Chapter 10: Nothing Is More Blissful Than a Good Meal

With one sweep of the net, they pulled out seven or eight fish—crucian carp, common carp, and Li Long’s favorites: a pike and a large yellow perch. Together, they weighed about three or four kilograms.

Li Long tossed the fish onto the ice, turned to another angle, and swept again. This time, he caught four more, the heaviest being a carp just under a kilogram.

“My turn, let me have a go!” Tao Daqiang pleaded.

“Sure, go ahead!” Li Long handed him the net and climbed onto the ice. The fish they had already caught were freezing solid.

Daqiang took the net with excitement, trotted over to the second hole, and stepped onto the ice ledge.

“Daqiang, watch your footing! That water is at least two or three meters deep; if you fall in, we won’t be able to get you out,” Li Long warned. “Stay steady!”

“I got it.” Daqiang paused, stamped his feet firmly on the ice to test his balance, and then bent down to dip the net into the water.

Li Long stood by the fire, warming his hands while keeping a close eye on Daqiang. The fire scorched his chest while the wind bit his back, but he didn’t mind. Once his hands were warm, he picked up a reed, threaded it through the gill covers of the frozen fish, and exited through the mouths, stringing them into bundles of ten.

“Splash!”

Daqiang yanked the net up and dumped its contents onto the ice. Amidst the shards of ice were five or six thrashing fish. They struggled for a few moments, but the freezing air quickly sapped their energy, and they stiffened into the ice.

Li Long strung these up as well. Among them was another large yellow perch—nearly three kilograms. These predators were firm, meaty, and delicious when stewed. Li Long knew these perch and pikes would vanish from the lake in a few years, not returning until the water quality improved decades later.

He happily strung them up and said to Daqiang, “Nice work, Daqiang! This perch alone could fetch at least two yuan in the county town!”

“Really?” Daqiang was stunned, pausing mid-sweep. “It can sell for that much?”

At the time, pork was only 1.6–1.7 yuan per kilogram, and mutton was 1.2 yuan. Most people sold fish in the summer for a mere 20 or 30 cents a kilogram, but demand was low because few had the money or the know-how to cook them.

“Of course,” Li Long laughed. “Think about it: it’s the middle of winter, New Year is coming up—don’t you think city folks would pay a premium for fresh fish?”

“Then, Brother Long, how about we catch fish to sell in the county? We could make a lot!”

“It’s risky and miserable work,” Li Long shook his head. “It’s minus thirty degrees. We don’t have a vehicle, so by the time we get to town, the fish will be frozen solid. Unless you hit it lucky and sell them all at once, you’ll be standing there for hours waiting for customers. You might freeze before you sell the lot.”

“I’m not afraid of the cold!” Daqiang insisted, eyes blazing. “I’m only afraid of being broke!”

Seeing Daqiang’s determination, Li Long considered it. “I’m going into the mountains to haul wood tomorrow. Let’s talk when I get back.”

Catching fish for sale was a game for those with tools and initiative, and very few in the team had a landing net. Most didn’t even know how to cook fish. In some parts of the country, it was common for people to be completely unfamiliar with eating fish. In their village of fifty households, fewer than five owned a net. Theirs was a DIY project Li Jianguo had stitched together from an old piece of discarded mesh.

“Going to the mountains to haul wood? Just you?” Daqiang asked.

“Yeah, just me.”

“Then I’m coming with you!” Daqiang’s eyes lit up. “I’ve never left the township. The village side-job group never brings me into the mountains; they say I’m clumsy…”

“You’ll need to dress warm,” Li Long said. Taking Daqiang along seemed fine. He hadn’t wanted his brother to go because he needed the autonomy to make his own moves, but with Daqiang, he would be the one in charge. As for the horse cart losing capacity? He’d just make an extra trip. If he dropped off some fish at the team captain’s house tonight, the man would surely grant him the use of the cart.

Everything was coming together perfectly. The two continued fishing until they had hauled in over ten kilograms. Feeling utterly drained, Li Long called it a day. “Daqiang, that’s enough. Let’s go back and eat.”

“Brother Long, just a few more nets,” Daqiang persisted. “There’s fish in every sweep; maybe there’s a monster in there!”

It was true what the elders said: there is a ‘fire’ in catching fish; as long as you’re catching them, you forget the hunger and the cold.

“No more waiting,” Li Long rejected him firmly. “Look at you—your clothes are soaked. If you stay out here any longer, you’ll end up with a severe illness!”

Daqiang finally relented, climbing off the ice. “My ears are about to fall off!” he cried, hopping in place and clutching his frozen ears as the biting cold finally caught up to him.

“You should’ve listened,” Li Long muttered, packing the tools. “Come on, let’s get to my place and get by the fire. Rub your ears with snow on the way—don’t let them get frostbitten.”

Forty minutes later, they arrived at the Li household, gasping for breath.

“Get inside!” Li Jianguo opened the door, saw them covered in a crust of ice, and ushered them in. “Drop the gear on the floor and get to the east room! The fire is going, go change!”

They rushed into the east room, stripped off their heavy coats by the fire wall, and peeled off their stiff, frozen boots. Their feet were numb. Li Long grabbed a basin of warm water, added some snow to temper it, and set it down. “Here, soak your feet. If you don’t, you’ll have chilblains tomorrow!”

They soaked their feet in silence for a few minutes before Li Long stood up and stretched. “Stay for lunch. After we rest, we’ll go back out for another round. I bet we’ll catch even more then.”

“Alright!” Daqiang nodded vigorously, eager to follow Li Long’s lead.

He had no tools, no connections, only his strength. Now that Li Long was willing to help him, he was naturally more than happy to oblige.

[End of Chapter]