Back to my 1980s

Five days later, in the Zhao family courtyard, at dusk.

Zhao Ru, who had been busy helping her father and brothers, straightened up and rubbed her lower back: "Finally finished!"

Zhao Hua also stood up and clapped his hands, watching his elder brother pour water into the cabin.

Father Zhao squatted by the boat, carefully inspecting the bottom, his fingertips scraping the tung oil seams.

After a moment, Zhao's father stood up and patted the gunwale of the boat. "That's about it. Let's try it out in the water tomorrow morning. That's enough for today."

Zhao Hua nodded and said, "Thank you for your help, elder brothers."

After finishing the meal, Zhao Hua took out twenty yuan and stuffed it into his mother's hand: "This is the wages for my eldest and second brothers these past few days, ten yuan each. You can give it to them later."

We pay about two yuan a day to hire workers. These two brothers have been working from dawn till dusk these past few days, so we should pay them more. They've been building for three days in total, and we need to hire them to test the waters tomorrow morning, so we might as well pay them for one day.

He couldn't let his brothers suffer a loss. Otherwise, they wouldn't say anything, but his two sisters-in-law already had grievances against him. If they really suffered a loss, there would inevitably be gossip.

As for Dad, he's fine; he's got plenty of strength...

Zhao's mother paused for a moment, then took the money and looked at it: "So much? Why didn't you give it to them yourself?"

"You give it to me. If I give it to you, we'll just keep passing the buck. It'll save us the trouble."

Zhao Hua had already moved back during the shipbuilding period, and after saying that, he went into his own room.

Zhao Ru followed him into the house: "Brother, are you really going to go out on the boat yourself?"

"...The ship is all built, and we'll be testing it tomorrow. Don't you think it's a bit late to ask now?" Zhao Hua sat on the bed and looked at his younger sister.

"I was just asking out of curiosity, do you know how to row?"

"No, I'll learn it tomorrow."

"Can you learn it?"

"Is it difficult...?"

"It shouldn't be too difficult, right? I mean, do you want me to take you along in the future?"

Zhao Hua glanced at the fool in front of him, probably unaware of the saying from later generations: "There are 360 ​​professions, and you can break through any of them."

Those who are eagerly wanting to go on trips with me now will probably be complaining about it for a long time.

"Get out of here, go to sleep! What kind of behavior is this for a girl who only knows how to play all day?!"

Zhao Ru looked at Zhao Hua strangely: "Brother, don't you think that sounds familiar?"

Zhao Hua shoved Zhao Ru aside, saying irritably, "You talk too much. I'll teach you after I've gotten to know you better."

"Brother! What are you going to use to catch fish?"

"We'll talk about it tomorrow."

After saying that, he pushed Zhao Ru out the door and closed it.

……

The next morning.

After Zhao Hua and Zhao Ru finished their meal, they stood in the courtyard with Zhao's father.

Waiting for my two older brothers to come over.

Before long, the two entered the room one after the other, and their two sisters-in-law also came over to see what was going on.

The father and his three sons worked together to carry the small boat to the riverbank. On the way, they met some familiar villagers and exchanged a few words of greeting.

Upon reaching the riverbank, the father and his three sons found a calm, shallow spot and gently lowered the wooden boat, allowing the stern to float on the surface. As they slowly pushed the boat into the water, they carefully checked the hull for any signs of water seepage.

When the boat was almost completely submerged, Zhao's father stepped onto the boat and tried rowing.

After a while, Zhao's father came ashore and said, "It's ready, you can try it."

Zhao Hua boarded the boat, picked up the oar, and tentatively rowed it a few times, but the boat did not budge.

Father Zhao glanced at him sideways, stepped forward, took the oar, and personally demonstrated how to row. He then taught him hand-in-hand on the boat for a while.

Following the method taught by my father, I put the oar into the water, pressed down and pushed it forward, and finally it slowly started to move.

Zhao's father sat at the bow of the boat, looking at the tortoise-like speed with disdain.

A gentle breeze caressed my face, and sunlight shone on the river, creating shimmering ripples.

As Zhao Hua became more and more adept, watching the scenery on the shore rush past, he felt much more cheerful. As his body became younger, his mindset also became younger.

After a while, he had basically mastered the boat and figured it wasn't too difficult, so he moored it to a tree trunk on the shore. He then followed Zhao's father back home.

The boat is all set, but we still need to go back and prepare the tools. Today was just a test run; the boat is completely bare.

There weren't many people on the road, and the onlookers dispersed when he started testing the waters.

As soon as he pushed open the courtyard gate, Zhao's mother, who was busy hanging up clothes, saw him and asked with a smile, "You're back? How was it? Did you learn anything?"

As Zhao Hua walked away, he said, "I've learned it. It's not difficult at all. I need to think about what to bring on the ship."

Zhao's mother hung the clothes on the rope: "We'll need to bring a tin bucket, a bamboo basket, gloves, and all that. Are we only using the fishing net?"

"There's also a hand-thrown net, but someone else made it and I need to go get it. My little wooden boat can't move the trawl net properly, so I can't drag it."

Zhao's mother frowned: "Do you know how? It's not just about strength, throwing it into the water and calling it a day. You have to be able to open it up."

Zhao Hua nodded and said, "Yes, I saw someone else throw it before, and I thought it was quite interesting, so I learned it myself."

In fact, it was later overfishing that led to the depletion of fisheries, resulting in fishing bans being implemented in various regions.

Fewer people were fishing, but more were angling. Zhao Hua joined the ranks of anglers, curious about whether casting a net or angling would yield a better catch. Anglers have all sorts of strange competitive spirits; when comparing their catches, they'd give away their own fish and incidentally learn a few techniques.

After thinking for a moment, Zhao's mother nodded and said, "That trip won't be long, so we need to bring a water bottle, otherwise we won't have anywhere to drink water if we get thirsty."

"Okay, I understand."

Zhao Hua didn't stop walking. He went straight back into the house, got the money, and planned to pick up the hand-thrown net that he had asked the villagers to weave.

Shuanghuai Village has eight or nine hundred people. Those who used to make a living by fishing can do everything. As long as you tell them your requirements, they can do anything perfectly.

Zhao Hua walked along the dirt road toward the house where the fishing nets were made. He only ordered a five-meter hand-thrown net, which cost eight yuan. He had already asked his sister and mother to help him weave the ground nets a few days ago. Buying a four- or five-meter ground net outside would cost six yuan, which was too expensive and not worthwhile.

After receiving the fishing net, he held it in his hand and weighed it; it was indeed quite heavy. The net's edges were straight, the lines were tight, and the sinker was firmly attached. He casually thanked him and settled the bill.

Zhao Hua slung the fishing net over his shoulder and slowly carried it home.

Their house was in the last row of the village, and behind the house was a small path. Walking west along the path for a few minutes led directly to the main road.

Normally, if you want to go to the convenience store or do something, you have to walk to the east end of the village. After the millennium, two more convenience stores opened by nearby villagers. The two stores were competing with each other. The largest river was also on the east side, and you could only vaguely see it from the roadside.

By the time he got home it was almost noon, and his mother had already started preparing dinner. Zhao Ru was squatting in the yard peeling garlic when he stepped into the yard. Zhao Ru's eyes lit up when she saw the fishing net he was carrying on his shoulder: "Brother, where did you get that fishing net?"

"I bought it. I had it made a couple of days ago, and I just got it back." Zhao Hua squatted down in front of Zhao Ru while carrying the fishing net.

"Peeling garlic? So diligent!"

Zhao Ru picked up the fishing net from Zhao Hua's shoulder and tugged at it. "Just bought it? Are you going to cast it? I've seen others cast it, and they caught a lot of fish in one go."

Zhao Hua nodded and stood up: "Yeah, what else would I buy it for? I'll practice with my nets by the river this afternoon and see how the catch is."

"I want to go too!"

"Do you want to eat shit? You're expected to do everything everyone else does. Go peel your garlic!"

……

……

The weather in late May was rather muggy.

Zhao Hua went out in the evening just to test the internet, but Zhao Ru kept urging him, calling out since right after lunch.

Fish don't come ashore at midday; they're not stupid. They only come ashore to hunt at dusk or night.

Zhao Hua couldn't stand Zhao Ru's constant urging. He had originally planned to go along with her wishes that afternoon, since he didn't expect to gain anything anyway.

But her shouting made the other children hear her, and all her nephews and nieces came over. When Zhao Hua saw so many children, she went back inside.

So many children go to the river because they love playing in the water. If one of them falls in because we're not watching them, even if they can swim and we can save them, what if they catch a cold or fever? They'll definitely get blamed. Why did they have to go looking for that kind of thrill?

Zhao Hua didn't leave until his mother dragged the kids home by the ears for dinner.

"Where is Hua Zi going right now?"

"I'll just cast a couple of nets randomly."

He gave a few casual replies without stopping. He was just an uncle from the same village, someone he didn't know very well, but he might have some connection with Zhao's father.

Zhao Ru followed closely behind Zhao Hua, carrying a small iron bucket, without saying a word; she wasn't familiar with him either.

The brother and sister walked a little further away, not to the place where they had found the mandarin fish before, because that place was too close to the dock, and the boats at the dock that used to operate due to the undercurrents in the river had stopped running.

Now that operations have resumed, the bustling crowds have scared away not only the fish, but also the villagers waiting for boats, leaving no place to put their nets.

"Brother, where are we going?" Zhao Ru glanced around the riverbank and tugged at Zhao Hua's sleeve.

Zhao Hua spat out the foxtail grass he had just casually picked from the roadside, shook the net in his hand, and gestured with his chin to the east: "When I was testing the boat with my dad before, I saw a beach over there. The water looked quite deep, so there should be a lot of fish hiding there."

Zhao Ru's eyes lit up, and she quickly followed, carrying the small iron bucket: "Will we be able to catch any fish?"

"It's definitely better than crowded places." Zhao Hua lifted his foot and led Zhao Ru around the messy mudflats, walking on the firm grass towards Xiaohuajian.

This place was indeed secluded, with only a small section of earthen promontory jutting into the water, surrounded by water on three sides, and not a soul in sight on the shore. The wind swept across the water, creating only a thin ripple.

"Stand on this slope, don't move towards the water, or you'll slip," Zhao Hua casually reminded him as he unfolded the net.

Zhao Ru obediently stood still, carrying the small iron bucket, and stared intently at the water with her head tilted back.

After standing still, Zhao Hua folded the net rope back and forth, held it in his left hand, and held the base of the net with his right hand, letting the net hang down.

Keep the hand holding the rope still, and use the other hand to shorten the net and fold it into the hand holding the rope.

He leaned his body to the side and back, bracing himself with his front leg and placing his arm holding the net behind him.

Then, with a sudden thrust of the back arm, the net is thrown forward, while the rope end is held tightly, and the net is spread out by rotating the body.

The net spread out in the air, fell steadily into the water, and slowly sank to the bottom of the river.

He stood still, gripping the rope tightly in his hand, and after a moment, began to slowly reel in the rope.

As the rope was pulled back little by little, it felt noticeably heavier, and a look of joy appeared on his face.

Zhao Ru noticed her brother's expression at a glance, and her little face also lit up with anticipation as she stared intently at the water.