Now that we know Qiao Yu is going to feed fish to the people of the Stone Tribe, how can we not feel sympathy?

"Isn't this... a bit bad?" Shi, who usually kept quiet, said, "It would be a shame if these people we captured with great difficulty died from eating the fish."

Everyone else nodded.

Chestnuts were fine. Goats and rabbits had tried them, and the farm workers had also tried them for a few days, proving they weren't poisonous. But fish were a real bummer. They'd managed to double their population so quickly, and if they died from eating fish, they'd be heartbroken to return to the pre-liberation era.

"How about we save some money?" Lu said. "During the snowy season in previous years, everyone had less than half the food they have now, and they still managed to get by. If each family donates a small amount to help the people of the Stone Tribe, and add chestnuts, we can ensure they don't starve to death."

Then he turned to Chun and asked, "There are quite a lot of chestnuts on the mountain, right?"

Chun Diandian said, "It's a lot, but chestnuts alone are definitely not enough for them. If every family could save some dried meat so that each of them can have a bowl of meat soup every day with chestnuts, then there will be no problem."

After confirming this, everyone turned to look at Qiao Yu.

Qiao Yu laughed. "Fish is actually a good thing, but we're eating it the wrong way. When I was following the refugees, I saw them eating it, and it seemed even better than dried meat. I also tried it on the way back, and it was indeed delicious."

"Really?" Everyone's face was full of surprise.

Ever since Qiao Yu discovered yams and chestnuts, the tribe had more salt to buy and the variety of food for winter was enriched, so that everyone no longer had to worry about starving to death during the snowy season. Everyone has had a mysterious trust in Qiao Yu's intelligence or good luck.

When it comes to food, if Yu says it’s good, then it must be good.

"Once you have arranged the personnel list, I will take you to go fishing." Qiao Yu said.

"You should get some sleep first and talk about it tomorrow." Shan said disapprovingly.

Everyone then remembered that Qiao Yu had stayed awake all night in the prisoner cave, and they quickly said, "Yes, yes, there's no rush. We'll talk about it tomorrow."

Qiao Yu was not actually sleepy, but after everything was said and done, the four elders and several team leaders still had things to do, so she decided to take a rest.

"Alright, the four elders will discuss ways to persuade the captives, and the team leaders will arrange for guards and escorts. I'll take a nap. At noon, when the team leaders are free, I'll take everyone fishing," Qiao Yu said. "That's all for today. Dismiss."

After everyone left the cave, Qiao Yu didn't rest right away. Instead, he went next door to find Ah Hua and asked, "Aunt, have you and Miao finished weaving the things I asked you to weave?"

Before she went to the trade fair, she taught Ah Hua and Miao how to peel the soft yet hard vines in half with a bone knife, beat them under a stone, and then wash them with water to make them softer.

Although the vines are basically broken due to hammering and peeling, they can be braided into small braids to make them longer and tougher.

This was the rope she wanted.

Although the rope made of this vine is not as strong as the one made of hemp, she thinks it should be able to bear the weight of the fish - anyway, let's give it a try.

Drawing on her memory of fishing nets, she tied the ropes in pairs to create a net. She taught Ah Hua and Miao the method, asking them to weave another net while she was at the trade fair and tie rocks underneath. This net, made of vines as thick as fingers, had large mesh, but Qiao Yu felt that since no one had fished in that river for so many years, there must be big fish. Using a net like this, she should be able to catch some.

Ah Hua and Miao were always reliable. When Qiao Yu asked, Ah Hua immediately took out the net she had woven and gave it to Qiao Yu: "It's done. Do you think it can be used?"

Qiao Yu took a look, nodded repeatedly, and said with a smile: "It's much better than what I wrote."

Although she is not bad at handicrafts, she is indeed not good at it.

She raised the net she had obtained and said, "I'll take it. If it works well, Auntie, you can lead us in weaving it."

"good."

Qiao Yu took the net back and had a good sleep. At noon, he took the team leaders to the river.

Qiao Yu had seen winter fishing in the north in her previous life and knew it was a collective endeavor, requiring dozens of people and a meticulous division of labor. But that was at the higher latitudes of the north. Where she was now, such winter fishing was impossible; the river ice wasn't that thick.

She was relying on the abundance of fish in the river, as no one had fished there for years, and the fact that she could use the winter ice to break the ice, where oxygen was plentiful and fish gathered, making it relatively easy to catch them. She simply planned to cast a few nets.

As for whether she could catch any fish in the end, she had no idea.

Again, let’s give it a try.

The riverside looked vastly different from when Qiao Yu had first arrived. The lush greenery, the yellow earth, the gently flowing water were all gone. The river had frozen solid, and the plants and land along the banks were covered in snow. All that remained was a vast expanse of white, making it impossible to distinguish the bank from the river.

However, Qiao Yu had a good memory and had even forced herself to memorize the topography of the area. After carefully observing the terrain features, she was able to match the place before her with her memory.

When going to the river for ice fishing in winter, the most important thing to pay attention to is safety.

She pointed to a protruding area and said to everyone, "See? There used to be a rock here. The water used to flow slowly along this rock to that side." She made a shape with her hand.

"I don't know if the ice elsewhere is solid, so don't step on it. If it's not solid enough to support a person's weight, it could be dangerous if you fall into the water. In this cold weather, falling into the icy water could make you seriously ill even if you're rescued. So if you're fishing, you can only stand on this rock. There's ice on the rock, so we need to use something to knock it off first. Otherwise, it's too slippery and you could easily slip onto the thin ice next to it and fall into the water."

In the past, the people of the valley tribes, unaware of the edible fish and lacking water during snowy days, would never venture to the river in winter. They were unaware of the immense dangers lurking beneath the thick ice. Qiao Yu's detailed explanation was meant to warn them and prevent them from perishing while fishing.

Her face turned serious, and her sharp eyes swept over everyone one by one: "Remember, the riverside in winter is more dangerous than anywhere else. If you are not careful, you can fall into the icy water and drown and freeze to death. We come here to fish for food for the Stone Tribe. Don't let your own people die for other tribes. Our tribe will become stronger and better, and our lives will get better and better. Everyone must live well and not lose their lives because of carelessness or showing off. So today I brought you here, and we will only try this once. After I leave the tribe, no one is allowed to come to this river."