Back to my 1980s

Zhao Hua pouted and ignored it.

Even a slacker knows he's a slacker, but who wants to hear others constantly talking about him?

Even after walking a distance, you can still hear the sounds of those elderly women.

You can still faintly hear some gossip.

You don't even need to think to know what they're talking about; these old women are the most annoying.

Whenever they have free time, they get together, and when they do, they gossip about the Zhang family or the Li family.

As his senses received more and more information, Zhao Hua became certain that he had truly returned.

Walking down the street, Zhao Hua was reflecting on the events of the past few years.

It's been so long, I can't remember many things clearly anymore. It seems like I've lived half my life peacefully, without anything particularly eventful happening.

As I walked and pondered, I found myself almost home, and it looked exactly as I remembered it.

As soon as I arrived at the gate, I saw my eldest brother planing wood, my sister-in-law helping him, my second brother arranging the fish traps, and my mother, my second sister-in-law, and my younger sister helping to sort the fish and shrimp.

My dad was a skilled carpenter, quite impressive. I remember he made several stools, and I took two with me when the building was demolished; they were still in good condition when I came back.

My two older brothers both learned the craft from our father, but I don't know how good they are.

It seems like they haven't added anything to the house, or maybe they have without us even knowing.

Shuanghuai Village is a small village located on the border of Jiangsu and Anhui provinces.

A tributary of the Huai River flows by, and the second brother uses a fish trap to catch fish and shrimp in the river.

Back then, wild resources weren't as depleted as they are in later years, and people were catching all sorts of predatory nets and lightning bolts.

The river water was very clear, and there were silverfish in it. These fish are very sensitive to water quality; they simply cannot survive in poor water.

When Zhao's mother saw her youngest son, she looked up at the sky and said, "Oh dear, the sun hasn't risen in the west yet, why are you up so early today?"

"..."

The face of my mother in my memory overlaps with the face of my mother in reality; she's a bit tanned and her skin is a bit rougher.

Women in later generations still called themselves fairies in their thirties, while my mother, in her early forties, looked weathered and worn.

I lived half my life in a daze, never caring what my mother's hands and face looked like. Now, seeing them suddenly makes me feel a little heartbroken.

How was your day?

"It's alright, there's plenty, enough to eat."

The fish traps are all handmade, made of coarse nylon with knotted mesh, off-white with a yellowish tinge, sturdy and durable.

The frame is made of bent bamboo strips, and the mesh is sewn with trumpet-shaped soft tassels, allowing only the inside to pass through.

Go down to the river at dusk, get up at dawn

However, they can only catch small fish and shrimp, not big fish.

The cage is too small and the opening is too narrow.

There's no problem with taking some for our own consumption.

The eldest and second eldest brothers glanced at each other, said nothing, and turned to busy themselves with their own things.

After all these years, I know my own temperament, so I probably don't want to waste my breath.

The younger sister was pleasantly surprised to see Zhao Hua.

My parents are both very busy and don't have time to take care of the children at home.

In rural areas, older children are typically cared for by younger children, and younger children are cared for by even younger children.

So after his younger sister was born, Zhao Hua had a little tagalong following him around.

"Brother, you're back!" Little sister Zhao Ru skipped and hopped to greet him.

She grabbed Zhao Hua's arm, looked up at him with a bright smile and sparkling eyes, and said, "I've been waiting for you for so long! There's a flood up upstream, and there should be big fish being swept down from upstream. Second Brother is just setting traps in the ditch. I want to go see, but Mother won't let me. Can you take me to see?"

Hearing this, Zhao Hua looked at the wheat-colored face in front of her, feeling both amused and annoyed. Fortunately, it was just a little tanned; with some time and warmth, it would eventually return to its original color. With a little care, it could even look good.

This girl used to run around after him all the time, and she's picked up his playful nature.

She's like a tomboy, leading a small group of kids. When she gets angry, she can even beat other kids to tears; she's quite fierce.

Zhao Hua flicked her forehead helplessly and said, "Your mother doesn't want you to go because the riverbank is too wet, and she's worried you might accidentally slip and fall into the water."

Looking at the little girl's face that instantly fell down

Zhao Hua chuckled inwardly.

"Let's go, I'll go with you to see it. It won't be for nothing that you waited so long for me." Zhao Hua was also a little itchy. In previous years, after heavy rains, some big fish would often be washed down from upstream, and you could see them thrashing about from the shore.

It looks spectacular, but it's not easy to grab onto because the current is too strong.

Zhao Ru immediately beamed with joy, nodding repeatedly, and grabbed his arm, running outside with anticipation on her face: "Hurry, hurry, let's see how high the water has risen!"

A gentle spring breeze caressed his face. Zhao Hua watched Zhao Ru's joyful figure disappear into the distance, his eyes filled with warmth, and he followed closely behind her.

As soon as you approach the shore, a wave of water vapor mixed with the fishy smell of river mud washes over you.

The silt and sand from the riverbed were swept up by the rushing current, turning the river water a yellowish-brown.

Zhao Ru followed beside her, her little head looking left and right, but she didn't dare to get too close.

"Brother, look, what's that?"

Zhao Hua looked in the direction his younger sister was pointing.

Beside the muddy rapids, a huge figure was seen darting left and right, splashing water high into the air.

Zhao Hua narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed intently on that figure.

"Brother, look! That's a fish! A huge fish! Look!"

At this moment, Zhao Ru no longer cared where she was; her eyes widened, and she excitedly pointed at the figure.

"Brother, that fish is huge! ...If we can bring it home, Mom will definitely praise us."

"Be careful, give me your hand," Zhao Hua whispered, carefully leading his sister to a slightly higher embankment. "The riverbank is all soft mud; one slip and you'll be gone."

Zhao Hua smiled and turned his gaze back to that figure.

"It's a big fish, and it looks like it's stranded. They've moved a hole under it, so it probably won't be able to get back anytime soon."

"The current is too strong, and the mud on the bank is too slippery."

"Or you can go back and get a rope, tie it to the tree, and go down to see if you can push the fish ashore."

After Zhao Hua finished speaking, he bent down to take off his shoes and coat.

Zhao Ru nodded and said, "Okay, you wait here, I'll go now."

Zhao Hua watched her hurriedly run back, then stood guard on the shore.

A moment later, Zhao Ru came running back, panting, carrying a roll of hemp rope.

Zhao Hua took the rope, tugged on it hard, and only felt relieved after confirming that it was sturdy enough.

He found an old poplar tree on the bank, tied one end of the rope to it, and made a tight knot.

"Stay here and don't move, and don't go near the shore. I'm going down to check."

Zhao Hua gave a word of advice, then tied the other end of the rope around his waist and tentatively stepped onto the soft mud on the bank.

The mud beneath her feet was loose and soft; she slid down with the slightest pressure. The murky river water churned and pounded against the banks, making Zhao Ru's heart leap into her throat.

"Brother, be careful."

Zhao Hua didn't turn around, but simply replied "I understand," before steadying himself and slowly moving down the slope.

The river water reached above my ankles and calves. Although the current near the bank wasn't as rapid as in the middle, it still had considerable force.

Zhao Hua gritted his teeth, gripping the rope around his waist tightly with both hands. With each step forward, he made sure to steady himself before firmly planting his foot on the ground.

The icy river water kept splashing against his calves, carrying a bone-chilling cold. He glanced down at his feet.

The mud on the riverbank, after being soaked for many years, has long since become soft and slippery.

As soon as I relaxed my grip, the river current swept me away again, causing me to stumble violently.

"Brother!" came the younger sister's anxious voice from the shore.

"It's okay, just stand there and don't move!"

Zhao Hua steadied himself and slowly began to walk towards the figure.