Chapter 4: Fishing

The next morning at 5:30, Zhang Ping'an got up and casually hauled Jia Dongxu up as well.

"Uncle, what time is it even?" Jia Dongxu looked out the window; it was still barely light.

"It's not early. You have to fish in the morning. Dongxu, let's wash up and head out. Once we catch fish and sell them for money, we'll go eat breakfast."

"Alright."

The two wrote a note, left it on the table, grabbed their fishing rods and buckets, and snuck out.

"Let's do it here. We'll dig for earthworms."

"Okay." Jia Dongxu followed instructions implicitly; in this regard, Zhang Ping'an knew much more than he did.

Ten minutes later.

"That should be enough. Let's each take a side."

"Okay."

Zhang Ping'an secretly rinsed the earthworms with Space Water, and before long, fish were biting the hooks.

"Swish!" It was a crucian carp, not bad, about half a jin.

Jia Dongxu watched Zhang Ping'an with envy. Before long, Zhang Ping'an had already caught four or five.

Half an hour later.

"Dongxu, come over. The bucket can't hold any more. Use some dried grass to string the fish up."

"You got it!"

Another half hour passed, and Jia Dongxu was numb from stringing fish. Zhang Ping'an secretly tucked the small fish into the Space Pond. By now, quite a few people had gathered around.

"Young man, are you selling these crucian carp? My wife just gave birth, and I want to buy two to stew for soup."

"Selling them. Three thousand per jin (three mao per jin)."

"Dongxu, pick two big ones for this brother."

"You got it!"

"You're straightforward, young man. Here's your money."

"You got it!"

In just this short while, most of the fish were sold. For the first time, Jia Dongxu felt that money was too easy to come by—more than what his father earned working hard for a whole month.

"That's it, Dongxu. Let's pack up and go."

"Ah? But there's still quite a lot left."

"There's no one left, and it's getting late. Maybe we'll sell the rest on the way home. We also need to keep two for dinner."

"Alright." Jia Dongxu packed up the things, and the two headed back together.

"Let's go, Dongxu. Let's grab some breakfast before we head back." The two had been busy all morning and were feeling a bit hungry now.

"Mm, okay."

"Boss, give us four big steamed buns, two fried dough sticks, and two bowls of soy milk."

"Boss, one bowl of soy milk and one bowl of fermented bean juice. Uncle, fermented bean juice is delicious!"

"....."

"Mm, you drink it then. I can't get used to that stuff."

Zhang Ping'an looked disgusted. In his past life, he had tried it out of curiosity; anyone who has tasted it knows what it's like. Ugh.

"Okay."

Watching Jia Dongxu's look of enjoyment, if Zhang Ping'an hadn't actually tried it, he would have thought it was some rare delicacy.

Teacher Tao Jiji once said: eat and drink your fill, uh, can't say that.

The two packed up four more big steamed buns to take home, and on the way, they sold five more fish.

"Ping'an, Dongxu, where did you two go so early?"

"Hehe, Mother, we went fishing. Look!" Jia Dongxu carried the bucket and trotted over happily.

"Good heavens, how did you catch so many?"

"Mother, is this a lot? We—"

"Dongxu, take the fish inside before talking," Zhang Ping'an interrupted. He didn't want to make it common knowledge just yet.

"Oh, oh, okay."

The three returned inside.

"Ping'an, your body just recovered, why go fishing? San Jie knows you have skills, but you should rest for a couple of days first."

"It's fine, San Jie. Fishing isn't tiring. Here, San Jie, this is the money we made from selling the fish."

"Good heavens, this is all money from selling fish?"

"Mm, Mother, you don't know, Uncle is amazing at fishing. He does all the fishing, and I'm responsible for selling them."

"Good, good, good. You two are the best. We'll cook two for lunch today."

"Okay."

"Ping'an, I just got back from the restroom and heard you and Dongxu caught a lot of fish. Whoa, that really is a lot." Lao Jia glanced at the bucket.

"Lao Jia, look at this." Zhang Xiaohua took out a large stack of money.

"Is this the money they earned?"

"That's right, it's all the money the two boys made selling fish this morning."

"Hahaha, Ping'an, you really have a way. This morning's work already caught up to what San Jie Fu makes in a month."

"That's right, Ping'an is our Na family's unicorn child," Zhang Xiaohua said with a proud look.

"Hahaha, yes, yes, yes." Lao Jia didn't argue.

"San Jie Fu, let's eat quickly. I see it's almost eight o'clock."

"Right, right, right. Look at me, I was so busy talking, let's eat, let's eat."

"San Jie Fu, Dongxu and I have already eaten. These steamed buns were bought specifically for you and San Jie."

"Good, good, good." Lao Jia patted Zhang Ping'an on the head, then he and Zhang Xiaohua ate the buns and drank cornmeal porridge, feeling warm inside.

"San Jie Fu, you should be more careful when you're working. I heard from San Jie that the Rolling Mill is full of large machines and iron lumps; it's very dangerous. I fell from the roof beams because I knew how to climb trees and let my guard down."

"Alright, San Jie Fu will be careful."

"Lao Jia, you should take Ping'an's words to heart. The old saying goes that those who drown are the ones who know how to swim. You must be extra careful when working in the workshop."

"Mm, alright, I know." Lao Jia felt warm inside. All the effort he had put in over the years letting Zhang Xiaohua support her maiden family hadn't been in vain; this brother-in-law still knew how to care for people.

"Old brother, let's go to work." Yi Zhonghai's voice came from outside the door.

"Coming, coming."

"Dongxu Ge, Zhang Shu, I just heard Grandpa Jia say that you caught a lot of fish this morning?"

"Mm, it's alright, ten or eight fish at least."

"Wow, wow, wow, Zhang Shu is awesome! Can you take us two along next time? We don't have anything to do in the courtyard on our days off," Shazhu and Damao asked with expectant faces.

"Alright, you two go get ready, let's go fishing again."

"Great, great." Both of them went home to prepare their fishing gear.

Less than five minutes later, the two of them were waiting at the door with bamboo poles and wooden buckets.

"San Jie, we're going to fish for a while longer."

"Alright, be careful by the river."

"Mm."

"Let's go, let's go, let's go." The four half-grown boys ran excitedly toward Shichahai, and soon the four of them arrived at the riverbank.

"Let's dig for earthworms." This time, Zhang Ping'an dripped a drop of Space Pond water into everyone's earthworms.

"Start fishing, start fishing."

"Holy crap, the float is gone!"

"Pull it up quickly!"

"Hehe, Shazhu, look at the fish your brother caught." Damao put a small crucian carp into the bucket with a smug look.

"You're smug for nothing. Holy crap, my float is gone too!"

"Hahaha, Damao, look, mine is bigger than yours!"

"Tch."

Afterward, the four of them were like they were in a competition, one after another, one after another.

"Zhang Shu, my fish bucket is full."

"Mine too."

Ersha turned his head to look and saw that the two buckets belonging to the uncle and nephew not far away were already full, and the burlap sack on the bank was also bulging.

"Alright then, Zhuzi, Damao, let's go to the vegetable market to sell the fish." Zhang Ping'an held the rods in one hand and the burlap sack in the other, while Jia Dongxu carried the two buckets.

"This is good, this is good."

"Dongxu, you guys lead the way."

"Alrighty."

Several fishermen not far away watched the children leave before they glanced at each other, silently reeled in their lines, and walked toward the fishing spot Zhang Ping'an and the others had just left.

"Do you think there's a school of fish here? Those four kids didn't really stop at all; they were pulling them in one after another."

"Yeah."

"Let's go, let's go, let's go join in the fun."

"Holy crap, a black float!"

The few fishermen also picked up quite a bit of a windfall, with each person catching about ten or eight catties on average.

"Hahaha, this is the first time I've fished so happily."

"Yeah, I didn't expect there to really be a school of fish here. We can consider this picking up a windfall." The few fishermen were all very pleased, and they could hold their heads high when they got home.

The vegetable market—calling it a vegetable market, it was actually just a market similar to those of later generations formed by a few people setting up stalls on the side of the road. It was already past ten o'clock, and many grandpas and grandmas were preparing to buy vegetables to cook.

"Fish, fish!"

"Hahaha, Shazhu, you're killing me."

"If you're so good, then you do it." Shazhu rarely blushed.

"Ahem, fish..."

"Are you driving a donkey cart?"

"Hahahaha."