Chapter 135: This technical work is not something anyone can learn

"This silly guy, the cast net hung on the reed roots under the water. He didn't know how to get it out, so he simply took off his clothes and jumped into the water to untie it—how could the water that just melted in early spring not be cold?" Li Jianguo explained, both angry and amused, "Go into the room quickly, boil some water to soak your feet, wipe your body with hot water..."

"It's okay, I'm okay..." Tao Daqiang defended, "That cast net is so expensive, the water is not that cold..."

Looking at his somewhat pale face and shivering lips, Li Long couldn't help but scold angrily:

"That cast net is worth more money, can it compare to you? What if you were washed away by the water, or hung on the bottom of the water and couldn't come up? You are really a silly guy!"

"Hehe, I can swim, dive down—can touch it if I can't see it..." Tao Daqiang knew the Li brothers were for his own good. He offered the bag in his hand like a treasure:

"Caught quite a few fish!"

"Come, come, come, soak your feet quickly!" Liang Wenyu had already poured water from the thermos into the foot basin, added cold water, tested the water temperature with her hand and said: "Take it to the east room, wipe it quickly!"

Li Long took the bag from Tao Daqiang's hand, and Tao Daqiang bent down to carry the basin to the east room.

"Why so honest?" Liang Wenyu also felt that Tao Daqiang was a bit too honest. Hanging the bottom of the cast net was a very normal thing. Shaking it a few times, changing the direction might shake it open. If it really didn't work, finding a stick to pick it was also a way.

"He's worried about breaking the cast net." Li Jianguo said, "We were clearing the dry canal on the side. Everyone laughed when they saw him cast the net at that time, and I paid attention to it. When he jumped down, I ran to the side. When I arrived, he picked up the cast net and came up. At that time, his whole body was shivering."

Li Long sighed and was also a bit gratified. He could be considered to have found a very suitable worker.

At noon, Tao Daqiang still insisted on going home to eat. Liang Wenyu carried some of the stir-fried vegetables to him.

"When I go to the street to sell fish tomorrow, I want to bring some rendered big meat and mutton to Xiaoxia, as well as oil, and bring some bacon. She eats buns and pickles there every day, no nutrition at all."

"Okay." Liang Wenyu and Li Jianguo looked at each other and said readily, "I'll find canned bottles in a while, bring her more, seal it with oil, it can be stored for a longer time."

Li Long didn't think much either. After eating and resting for a while, the brigade's loudspeaker rang, which was to go to work. Tao Daqiang also came over. Li Jianguo carried the iron shovel and left first. Li Long and Tao Daqiang took turns blowing air into the tire.

Blowing air into a large truck tire took a long time. Li Long simply let Tao Daqiang blow, and he went to find three boards. One was to be tied to the bottom of the tire to bear the human power on it.

The remaining two were for making water-repellent boards. Li Long measured the boards roughly, and then took the firewood knife from the east room and began to chop and cut.

Although he hadn't done this for a long time, Li Long still knew roughly how to do it, and soon whittled it into a decent shape.

Next was grinding the edges, cutting off the prickly burrs, and polishing it smooth.

It didn't need to be so exquisite at the beginning, it could be done slowly when he was free later.

The tire was already blown with air, but it needed to continue if it wanted to carry people. Tao Daqiang blocked the tire with his fingers and asked Li Long with a red face:

"Brother Long, is that a water-repellent board?"

"Mm."

"Looks fun, but don't know how to use it."

"It's okay, you'll see me use it then." This thing was not easy to teach in the water now, and Li Long didn't intend to be a good master. When the water wasn't so cold in May or June, let Daqiang go into the water to try more times. In this era, these technical jobs were not taught hand-in-hand, all were watched from the side, and how much you could learn depended on yourself.

When Tao Daqiang blew the tire almost enough, Li Long pressed it, took the soap he had prepared long ago, and pressed it hard against the air nozzle.

Feeling that the soap in the air nozzle should have entered three or four centimeters, Li Long stopped, then took the prepared rope, tied the tire into an oval shape, and tied the bottom plate on it.

"Let's go." Li Long said, "You carry the tire, I'll take the water-repellent boards and nets, we'll take turns on the road."

"Change what, carrying this is easy." Tao Daqiang lifted the rubber boat made of the tire with one hand and walked toward the outside in large strides.

Li Long realized that this was the most common human power usage he had seen in two lives, and also the time when he could carry the most strength. At this time, a young man in his twenties who could carry an eighty-kilogram sack was not particularly surprising.

Compared with a young man in later generations who couldn't carry forty kilograms of luggage, people in this era were all strong men.

He carried the nets and followed Tao Daqiang, walking quickly toward the Little Haizi.

Little Haizi had wind, and it was not easy to catch fish when setting nets in the wind. Li Long looked and said:

"Let's go, let's go to the southeast side. There are reeds blocking it, not affected by the wind."

There were many northwest winds in early spring here. Although the wind was not strong, the water waves blown on the water surface would affect the sticky nets catching fish. After all, there were net ropes on the nets, and some dead leaves on the water surface would gather there when blown to the net ropes. Moving a little would cause movement in the nets under the water, meaning one move affects the whole body, and the fish would be disturbed, finding the nets and staying away.

Finding a relatively spacious water area on the southeast side of the Little Haizi, Li Long put the tire into the water, took off his pants, wore old cloth shoes and went into the water to sit on the tire.

!.

"Daqiang, throw the net bag to me." Li Long ordered. Tao Daqiang carried the net bag and walked to the water's edge, reaching out to hand the net bag to Li Long—his shoes were already stepping in the water, but he didn't react. The reason he didn't throw it was probably worried about not throwing it accurately and causing trouble if it fell into the water.

Li Long took the net bag and placed it between his legs, then took the water-repellent board and rowed into the water.

Watching Li Long skillfully row and manipulate the tire, Tao Daqiang stared without blinking, he really wanted to learn.

Li Long rowed to the edge of the reeds and stopped, found a suitable bay, then took out a net from the net bag, put the net bag away, organized the net, tied the cloth strip at one end to the reeds in the water, held the net in his mouth, and began to row backward with both hands.

Tao Daqiang looked at Li Long rowing backward with both hands while putting the net in his mouth—that net actually fell into the water in an orderly manner according to the sequence from Li Long's mouth so easily!

This technical work—it really wasn't something ordinary people could learn!

Li Long also wanted to try the skill he had in his previous life—ordinary people rowing a tire to set nets like this, usually row for a while, then stop to set a section of net, then row for a while and stop again.

Skilled fishermen hold the net ropes organized together in their mouths, only needing the cooperation of teeth and lips to skillfully set the nets, freeing both hands to only need to row steadily.

Of course, the speed of rowing is also very important, not too fast, nor too slow. Too fast, the net setting can't keep up; too slow, the nets will tangle together.

Setting while retreating, soon a net was set. Li Long let out a long breath, still okay, the skill hasn't been lost!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 136 =====