Chen Kai leaned over, grabbed a small fish from the boy's bamboo basket, and said in surprise, "This fish is quite pretty."
Chen Nong helped the boy pour the small fish from the bamboo basket into the wooden bucket, saying, "These are tetras, they don't grow very big. Among wild small fish, I think they are the prettiest."
Tetras are small fish, many with vibrant colors or beautiful shapes. Some tetras will swim in groups under certain conditions, creating a unique natural beauty. They are also a major component of planted aquariums and paludariums. Tetras are commonly kept in planted aquariums as accents. Tetras have dazzling colors, especially their red and blue bioluminescence, which can reflect other colors, earning them the nickname "swimming jewels." Their small size makes them very appealing.
The boy scooped out a fish and said, "I think the seven-star fish is pretty. Look, it's this kind."
Er Ya also came over and said, "I like fish with few bones, because they're easy to eat."
On the other side, Chen Laosi and his men had already placed the bamboo raft on the lake and moved their fishing gear onto it.
Chen Kai didn't go over; he just watched the villagers catch fish from the shore.
The fish that the villagers caught weren't very big, but there were many kinds, and some of them were quite beautiful.
Chen Nong took two fishing rods, baited them, and cast them into the lake. He then used a stone to weigh down the rods. He wanted to try his luck and see if any fish would bite when he returned.
A little boy was guarding a wooden bucket not far away. When he saw Chen Kai looking at other people's fish, he waved and called out, "Uncle Chen, come and play! I have some fish here, you can play with my fish."
Chen Kai smiled and jogged over.
Chen Kai looked at the fish in the wooden bucket and exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, your fish are quite big!"
The little boy's wooden bucket contained two long, thick bass, thicker than Chen Kai's arm.
Sea bass has very few bones, only one main bone, making it suitable for the elderly and children. Sea bass are at their strongest in summer, making it the best time to eat them. The flesh is white and tender, without any fishy smell, and the meat is shaped like garlic cloves, making it ideal for steaming, braising, or stewing. Steaming is the most delicious way to cook sea bass; it requires no special cooking skills—simply steam it, drizzle with soy sauce, and pour hot oil over it—it's incredibly delicious. When you have a poor appetite, a plate of steamed sea bass can instantly stimulate it.
The little boy said excitedly, "Isn't this fish big? Do you want to touch it? It's slippery and fun. My brother and I tried to catch it for a long time."
Chen Kai asked with a smile, "Are you selling your fish, or are you just eating them yourself?"
The little boy said, "We'll eat it ourselves. This kind of fish won't sell for money; nobody will buy it."
Chen Kai asked, "If I want to buy it, will you sell it to me?"
Chen Nong walked over and said, "Uncle, we came out to catch fish, not to buy them."
Er Ya ran over, grabbed Chen Kai, and said as they walked, "Let's catch our own fish, don't waste money, Uncle."
Suddenly, the little boy remembered something and shouted to them, "By the way, keep an eye on the fish you caught. A whole flock of those annoying big water birds has come again, they're so bothersome."
Chen Nong, with a long face, wailed, "Ah? Those bad birds have come here again."
When Er Ya heard that the flock of birds had returned, she quickly stuffed her uncle into Chen Shi's arms, and then found Xiao Tian and gave him to Daya.
Chen Kai noticed that Er Ya was holding a long stick as a precaution and asked in confusion, "Er Ya, are you afraid of birds?"
"I'm not afraid, but the big water birds are a nuisance. They steal other people's fish and even eat children," Er Ya said seriously.
Suddenly, the image of the adorable yet silly king of birds popped into Chen Kai's mind.
With their fishing gear ready, they boarded the bamboo raft.
Zhou Kai made several large bamboo rafts, enough for all of them.
An old man on the shore saw that this group of people were not accompanied by adults and shouted, "Chen family, don't stray too far from the shore! There are several large softshell turtles in this lake that can bite. Be careful!"
Old Chen, leaning on his bamboo pole, replied, "Uncle Sun, we understand, thank you!"
This lake is so big that you can't see the end of it when you look out from the bamboo raft.
The villagers also stayed within the area that could be seen from the shore.
Several children were playing and swimming in the lake, while others were fishing on bamboo rafts. Various kinds of water birds circled overhead.
Seeing the children having fun in the lake, Xiao Bao also wanted to go into the water, so he said, "Fourth Uncle, I want to go into the water."
Chen Laosi, supporting himself with a bamboo pole, said, "Okay, wait a minute, let's go a little further from the shore and cast our fishing nets over there. I'll take you into the water later."
Chen Kai threatened, "Didn't Uncle Sun just say there are giant softshell turtles in the water that bite people and are extremely fierce? Are you scared?"
Xiao Bao grumbled, "That's all just a lie to kids."
Chen Laowu said, "This is no exaggeration. The giant softshell turtle is very fierce. A few years ago, a child in our village was playing in the water and was bitten on the leg by a giant softshell turtle. Later, the villagers killed the turtle, and since then, no giant softshell turtles have appeared in this lake."
Zhou Kai, who was holding up a bamboo pole nearby, also said, "There are many giant softshell turtles in a lake in our village. They occasionally attack people, and no one in our village dares to go into that lake. However, as long as you don't provoke them, they generally won't attack people on their own."
The softshell turtle primarily inhabits inland, slow-flowing freshwater rivers and streams. It does not migrate frequently and prefers to live on the bottom of the water. During the day, it hides in the water, often surfacing to breathe, and at night it forages in shallow areas. It is gregarious and has a long lifespan. In the height of summer, it enjoys going ashore to cool off; in the depths of winter, it hibernates at the bottom of the water.
The softshell turtle's greatest instinct is that it can breathe not only with its lungs, but also with its skin, and even absorb oxygen through its throat, allowing it to live in water for extended periods.
The softshell turtle is an ambush predator, carnivorous, and primarily feeds on crustaceans, mollusks, and fish.
Soft-shelled turtles, tortoises, and soft-shelled turtles are very similar animals, especially soft-shelled turtles and soft-shelled turtles, which look very similar. However, there are also obvious differences between soft-shelled turtles and soft-shelled turtles.
The softshell turtle has a short neck that can only extend forward, and its snout is also relatively short and flat; while the common softshell turtle has a long neck that can attack from 720 degrees, and its snout is longer and forms a fleshy protuberance. Their living habits are also different. Common softshell turtles will occasionally climb ashore to look for food, or bask in the sun and bask in their shells; softshell turtles can stay in the water for a long time, so they are harder to spot.
Compared to turtles, softshell turtles are larger. Turtles have a relatively hard shell, while the softshell turtle's shell is connected to its limbs and head. Unlike turtles, softshell turtles cannot retract into their shells for self-protection.
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