Chapter 287

After making the slingshots, Wang An poured the forest frogs and catfish into a large basin and soaked them in water.

This is the simplest and fastest way to thaw them.

Seeing these things, Wang Dazhu asked: "Did you trade meat for this fish and these frogs?"

Wang An didn't think much and said casually: "You could say that; I bought them with the money from selling meat."

Wang Dazhu clicked his tongue and said:

"How much money did you spend to eat this stuff? If you were diligent, wouldn't it be enough to just chisel an ice hole?"

Only then did Wang An realize that his father was feeling bad about the money.

People in this era are all like this; if they can get something without spending money, absolutely no one will spend money to buy it.

However, in this era, if people in the countryside want to eat fish, no one will really spend money to buy it.

Because in Heilongjiang, there is fish basically everywhere there is water.

In the season when the river isn't frozen, find a place with lots of fish, cast a net, and you can catch a lot of fish.

Or just find a wider river surface and throw in half a bowl of leftover rice or cornmeal.

Then wait for a while, and the fish will gather; finally, cast a net, and there will be quite a lot of fish.

Of course, setting ground cages is also fine; in short, there is definitely plenty of fish.

In winter, just chisel an ice hole, and fish will jump out by themselves.

After the fish that should jump out have finished jumping, use a scoop net or a large strainer to scoop them out, and you're done.

However, although there is a lot of fish, there is all kinds of fish; ordinary fish, or "miscellaneous fish," account for the vast majority.

Fish like the "three-five-ro-eighteen" varieties, which are relatively precious and delicious, are mixed in, and they only account for a small portion.

The same goes for forest frogs; an ice hole chiseled suddenly will wake up the hibernating forest frogs.

At this time, the forest frogs will swim toward the ice hole just like fish.

All of this is actually just because after the ice hole is chiseled, the influx of air makes the water in the vicinity of the ice hole have sufficient oxygen.

Wang An looked at Wang Dazhu and said with a smile:

"It's just that I don't have the time; besides, miscellaneous fish aren't delicious and there are too many of them. It's too time-consuming to catch good fish."

Wang Dazhu glanced at Wang An sideways and muttered in a low voice: "You wasteful brat."

Although Wang An heard it, he had to pretend he didn't.

While waiting for the fish and forest frogs to thaw, Wang An went to the coat pocket in the west room, wanting to take out the money.

However, when Wang An was taking out the money, he also touched those apples and oranges. Seeing the apples and oranges in his hand, Wang An slapped his thigh hard.

After slapping his thigh, Wang An gritted his teeth and said one word:

"Damn!"

Because Wang An had forgotten a major event: buying medicine for the dogs.

This damn brain of his was filled with nothing but fooling around with Fang Xiue all day long.

He had actually forgotten the big matter of the dogs being injured.

It really is "the dick" that ruins things!

After a while, Wang An sighed, took the money, along with the oranges and apples, and walked toward the east room.

Since he had already forgotten, what else could he do? No way.

He could only count the dogs as unlucky to have a master like him.

Wang An put the money on the kang, and his family didn't take it seriously because they were already completely used to it.

Everyone knew what an apple was, but seeing the yellow oranges, the whole family was very curious.

Wang Xiaoli pointed at the oranges and asked: "Big brother, what is this?"

Wang An was just about to speak when he heard Liu Guilan ask hesitantly: "Is this? An orange?"

In the Northeast countryside of this era, there were only a few types of fruit, and they were basically all found in the mountains.

Fruit like oranges, which are produced in the south, are truly extremely rare.

You have to know that transportation in this era was quite underdeveloped; wanting to move things from the south to the north, or move things from the north to the south, was truly not average difficult.

Because in this era, the only means of transport for this kind of long-distance transport was the train.

The capacity and speed of the train were just so-so relative to China's population of over a billion. Large cities were a bit better, county towns might have a share, but in the countryside, don't even think about it; it wouldn't appear at all.

So it was not strange at all that the family didn't recognize it, because they didn't even have the chance to see it.

Of course, the specialties of the north were also not seen in the countryside of the south.

Wang An said with a smile: "Yeah, this is an orange. Mom, you even know what an orange is, not bad!"

Liu Guilan looked at the orange, turned her head, and rolled her eyes at Wang An:

"I just heard your eldest uncle mention it a few years ago; I haven't seen it myself."

Immediately after, Liu Guilan asked with a smile: "Where did you get this rare item?"

Wang An said nonsense in a very calm tone:

"Oh, an old buddy of mine, we ran into each other in the county town, and he gave it to me."

Liu Guilan picked up an orange and said while examining it: "This thing must be super expensive, right?"

Wang An was stunned upon hearing this and said as if casually:

"I don't know, he gave it to me, and didn't ask for money."

However, Wang An continued: "Don't just look at it, let's divide this little bit and eat it."

After Wang An finished speaking, whether it was Wang Yi or the two little sisters, they all just looked at it happily but didn't make a move.

Because for any rare item, when the quantity is very small, Liu Guilan's education to the children is that they are not allowed to take it themselves; they must wait for the adults to divide it.

So Wang Yi and the two little sisters absolutely dared not move, nor would they move.

Before Liu Guilan could figure out how to divide it, Wang An took action directly.

The whole family watched Wang An peel the orange, feeling even more curious.

Wang An peeled an orange in a flash, then broke it in half and gave it to Wang Dazhu and Liu Guilan.

This era places great importance on filial piety; no matter what it is, it must be given to the parents first.

Of course, parents certainly wouldn't fight their children for food.

So, whether it was Wang Dazhu or Liu Guilan, they just broke off a segment of the orange, put it in their mouths, and then wanted to continue dividing it.

How could Wang An agree? So he reached out and blocked his parents' actions.

He also said at the same time: "Oh, everyone can have a bite, you guys just eat yours, okay?"

Immediately after, Wang An peeled another orange in a few seconds, then broke it in half and gave it to the two little sisters who were watching eagerly.

Although the two little sisters were young, they were very sensible in this regard.

So the two little sisters also learned from their big brother's operation.

They broke the half-orange in their hands, wanting to share it with Wang Yi and Mu Xueqing.

When Wang An saw this, he chuckled and ignored it.

Wang Yi and Mu Xueqing naturally wouldn't want it, so Wang An continued to peel oranges and then divided them among Wang Yi and Mu Xueqing.

At this point, except for Wang An, the whole family had eaten oranges.

For the last orange, after Wang An peeled it, he only ate one segment and continued to divide it for his family.

Actually, Wang An only ate one segment because he wanted to know what the oranges of this era tasted like.

To be honest, it was sour and sweet, that was the taste; nothing special.

Although Wang An had been stuck in the "fence" before his rebirth, without any freedom.

But it must be said that in the "fence" before his rebirth, fruit would be divided and eaten.

And oranges were the most common and ordinary kind.

Wang An dividing the oranges naturally met with obstruction from the whole family, but Wang An's sentence "I've already eaten several" dispelled the family's idea of obstructing him.

As for apples, although they were relatively rare in the Northeast winter, they were considered a rare item.

But as long as it was the north, apples were everywhere, especially in the autumn, when this thing was not rare at all.

(End of Chapter)