Liu Xiaoi also comforted her, saying, "We’re all netting fish together, aren’t we? Even if you don’t catch any big ones, my Third Brother will get plenty. He’ll just give you so of his."
’But I like the ones I catch myself!’ Juhua thought.
She listened to Liu Sanshun’s advice and ran over to Zheng Changhe, telling him to be more thorough. Sure enough, they started catching a lot more.
After the group had been busy in the fields for quite so ti, Liu Sanshun called out to Uncle Zheng, saying they should head toward Tiaozi Pond.
Hearing this, Zheng Changhe pulled in his net and called for Juhua to get ready to leave.
Juhua was still bent over, scooping her sieve back and forth under the clumps of grass. She was really just treating it as a ga, but on one scoop, she unexpectedly caught sothing hard and heavy. The weight pulled her arm down, forcing her to quickly use her other hand for support.
The sieve held a large carp, over a foot long, with shimring, reddish-gold scales.
It had no intention of being trapped by the small sieve. It thrashed about wildly and almost leaped back into the field ditch.
Juhua cried out in delight. She used a hand to cover the sieve to keep it from escaping, nearly losing her balance and tumbling onto the dirt ridge.
Zheng Changhe heard her cry and rushed over. When he saw such a large carp, he bead, quickly taking the sieve from her and finally getting the fish under control.
Liu Xiaoi and Liu Sanshun hurried over as well. Seeing the carp, they were a mixture of surprise and admiration—it was a rare sight for such a big carp to have swum up into a field ditch.
Seeing Juhua’s excitent, Liu Sanshun was also in a great mood. He smiled and said to her, "How about that? Looks like your luck has turned. They say carp leap over the Dragon Gate, but who knew this one would have the misfortune to swim upstream into a field ditch, only to be caught by you. Catching a carp like this is a sign of good fortune."
A mighty fish in shallow waters, getting picked on by Juhua!
Juhua looked at the carp, both happy and worried. "Should we let it go? If it escaped from the village fishpond, don’t we have to put it back?"
Zheng Changhe also believed that catching a carp brought good luck, so there was no way he was letting it go. He waved his hands dismissively. "This fish didn’t co from the pond, it ca up from the Little Qing River. This ditch connects to the river; it’s a long way from the pond." As he spoke, he cheerfully put the fish into his creel.
Liu Sanshun added, "It’s fine. This waterway isn’t connected to that area at all, so you can take it ho without worry. There wouldn’t be a fish this big in the pond anyway. We just netted it over the New Year, so the remaining fish haven’t had ti to grow this large."
Juhua and Liu Xiaoi finally breathed a sigh of relief. They exchanged a glance, both simultaneously imagining the taste of carp stewed with pickled vegetables, and broke into laughter together.
They packed up and headed toward the area around Tiaozi Pond, where they got back to work in a few wild hollows.
Juhua was really just out to get so fresh air and have fun, so she wasn’t taking the fishing seriously. She wandered around with Liu Xiaoi, occasionally running over to Zheng Changhe and Liu Sanshun’s side to help sort the fish and shrimp for a bit.
This Liu Sanshun was a real fish fiend. He rolled his pant legs up high and waded right into the hollow, dragging his shrimp net back and forth several tis. The water grew murky, forcing the fish to dart about frantically, their backs occasionally flashing as they broke the surface.
Zheng Changhe was busy casting his shrimp net over and over, dragging it toward the bank one haul after another.
Seeing they were catching a lot, Juhua and Liu Xiaoi ca over to help. The catch here mostly consisted of crucian carp and sand gourds, along with a good number of minnows and so small, slippery-skinned fish.
Noticing the crucian carp each weighed a few taels, Juhua asked in confusion, "How are there so many wild fish here? Does nobody ever co to catch them?"
Zheng Changhe laughed. "Who has the free ti to co out just for fishing? Everyone’s busy. Even people who cast nets usually go to the Little Qing River. Only a Fish Cat like Sanshun knows where to find these wild hollows. I didn’t even know there were two of them here."
Juhua couldn’t help but laugh. In just a short ti, her dad had given Liu Sanshun two nicknas: "fish fiend" and "Fish Cat." And look at Liu Sanshun, chuckling happily, not the least bit offended.
But Liu Xiaoi said, "Uncle Zheng, you’re mistaken. *That* guy is the real Fish Cat."
They turned to look and saw Li Changxing and Li Changming approaching, one carrying a shrimp net and the other a fishing net.
Li Changxing called out from a distance, "Uncle Zheng, what brings you out netting fish today? This is a rare sight. It’d be more normal to see Qingmu out here."
’It’s all because my daughter wanted to co,’ Zheng Changhe thought.
’It’s all because I pestered Dad into coming out,’ Juhua thought.
When they got closer, the two of them set down the creels on their backs and shook out their nets, ready to get started. Li Changxing also called out to Liu Sanshun, who was in the water, "Sanshun, we’re here to steal your fish!"
Li Changxing then grinned at Juhua and Liu Xiaoi. "You two sure know how to find the fun. My cousin Yan from my Second Uncle’s family insisted on coming with , but her mom gave her a good scolding, so she couldn’t co."
Juhua saw that the creels they set down were heavy. She quickly ran over and peered inside to see that one was already half full of fish. There were big ones, but even more small ones, including quite a few crucian carp weighing a few taels each. She asked in astonishnt, "How did you catch so many? We were ssing around in that field ditch for ages and didn’t catch nearly this many crucian carp."
’So *he’s* the real "Fish Cat"!’
Liu Xiaoi pouted. "Changxing is amazing. He’s even more of a ’Fish Cat’ than my brother."
Li Changxing let out a laugh when he heard that. "’Fish Cat’? Who ca up with that na? The two of us just picked up a bunch of crucian carp in the seedling fields."
Zheng Changhe asked in disbelief, "There are crucian carp in the seedling fields?"
Li Changxing laughed. "Once the water recedes from the seedling fields, any fish that swam in get stranded. As long as you spot them, they’re a piece of cake to catch. If you don’t believe , go check your own family’s fields. I guarantee you’ll find plenty. It’s best to stick to your own, though. If you go trampling all over soone else’s paddy, they’re bound to get into a fight with you, right? We just searched our own fields once and caught several. We’re thinking of going back for a more thorough search when the water gets even shallower."
(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welco to co to Qidian to vote for recomndations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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