"1, 2, 3, keep pushing!"
Amidst shouts and cheers, the net of fish was finally pulled up. Looking at the fish, which weighed at least 500 jin, the people of Liujiatun were all smiles. Meanwhile, the team leaders of the other three villages and their men were beaming with pride. After all, although the lake was not small, if you caught so many fish on the first net, wouldn't there be fewer of them later?
Seeing their expressions, Liu Yougen didn't immediately pay attention to them. Instead, he told everyone to quickly sort the fish out, put them in baskets, and load them onto the tractor. After all, in this freezing weather, if the fish weren't sorted quickly, they would freeze together and become even harder to separate.
After assigning tasks to everyone, he pulled the three team leaders aside and gestured for them to look at the fish in the net. Liu Yougen said that the number of fish they caught this time was actually the same as in previous years. When the three team leaders heard Liu Yougen's words, they took a closer look and found that it was indeed as he said. The number of fish should be the same as in previous years, but the size was much larger than in previous years. They even found that several of the fish in the pile they caught weighed more than ten kilograms.
When the three team leaders saw the fish being butchered, they noticed that the grass carp weighed at least three or four pounds, and the other fish were each about a pound. They immediately surrounded Liu Yougen, asking him why. Liu Yougen didn't hide anything and told them it was because of the feeding method. He also told them what they were fed with. Of course, he had already asked Wu Qiaoqiao before saying this, since she had given them the fish, and it wouldn't be right to hand them over to someone else without asking.
Wu Qiaoqiao was excitedly sorting the fish in the net with everyone. She had never seen so many fish before, and her hands were moving incredibly fast, her mind racing with ideas on how to cook them. She had no time to pay attention to Liu Yougen. When Liu Yougen asked her a question, she waved her hand, indicating it didn't matter. So, the three team leaders listened to Liu Yougen's instructions on how to feed the fish in the same way. Although the harvest might not be as plentiful as this year, the fish were still larger than in previous years when no one fed them. To thank Liu Yougen, they didn't go back early and happily helped sort the fish with him.
Amidst everyone's busy work, the fish were all sorted and loaded onto the truck. There were quite a lot of fish this time, filling not only the tractor but also the oxcart, so they had to walk back. Fortunately, the leaders of the other three teams offered them a ride. The reason they were so agreeable was that Liu You had given each of them two fish, though the fish varied in size; the leaders' fish were definitely larger, while the fish for those who came with them were smaller. But even small fish are still meat, so both the leaders of the other three villages and those who came with them happily accepted and offered to give them a ride.
After everything was settled, everyone prepared to head back. Before leaving, they dismantled the stove, took the pots back, and even some of the simple-minded villagers bundled up the unburnt firewood and carried it with them. When they finally arrived in the village, the tractor was already there, having placed the fish at the main dining hall. They were just waiting for the oxcart to return so they could distribute the fish to everyone.
Of course, none of this concerned the people who went fishing today. After Wu Qiaoqiao and the others returned to the village, they went home to prepare food and warm up on the kang (a heated brick bed). Others might not know, but after Wu Qiaoqiao and Feng Mingran returned, they went to Liu Mingfeng's house together. As soon as Wu Qiaoqiao entered, she took off her damp military overcoat and then her cotton-padded trousers. She put her feet into the foot basin that Zhao Xiuxiang brought in to soak her feet. Then she took the hot towel that Lin Yuwei handed her and wiped her hands and face. She then took the hot soup that Zhao Xiuxiang handed her and breathed a long sigh of relief after taking a sip of the hot soup. It was truly comforting.
After she had warmed up completely, Wu Qiaoqiao moved to the kang (a heated brick bed) and snuggled into the quilt. Of course, she had already taken off her cotton-padded coat and was only wearing thermal underwear, a sweater, and long trousers. Her two rascals saw her like this and climbed up to her and snuggled into her arms. While playing with her two sons in her arms, Wu Qiaoqiao talked to Tiedan and Daya, who were sitting on the kang taking care of their two younger brothers.
However, they didn't chat for long. Soon, Zhao Xiuxiang and Lin Yuwei brought in the food. Wu Qiaoqiao's stomach growled at the sight of the food, and she sat up without ceremony, wolfing it down. After finishing, she removed the table from the kang (heated brick bed) and immediately lay down on it, falling fast asleep. While Wu Qiaoqiao was being taken care of by Lin Yuwei and Zhao Xiuxiang, Feng Mingran was also being looked after, but only by his sister. After soaking his feet and enjoying a good meal, Feng Mingran slept on the kang where Zhao Xiuxiang and Feng Mingyue were sleeping. Although they were tired that day, they were really cold, and after eating and drinking their fill, the cold weather kicked in. The two of them slept straight through until nightfall.
However, before falling asleep, Wu Qiaoqiao still spoke to Zhao Xiuxiang. She told her that if there were any extra fish when the fish were distributed, she should buy some more. Zhao Xiuxiang nodded in agreement, indicating she would buy them. There would definitely be extra fish. Although the fish were to be distributed, every year some families with financial difficulties borrowed money from the village. They only needed one fish to cook and place on the table for their New Year's Eve dinner, symbolizing abundance year after year. The extra fish would go to the village to offset the debts they had borrowed. These extra fish would then be bought by some families, including the educated youth who had been sent to the village.
When Wu Qiaoqiao woke up, she saw that it was already pitch black outside and she was the only one on the kang (a heated brick bed). Wu Qiaoqiao listened carefully and found that everyone's voices were coming from the kitchen, so she got up, put on her cotton-padded clothes and shoes, and went into the kitchen.
Upon entering the kitchen, Wu Qiaoqiao saw Lin Yuwei sitting by the stove tending the fire, while Zhao Xiuxiang busied herself on the stove. The four children were being cared for by Feng Mingyue and Feng Mingran, with the main focus being on her two sons, Xiang Dang and Xiang Guo. The eldest son, Xiang Jun, and the eldest daughter, Xiang Qin, were also busy peeling garlic and washing things. Judging from the white steam rising from the water, it was hot water. Seeing this, Wu Qiaoqiao was no longer worried.
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