The next day, An Moxue got up as usual, but she didn't expect that someone would knock on the door right after she finished eating.

"Lotus, peach blossom, come in quickly, it's so early!"

"Sister Moxue, it's been a while since I've seen you. What have you been up to? Today is the winter fishing season! I wanted to come and ask you to go with me. Are you coming?" Lotus asked.

“Sure! I’ve never seen it before, I’d love to see it for myself,” An Moxue replied with a smile.

"We are too, we don't know what it's like! We heard there are a lot of people here," Peach Blossom said with a little excitement.

"You two are up so early, are you all packed? Are you leaving now?" An Moxue asked, looking at the two sisters' excited expressions.

"Yes, Sister Moxue, we want to go early, maybe we can see the first fish caught. It's said that the first person to see the first fish will have a very good year," Peach Blossom said in a low voice.

"Okay! I've finished eating and cleaning up. Let's go inside, I'll get dressed and we'll head out. Do you two know where it is?"

"We know, we've asked around and found out. Just follow the crowd."

As they were talking, the three people went inside.

An Moxue started putting on clothes, shoes, and a hat.

"Sister Moxue, your room is so warm!" Peach Blossom said with a hint of envy.

An Moxue asked, puzzled, "Peach Blossom, is it cold at the educated youth settlement? There are so many people and it's a new house, it can't be cold!"

"It's not as warm as yours. It's just that little fire used for cooking, and it doesn't burn much."

"That's how it is with a large group of people; things can't be decided by just one person, so there are bound to be some shortcomings. Let's go, I'm done."

After saying that, the three of them walked out together.

Along the way, we encountered many villagers who had gotten up early to watch the fishing. After walking for more than an hour, we could see a densely packed pedestrian belt stretching along the river, with no end in sight.

As An Moxue and her companions approached, they could see clearly that it was a village along a stretch of river, filled with elderly people, children, men, and women, all laughing and chatting happily.

They walked to the edge of a circular ice hole that was more than a meter long. Inside, a net had already been set, with the long fishing net stretching for hundreds of meters.

It is said that three or four days before the fishing season opens, the head fisherman and his assistants set up tents on the river, search for fish holes, dig fish burrows, break through the ice, and set up tripods.

The day before the fishing season begins, they get up at one or two in the morning to run the fish through the ice and lower the nets. It's hard work and requires skill.

When Aunt Mei saw An Moxue, she started calling out to her from afar, "Moxue! Moxue!"

An Moxue and Hehua said something to each other and then walked over to Aunt Meihua's side.

"Auntie, when did you arrive?"

"Just arrived, how about you?"

"Me neither, for a short while."

"The nets won't be set up until 10 o'clock, so it'll be a while! But the ceremony is about to begin. Come on, over there, I'll take you to see the ritual."

An Moxue followed Aunt Meihua to one side of the river.

"Auntie, isn't this sacrificial ceremony held in our village?"

"No, it's the section of the river that the town is in charge of. The town mayor will be in charge. It's been streamlined a lot now; it used to be so lively."

When the two arrived, they saw a place surrounded by people. Aunt Meihua pulled An Moxue inside. After a while, An Moxue saw a large area of ​​the river surface that had been cleared out. There was a table covered with a red cloth, on which was a pot of wine and several wine cups. Firecrackers were placed on the open ground.

A moment later, a man stepped forward and shouted, "The winter fishing season in Ankou Town in 1969 is now beginning! Fish leaders, please pay homage to the river!"

Aunt Meihua whispered in An Moxue's ear, "Moxue, this is the town mayor."

Next, An Moxue saw an old man pour three cups of wine, lead some people to kneel on the river, and offer three cups of wine. Aunt Meihua said, "These are the first three cups, there are still six more to go! The one offering the wine is the head fisherman, and the ones after him are the fishermen."

Next, as expected, six more cups of wine were offered. "There used to be sacrificial chants! Those were so beautiful. Now they call that feudal superstition. Humph! Our ancestors have been chanting these for thousands of years!" Aunt Meihua complained softly in An Moxue's ear.

"Auntie, walls have ears, be careful," An Moxue whispered to Aunt Meihua.

“It’s alright, my family has been poor peasants for eight generations!” Aunt Meihua said with a proud look on her face.

The two men finished their toasts in the time it took to exchange a few words, and then it was time to light firecrackers.

The deafening crackling of firecrackers was accompanied by cheers from the crowd.

"Mo Xue, let's go, this is all done. Let's go back, we're about to start the stir-fry. When we get back, there are several groups of horses pulling one stir-fry net, it's so heavy that people can barely move it. You must have never seen this before. Once all the stir-fry nets are pulled up, we'll start hauling in the nets. Let's find a good spot to watch the first catch!"

An Moxue was passively pulled along by Aunt Meihua, who said as they walked, "Auntie, slow down, don't rush, don't fall."

Aunt Meihua said nonchalantly, "Oh, it's alright. I've been walking this river for decades, I know it like the back of my hand."

"Auntie, it's been decades, you haven't come to visit every year, have you?"

"Of course! I missed it for a year because I was in postpartum confinement. How could I miss seeing the first fish!"

An Moxue was also infected by Aunt Meihua's enthusiasm, and unconsciously followed her pace, asking as they walked, "Auntie, does this fish really bring good luck?"

"Of course. Otherwise, why would everyone, young and old, be here? It's all for this. Besides, look at how other places suffered from severe droughts a few years ago, but our place wasn't affected at all. This is a blessed land. Hurry up, let's not let others fill up this good spot."

An Moxue didn't know where was good either, so she just followed Aunt Meihua. Finally, they stopped at a place that Aunt Meihua thought was good. Aunt Meihua said, "Moxue, let's stay here. Look."

An Moxue looked in the direction Aunt Meihua was pointing and saw several horses pulling a stirring pot in circles, round and round.

"The fish will come out of that hole soon. I wonder how big the first fish of the year will be, and whether our village will be able to catch the first one."

"Auntie, there's a prize! What prize?"

"Today is the first day of winter fishing, and also the day with the most people. When winter fishing ends, the village that catches the most fish will win the prize and be able to bring back the biggest fish of the year."

"Auntie, has our village ever had any prizes before?"

"Yes, I've won one before! I won one last year too! Whether you can win a prize depends on the village's fishmonger's skill in finding fish spots. Our village's fishmonger is quite skilled."

"Auntie, do we have both big and small fish here?"

"How could that be! All the fish under five years old have slipped back into the river from the fishing nets; there are no small fish in the nets."

"I see!"

"They used to have a whole fish feast! I wonder if the village chief will organize one this year?"

"Isn't it held every year?"

“It used to happen every year, but these past few years the cabinet committee and those Red Guards have been making a lot of noise, so sometimes it’s been canceled.”

"Mo Xue! Look! They've caught a fish!"