Cheng Ying chuckled, looking at Chi Wu. This boy had been led astray by her guidance since childhood. While other kids were playing with mud, Chi Wu was already figuring out how to pick fruit to fill his stomach. He rarely got this boisterous when playing with others. It was rare to see him competing so fiercely over something.

Chi Wu looked at Cheng Ying. "Let's find some people to help us catch fish, just like that year? It's almost New Year's, and this would stock up our dishes."

Cheng Ming scoffed. "How many people do you think we need? Heavens, do you even know how wide the river is? Do you know what a massive undertaking this is?"

Chi Wu declared, "I'll go find the nets from the Village Chief; he's meticulous, he must have kept them somewhere."

Cheng Ying burst out laughing. "Even if he kept them, they'd probably be ruined by now. You're being dense."

Chi Wu glanced at his wife. Since his Yingzi rarely asked for anything frivolous, he stated with great confidence, "If the village doesn't have any, I'll buy them. You all just find the people."

That was quite a bold promise. Such a huge net would cost at least a hundred yuan. Back then, for families living frugally, that money could buy so much fish already; why bother with all this difficult labor? Indeed, they weren't operating on the same wavelength as others. But Wu Zi was doing this for fun, for the sake of bringing a smile to his wife's face.

Cheng Ming couldn't back down either. "Fine, I'll go find the people, you go get the equipment."

With that, he left with a troop of lunkheads. I’m a local; I should be able to rally a group of people. They heard Cheng Ming calling out as he left, "Brothers, no matter what, don't let me down. Even if we have to drag them, drag people over here. When we actually haul in fish, every single one of us gets one, absolutely no problem. The more the merrier!"

Cheng Ying thought to herself, Two prodigal rascals. How are they ever going to manage a household? Wait till Grandma finds out; she’ll probably chase them around with a broomstick.

Chi Wu didn't waste time talking. If he couldn't secure the net, he'd be the one losing face. He grabbed his wife and headed straight for the Village Chief’s house. The Chief was quite pleased to hear about the fish catching. "It's been so many years since we had such excitement. With no one stirring things up in this river, the fish and shrimp population has settled down. Who knows how big they've gotten! I’ll go check for you. It’s fine. I always dredge things out around this time of year to dry them; they should still be usable."

Chi Wu was ecstatic. Spending money was a minor issue; he was just afraid he wouldn't be able to buy anything later.

Cheng Ying and Chi Wu retrieved the large net from the village storehouse. They stared at it, somewhat dumbfounded. This was not something just two people could manage.

Just as they were worrying, Cheng Ming swaggered into the production brigade office. They heard the village loudspeaker blaring, "Tomorrow, the village will be netting fish. Anyone willing to participate, sign up at Cheng Ming’s house. Everyone who goes will get a share. Adults, keep an eye on your children; keep them off the ice surface." This announcement was repeated several times.

Cheng Ying thought, This is one way to do it: He really took it to heart. But that voice on the loudspeaker is terrible.

Chi Wu shrugged. "As long as we can have fun and eat fish, that’s enough. Let him worry about the rest."

Cheng Ying imagined that, with the weather like this, every household would have someone available tomorrow. It would surely be as lively as the crowds back in the day. Cheng Ming was certainly dedicated to this endeavor.

Since Chi Wu and Cheng Ying couldn't move such a heavy fishing net, when they returned home that evening, Chi Wu cooked a massive pot—provisions prepared for the next day. Before long, Cheng Ming swaggered in, puffing out his chest. "Well? Watch this tomorrow!"

Chi Wu replied, "The net is fine, but tomorrow we’ll need to find a mule cart to move it. We’ll need a few strong lads to go along; the net is too big."

Cheng Ming boasted, "Don't worry, I have plenty of manpower. Who am I? With just one shout from me, most of the village will be waiting on the riverbank tomorrow."

Cheng Ying couldn't resist teasing him. "Waiting on the riverbank to watch the fun, you mean?"

Cheng Ming frowned. "What are you saying? Don't deflate my morale!"

Cheng Ying insisted, "Tomorrow, we need to assign people to watch the ice-breaking area. We absolutely cannot let the children near it. If anything happens, we won't be able to explain it."

Cheng Ming considered. "Hmm, how about I ask Dunzi and the others to keep watch?"

Cheng Ying gave him a dark look. "Do you think Dunzi alone can be relied upon? He's still a kid. His head is stuffed with straw."

Chi Wu turned away, thinking, See? That’s what happens when you get cocky.

Cheng Ying pressed on. "We should at least beg a few elders to watch over things. Have you forgotten what happened to me back then?"

Cheng Ming conceded. "I know, I’ll go find people after dinner."

Cheng Ying thought Cheng Ming's brain was made of tofu dregs. She stopped bothering with his dinner, wondering where it all went. "Go back to your own house to eat."

Cheng Ming sputtered, "How can you say that? I’m your own brother!"

Cheng Ying watched Cheng Ming vigorously press rice onto his bowl and thought, With your habit of eating three full meals a day without fail, I haven't just gained a brother; I’ve adopted a son.

Chi Wu stepped in. "How about I go talk to the Village Chief? It's supposed to be a lively event; let us young ones have our fun, and have the older folks give us some guidance and maybe watch the broken ice. Plus, with the Chief there for the fish distribution, it’ll be less likely for conflicts to arise."

Cheng Ying pointed at Cheng Ming for a teachable moment. "See that? Thinking things through carefully—how can you call yourself an older brother? Are your considerations as comprehensive as his? All talk and no action."

Cheng Ming retorted, "Do you see hair on his lips?"

Cheng Ying countered, "As long as he has consideration in his heart, that’s enough."

Cheng Ming swallowed his mouthful of rice. "I won't argue with you two conspirators. You gang up on me; what good will come of it? I’m going out to find people."

He left, not forgetting to shoot them a glare over his shoulder.

Cheng Ying ordered, "You clean up this table; it’s your turn." Cheng Ming was already long gone.

Chi Wu started cleaning, and Cheng Ying helped him finish before they finally settled down. Chi Wu pondered the complicated tasks for the next day and performed a self-critique. Perhaps, just to make his wife happy for a moment, he had set the stage too broadly. He resolved to talk seriously with the Village Chief; for such a large-scale activity, safety had to be prioritized, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

The two of them woke up before 3 AM. Cheng Ming was already outside, noisily organizing things.

Cheng Ying groaned. "Is this supposed to be fun, or are we asking for trouble?"

Chi Wu dared not utter a sound; he hadn't realized it would be this exhausting.

A large group of young men outside were already harnessing the mule carts, having secured the net.

Chi Wu felt protective of his wife. "Do we really have to be up this early?"

Cheng Ming scoffed. "This is still early! The Chief and the others have already been at the riverbank for ages. Hurry up, you two!"

When they reached the riverbank, Cheng Ying was stunned. She saw a long line illuminated by firelight. "What kind of spectacle is this? How many people have come?"

Cheng Ming preened. "Every man in the village who was home came out! It’s been years since we’ve done fish netting like this. Everyone wants a chance to try their hand. See? My influence isn't just ordinary!"

Cheng Ying mingled with the crowd but had nothing to contribute; this was all heavy labor.

As daylight broke, streams of women began arriving at the riverbank, each carrying food—deliveries for their own family members. Cheng Ying felt a slight return of the old atmosphere. Her Second Uncle’s wife called out, "Oh, you two, come over and eat with us!"

Chi Wu and Cheng Ying felt awkward pulling out the dry rations they had brought; all the delicious food had gone cold after sitting for half the night. They ate with Second Uncle's group. Once most of the villagers arrived, groups of children gathered on the bank. Chi Wu grabbed the loudspeaker. "Everyone, keep a tight watch on your own children! You are responsible for your own kids!"

Cheng Ming felt Chi Wu’s tone lacked authority, so he snatched the speaker. "You are responsible for your own kids! Water and fire are merciless; if something happens, there'll be no place left to cry!"

Only then did they begin casting the net, which took until past ten o'clock to set properly. Cheng Ying followed a large group downstream to drive the fish. The scene was truly lively. The children were led away by designated adults, and only the Village Chief and a few old men remained by the broken ice to keep watch, ready to chase away any disobedient children who tried to approach.

Cheng Ming, the unlucky scamp, created an enormous commotion. As he moved upriver, Cheng Ming actually had someone follow him setting off firecrackers as they walked! What a reckless brat to stir up such a fuss in a village! Cheng Ying reflected that this was only possible in this era; in a few years, even if you used a loudspeaker or went door-to-door, people might not bother coming out. People’s sense of community would become so much colder then.

When they started hauling the net around three in the afternoon, it was the critical moment. Back then, Cheng Ying had never witnessed the net-hauling scene. Now, she was quite happy to watch it.

Chi Wu commented, "What do you think? I didn't see the haul back then either; you scared me off."

Cheng Ying replied, "Should we bring that up?" How could she forget nearly losing a life over a single fish? It was genuinely embarrassing—was she that greedy? Fortunately, only Chi Wu and she knew the real reason; everyone else assumed it was just the children being playful.

Chi Wu said, "What does it matter? Let's just watch."

The Village Chief’s mouth was split in a wide grin. "My goodness, I haven't seen this many fish in decades! If we let them grow for a few more years, it would be an absolute bumper harvest!"

Cheng Ming, clearly not done having fun, suggested, "How about we cast another net later and haul it in tonight?"

The Chief shook his head. "The river will freeze over soon. Don't cause trouble. With what we have here, every household will get twenty pounds or more; that’s enough to eat."

Cheng Ying estimated there was even more than that. Two mule carts were already loaded, and there was still plenty left in the net. If we organized a fishing crew, how much money could we make? However, Cheng Ying truly looked down on that petty sum now. Besides, the river needed time to recover its stock.

After the Chief distributed the fish to every household that evening, a full cartload remained. The rest was left to Cheng Ming's discretion. He sent a twenty-plus-pound fish to the Chief's house as thanks for their efforts, and the young men who worked so hard received an extra couple of fish each. The rest went to Chi Wu and his group, after all, Chi Wu had paid for the food and supplies for the entire day.

By the end of the day, Chi Wu and Cheng Ying were completely exhausted. They now had over two hundred pounds of fish at home. How are we going to eat all this?

Chi Wu sighed. "If the road were easy to travel, we could take some over to Grandma." He never forgot to think of the old woman, regardless of the situation. That was a good habit.

Cheng Ying agreed. "Yes, we'll bury some in the snow and take it back to Grandma later."

Chi Wu looked at Cheng Ying. "Are you tired?"

Cheng Ying smiled. "It was quite fun."

Chi Wu, who had been shouting on the ice all day, had lost his voice. "It would have been better to be a laborer; this job is too much worrying. Look at how little fish we get after all this effort. What are we doing this for?"

ps: End of the month, asking for pink tickets for the third update. (.)RU

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