Qian Xiao and Gouzi looked at each other, then looked at the 'fish' on the ground again.
"You're awesome, Dog! You even caught a turtle, and it's quite big." This isn't a big fish at all; it's clearly a turtle that's not small.
"Hey, how come there are turtles in our river? And such big ones at that?" Gouzi was puzzled. They had such things in their river?
"What are you saying? Turtles are born in water, isn't it normal for them to live in water?"
The dog scratched its head: "Can we eat this?"
"Is it possible?" Qian Xiao wasn't sure. She knew about this dish in her previous life, but looking at such a big turtle, she didn't dare to take a bite!
"Why don't we take it back and ask my grandparents?" Qian Xiao felt it was better to go home and ask the elders, since this thing seemed to represent longevity or something, and people at that time were still very superstitious.
"Alright, let's take it back and ask if it's edible. If it's not, then all my efforts have been wasted. Erdan, your fishing hook is moving, a fish has taken the bait." Gouzi's loud and boisterous laughter almost deafened everyone who hadn't paid.
Qian Xiao didn't care about the turtle on the ground with the fishhook still in its mouth. He hurried back to collect the fish he had caught. What if this thing was inedible? They hadn't had any other catches yet.
Qian Xiao put a fish weighing over two pounds into the bucket and looked at the turtle on the ground: "Why are you looking at it if you're not fishing? There are so many people here, this one isn't enough to eat."
"No, I don't dare to leave. What if the turtle runs away if I don't keep an eye on it?" What if this thing is edible? There must be a lot of meat on this head.
"Why are you so stupid? You can just flip it over."
The dog carefully turned the tortoise on the ground over, but it couldn't turn itself over for a long time: "Erdan, you're so smart."
Qian rolled her eyes and hung up the bait. This guy was really annoying. She had told him not to use her nickname, but he never learned his lesson. She was willing to be just like him.
Next, the two of them caught three or four more fish, and counted them up to six: "That's three for each of us. Let's go back, it looks like it's almost time."
The dog also looked up at the sun in the sky. It was really about time. If they went back any later, they wouldn't be able to eat the fish tonight.
"Let's go, let's go. I'll carry the bucket, Erdan, you take the turtle."
"Okay," Qian Xiao carefully found the right angle and lifted the turtle in his hand. This thing has a long neck and its bite can be quite painful.
The two men, one carrying a bucket and the other holding a turtle about the size of a washbasin, paraded through the town. Just then, the villagers returned to rest and were about to have dinner.
An old woman squinted at what Qian Xiao was holding: "My goodness, how did you manage to bring this thing back? Release it quickly, you can't afford to offend it."
"Grandma, what are you saying?" A middle-aged woman walked over curiously, and then she saw what Qian Xiao was holding.
"Mom, why did you grab this? You can't eat it, or you'll be punished."
"Oh! Really? We caught this today. We weren't planning to take it back to show my grandparents, we weren't thinking of eating it."
"I didn't intend to eat it. I should put it back. This thing represents lifespan. I shouldn't shorten my lifespan because of a bite to eat."
"I understand, Aunt Guihua. I just want my grandparents to see this."
"That's good, that's good, go back now."
Qian Xiao and Gouzi exchanged a glance and quickly ran home. This thing really shouldn't be eaten!
"Grandma, Grandma, come quick and see!"
The old lady, her bound feet barely touching the ground, rushed out of the kitchen, thinking her eldest granddaughter had gotten hurt again: "What happened? What happened?"
Qian Xiao held up the turtle in his hand: "Look, this is what Gouzi caught in the river today. You really can't eat this thing?"
The old lady took a closer look and was also startled. This thing was really big: "It's not that it can't be eaten, but the old people in our village all say that this thing can't be eaten. Since everyone says so, let's not go against the grain. You two can take it back and put it away in a while."
What the old lady didn't say was that this stuff is very nutritious when cooked properly. However, you have to adapt to whatever environment you live in. Don't always try to handle everything head-on. In this day and age, being neither outstanding nor weak, but rather mediocre, is the most comfortable way to live.
“Okay, we’ll take it back right now. Grandma, there are six fish in the bucket. We’ll keep half for ourselves, and the rest can be taken back to Grandpa’s house by Gouzi.”
The old lady glanced into the bucket and, sure enough, the fishing spot her eldest granddaughter had found was a real fish hotspot, with quite a few fish. "Divide it into three portions, two for each family. We can take two of them to your second grandfather's house. Put your things away first, and when you come back, ask your second grandfather to take them over."
"Okay, we'll be back in a bit."
Her grandfather and his two brothers always had a good relationship. When they had something delicious, they would usually send some to the other two families to try.
The dog is used to it. Even if he brings the fish back, his grandparents will insist on sending one to his great-uncle's house.
...
Qian Xiao sat listlessly at the dining table, carrying a crossbody bag pieced together from scraps of cloth. Today was her third day of school, and she felt like she was on her way to the execution ground every day.
Spending all day learning numbers from a bunch of little kids almost drove her crazy. She didn't dare say she didn't want to go, because she had already mentioned it once on her first day of school and got a scolding from her mother.
Honestly, she would rather go deep into the mountains to hunt a cow than go to school.
Looking at her daughter's dejected appearance, Li Guizhi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Many children in the village wanted to go to school but didn't have the opportunity, but her daughter was the only one who felt like going to school was going to kill her.
"Let me tell you, Erdan, if you don't study properly and get ten or twenty points on your exam, I'll deal with you."
"I know, Mom. I'll get a perfect score on the test." Qian Xiao perked up instantly; her mother's beatings were really painful.
"Pah, pah, pah! What do you mean, 'get me a perfect score'? Studying is for your own benefit. Do you really want to be illiterate?"
"Yes, yes, I'm doing this for my own studies. I'm done eating, Mom, I'm going to school now."
The old lady looked at her granddaughter, who looked wilted like a little cabbage that had lost its water: "How about we let our Erdan play for another two years before she goes to school? She's still too young."
“Mom, our Erdan is already eight years old. He can’t be going up and down the mountain all day without knowing a single character. I’m hoping that when Erdan grows up, he can find a job in the city. I don’t want him to end up like me, destined to farm for the rest of his life.”
"That's true. I was just thinking that Erdan is still young, so I'll listen to you and let Erdan go to school properly," the old lady also knew the importance of education.
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