Because the river in the village has dried up, the villagers have been collecting small fish and shrimp in the river for the past two days. Perhaps because there has been no pollution in the past two years, there are countless small fish and shrimp in the river.
Even a small puddle is packed with them. Villagers will take these small fish and shrimp back to dry and keep them for later use. These things are sometimes good side dishes for soup or as an appetizer with alcohol.
"You kids, when you see any fish that can still grow, remember to put them in your own little ponds." Yun Zhiming reminded the people around him as he picked them up. Many people had dug a small pond next to the reservoir specifically for raising and storing fish they caught from the lake.
“Uncle Ming, I definitely remember. When we get back, my grandfather will have to choose another path, as if he's worried that we're being unreliable.” Gao Baiyun had already integrated into Pinghe Village in this short time because he had traveled with everyone.
What surprised everyone the most was that this kid had a great memory; he could call out the name of anyone he met without making a mistake.
"Didn't your grandfather go out with them?" Yun Zhiming asked this because Si Cheng had promised them that when they returned, he would take them to exchange the salt for grain.
Seeing that everyone had settled down, the villagers could have divided the salt among themselves and used it to make ends meet. However, several elderly people in the village disagreed with this approach. They worried that if they exchanged too much grain, the village would feel cheated, but if they exchanged too little, the two new residents of Gaozhuang would be upset. So, they decided to take them to the city two days before the grain harvest.
Originally, Si Cheng didn't need to get involved in any of this, but he took the initiative to go to the city because he hadn't been there since the disaster and had only heard about it from people who had come from the city.
"No, my parents won't let him go out. This time, the family took two cows with them, plus my maternal grandfather's two cows, so we can definitely bring them back." Gao Baiyun answered honestly. He had wanted to go too, but he was refused, let alone his elderly grandfather.
"These cows are really good; they make going out so much easier." Yun Zhiming looked at the few cows in the village as if they were BMWs, and they were something unique to this era. "Then hurry up and take them back to process them, otherwise it will be very late for you two."
"Okay, Uncle Ming, I was just about to go back too," Gao Baiyun replied obediently.
His obedient type was exactly what the villagers liked best. Yun Zhiming squinted and picked out two palm-sized crucian carp from his own bucket and put them in Yun Zhiming's bucket.
"Take this back with you, and make some soup with your grandfather tonight."
"How can I take your fish? I caught just as many here." Gao Baiyun wanted to find the two fish in the bucket and return them.
“Take them back with you. Uncle Ming has plenty more at home. A couple of days ago, your brother Cheng and the others went to the other side of the lake to set up traps, and they had a pretty good catch. When they come back from exchanging salt this time, have him take you there to set up traps too.”
"We understand. They've already said that we'll wait for Brother Cheng to come back before we go." Because that place is quite remote and close to the mountains, if we encounter something while traveling alone, it will be too late to regret it.
Moreover, the villagers have been weaving large nets and building bamboo rafts to go to the middle of the lake to catch some fish these past two days. Life here is becoming more and more promising.
Gao Baiyun happily carried the bucket home. He knew his grandfather was still bent over, processing the small fish and shrimp he had caught earlier. He wanted to hurry home so his grandfather could rest.
Yun Zhiming continued to bend over and scoop up fish and shrimp. These were his favorite snacks to accompany his drinks. Moreover, Yun Qi hadn't prepared any of these pure, natural, and pollution-free fish in his space before, so he had to take this opportunity to catch some to take back.
"Ah Ming, I see you fishing here every day. Are you planning to eat river shrimp every day from now on?" Lu Jiafu came over with a bucket. Now he has handed over the village's chores to the younger people to take over, which has freed up a lot of time for him to help with household chores.
"You're here salvaging every day, so let's not talk about each other." Yun Zhiming didn't want to pay attention to him. This guy was a big drinker. Since the disaster, because of the shortage of alcohol, this guy had come to his side many times. Did he think he couldn't understand the roundabout way of asking about him?
"You might not know this, but this used to be my favorite snack to go with drinks. I just thought it was a rare opportunity, so I took some back to dry and keep them for later. It's just a pity that I have the snacks, but I still don't know where the drinks are." As she said this, she glanced at Yun Zhiming.
“If there’s no wine, some water will do just as well.” Yun Zhiming resolutely refused to take the bait.
"No way, brother! Look, I've already prepared some snacks to go with the drinks. I can't let my little brother have any regrets."
"Hehe∽∽"
"Stop chuckling! Give me a straight answer: did you or didn't you?"
"No, but it'll be soon." Yun Zhiming deliberately kept everyone in suspense.
"So stingy!" Lu Jiafu knew that his attempt to get the drinks had failed again, but he quickly realized, "What do you mean by 'almost there'? Did Acheng go out to find drinks this time? You should have said so earlier, I wanted to go with you."
"What are you dreaming about? I said it's coming soon, it's that we can brew our own wine."
"With food so scarce right now, who would be willing to use it for brewing wine?" Lü Jiafu said with some disappointment.
"Who told you to use grain to brew wine? Have you forgotten what our village grows the most these days?"
“Sweet potatoes.” Lü Jiafu slapped his thigh hard. “How could I not have thought of that? Back then, to keep the land from being empty, besides planting some corn and potatoes, the rest of the land was planted with sweet potatoes. If we just used some of the sweet potatoes to make sweet potato wine, no one would feel bad about it.”
"That's why I said we'll have wine soon, right? Why don't you hurry up and stock up on your snacks to go with the wine, so you don't end up with wine but no snacks to go with it?" Yun Zhiming saw that his bucket was only half full of fish and shrimp, and then gestured for him to look at his own bucket, which was almost full.
"You old rascal, aren't you? I need to hurry up and grab some, or you'll get it for nothing." Although Lü Jiafu didn't get any wine this time, Yun Zhiming's reminder made him feel that hope was just around the corner. He didn't bother chatting with him anymore and quickly grabbed his bucket to find another puddle.
"No, for brewing, do you have any yeast?" After walking a short distance, Lü Jiafu turned back and asked.
Seeing that he had finally realized what was happening, Yun Zhiming smiled and said, "I have some yeast that's fermenting to make wine starter these days. Anyone who needs it can just go to my house and get some."
"Then I'll place my order with you first. Let me know when it's ready, and I'll go pick it up." Lü Jiafu quickly settled on the yeast first.
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