Chapter 167 Fishing Through Ice Holes

The forest farm store has become richer in all kinds of goods since the beginning of the twelfth lunar month.

Most of the New Year's goods can be bought from the forest farm's shops.

In addition, the company provides welfare benefits during the Spring Festival, so very few people from the forest farm go to Songjianghe to buy New Year's goods on their own.

After all, going down there is not easy; food and lodging are both problems.

The little train still runs every three days. It just left today, and the next one won't be until the 26th of the twelfth lunar month for another three days.

That's why Sheng Xiping asked, "How are we going to go down tomorrow?" Does the forest farm's motorcycles need to go down to run errands tomorrow?

If the motorcycles go down, they could hitch a ride.

"Let's get up early tomorrow, walk through the woods to Ma'anshan Forest Farm, and catch a bus there."

Unexpectedly, Zhang Shuzhen gave this answer.

Sheng Xiping opened his mouth, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke.

"Mom, it's almost 30 li from here to Ma'anshan Forest Farm. The snow must be quite deep by now, right? Can we manage to walk through the snow?"

There is a simple road through the forest from Qianchuan Forest Farm to Ma'anshan Forest Farm, which is actually the old tractor track.

Ma'anshan Forest Farm was the first forest farm built after the establishment of Songjianghe Forestry Bureau. Back then, it was called Hongqi Forest Farm, not Ma'anshan Forest Farm.

In 1958, the Hongqi Forest Farm began logging operations. Eight sawers used curved-handle saws to cut down trees. It was the oldest forest farm under the Songjianghe Forestry Bureau.

Back when the Sheng family moved from Manjiang Forest Farm to Shuguang, it was Sheng Liancheng's apprentice who drove a tractor to Ma'anshan Forest Farm to pick them up, and then they drove through the forest from Ma'anshan Forest Farm to come over.

Back then, construction and production were carried out simultaneously, with logging and advancement into the depths of Changbai Mountain happening at the same time.

The logging operations from Ma'anshan to this side were carried out by tractors, which created a tractor track.

Later, although logging stopped, forest management and forest fire prevention were still frequently carried out.

The tractor track in the mountains was used by people for a long time, and it gradually became a simple road.

The people from the two forest farms also communicated with each other through this simple road.

The snow this year is heavy; the snow on the mountain is almost up to the thighs, and the snow on that road is probably quite deep too.

"It's alright, it's alright."

This year, the forest farm arranged for tractors to run back and forth on that road twice after each snowfall; it's passable.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Shuzhen said this.

The tractors used in forestry are all tracked, capable of going uphill and climbing slopes.

Using a tractor to compact the road after a snowfall is a waste of its potential.

In a few years, after the forest transport system is converted to road transport, snowplows will be installed on these forest roads every winter to clear the snow and prevent vehicles from getting through.

Hearing this, Sheng Xiping felt relieved.

The little train from Ma'anshan should depart before 10 o'clock.

They leave home early in the morning; it's less than thirty miles, and two hours is enough for them.

This is the only option available, since transportation in the forest area is inconvenient.

Things will get better once the road is repaired and cars can travel on it.

Back then, you could buy a car, and it would be convenient to go anywhere.

"Well, that's the only way. My parents have had to suffer because of my marriage."

Parents are willing to give everything for their children, but what can children do for their parents?

Originally, Sheng Xiping was going to lend a hand in chopping the meat.

But Zhang Shuzhen felt sorry for her son working so hard on the mountain, so she refused to let him work and insisted on urging Sheng Xiping to lie down on the north kang (heated brick bed) to rest for a while.

Sheng Xiping is a grown man; how could he possibly lie on the kang (a heated brick bed) during the day?

After thinking for a moment, he decided to take iron rods, landing nets, bait, and other equipment, and lead Sheng Xi'an, Sheng Xikang, and the others to break ice holes in the river to catch fish.

Qianchuan Forest Farm does not have running water, and people drink water from the river regardless of winter or summer.

In winter, people would break many holes in the ice in the river to make it easier to get water.

Some mischievous children try to catch fish through the ice holes, but this requires skill.

When Sheng Xiping was little, he would use a piece of steel wire, sharpen one end, and embed the other end into a thin wooden stick to make a simple chisel.

At night, we would lie on the edge of the ice hole and shine a flashlight into the water inside.

There are many bighead carp in the river, and they will come towards the light.

This fish doesn't swim over; instead, it clings to the bottom of the water, swaying back and forth. Once it reaches a bright spot, it stops moving.

The color of the bighead fish is quite similar to that of rocks. It lies motionless on the bottom of the water and is difficult to spot.

However, Sheng Xiping had a sharp eye and noticed it, so he aimed the rod at it and plunged it in, managing to poke the bighead carp up.

One meal can fill half a lunchbox. I take it home, fry it with soybean paste, and eat it with rice. It's so delicious.

There are quite a few bighead carp in the river, but we never paid much attention to them before.

It wasn't until many years later that I learned that this bighead carp, scientifically known as the Yalu River goby, is a small, cold-water fish from Changbai Mountain. It is very nutritious and considered a top-grade fish.

Sheng Xiping is now twenty years old, so he can no longer catch bighead carp like he did when he was a child. Therefore, his target is Daman Bay upstream.

The water there is deep, and there are big fish.

I'm going to Songjiang River tomorrow, but I don't know what my family has prepared.

He's been working on the mountain lately and hasn't had a chance to hunt. If he could catch a few big fish and bring them to the Zhou family, it would look nicer.

The location of this ice hole is also very important; it must be in a place where there are fish.

Some people say that if you lie on the ice and look for bubbles underneath, there's a good chance there are fish there.

But Sheng Xiping never used that method; he simply chose a spot on the back of a large rock.

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