When Er Niu mentioned how the pond fishing would proceed, he explained that they would first have to drain the pond. Once most of the water was gone, they would have to go into the pond itself to catch the fish. For that day, Da Sheng and Da Jiang would have to come, making a total of four people along with Er Niu and Old Man Qin.

Lin He didn't immediately understand how they planned to catch fish by going into the pond, and only after asking did she learn they would have to take off their shoes and wade in. Lin He figured they wouldn't have rubber boots available at this time. Jumping into the pond in such cold weather wouldn't be a quick task; she feared that by the time the fish were caught, the men would likely fall ill. However, Er Niu insisted there was no alternative; winter fishing was like this. If they didn't harvest the fish now, they wouldn't be able to stock the pond with new fish come spring, and furthermore, the fish caught now fetched the best price.

Lin He felt going into the pond was a poor method and decided she needed to devise a better solution herself. Of course, the ideal scenario would be if they could produce rubber boots and the kind of rubberized gear worn for pond harvesting in her previous life, but since they lacked any rubber material now, she had to think of something else.

Lin He recalled seeing people harvesting fish before the New Year in her childhood. They would drain the pond until only a very shallow layer of water remained, just enough to reveal the sludge below. Then, people would stand on either side of the pond, using a long net stretched across the middle. By the time they pulled it to the end, most of the fish would be corralled in the net bag, and people wouldn't get soaked, only having their shoes soiled. Since the goal this time wasn't to empty the pond entirely but just to clear space, she thought this method might work.

The material for such a net bag was available here, and her own father knew how to weave. Lin He shared this idea with Er Niu, who thought the method was excellent. His family’s pond was also long and narrow, making this approach convenient and swift. Moreover, it required fewer people, and pulling the net would avoid injuring the fish.

They decided to proceed according to Lin He’s plan. On the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Er Niu called Da Sheng and Da Jiang over, announcing that the pond preparations were complete and they were ready to fish. The family woke up early that morning because they needed to sell the fish quickly; they had to be caught early, sell some in the village, and transport the rest to the town. Freshness depended entirely on timing.

Da Sheng and Da Jiang arrived early as well, and even Lin He’s grandfather was there first thing, stating that harvesting fish was a big event. No one in the village had ever successfully raised fish, and now that Er Niu’s stock had survived, drawing fish would surely require many hands. Old Man Qin rose early to offer his assistance.

Seeing the cold weather, Lin He knew that even with the net bag method, someone would inevitably get splashed with water or mud. Lin He used a somewhat waterproof material available at the time to fashion high boots and brought them to the pond edge, anticipating they would be needed.

Arriving at the pond, much of the water had already been pumped out, leaving very little. The group wasted no time; a few men immediately grabbed the net bag and began hauling it. Er Niu, wearing the high boots, stood by the pond edge, moving to wherever assistance was needed. The men pulled toward one direction simultaneously, working from the faint light of dawn until nearly breakfast time before finally drawing the net in. They had caught quite a few fish, and the men were pleasantly surprised by the haul. The largest fish weighed about four catties, the medium ones were around three catties, and most of the catch consisted of grass carp. There were also carp and crucian carp, but fewer in number.

Er Niu, Da Sheng, and the others were overjoyed; this was the result of nearly half a year of daily, arduous labor. They hadn't been certain of success because no one in the village had ever managed this before, but seeing the fish brought genuine happiness. These fat fish, they reckoned, could fetch a good price now; fish were selling for about thirty wen per catty, meaning a four-catty fish could bring in over a hundred wen. They had caught about three hundred fish in total. If they sold well in town, the price might be even better, potentially earning close to thirty taels of silver.

The fish farming hadn't consumed much of the family's grain, with most of the expense being labor costs. They stood to net almost twenty taels clear, which was exceptionally good for an ordinary family at this time. However, Lin He felt that while the amount wasn't huge, the result was satisfying. It seemed wise to stock more fry next time; if the family had a few more ponds, earning one or two hundred taels a year would be effortless—certainly a worthwhile endeavor.

After the fish were caught, many villagers came to the pond to watch, and quite a few came to buy. When buying from the villagers, Er Niu lowered the price slightly. Fish that could sell for thirty wen per catty were sold to the villagers at twenty-five wen per catty. Though the villagers found fish slightly pricier than meat, since it was a rare, once-a-year event, indulging a little wasn't a major issue.

The villagers mainly bought the smaller fish, around two catties each, costing about fifty wen per fish. After the village sales, more than half the fish remained, mostly the larger ones. Lin He urged Er Niu and Da Jiang to quickly take them to town, expecting them to sell well there too.

Madam Huang set aside several fish; when harvesting their own pond, they certainly needed to give some away to maintain goodwill. They had to send some to her husband's family and her own family. Da Sheng and Da Jiang, who were helping, were each to receive one. Aunt Xu’s family also needed a delivery, and Old Man Qin insisted on keeping one for himself. After setting aside a few for their own consumption, the remainder were sent to town with Er Niu and the others.

Er Niu and the others sold the fish quickly once they reached the street market, all priced at thirty wen per catty. Many people bought several fish at once, and some who missed out asked if there would be any more tomorrow. Er Niu remarked happily that he hadn't expected the fish to be so popular.

That evening, they tallied the day’s earnings. After setting aside what their family kept, including the village sales, they had made about twenty-eight taels. Er Niu noted that there weren't many fish sellers in the market, and those who were selling had small fish that were already belly-up in their basins. Their family's fish were exceptionally fresh, and he was certain they would sell well even at a higher price.

Er Niu happily stated that if possible next year, he hoped they could excavate a few more ponds. A few men would be sufficient to manage them, and the initial investment wouldn't be too large. The new ponds could be about the same size, and they could stock slightly more fish, potentially yielding two harvests a year, which should bring in significant income.

Lin He agreed that if Er Niu wished to pursue it, they should. Their family's existing fields were already being managed by hired hands. The extra eight mu of land they had acquired would also be tended by the long-term laborers, leaving them with little to do. Opening a few more fish ponds seemed like a good idea. (To be continued)