When Lu Fangfang returned home, she could still smell the aroma of beef bone soup.

Seeing that the weather was nice, she spread out a burlap sack in the yard, poured out the beef bones from the basin, and laid them out to dry.

These beef bones have been cooked until very soft. After drying them for a few more days, they can be easily crushed into bone powder with a hammer.

After finishing her work, Lu Fangfang washed her hands, dusted herself off, and went inside.

She had been turning over the soil all morning and wasn't too hungry, just exhausted.

She ate some leftover beef offal from breakfast, then mixed some sweet potato noodles, and went to bed to rest.

She drifted off to sleep, and when she woke up it was already two o'clock.

After getting up and washing her face, Lu Fangfang found a piece of rag and wrapped it around some broken bones.

She tied it tightly with a rope and casually put it in her pocket.

Carrying a hoe and a shovel, and holding a large enamel basin, she went to the wasteland on the riverbank.

Wang Shufen had arrived long ago and was currently turning over the soil.

Lu Fangfang greeted them and then walked to the riverbank.

Instead of rushing to work, she took out the broken bones wrapped in cloth from her pocket and threw them into the cage she had woven that morning.

The cage she wove had a large belly and a small opening, like a jar, so that broken bones wouldn't easily fall out.

Taking out the rope she brought from home, Lu Fangfang tied the mouth of the cage and threw it into the river where there were many small fish.

At this moment, Wang Shufen walked over curiously.

Seeing Lu Fangfang's actions, she asked curiously, "Girl, what's in your blouse?"

"Broken bones, still covered in cow's blood."

Wang Shufen nodded. "Putting this in should attract small fish. I'll also weave some cages when I have time, and then catch some small fish to feed the chickens, which will save some grain."

The two stood by the water's edge, squinting as they gazed into the river.

Seeing the little fish swimming around the cage, he felt relieved and went to turn the soil.

Walking into the wasteland, Lu Fangfang picked up a hoe and swung it down forcefully.

"Bang!"

"hiss."

Her hand was throbbing from the impact, so she shook her wrist and bent down to pry out a long stone.

This is a high-altitude grassland, surrounded by snow-capped mountains, and there are many stones in the ground.

Seeing that the stones were neatly arranged, Lu Fangfang didn't throw them away randomly; she picked them up and placed them on the ground.

She plans to collect more of these neatly arranged stones and transport them back to her family compound, where they can be used to build a chicken coop or something similar.

She dusted off her hands and went back to work.

After working for more than half an hour, Lu Fangfang turned over another piece of land.

Wiping the sweat from her brow, she put down her hoe and walked towards the riverbank.

Seeing her movements from a distance, Wang Shufen followed.

The closer Lu Fangfang got to the river, the slower she walked.

She gently pulled out the branch stuck in the bank, with a rope tied to it, took a deep breath, and then pulled hard.

"Splash..."

Lu Fangfang pulled the cage out of the water.

The little fish inside, still searching for food, were caught off guard, and most of them didn't have time to escape.

"Quick, girl, put it in the basin."

Wang Shufen took an enamel basin, quickly scooped up some water, and placed it in front of the cage.

Looking down into the cage, she clicked her tongue in amazement and said, "Girl, there are quite a few little fish in there."

Lu Fangfang looked on, somewhat surprised.

At this moment, there were nearly twenty small fish jumping around in the cage.

I don't know if the fish in the river are too stupid, but she managed to catch so many at once.

She picked up the woven cage and poured all the small fish inside into a basin.

Seeing that the cloth containing the broken bones had also fallen in, Lu Fangfang picked it out and threw it back into the cage.

She stood up, took the cage, and threw it back into the stream.

Turning to look at the little fish swimming around in the basin, Lu Fangfang smiled. This time alone, she caught enough fish to fry a whole plate.

Next, Lu Fangfang would come over every half hour or so to pull the cage out and check on it.

She always managed to catch some, but the later she went, the fewer small fish she caught.

The last time she pulled it up, the cage fell apart.

Lu Fangfang looked on, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Due to limited resources, the cage she made was very simple. It was fine at first, but she kept pulling it flat, and the last time it fell apart completely.

Fortunately, the cloth used to wrap the broken bones was not lost.

Lu Fangfang untied it, and the broken bones wrapped in the cloth were all there.

Looking back at the half-full basin of small fish, she smiled and shook her head, then scattered the broken bones into the river.

The small fish that weren't caught were lucky; they immediately gathered around and nibbled on the scraps on the bones.

Lu Fangfang squatted by the water's edge, watching without paying any attention. She was just using this as bait; she would come here again to catch fish in the future.

She washed the cloth in the water and then laid it out to dry on a stone.

This piece of cloth will be useful in the future, so we can't throw it away.

"Girl, you've caught quite a few."

Wang Shufen walked over, looked into the basin, and was extremely surprised.

This small basin would be enough to feed chickens and ducks for four or five days, which gave her even more confidence.

Lu Fangfang smiled and nodded, "Sister Shufen, when you leave later, take some with you and fry it for your child as a snack."

"I don't want it. I only have about half a bottle of oil left at home. Now I just drip a few drops on the oil with chopsticks when I stir-fry vegetables, so I can't fry them."

Wang Shufen shook her head.

She and her children had just changed their household registrations, and they hadn't received their food and oil ration certificates yet. They were currently eating Xiao Aiguo's rationed food, and their family's oil supply was quite limited.

Xiao Aiguo's salary is not bad, but grain and oil are rationed, and he can't buy them even if he has money.

She had heard that tickets could be exchanged for money on the black market, but Wang Shufen dared not go, fearing that if she were caught, it would implicate her husband.

Lu Fangfang didn't say anything more.

She planned to cook it in the evening and then send a plate over.

After resting for a while, the two went to work in the fields.

It was getting late, and Wang Shufen quickly finished turning over her own land.

Lu Fangfang was delayed by catching fish and still had some fish left to catch. Seeing this, Wang Shufen came over with a hoe to help.

After working for a while longer, the two finally finished turning over the entire wasteland before dark.

"Hey girl, it's getting hot now, let's plant some vegetables tomorrow so we can eat them sooner."

"Okay, I'll do as Sister Shufen says."

It was getting late, so Lu Fangfang called to Wang Shufen, and the two of them squatted by the river and cleaned the small fish in the enamel basin.

The largest small fish is only about the length of a palm. They don't really need any processing; you can just deep-fry them.

However, Lu Fangfang felt uncomfortable and still called out to Sister Shufen, intending to deal with it.

"It's such a pity, I wish the eggs at home had hatched."

Wang Shufen felt a pang of heartache as she looked at the fish intestines that had been squeezed out.

"Girl, don't throw it into the water. If you throw it on the ground later, it'll at least be used as fertilizer."

After a while, the two of them cleaned out a small handful of fish entrails. Wang Shufen didn't mind the fishy smell and buried it in the ground.

This little bit of stuff can only provide nutrients for two or three tomatoes.

However, every little bit counts, and every little bit helps.