When Feng Ye arrived at Xiao Guowen's house, the two Xiao brothers were catching chickens, and A-Can had not yet arrived.
The two chased a flock of chickens all over the yard, making them sweat profusely, but they couldn't catch a single one.
Upon seeing Feng Ye arrive, Xiao Guowen hurriedly said, "Ah Ye, come and help quickly."
Feng Ye mocked, "You guys are so useless, you can't even catch a chicken."
"Don't just talk the talk, walk the walk. I want to see how capable you really are."
"Which one should we catch?"
"That one, that big rooster."
Xiao Guowen pointed to a large rooster with brightly colored feathers, which was pacing cautiously.
Feng Ye went around to the back of the rooster and quietly walked forward.
Before we even got close, the rooster crowed loudly and flapped its wings as it trotted away.
"Holy crap, they're so vigilant!"
"Ah Ye, you're no good."
"How can a man be incapable?"
Before the rooster had gone far, Feng Ye quickly chased after it.
The rooster flapped its wings and suddenly stopped, causing Feng Ye to overshoot the target.
Feng Ye was furious and turned around to chase after the rooster.
After another chaotic scene, the rooster finally couldn't escape and was caught by Feng Ye.
"Run, go ahead and run!"
With a joyful expression, he grabbed the rooster's wings and flicked it on the head a few times.
"Give me the chicken, and go sit down for a while."
"No, it has been playing me for so long, I want revenge, I'll kill it."
As he spoke, he deftly grabbed the rooster's head with one hand and plucked a small piece of feather from its neck with the other, exposing the rooster's neck.
Xiao Guowu placed the bowl he had taken from the kitchen on the ground, handed over the cleaver, and then grabbed the rooster's feet and wings, lifting it upside down.
Feng Ye grabbed the rooster by the neck and slashed it with a sharp cleaver.
The rooster struggled desperately, but to no avail; its blood spurted into the bowl.
Once the chicken blood had drained completely, Feng Ye let go and handed it over to the Xiao brothers to clean up, while he went to the main room to wait for dinner.
Soon after, Ah-Can arrived.
The two of them were chatting and joking around in the main room.
After the Xiao brothers prepared the chicken and handed it to Xiao Guowen's wife to cook, they also came to the main room.
While waiting for the food to be ready, the four of them started playing mahjong.
They don't play big games; a regular hand is worth only one cent, and the highest winning hand is only 32 times. The only chance to win 33 times is when the dealer discards the winning tile.
It's just a little gambling for fun, a way to pass the time.
Moreover, those who win money don't actually pocket it; they spend it on food and drinks, eating and drinking together until it's all gone.
Perhaps all his luck was tied to the fish he caught, because Feng Ye hadn't won a single fish by the time Sister Wen called him for dinner.
It's like his unlucky grandmother opened the door for even more bad luck; he's had the worst luck imaginable.
Feng Ye pushed the cards away: "I'm not playing anymore, let's eat."
This hand is infuriating. We've been drawing cards for several rounds, and Ah-Can is ready to win, but he hasn't managed to get a single card to complete it.
Xiao Guowen said with amusement, "If you don't want to play, then don't. You guys put away the cards and I'll go get the dishes."
That's the good thing about being by the sea; you don't need to go to the market to cook a whole table of dishes.
Sister-in-law Wen prepared six dishes and a soup: mantis shrimp and razor clams, both boiled; steamed black sea bream; stir-fried sandworms with scallions; mackerel balls; sea snails, perfect for pairing with alcohol; and a chicken soup.
Xiao Guowen took out a bottle of baijiu and poured a glass for each person.
"This drink is to thank Ah Ye for bringing us wealth. Let's drink to that first."
Xiao Guowen raised his glass.
"Thank you, Brother Ye, for helping us make a fortune."
"Thank you, Brother Ye, for helping us make a fortune."
"Damn, drinking baijiu on an empty stomach? Are you guys afraid you won't get drunk fast enough?"
Feng Ye remained silent, but still raised his glass, clinked glasses with his, and took a small sip.
"Ah Ye, are you raising fish?"
Seeing that Feng Ye's glass of wine was almost empty while he had downed his own in one gulp, Xiao Guowen was displeased.
"You bunch of animals."
Seeing that all three of their wine glasses were empty, and even Sister Wen had drunk one with them, Feng Ye had no choice but to down his drink in one gulp.
Just as Xiao Guowen was about to refill his glass, Feng Ye quickly covered the glass and said, "Let's make it clear first, I can refill your glass, but you can drink however you want, and I can't urge you to drink."
He likes to drink casually and doesn't like being urged to drink.
Xiao Guowen knew this too; the group of them spent more time together than at home, and they always went together wherever they went.
So he said, "Okay, okay, whatever makes you happy."
"That's more like it."
Feng Ye then put down his wine glass, picked up a mantis shrimp, and as soon as he removed the head, he noticed the red roe. He asked, "Did you buy this mantis shrimp or dig it up?"
"I bought it. Where else could I find so much?"
"Small in size, but quite plump, and it even has red roe. How much is it per pound?"
"One dollar and fifty cents."
"ah?"
He almost said, "It's so cheap."
He is used to prices decades from now, and often feels confused when faced with current prices.
But after thinking about it carefully, it seems that this is the price in this era.
Even in later generations, mantis shrimp were not very expensive. If you didn't pick and choose them, they would only cost a little over ten yuan. But if you sorted them, the price difference would be huge. Small ones would cost a few yuan, while large ones could sell for more than thirty yuan.
However, this is the price paid at the dock; there is no such price on the market.
The difference between the purchase price and the market selling price is quite large.
"I choose the ones that cost 1.5 yuan, not the ones that cost 1.2 yuan. I only choose the ones that look like they have ointment."
Before mantis shrimp fully matures, a gelatinous substance, known as mantis shrimp roe, will appear inside its body, which is the most delicious part of the mantis shrimp.
After maturing, the gelatinous substance in female shrimp eventually develops into eggs, which are yellow or red, while the gelatinous substance in male shrimp is white.
Today is April 14th in the lunar calendar, May 8th in the Gregorian calendar. It is the breeding season for mantis shrimp, and also the time when mantis shrimp are at their fattest and most delicious.
"You have a good eye!"
The others also picked up a mantis shrimp, and when they peeled it open, they found that it really did contain shrimp roe.
Xiao Guowen chuckled, "Hehe, Uncle Fa saw how well I picked the goods and wanted to stop me from choosing. I told him that if he didn't let me choose, I would tell A-Ye not to sell his goods here anymore, and that's when he gave up."
Feng Ye chuckled and said, "It's like a fox borrowing the tiger's might."
"After I told Uncle Fa, he absolutely refused to accept the money. I just threw it at him and left. I wasn't going to be tricked by his little favors."
"That's right. People are bound to be obliged to those who take their money and eat their food; these unscrupulous merchants won't do anything without a profit."
"Yes, a shrewd businessman."
"Hahaha."
"Come on, let's drink."
"Damn it, didn't I tell you not to try to persuade me?"
Feng Ye was furious.
"I forgot."
...
The meal lasted for more than an hour before it ended, leaving the table in a mess of cups and plates.
Because Feng Ye controlled the amount, the other three people didn't get drunk either.
In the afternoon, when the sun was high and the tide was coming in, the four men, having nothing else to do, took out their mahjong set and played for the whole afternoon.
We ate dinner at Xiao Guowen's place again, but A-Can paid for the groceries.
To be precise, it was the money that the other three lost to Ah-chan.
Ah Chan is the only winner.
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