Having just returned from delivering a batch of goods to the county, Li Yuanzhao planned to give everyone a day off to rest. However, everyone was so enthusiastic about their work that no one wanted to take the day off.

Song Yan: "We need to balance work and rest, right? If we're well-rested, we can work faster, right?"

Sister-in-law Cheng said, "It's a holiday, so it's a holiday. My husband wants to go fishing tomorrow, and I'll join in the fun. My fourth son loves fish. He's always pestering his brother to go fishing. This year, your brother is really benefiting from your catch. The fish you caught are especially big and delicious, and the fourth son hasn't been bothering him at all. Since the freeze started, he hasn't been able to eat fish, so he's been craving them. I'll try to catch some tomorrow!"

Is it winter fishing? Song Yan became interested. "I'll go join in the fun tomorrow. Actually, my family has fishing nets too! Are fish easier to catch in winter?"

Hu Youguang's wife: "You're so young, you don't know what suffering is."

“Go ahead! Come back if you get cold!” Wang Wenjuan chimed in.

Sister-in-law Cheng: "Your older brother used to fish for people in the winter. Let him check if your net is usable." Fishing in the winter requires breaking up the ice, and that's a job that can't be done without a few strong laborers.

Wang Wenjuan: "You're so young, you believe everything. I'll have Ren Quan come with you tomorrow to help you break the ice."

Several other people suggested sending their husbands. They didn't think they'd catch any fish; if winter fishing were easy, wouldn't everyone go?

As the women from the weaving group returned home, everyone knew that Song Yan and his group were going fishing the next day. But no one believed they would actually catch any fish.

Those who wanted to go fishing all gathered at Song Yan's house that morning.

Cheng Yousuo went to Song Yan's house yesterday to see her fishing nets. This morning, she went to the brigade to borrow a horse-drawn cart and threw all the ice-breaking tools and some cold-weather gear onto the cart.

Cheng Yousuo chose a spot on the river and began to break the ice.

Song Yan's net was the old-fashioned round net, which couldn't compare to the nets used for winter fishing in later generations.

Cheng Yousuo's fishing nets are also like this.

Song Yan was just watching the fun but couldn't get involved. "Brother Cheng, I heard you used to fish in the winter?"

Cheng Yousuo: "I used to work for a fishing team. Our fishing nets are no good. The big nets used for winter fishing can't be pulled by people; they're pulled by horses with winches. We're just setting the nets for fun today. Don't expect to catch many fish."

Song Yan glanced at Cheng Yousuo, then at the people working under Cheng Yousuo's direction. They were all just there to have fun, not expecting to catch any fish. The four Cheng brothers, plus Ren Quan, Chen Xiaodong and his brother, Hu Youguang and his brother, Huang Guoqing, Pan Bo, Ji Dagang, and Wei Erzhuang, as well as Sun Si'er, whom she didn't know very well, were all there. She counted over ten people. Cheng's second brother and the others had just finished chiseling the ice, steam rising from their heads. They hadn't just chiseled a hole in the ice; they'd chiseled out a whole section. Even with so many people, it was exhausting.

Cheng Yousuo: "Stand back a bit so you don't fall into the water. There are a lot of people here today, and the water surface is quite large; we might even find something!"

There were just too many fish in Song Yan's spatial dimension. She had already caught batch after batch, and now the small pond was teeming with them. If it weren't for the spatial dimension, these fish would definitely suffocate from lack of oxygen. Rabbits can be separated by sex to prevent them from reproducing. But not fish; Song Yan couldn't tell the males from the females. Today, she was determined to make sure they left with a full catch.

Song Yanguang was stunned; they had already finished the preparations.

"Sister, aren't you cold? Go find a sheltered spot to stay for a while," Cheng Youfu called out to her.

Without a word, Cheng Youfu grabbed her and dragged her away. He put her in the carriage, covered her with a blanket, and waited for everyone to go fishing.

"Sister, take this."

"Hot water bottle!"

Cheng Youfu had been busy on the shore, clearing a space and lighting a fire. Anyone feeling cold could warm themselves by the fire, and they could also boil some water. He first filled a hot water bottle for her. Song Yan stuffed the scalding hot water bottle into her arms. The water bottle was warm but not scalding. "You little rascal, you're so considerate. Your future wife is going to be lucky."

"Sister, you're talking nonsense!" Cheng Youfu ran away embarrassedly.

Cheng Yousuo and his men started casting their nets. Song Yan had warmed up enough. She went to watch the excitement, clutching a hot water bottle. They only caught two pounds of fish in that single cast, and the fish weren't very big.

Cheng Yousuo went to the side to tidy up the fishing nets, Ren Quan learned to cast the nets, and Song Yan ran over to him.

Several people pulled the net up along the ice hole and slowly lowered it. The lead weights around the net sank slowly.

The river was murky, and Song Yan couldn't do whatever she wanted just because no one was around. She wasn't sure if sending the fish from her spatial dimension to within sight would go wrong; the people around her weren't far away, and she dared not take the risk. Song Yan had to put her hand into the water so that the river could cover her if the fish suddenly appeared.

They stood around the ice hole; the water surface was quite large, and Song Yan had chosen the spot furthest from them.

Song Yan knelt by the ice hole and put his hand into the water... At first, you could see the fishing net slowly sinking. When it was about to become unclear, Song Yan moved the fish out of the space. It must have been because the fish was too big, or because it stirred up water.

Any living thing, whether entering or leaving the space, will be momentarily confused.

"Close the net quickly! Hurry!" Song Yan shouted.

The net hasn't sunk to the bottom yet, has it? But everyone was just having fun, so she said to haul it in. Oops! The two of them couldn't budge it.

"Come help!" Ren Quan shouted, and everyone who was wandering around came to help.

"There's a fish! There's a fish!"

"And they're all big fish."

Everyone went wild with joy when the net came up. They were all big fish! There were very few small ones.

Song Yan's hands were so cold that she put them inside her clothes to warm them.

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