When Liu Jingze and the other man returned, "Hongmei, Zhuzi and I went to cut wood, and we tied ourselves together when we got back. Even if there aren't many fish, we can still pull you two down with us."
"Hehe, I dare not sit here, I'm afraid the two of you won't be able to hold me back." You two go ahead, we'll bake some buns and boil some water, and you can eat when you come back.
Before coming up, Zhang Hongmei secretly put a drop of spiritual spring water in the ice hole, so there won't be no fish.
They cut down more than forty pieces of wood, each as thick as a wrist, tied them together with rope, and pulled them back.
Seeing that they were taking too long, Zhang Hongmei made a small pot of porridge using melted snow water. And let me tell you, the taste was definitely different—it's hard to describe, but it was delicious. In her previous life, she wouldn't have dared to use snow water.
After lunch, it was 2 PM. Liu Jingze stood up and said, "Let's go check the nets. We should go home too."
The four of them arrived at the edge of the ice hole. "Look, you can see fish here!" Er Ya shouted excitedly.
"Yeah, hurry up, we need to be careful not to repeat the last time." Zhu Zi excitedly started pulling the net up with bursts of strength, using one burst of power at a time.
Zhang Hongmei and Er Ya quickly ran ashore and grabbed the bags they had brought.
Liu Jingze was behind Zhu Zi, pulling the net behind him. These were all big fish weighing seven or eight pounds, and they looked lively and exciting.
Er Ya was in charge of picking the fish. Liu Jingze didn't let Zhang Hongmei do any work, as it was too cold and he was afraid she would catch a cold, so he just kept the bag in charge. A full bag could hold about ten large fish. When it was full, he would tear off a piece of string and tie the bag tightly.
There were twenty bags in total. "Haha, when I was a kid, I would catch more whitebait in one net than I ever caught this many. We are so lucky."
They gathered the nets together and put them in a bag. Two people worked together to carry the bag ashore.
Even though I was tired, I'm not tired now. I'm so happy, it's been a great harvest.
All the bags were stacked on the raft, and then the whole thing was tied together with rope. The tools were also placed on it. Four people each held one end. At first, they pulled on it, but when it got to a steep section, they had to hold onto it to prevent the raft from sliding too fast.
Before we even reached the foot of the mountain, we saw the villagers. Although we couldn't make out who they were, they must be from Liujiatun.
When Liu Maocai arrived and saw the four disheveled children, he almost wanted to hit them.
Da Shan's father and the others came over, took the rope, and pulled back.
"You four are really bold. There will definitely be no next time."
Er Ya was still afraid of her father, so she hid behind the pillar.
"Uncle, please keep four bags of fish for me, one bag for each of them, and the rest will go to the collective."
This was something the four of them had just discussed.
"Let's wait until we get to the cafeteria and empty the containers. I'll pick out four bags of grass carp and common carp for you."
"Okay." Most of these were reserved for gifts. One fish each for the four junior high school teachers and the principal, and another six for the senior high school teachers, making eleven in total. Huang Ying also needed at least one fish, and the leaders of the power supply bureau needed two. The driver and ticket seller each needed one fish, making sixteen in total. That would take away two bags of fish.
When Da Shan and the others come back, we'll need to eat again, right? And we'll need to make fish balls for the old lady, right?
The rest were to be made into smoked fish and taken to the capital. So four bags really weren't much.
When they arrived at the cafeteria, they untied all twenty-three bags and dumped them on the ground.
"These fish were caught by the four of them. Hongmei got four bags of grass carp and common carp, and the remaining three each got one bag. The rest went to the collective. Hongmei's four bags were for gifts in the city. You all know how many families will benefit from this."
Okay, let's get the four of them right first, then we'll pack up the rest. You four should hurry home too. Someone will bring them over in a bit.
Liu Maocai didn't even look at them properly. Zhang Hongmei lowered her head and stuck out her tongue, clearly angry.
The four of them went home, but the canteen was buzzing with discussion: "Hongmei is such a good girl, she's really good to us, she's a real gem from our village."
"Yes, even if you become successful, you still won't forget the rest of us."
"That's right, it was this girl who helped me get the job in the city, but the girls in the village still haven't found anything."
"Liu Shuxian's son, you're just being sour grapes, aren't you? It's your son's age, after all."
Everyone laughed, but since several families had no one going out to work, they felt a little uncomfortable.
Da Shan's father pushed over a cart loaded with four bags of fish, nearly fifty in total, and delivered it to Zhang Hongmei.
When Zhang Hongmei returned home, she put the furniture away and didn't dare to go directly into the space. The temperature difference was too great, and she was afraid something might go wrong. Besides, someone was coming to deliver fish later, so she thought she should freeze them in the yard first. Once they were frozen solid, she could move a large tank out and put it in the yard, so they wouldn't spoil.
Liu Jingze returned home, went inside to change his clothes, and was stopped by the old lady.
"Jingze, why are you so late?"
"We've already cast our nets today, and we expect to catch about 2,000 jin (1,000 kg) of fish."
"So many? People went to set up nets this fall, but they didn't catch a single one."
“We only set one net, just to make Hongmei happy, but I didn’t expect the net to be full of fish in just two or three hours.”
"Jingze, do you think Hongmei is really a lucky star? Is she the only one who can catch wild boars? And fish too?"
"It's hard to say, this girl is really lucky. I've met lucky people before, but very few are this lucky."
It doesn't matter anymore. Good luck is also a kind of skill, anyway, I've made up my mind.
"If you don't have the ability, I don't think you can protect her. Also, you must keep a low profile when you get to the capital."
“I know, and she knows too. She kept a very low profile during her year living in the city, except when it came to her studies.”
“She’s a thoughtful child. I can rest assured when the two of you are out there. You’re too cold-hearted, and this child is too sentimental. You two complement each other well. I just don’t know if you’ll be lucky enough to have that blessing.”
"Heh, how can you let someone else take what's in your own bowl?" Liu Jingze spent the rest of his life regretting his carelessness.
"I'll say it again, I won't interfere with you. I genuinely like this girl. Alright, go back and rest. You've had a long day. I reckon it's only because of this girl that you're so concerned."
"Okay, I'm going back to rest. I'll have Hongmei come over to our house tomorrow to cook fish for you."
"I just want to eat fish balls; they're the most delicious food I've ever eaten in my life."
"Hehe, Hongmei has been talking about fish balls too. Let's wait and see tomorrow."
Liu Changhe came in and glared at Liu Jingze. How could this steady kid be acting so recklessly?
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