"I asked Uncle Lao Gen and the others to come over after training. Did you tell Song Fuming and the others yesterday?"
"I told them to come directly when the time comes."
Song Fuming and his group helped out for several days, only asking Lu Yang to treat them to a meal on the first day. After that, they all made a point of eating in the cafeteria before coming over to help.
Time was a bit tight, so Song Qing piled all the things she bought into the main room and immediately started cooking.
Lu Yang assisted her, while An An sat on her little wooden chair, curiously watching the fish in the basin.
Not far from Yanghe Village, there is a large river. The ice on the river is still frozen solid, and the villagers nearby will break the ice to fish.
They only found out from Uncle Lao Gen that Lu Yang had ridden his bike to buy two fish at noon.
No one cared about ice fishing, and he quickly found someone to buy two big fish: a three-scaled fish weighing over four pounds and a bighead carp weighing over two pounds.
Ice fishing requires no capital; it all depends on skill. Some experienced anglers can catch quite a lot in a day, but of course, you can't catch too many.
These days, if you're just eating it yourself, nobody cares. So some people who don't know how to fish secretly go to anglers to buy it.
Lu Yang didn't want to carry the fish around conspicuously, so he found a burlap sack to put it in.
The two fish only cost three yuan, which was quite cheap for Lu Yang, but the fishmonger was still a little embarrassed and insisted on putting a lot more small fish into his sack.
"Were all those smaller ones given away as gifts? Why were so many given away?"
Song Qing also turned her head to take a look. She hadn't noticed so many small fish when she bought them at noon.
"The old man said he caught them very easily, and he would only charge for the big ones, not the small ones."
By the way, those yellowish ones are called catfish; it's good to make soup with tofu for children.
The fish called Ga Yu looks strange. Not only is it yellow, but it also has whiskers. It doesn't look like a normal fish.
"Then we'll use it to make soup in a few days."
The small fish ranged in size from two fingers long to just one finger long, and they were of different species.
Lu Yang was originally sitting under the tap with a stool and a cutting board, preparing to kill fish. When he saw that the mother and daughter were interested, he couldn't help but show off.
"This long one is called willow root fish. It's especially delicious when fried. The other one is also long, but the lighter-colored small white fish is also suitable for frying."
Those small fish must weigh at least two pounds; they weren't caught by fishing, they must have been caught by netting.
He went in the direction Uncle Lao Gen had indicated. The fishermen were initially wary, but after learning that Lu Yang was there to buy fish, they became very enthusiastic and told him the names of the fish and how to cook them.
Fortunately, the uncle wasn't distracted while he was talking, and when he caught the mother and daughter's amazed looks, Lu Yang was so excited he almost spun around.
"Let's eat the big one today and use it to make stewed fish. We can save the others for later."
The weather is cold, so the fish are all frozen and can be kept for a long time without spoiling.
"Oh dear, we forgot to return the car." They were so busy doing various things when they got back that they forgot to return the car first.
Song Qing cried out in frustration, quickly found a small iron basin, picked out five fish the size of a palm, and pushed the cart out to return it. They had borrowed the cart all day.
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"Fang-jie, are you home? We've come to return the car."
The single-story house was shared by two households, with each household having a small living room and two rooms. Some families with many children would reduce the size of the living room and divide it into three rooms.
Although there is a yard, there are also two kitchens and a toilet in the yard, so it is quite full.
Their bungalows are a little bigger than the apartments, but it's still inconvenient for two families to share a yard.
Hearing the noise, Fangjie quickly came out from inside. "Why don't you go in?"
"I still have things to do at the stove, and I'm in a hurry to get back! Sister Fang, someone gave us some fish today, so I'll bring some over for you."
"I can't accept this." Song Qing knew Fang Jie. One day, she was passing by Fang Jie's house with An An, and the two of them started chatting as soon as they met eyes.
Later, when Fangjie heard that Song Qing was going to the county's supply and marketing cooperative to buy things, she immediately told her to come and borrow a bicycle whenever she needed it.
That's how strange it is when people get along; they don't need any special opportunity to start chatting.
Song Qing didn't stand on ceremony with her. Later, she actually came over and borrowed the bicycle. When she returned it, she even brought half a pound of biscuits with her.
Fangjie really likes Song Qing. She's the kind of person who knows what's good for her and won't take advantage of others. It's very comfortable to be around her.
"Alright, no way. Who gives away something this expensive just for lending out a car?"
In the dead of winter, not only are there no fresh vegetables available at the market, but there is even less meat.
Each adult only received eight ounces of meat coupons per month, and the whole family together received just over two pounds, which was enough for only two meals.
Fish and such items are even rarer. The last time was during the Lunar New Year, when each family could get two ribbonfish according to their ration coupons.
This is a rare treat of meat; if she takes it, wouldn't she be getting a great deal?
Private individuals are not allowed to sell things now. Even Lu Yang only gained the fishmonger's trust because of Uncle Lao Gen. If you went up to him and said you wanted to buy fish, he would definitely roll his eyes and ignore you.
They live near the village, and without acquaintances, they can't buy chickens or eggs there; they can only rely on the vegetable market for their livelihood.
"Sister Fang, I have some more, please keep them and take them back for the children to eat."
Song Qing quickly handed over the iron basin; she still had to go home to cook. Fang Jie sighed as she looked at the children's eyes.
"Then I won't refuse. The kids are drooling with envy."
She pushed her bicycle in, carrying an iron basin. After emptying the fish, she quickly returned the basin, which also contained a can of bayberries.
"Sister Fang?"
"Hurry up, go home and cook. Take this can of fish back for An'an." Fangjie smiled. Not only were the children happy to have fish, but she was happy too.
"Okay, I'll go back first."
After Song Qing left, Fang Jie's four children were gathered around the five fish. "Mom, are we having fish tonight?"
The children were all afraid that their mother would put the fish away and say they would eat it in a few days.
"They were eating like gluttons, their mouths watering."
"Should we eat them all, or just two?"
"Eat them all."
"Great!" the children cheered. It was time to cook, and they urged their mother to hurry up and start cooking.
The children living with Fangjie were also drooling, and ran back to their families to beg for fish. The adults came out and looked from the yard into Fangjie's kitchen.
"Where did you get the fish? There's no fish at the market today."
“It was given to us by Xiao Song. Someone else gave it to her, but she insisted on sending a few to our family.”
The family swallowed enviously; who wouldn't want to eat fish!
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