60s: I have a store

Chapter 561 The beginning of the game

Soon Zhou Dazhu's story spread throughout Zhoujiazhuang, and many people did not expect that this could be done.

I was thinking I should give it a try tonight.

After Zhou Yimin learned about this, he was also shocked. You know, nowadays is not like in later generations, where staying up all night is a very common thing. People nowadays basically go to bed early and get up early.

This matter eventually reached the ears of the old branch secretary, who was immediately furious. The original intention of holding this competition was to allow the villagers to have a good rest.

In my current condition, not only can I not get a good rest, it will probably affect my physical health.

The old branch secretary knew that if it was not stopped, if all the participants in the competition were like Zhou Dazhui, there would be no need to hold the competition.

A notice was immediately issued: "From today on, fishing at night can only be done until eight o'clock at the latest. If you fish after eight o'clock, you will be disqualified from participating in the competition!"

Although the people in Zhoujiazhuang had some objections, they also knew that the old branch secretary did this for everyone's sake, so they did not object.

Everyone could only watch the time while fishing, fearing that they would exceed the time limit if they were not careful, and then be disqualified, which would be troublesome.

The old branch secretary could only come to the river at eight o'clock, and if he saw anyone still there, he would send them back to sleep.

Soon the day of the competition arrived.

Early this morning, Zhoujiazhuang was awakened by the crowing of roosters.

The waning moon was still hanging in the western sky, and the clinking of swaying bamboo baskets and the crisp sound of bamboo poles colliding could be heard on the village road.

Xiulan started cooking before dawn and filled Erzhu's enamel pot with freshly baked scallion pancakes: "Eat less and save your stomach. You won the first place, and we will make fish soup at home!"

Erzhu bit the cake and picked up the shiny jujube wood fishing rod. The earthworms in the fish basket at his waist were still twisting.

The riverside of Zhoujiazhuang was already packed with people.

The old branch secretary, wearing a faded blue cloth armband, stood on a makeshift wooden platform, his tin trumpet gleaming coldly in the morning light.

Below the stage, Zhou Dazhui was holding a homemade bamboo pole, and the goose feather buoy tied to the tip of the pole was trembling slightly.

Xie Yumei brought Xiaobao into the crowd. Xiaobao held a tree branch as a fishing rod and imitated the adults in casting the rod.

Everyone in Zhoujiazhuang couldn't help but laugh when they saw this scene. Although there was no age limit for this competition, generally only adults could participate!

"Listen up!" The old branch secretary's voice shook the loudspeaker. "The competition lasts four hours, and the ranking is based on weight! Anyone who changes fishing spots or uses fishing nets without permission will be disqualified!"

He glanced around and his eyes fell on a few young people playing and laughing. "Let's draw lots to decide the fishing spot. Three, two, one - start!"

The old branch secretary had no choice. If it wasn't arranged this way, when the game was over, many people would probably say it was unfair and demand a rematch.

Before he finished speaking, the crowd suddenly became excited.

Erzhu was quick-witted and quick-handed. He grabbed the third position near the reeds and deftly scattered some of the leftover food from last night into the water.

Zhou Zhiming squatted at position five and took out a ball of homemade bait from a cloth bag. The aroma of red yeast rice mixed with wheat bran attracted the attention of others.

Zhou Dazhui was panicked. Looking at the crooked fishhook, he fumbled to hang the earthworm on the line. As a result, the earthworm broke into two pieces, causing Xiaobao to giggle.

Zhou Yimin stood next to the referee's seat and looked at the lively scene.

My hands suddenly felt itchy, so I decided to go and fish a few times!
As soon as Zhou Yimin picked up the fishing rod, the old branch secretary came over and asked, "Yimin, what are you doing?"

He was originally busy with other things, but when he saw Zhou Yimin pick up the fishing rod out of the corner of his eye, he immediately had a bad idea. If Zhou Yimin failed, the rest of the villagers would have no choice but to compete for second place.

It’s not that Zhou Yimin’s fishing skills are very good, but Zhou Yimin has the bait in his hand, and the old branch secretary has also experienced the power of this bait.

Just like fishing with earthworms, it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a dimensionality reduction attack.

Zhou Yimin saw the old secretary's worry and said, "Old secretary, don't worry, I won't participate in the competition. I just feel a little itchy and want to go fishing!"

After hearing this, the old branch secretary finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he didn't participate in the competition, it would be fine.

Zhou Yimin chose a slightly remote corner to avoid the hustle and bustle of the crowd, which could be said to kill two birds with one stone.

Firstly, you don’t have to worry about affecting other contestants, and secondly, you can satisfy your desire to do it.

The reeds on the shore were half a person's height, and the leaves rustled in the wind, occasionally sweeping across Zhou Yimin's neck, bringing a slight itch and a hint of coolness to this hot summer.

The soil under my feet had been hardened by the sun, but it still retained some moisture from the early morning, and it sank slightly when I stepped on it.

Zhou Yimin squatted down and gently unrolled the fishing line.

The spool makes a subtle "click" sound as it turns, which is particularly clear on this riverside full of laughter.

He took out a ball of homemade bait from the cloth bag he carried with him. The sweet aroma of wheat bran mixed with brown sugar and the fishy smell of river water filled the air.

Pinch the bait with your fingers and rub it repeatedly until it is soft and hard enough, then carefully hang it on the fishhook.

With a "whoosh", the fishing rod drew a beautiful arc, and the hook with the bait fell steadily into the water.

The buoy tapped twice, then stood on the water, swaying slightly with the ripples.

Zhou Yimin was half lying on the grass, his straw hat covering most of his face, leaving only a pair of focused eyes exposed.

The noise around gradually faded, only the sound of flowing river became clearer and clearer. The gurgling sound of water was like a soothing song, soothing out the fatigue of the past few days.

After an unknown amount of time, the buoy suddenly sank.

Zhou Yimin's hands tensed instantly, his body leaned forward, and he stared at the water intently.

The buoy bounced up suddenly again, then sank again, this time directly into the water.

He exerted force with his wrist and raised the rod suddenly. The fishing line was taut and a heavy pulling force was felt.

A splash of water exploded on the water surface, and a crucian carp sparkled silver in the sun. Its tail slapped the water surface vigorously, and the splashing water droplets fell on the back of Zhou Yimin's hand, feeling cool.

The fish was struggling in the water, but Zhou Yimin remained calm. He sometimes let out the line, sometimes reeled it in, and patiently dealt with the fish.

His movements were so skillful and smooth, as if he had become one with the fishing rod.

The reeds on the shore were blown this way and that by the wind, and the sounds of children's laughter could be heard in the distance, but the only things in his world were the fishing rod in his hand and the fish in the water.

When the fish was finally pulled ashore, Zhou Yimin looked at its fluttering gill covers and the corners of his mouth unconsciously raised.

He gently removed the hook and put the fish into the small bucket beside him.

On the other side, Zhou Zhiming took the lead and shook his wrist violently, and the fishing line stretched into a crescent shape.

"Got it!" he shouted, and a silver light flashed, and a palm-sized crucian carp was thrown onto the shore, with crystal water droplets hanging on its gills. The crowd cheered, and Zhou Dazhu slapped his thigh anxiously: "Why is my hook not moving?"

As the sun rose higher, the reed marsh gradually became lively.

There were already three carps lying in Erzhu's fish basket, their scales shining golden in the sunlight.

He waved proudly at Xiulan on the other side, only to see that Xiulan was standing on tiptoe to fan Xie Yumei - Xiaobao was squatting in the shade with a can full of tadpoles in front of him.

A scream suddenly came from the northwest corner.

Zhou Dazhui's bamboo pole bent into a bow shape, and the buoy sank suddenly into the water.

His face flushed as he desperately reeled in the line. Amidst the splashing water, a black fish weighing nearly two kilograms broke out of the water, and its tail swept the mud on the shore.

"Good job!" The old branch secretary walked over quickly with a cane, "This fish is big enough!" Zhou Dazhui wiped the mud off his face and smiled from ear to ear. A half-bitten piece of cloth was hanging on the fishing rod - it turned out to be a fish bait made from his sweat shirt.

The midday sun was like melted gold foil, scorching the reed marshes in Zhoujiazhuang.

The surface of the water was steaming with fine summer air, distorting the figures on the opposite bank into swaying shadows. Only the reeds on the shore had their leaves drooping in the heat wave, and the grayish-white backs of the leaves were occasionally lifted by the passing wind.

The sound of cicadas is overwhelming, interweaving with the occasional sound of fish leaping on the water to create a unique rhythm of summer.

The tip of Erzhu's nose was covered with sweat. He stared at the red buoy on the water surface, and his knuckles turned white from gripping the fishing rod so tightly.

The air around seemed to be frozen, with only the intermittent croaking of frogs coming from deep in the reeds.

Suddenly, the buoy sank sharply, and then quickly bounced up half a finger high, causing fine ripples on the water surface, and turning the reflected blue sky and white clouds into broken spots of light.

This subtle signal made his pupils shrink suddenly - it was a big fish testing him! He held his breath and watched the buoy sink for the second time, this time directly into the water, and a bowl-sized whirlpool suddenly exploded on the water surface, startling several dragonflies resting on the reeds.

"Got it!" Erzhu shouted loudly, his arm leaned back like a spring, and the jujube wood fishing rod bent into a full moon in an instant.

The fishing line cut through the water surface, making a sharp "buzzing" sound, startling the toads lurking on the shore, who jumped into the water with a "splash".

A silver-scaled grass carp was wagging its tail wildly underwater, and the waves it stirred up hit the thirsty mud on the shore, and the splashed mud mixed with water droplets sprinkled on Erzhu's calves.

Taking advantage of its ability in the water, the grass carp tried three times to penetrate the reeds and drive their way in. The green reeds were torn to pieces and the broken reed stalks floated on the water like scattered arrows.

Erzhu was not in a hurry. He sometimes let out the line to relieve the pressure, and sometimes suddenly pulled in the rod to drag the fish back to the open water.

This game between man and mermaid lasted for nearly ten minutes. When the grass carp was finally dragged ashore with its belly turned upside down, the crowd burst into thunderous applause.

A group of egrets from the deep reed marsh were startled and flew away. Their white wings skimmed across the hot water, drawing long ripples in the reflection.

On the other side, Zhou Dazhui's bamboo pole suddenly trembled, and the whole homemade fishing rod shook violently, causing the dry reeds piled on the shore to fall down.

He held the bamboo pole tightly, almost lying on the ground, and was unaware that his straw hat was blown away by the wind.

The sun overhead grew increasingly scorching, causing pebbles on the river beach to emit wisps of hot steam.

"Help me!" He shouted to the villagers next to him, his voice filled with tears.

Several strong men immediately stepped forward, some helped to pull the fishing line, and some used branches to clamp the bottom of the fishing rod.

A huge splash exploded on the water surface, and turbid mud surged up. A black fish weighing nearly three pounds broke out of the water, its sharp teeth flashing coldly. The mud swept up by the fish's tail covered Zhou Dazhu's face, and even the straw sandals drying on the shore were splashed with mud.

After everyone worked together to subdue the black fish, Zhou Dazhui slumped to the ground, looking at the trophy jumping around in the fish basket, and suddenly laughed out loud. The laughter startled the field mice in the reeds and they rushed into the grass nest.

As the sun sets, the competition becomes increasingly intense.

Erzhu stared at the water, and the sweat on his forehead rolled into his eyes without him bothering to wipe it off.

He quietly put a new bait on the fishhook, which was bean cake fried with sesame oil, and the aroma drifted over the water.

Suddenly, the float moved slightly. He held his breath, waited until the float was completely submerged in the water, and then he pulled up the rod!

The fishing line hummed as a grass carp with gleaming silver scales tumbled in the water, splashing water that wet the trouser legs of the people on the shore.

However, the most thrilling scene happened at the end of the game.

The scorching sun made the water surface hot, and even the small fish hiding in the shadow of the reeds.

Zhou Zhiming's fishing hook was tightly entangled by an underwater foreign object and would not move no matter how hard he pulled.

He was extremely anxious and simply took off his shoes and stepped into the knee-deep water. The mud under his feet immediately covered his ankles.

The sultry water vapor wrapped in the fishy smell of aquatic plants blew towards him. Suddenly, the tangled fishing line suddenly tightened, and he stumbled into the water, startling a large piece of duckweed.

Just as everyone was exclaiming, a catfish weighing four pounds jumped out of the water, dragging turbid water. Its mucus-covered body glowed a strange blue-gray color in the sunlight, and the splashing water carried the scent of rotten leaves.

Zhou Zhiming didn't care about choking on the water and held on to the catfish tightly. The man and the fish rolled over in the shallows, causing the fine sand on the bottom of the water to surge up, mixed with the cheers and laughter of the onlookers, and the turtles and tortoises basking in the sun on the shore were frightened and hid in the crevices of the rocks with "plop plop".

"Time's up!" The old branch secretary's loudspeaker pierced through the noise.

Some people hurriedly reeled in their fishing rods, as their fishing lines got tangled in the reeds and pulled painfully; others were still unwilling to give up and secretly threw the hooks into the water, until they saw the old branch secretary's stern gaze and gave up in disappointment.

Zhou Zhiming ran to the scale holding the last catfish he caught. The tail of the fish swept over the bucket of a kid nearby, causing a round of laughter and scolding.

The atmosphere in front of the makeshift weighing platform in the threshing yard was extremely tense.

The old accountant was calculating quickly on the abacus, while Zhou Yimin and several village cadres were busy recording the weight.

The first black fish weighed hit the scale pan hard, and the weight swayed, pointing to 1.8 jin. Zhou Dazhu stood aside, rubbing his hands, with mud still stuck in the cracks of his fingernails.

"Two pillars, three fish, five pounds and three ounces!" the recorder's voice sounded.

There were exclamations from the crowd. Xiulan covered her mouth with her hands in excitement, tears welling up in her eyes.

Erzhu scratched his head and grinned foolishly. The grass carp in the fish basket was still struggling, and the splashing water wet his trouser legs.

When Zhou Zhiming's catfish was weighed, the whole audience fell silent.

The scale bar slowly rose, and the old accountant pushed his glasses: "Three pounds and seven ounces!" Zhou Zhiming clenched his fists and a relieved smile appeared on his face. It seemed that his efforts during this period had not been in vain!

As dusk deepened, the rankings were finally announced.

The old branch secretary stood on a high place, and those whose names were called walked quickly forward.

Erzhu carried the five pounds of meat for the first place winner on his shoulders, the bright red meat strips still dripping with blood. Zhou Zhiming held the second place certificate and five yuan, his fingers repeatedly stroking the lines on the banknotes. Zhou Dazhu took the tenth place yuan and carefully put it into his chest pocket, with a smile on his lips all the time.

The afterglow dyed the threshing ground golden. Zhou Yimin watched the villagers gathered around the scoreboard and talked.

(End of this chapter)