You should start fishing early.
These are Uncle Ge's exact words to the six people after they decided to sell off all their savings.
At one o'clock in the morning, Uncle Ge began to drain the selected pond. Around five-thirty, he drove the village chief's tricycle to the wooden building to pick up people.
The group put on their waders, quickly got into the car, and then all slumped over their knees and dozed off.
The moonlight was sparse, and there was no light in the sky. The headlights pierced through the thick darkness, and the car bumped along the road toward the pond at the east entrance of the village.
As six o'clock approached, Uncle Ge woke the group up:
"The pond is no more than waist-deep. If you go down and pull the net now, you can catch all the fish in the pond in less than three hours. The vendors will come on their motorcycles to collect the fish at 8:30. You can go back and take a nap."
Compared to the village chief's urging and scolding, Uncle Ge's kind advice was much more pleasing to the ear.
The streetlights illuminated the surrounding night, and the ponds stretched to the endless horizon.
After the morning mist dissipated, the six men split up to pull in their nets, preparing to go into the water to catch fish.
Yu Xiangwan asked worriedly, "Uncle Ge, could there be water snakes in this pond?"
"Not necessarily."
Uncle Ge said cheerfully, "My water pump has been running all night. Even if there are water snakes, they've been scared away. Don't be afraid, my two young ladies."
Yan Jie walked around the pond and returned, assigning tasks as follows:
"When we go fishing later, we'll cast the net from the east, pull it together towards that telephone pole, and then close it to collect the fish."
"Chu Yang and I will walk on the left, Shen Yingyu and Xie Wanyi will walk on the right, and we will pull the net forward together. Xi Mei and Wanwan will follow behind and slowly pull the bottom of the net."
Everyone agreed on this division of labor.
Yan Jie and Shen Yingyu went into the water first, pulling the fishing net forward one on each side, followed by Chu Yang and Xie Wanyi, who pulled the side net back in.
Jiang Hexi followed closely behind and went into the water. She clung desperately to the bottom net, but when she stepped into the mud, her legs became stuck and she couldn't pull them out. Her waist was submerged in the water, and the icy chill quickly enveloped her.
She stood by the dark water plants, gazing at the vast expanse of water, her heart pounding with panic.
Yan Jie turned and glanced at her: "Xi-mei, keep up and don't fall behind."
Jiang Hexi gripped the bottom of the net and said, "I...I understand."
"Those holding nets on both sides, walk forward with big strides. When you're halfway through, remember to raise the nets to prevent grass carp from flying out of the mesh."
Uncle Ge walked along the pond, directing them to haul in the nets, saying, "Xi-mei, you're lagging behind. Hurry up and catch up."
Jiang Hexi pulled on the bottom net and hurried forward, wanting to keep up with the group. However, when she stepped into the mud, it went up to her knees. With her heavy legs, she couldn't walk fast no matter what.
Yan Jie and Chu Yang walked across half of the pond, where flying fish could be seen frequently hitting the raised fishing net.
But then the two of them stopped.
Yan Jie pulled the fishing net up and handed it to Chu Yang to hold high. He told Chu Yang to stand there and wait, then turned around and walked back, stumbling towards Jiang Hexi.
"Give me the net, can you walk forward by yourself?"
"Can."
Jiang Hexi handed him the bottom net, and with a strong pull of both hands, he pulled his left leg out of the mud.
Yan Jie watched as she was pulled out of the water, legs and mud alike, like a radish being pulled up. Her clear eyes were full of innocent bewilderment. He said helplessly:
"Follow in my footsteps."
"oh."
Jiang Hexi followed closely behind. His legs were strong and his feet were particularly broad. She followed the "footprints" and, freed from the mud, soon reached the middle of the pond.
Chu Yang pointed excitedly at the flying fish darting around in the net:
"Sister, there are so many fish, definitely more than 200 pounds. We've made a fortune this time."
Jiang Hexi said with hopeful eyes, "We'll know when the net is closed."
This time she was smarter. She followed the footprints left by the two people and took this "shortcut" to keep up with the group. She was no longer left behind.
As dawn broke, the six men successfully completed their operation.
They stood covered in mud in the sewage, each of them slightly panting, while behind them, a net held nearly three hundred free-range fish.
The flying fish desperately crashed into the mesh of the net, splashing water everywhere.
Many office workers were rushing along the road when they unanimously clicked into the live stream and witnessed this extremely rare scene.
[These second-generation rich kids seem to be getting worse with each passing year. Being chased by a "fighting rooster" was bad enough, but this time they got covered in mud while fishing! I almost didn't recognize them!]
[Did those second-generation rich kids get up before dawn to cast their nets? Are they still hungry by now?]
[The person upstairs is right. You know, they're the rich kids from top-tier luxury families. Seeing them all looking so disheveled, while I'm rushing to work on the subway, I suddenly feel better.]
Jiang Hexi can finally throw away the bottom net.
Exhausted, she stood in the sewage for a long time, and the mud submerged her thighs. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pull her legs out of the mud!
Yan Jie turned around and saw her predicament: "What's wrong? Can't you get out?"
"I'm out of strength," Jiang Hexi said with difficulty, pulling her leg out. "I can't pull it out no matter what I do."
Yan Jie handed the net to Uncle Ge and waded towards her; the sewage had already reached her abdomen.
"The silt hasn't gone any further?"
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