping into a dead rat?"

"About the same."

Chai Mi found a spot upstream that was flat on top but had rocks underneath, wedged the ground trap into a rock crevice, and put two big rocks inside the trap so it wouldn't be washed away by the water.

The ground trap Chai Xiu made was the telescopic-mouth kind, big belly small opening, plenty of space inside.

After Chai Mi set one trap, she directed Song Qiushui to set the one in her hands.

Song Qiushui made a disgusted face, grinning as she complained: "No way, sister, I feel like you're hitting on me. Are these crabs blind? You just put the trap here and wait for them to walk in? They can't see it's a trap? They'd still drill inside to die?"

"Sometimes, some things just depend entirely on luck. You think those crabs are as smart as our Xiu'er? Their IQ is generally not high. When they've nothing to do, crabs dig little nests themselves; we made one ready for them, how nice for them to move in." Chai Mi then asked: "If not, you say how to handle it?"

"Don't know."

"You, getting free food and still complaining it's stale. Hurry up and work, we have to get up early tomorrow."

"Ah...... right. After we get up tomorrow and collect the traps, I still have to go to your old house to watch the excitement. My dad figured: by my calculation, your Second Uncle should this time pay out of his own pocket, give the money to your Cousin Sister for Chai Zhongxiao. This is a shameful thing, your Second Uncle cares about face, he definitely won't go too late to Chai Zhongxiao's house, but also not too early, too early might run into Chai Zhongxiao and his wife eating, should be around seven-thirty." Song Qiushui said: "So, my dad decided around seven-twenty, go with the Village Chief to Chai Zhongxiao's house to demand money. Then, whether my Second Uncle goes or not works. If he goes, the money gets taken back. If not, just wait for my Second Uncle to deliver the money."

"This excitement I won't watch, no interest anymore. Didn't you see my dad said at night, not to let me kick someone when they're down?" Chai Mi wasn't uninterested, but there was no excitement to see; could it be the village would demand famine relief from Chai Zhongxiao and he'd beat the Village Chief?

Debts must be repaid, right and proper.

"Alright, stop dragging up useless stuff. Hurry up and finish so we can go home."

Song Qiushui helpless, could only work.

But, the Spiritual Little Sister's talent for work basically hadn't opened at all, she could only learn to set traps like Chai Mi.

Chai Mi disliked Song Qiushui being too slow, took the other ground trap, and set it herself.

Result, Chai Mi finished setting all of them, Song Qiushui was still busy there.

And busy a few moves, foot slipped, plop fell into the water.

Problem......

Problem: Song Qiushui is a landlubber, can't swim, just flailed in the water.

Chai Mi wore an expression of utter despair: "No way, not even half a meter deep, didn't even cover the knees, how do I feel you'd easily drown?"

Glug glug......

Song Qiushui was underwater, almost done for.

Chai Mi hurriedly grabbed Song Qiushui, pulled her up to stand.

"Qiu Shui, you're a bit too bizarre. Spread out and people could laugh you to death. If the water was deep, one or two meters, drowning would be normal, but just half a meter, and you almost couldn't make it?"

Song Qiushui panted heavily, spitting out mouthfuls of water: "Done for, done for, almost went to see my Grandmother."

"Your Grandmother is still alive......"

"Then almost went to see my Great-Grandmother. I fucking felt like someone was pulling me underwater just now......"

"Pull you? Half a meter deep too."

"What do you know? Pitch dark, nothing to hold onto, I just felt myself sinking, I can't swim. Too fucking scary." Song Qiushui had a brush-with-death feeling: "Chai Mi, we didn't run into a water ghost, did we?"

"Stop. Believe in science......"

Song Qiushui fell silent, she really felt she tried to stand up, had no strength, half a meter deep but couldn't lift her head, choked on several mouthfuls of water.

"Not to mention, the water's quite sweet."

Chai Mi just laughed.

But whatever, Song Qiushui's trap, though set a bit crooked, was set.

The two returned to shore, walked back the way they came.

Reached the bicycle spot, Song Qiushui patted her chest, finally relieved: "Hiss..... scared me to death just now, from now on I Song Qiushui swear, never coming to the river at night again."

By flashlight, Chai Mi saw Song Qiushui soaked all over, sighed: "Stay at my place, otherwise your mom sees you like this, she'll worry herself to death. Then who knows, she might extort me, say: Oh dear, Chai Mi leads our girl running around all day, look, almost drowned our Qiu Shui."

Song Qiushui pouted and nodded, Old Mother sees me like this, definitely heartache, then definitely won't let me go out running wild later.

Of course, Meng Clan just talks, she can't control Song Qiushui either.

But, unavoidable later nagging endlessly.

Song Qiushui thought of Meng Clan's endless nagging later, head ached, so decided to stay at Chai Mi's for a night.

"Problem, your place big enough?"

"Sleep on the roof, too hot anyway."

The two chatted idly, rode bicycles home.

Must say, Chai Mi felt with a bicycle going out was much more convenient, otherwise running that far, would take forever.

But, just a bit tired.

She a girl, walking such a broken road, bumping all the way, either pits or bumps, terribly hard to walk. And had to drag Song Qiushui along......

By the time they got home, already exhausted and covered in sweat.

Chai Mi ran to the back of the courtyard, rinsed with cold water simply, only then felt some relief.

Only then entered the room.

Inside, Su Wan already asleep in a daze, but Chai Xiu still staring wide-eyed bored counting stars.

"Xiu'er, why aren't you sleeping yet?"

"Hot, dog days heat killing, Mom fell asleep, I can't. I'm almost going crazy from heat, every day can't sleep until past midnight."