My 1978 Hotel

"Don't forget the knife loaches and small fish. I'll pay for them."

Li Feng hurriedly greeted the guests. Knife loach is the main ingredient of the health banquet in the homestay. As for small miscellaneous fish, they are dried into small fish and fried with chili peppers. The taste is unique. Li Feng had eaten it once when he returned to this homestay last time, and he could not forget it.

"Don't worry, all the small fish have been caught."

Han Anmin and his friends laughed as they paddled their large wooden tubs into the water. Seven or eight of them pulled a large net with dense mesh, so the little skewers wouldn't be able to escape. "First, pull out two nets to muddy the water." Fishing in troubled waters—this is the kind of experience people have accumulated over countless generations, and it's truly useful.

The muddy water almost completely destroys the fish's vision. In addition, the muddy water reduces the oxygen in the water, and the turbid mud can even confuse the fish's gills, forcing the fish to float to the surface and breathe through their mouths. At this time, the fish is basically a lamb to be slaughtered.

Harpoons, fishing nets, and even bare hands can all be used to catch them. Li Feng and Liu Wen talked about the benefits of fishing in troubled waters, but they never expected that Li Ran and the other little brats heard it and fooled around in the puddle.

The entire puddle was almost turned into mud, and small fish and shrimps all emerged. Liu Wen, Wu Jing, Chen Long and even Li Muchen became interested.

They didn't dare go down to the center of the reservoir because the water was deep and the fish were hard to catch. But this small puddle had less water and seemed to have many fish, so it didn't seem difficult to catch them.

"You guys want to catch fish?"

"Just have some fun, since we're here."

"Then go ahead and play."

After saying that, Li Feng remembered something and whispered to the others, "Here's how, when the team catches some fish, you can come along and buy some to dry and take back to the city. You can get the money from me then."

"Why don't you say it yourself?"

Liu Wen was puzzled, and Li Muchen smiled and helped Li Feng explain. "The members of Hanjiaba don't know we're from the modern era. This is just an excuse."

"That's it."

Liu Wen understood immediately and nodded. It was not a big deal, just a matter of saying a few words.

"is that OK?"

"It's a small matter, don't worry."

Liu Wen, Wu Jing, and Chen Long nodded. This was just a matter of convenience, so the three of them nodded in agreement without thinking too much. As for Li Muchen, Li Feng didn't need to explain anything.

"Then go ahead and play. Be careful not to fall."

Although the puddle is not deep, there is still some mud. Liu Wen, who is going into the water for the first time, is likely to fall. Don't make it too ugly at that time. The most important thing is that a girl will be exposed if she is in muddy water.

"Cousin, don't worry, we will take good care of your cousin."

Chen Long said with a smile that he thought he was quite capable since he had caught fish in the water when he was a child. Wu Jing said it was a minor problem and there was no need to worry.

"Okay, I'll go over there and take a look."

Li Feng planned to play in the deep water area. He brought a harpoon with him, so there was no need to waste it. It was a good opportunity to see what the reservoir resources were like and whether there were many big fish.

"How about this net?"

When Li Feng finished explaining what was going on and went over, the net had almost reached the edge, and Li Feng walked over quickly.

"It's okay, I saw a lot."

Han Anmin grinned. The net looked quite heavy, so he thought it would catch some fish. "Come and give me a hand."

"okay."

Li Feng took the rope. Not to mention that Li Feng's strength was at least equivalent to that of an adult and a half. "Oh, it's so heavy. This net must have caught a lot of big fish."

As he was speaking, a fish had already jumped in the net. It was a big silver carp. Li Feng took a quick look and thought it must be about ten pounds, not bad.

“Is this a grass carp?”

"Quite a few."

Another one was put on. Li Feng and Han Anmin quickly put some strength on it. The others also went ashore and pulled hard. "Hey, why is it so heavy? Don't worry about the net pulling the bottom?"

"There are no tree branches under this reservoir, right?"

"I really don't know."

Han Anmin said, "I've never seen the bottom of a reservoir in my life. I've always thought it was a pond, quite deep. The old people said it led down to the mountains, and that it was Dragon King Pond."

"Longwangtan, how did it become a reservoir?"

"We built the reservoir during the period of great efforts and special efforts."

"Is that so?" Li Feng muttered. "Then what's going on down there? No one knows."

"No."

Han Anmin said, "But when they were digging the reservoir, they filled it with a lot of earth. I heard it took thousands of people over a year to do it, and filling it with earth alone took two or three months."

"Fill?"

"That's right. The old man was talking about Dragon King Pond. The officials who came down didn't believe it and said they'd fill it up," Han Anmin said. "We're materialists. Those legends aren't worth believing. Besides, even if there were a dragon, we'd have caught it and eaten it."

Wow, Li Feng gave a thumbs up, this is the hardworking Chinese, when you have no food to eat, even the gods will steam it for you, God, how many pounds of meat do you have, is it enough?

"Did they tell us what was happening down there when they were filling the soil?"

"Who would know? There was water at that time. The soil was transported to the center of the pond by boats. I heard it made quite a big noise." My goodness, this might be really connected to the underground river, but it was filled up. Strength lies in numbers.

As he spoke, a section of the fishing net had been pulled up. Li Feng was a little confused. It seemed that there were not only fish in the fishing net, but also a black thing. "What is it?"

"what?"

"Brother Anmin, this isn't a coffin lid, is it?"

An Cheng muttered beside him, "It looks like wood."

"Pull it up first."

Whether it's a coffin or not, that's not a big deal right now. Catching fish is more important. If it's a coffin, we can just take it back and burn it as firewood. It's no big deal. Everyone has seen a few dead people. Han Anmin waved his hand nonchalantly.

Li Feng was a bit surprised. He had learned a few things from Gao Jue, and this didn't look like a coffin board. It looked more like something like sunken wood, which seemed quite heavy. "Anmin, this wood doesn't look like a coffin board. I'm afraid it's some old wood that was buried in the ground and fermented."

"It's just old wood, and it's a coffin board."

Han Anmin said to the others, "Pull it up first. Be careful not to tear the net. I don't know where this thing came from. It's really weird."

The black wood wasn't very big, just over a meter long, about forty to fifty centimeters wide, and about ten centimeters thick. Li Feng knocked on it, and it made a crisp sound. "This wood is good. It's so big, it would be great for a small desk."

"If you like it, you can take it back later."

"This is not good."

Li Feng thought to himself, this thing really looks like dark wood. "How about this, I'll buy this wood for five dollars."

"five yuan?"

Han Anmin looked at Li Feng. This kid must have too much money and nowhere to spend it. "Okay, I'll get you two more big fish later."

"Move the wood aside first, and I'll help you get it back later."

Li Feng helped. Not to mention that this thing was really heavy, Li Feng was quite strong and almost couldn't move it. He was afraid that he would need to use an oxcart later. Han Anmin and others didn't care much about the black wood. It was normal for wood to be heavy in the water.

What they cared about most was the fish. Because of the wood, there were not many fish in this net, just over ten big fish and some small fish, weighing about two or three hundred kilograms.

"One more net."

Han Anmin tossed the fish aside and told An Cheng and the others to pull the nets. The first net was a little short, and there wasn't enough to share. As for the small fish and shrimp, they fell directly to the ground. Li Feng saw them and went forward to pick them up. There were not many knife loaches.

There were about one or two pounds of fish, as well as other crucian carp, meat skewers, yellow croaker, etc., of varying sizes, and a few soft-shelled turtles. This guy also grabbed them. "Turtle, do you want it?"

"Yes."

Li Feng said with a smile. "This thing is good for stewing soup. I can let my cousins take it back to the elders later."

"Sending an elder a turtle?"

Han Anmin's words made Li Feng a little stunned. "Long life."

"That's true."

Han Anmin thought, "Is it okay?" He wondered if he could get one to send to his wife's parents to wish them a long life. This was how cultured people gave gifts. Han Anmin didn't quite understand and decided to ask his wife about it.

The second net didn't catch any wood, but it did catch a lot of fish and shrimp. Li Feng picked up another two or three pounds of knife loaches. It was okay. The proportion of knife loaches in the reservoir was still quite large. After three or four consecutive nets, he caught about a thousand pounds of fish and shrimp.

"Two more nets."

Han Anmin muttered. "There aren't many fish in this water."

“It’s OK.”

Li Feng thought to himself, "You guys don't even feed the reservoir. It's good enough to produce over a thousand kilograms of fish and shrimp. How much more do you want? Don't be too greedy." He was quite satisfied. He had caught more than ten kilograms of knife loaches and almost ten turtles.

The price for a loach is 20 cents, and for a turtle, 50 cents for each one, if it's over 2 jin, and 30 cents for a small one. This is considered a high price. As for small fish and shrimp, Li Feng saw a lot of them, but he didn't say anything. He would let Li Muchen and the others bid later.

These small fish and shrimp are bought in large quantities at 10 cents per pound. I think the team is willing to buy them. As for the big fish, each family will share. If you want to sell them, you can pay 20 cents per pound. I think it won't be difficult to buy some. "So many fish?"

Just as Li Feng was picking up the knife loaches, Liu Wen, Wu Jing, Chen Long and others came over. Wow, they were all covered in mud.

"How's it going? Did you catch any fish?"

"I'm sure he caught it."

Wu Jing and Chen Long were quite proud. In fact, they did not catch as many as Han Mingfan and the other kids.

"That's good."

Li Feng took the wooden basin from Li Muchen and put the loaches and turtles in it. "Anmin, we'll weigh them later when we get back to the team."

"Whatever you want to weigh, just give me something."

"That won't work."

Li Feng waved his hand. "We still have to weigh it, otherwise Uncle Waibo's family will accuse me of taking advantage of the team."

"Okay, let's go back and weigh ourselves."

When Han Anmin thought of Han Wangshi, that aunt's mouth, forget it, it's not easy for him to get involved in this matter. On one side is an elder relative, and on the other side is Li Feng. In the matter between the two families, he actually stands on Li Feng's side.

But they lived in the same courtyard, and since he was the younger generation, it was difficult for him to interrupt, so he could only complain in his heart.

"Captain Han."

Li Muchen received Li Feng's gaze and asked with a smile, "Are these fish for sale? I want to buy some dried fish to bring back to my parents to try."

"Yes, Captain Han, we also want to get some dried fish. Can you sell some to us?"

Liu Wen and the others then remembered what Li Feng had instructed and quickly echoed Li Muchen.

Han Anmin hadn't expected this group of city dwellers to actually want to buy fish. The city was in dire need of fish and shrimp. "I'll go back and ask. We'll have to divide the fish up later."

"Okay, Captain Han, you ask."

Li Muchen seemed to think about it for a moment before saying, "If the fish is big, I'll give you 20 cents. If it's smaller, I'll give you 15 cents. If it's smaller, I'll give you 10 cents per pound. Is that okay with you?"

"20 cents for the big ones, 15 cents for the small ones, and 10 cents per pound for the miscellaneous fish?"

Han Anmin was stunned. This was a lot of money. Considering how much grain cost, people would definitely prefer grain to fish and shrimp, and they would also prefer money. "Well, come with me later, and I'll ask the captain."

In fact, Han Anmin had already agreed in his heart, but it was not easy for him to make the decision on this matter. He had to ask Ta Da's opinion. However, Han Anmin could probably guess what Han Fuguo was thinking. How could fish be fed by grain?

Besides, this fish has no oil and tastes fishy without seasoning, but it is easy to digest. It won’t fill you up, so it’s a good idea to sell it. One pound of big fish can be exchanged for several pounds of cornmeal. Only a fool would not sell it.

As they were talking, An Cheng and his companions came back with the net. There were only some loaches, knife loaches, and some small fish in the net, and there were hardly any big fish.

"almost."

Han Anmin glanced at the sun. It was almost midday, almost noon. "Fengzi, what time is it?"

"It's a little after twelve o'clock."

Li Feng raised his hand and looked at his watch. It was already past twelve o'clock. This guy had just spent the whole morning like this.

"Okay, let's pack up and go back."

There were a lot of fish and shrimps, and several large wooden basins were almost full. When they were loaded onto the ox cart, Li Feng did not forget his piece of black wood.

"Hey, why is there another piece of wood?" Liu Wen looked at Li Feng in confusion.

"It was just caught with a fishing net. I bought it for five dollars."

Li Feng said with a smile, "There are two more grass carp."

"five yuan?"

Li Muchen moved closer, touched and knocked it, showing a hint of surprise. Could this wood be sunken wood?

"Let Gao take a look when we get back."

Li Feng nodded to Li Muchen. He actually thought that this thing was it, but he was not sure. He would go back and ask Brother Gao Ju, as they should have come into contact with it.

"Okay, I'll go call some kids."

These little brats were still catching fish in a puddle, but now they had moved to a second puddle. "How's it going?"

"Did you catch any fish?"

"Caught."

Li Ran and his companions said proudly that although they either fell down and ate muddy water or couldn't catch any fish at the beginning, they were able to get the hang of it after learning from Han Mingliang for a while.

Of course, they can't compare to Han Mingliang and other little kids from Hanjiaba, but at least they can catch some fish and shrimp.

"not bad."

Li Feng said with a smile. "Bring your fish to my place later and I'll make fish soup for you."

"Mingliang, you come too."

"Uncle, I won't go."

Han Mingliang thought to himself, I caught a lot of fish, not just for a bowl of fish soup. "Uncle, do you still want this fish?"

"Yes, I did. Didn't I tell you to keep the previous price?"

As for the one dollar, he had already given it to the boy. Han Mingliang's eyes lit up when he heard it. "Uncle, wait a moment. I'll pack it up and send the fish to you."

"Okay, then hurry up."

Li Feng had to transport the wood back home first, and then handed it over to Liu Wen, Wu Jing and Chen Long to take care of.

"Cousin, just go and get busy."

Wu Jing said, "We will take good care of these guys. Not a single hair of them will be left unharmed."

"Okay, I'll go back first. Don't forget to go to the brigade to buy fish later."

"Can't forget."

Li Feng and Li Muchen followed the oxcart back to the brigade. At the intersection, they unloaded the wood, tied it with a straw rope, and dragged it back home. "This thing is really heavy." Li Feng and Li Muchen took a lot of effort to finally get it into the yard.

"Rinse it with water when you have time."

I don't have time now. I have to go to the brigade first. Otherwise, everyone will divide the fish and take them home to stew them. It will be too late to collect the fish then.

On the brigade side, Han Anmin, An Yu, An Cheng and others pulled a cart of fish and shrimp back. Wow, all the men, women, children and the elderly who had just finished work came to watch the fun.

"It's time to divide the fish."

The children, in particular, were happily shouting for the distribution of fish. They still remembered the grand scene of distributing meat a few days ago, and the wonderful memories of eating meat in the evening immediately came to their minds.

"Anmin, how do we divide this fish?"

"Aunt, I have to ask my dad first."

Han Anmin saw that it was Han Wangshi who asked the question, so he didn't pay much attention to it.

"Why ask? It's just a matter of a few lines for each family."

"That's fine, auntie. Let's set some rules for each family." The sister-in-law looked over and saw Mingchang, her own son. Why hadn't he come home yet? This kid had been playing like crazy these past few days and hadn't been home. I'd have to teach him a lesson later.

"Aunt, please make way for what my sister-in-law said and go back to the team first."

"Okay, the team won't go back, let's go to the threshing ground first."

Han Fuguo and Han Futian heard that the fish had been caught and that there were quite a few of them, so they came over with Han Fuqiang and several other team leaders.

"Da, that."

Han Anmin came up to Han Fuguo and whispered to him that Li Feng's relatives wanted to buy some fish. "What? Buy fish? 20 cents for big fish, 15 cents for small ones, and 10 cents for miscellaneous fish. Did you ask them how much they want?"

“I really didn’t ask that?”

"You, why don't you ask clearly about such an important matter?"

Han Fuguo waved his hand and said, "Let's talk to the team first. It would be better if the fish could be sold."

"What's going on?"

"Who knows."

The onlookers were confused. They were supposed to go to the threshing ground to divide the fish, so why were they taken back to the team? (End of this chapter)