Back to my 1980s

As it drew closer to the struggling fish, its initial frenzied energy had long since faded.

The struggles grew weaker and weaker, and the noise gradually subsided.

Only faint splashing sounds remained on the water's surface. The tail fin weakly swept across the mud, occasionally twisting its body with difficulty.

Zhao Hua slowly approached through the mud and recognized the fish as a mandarin fish through the mud and sand covering its body.

The fish has a slender, arrow-like body, a pointed head, and a hard mouth. It is a freshwater overlord, a fierce predator, and swims extremely fast.

With a gray back, silver belly, and golden fins, it is commonly known as the Yellow Diamond or Water Tiger.

It emerges from the water with a gleaming silver light, is strong and difficult to catch, and has tender and delicious meat.

It's unclear how long it's been stranded here, but even its innate brute strength can't withstand the prolonged struggle and exhaustion.

Perhaps sensing the approaching danger, the mandarin fish, which had been on the verge of death, suddenly tensed its body and slammed its silvery tail fin against the water.

The murky water splashed everywhere, and it twisted with its last bit of strength.

Its slender body struggled violently in the shallow water, revealing a hint of the ferocious nature of a water tiger.

The sudden struggle made Zhao Hua instinctively take a step back, slip on the mud, and almost fall into the water.

Zhao Hua steadied himself, not daring to slack off in the slightest. Taking advantage of the fish's gradually calming down after its outburst, he immediately stepped forward and steadily caught the fish.

The cool, slippery scales pressed against my palm, and the force in my arms still trembled incessantly.

She tried to twist and resist several times, but it was all in vain as she was held tightly in her grasp.

He dared not delay, enduring the chill of the river water.

With a sudden burst of strength, he shoved the mandarin fish hard, sending it straight ashore.

The fish landed heavily on the muddy ground, bounced once, then weakly swayed its tail, completely losing the strength to struggle any further. It could only slightly open its mouth, its gills rising and falling slowly.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Ru quickly ran forward, squatted down, and looked at the mandarin fish, which was even taller than her, exclaiming with surprise and delight, "Brother, it's so big!"

Zhao Hua climbed ashore, soaking wet, and couldn't help but shiver when the wind blew.

"Yeah, this thing is really fierce. It's rare to see one this big. It's lucky it's stranded, otherwise it would be really hard to catch."

Zhao Hua untied the hemp rope from his body and casually tossed it aside. Looking at the big fish, he couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

The mandarin fish in this river are usually domineering, only eating other small fish, but today they've fallen into their own trap.

Zhao Ru squatted down beside it, gently touching the fish's body with her hand, her eyes full of curiosity: "Brother, what kind of fish is this? I've never seen it before."

"This is called a mandarin fish, a fierce water tiger in the river. It's carnivorous and only eats fish from the river. It's not commonly seen around here."

Zhao Ru gasped in astonishment, then leaned closer for a look and exclaimed, "Water tiger! No wonder it looks so scary, with such a long body!"

Zhao Hua stood on the shore waiting for his clothes to dry.

"Either you run back and get the carrying pole and sack, otherwise it'll be difficult to get the fish back."

"Why didn't you say so just now!"

"I didn't think of it just now," Zhao Hua said, his clothes half-dry. He bent down to pick up his clothes and slowly put them on.

Zhao Ru got up and went back to get the carrying pole.

"Hey! Take the rope back with you too, so you don't have to carry it around later."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ru turned around, gave Zhao Hua a reproachful look, and quickly walked to the tree to untie the rope tied to the trunk.

Zhao Ru rolled up the rope and held it in her hand, saying, "Wait, I'll be right back."

After saying that, he stepped on the roadside grass and ran quickly towards the village.

The riverbank fell silent for a moment, with only the rustling of the wind across the water. Zhao Hua pulled his newly dressed clothes tighter and squatted down beside the mandarin fish.

The water tiger lay on the muddy ground, its cheeks slowly opening and closing, occasionally flicking its tail gently.

He reached out and gently brushed away the mud and sand from the fish's body. Sunlight fell on the fish's scales, creating a few tiny silver glints.

Zhao Hua squatted down and quietly watched the mandarin fish.

Before long, footsteps could be heard in the distance.

Zhao Ru returned panting, carrying a shoulder pole and a burlap sack on her arm, her forehead beaded with sweat.

"I'm exhausted, and you just let me run around here while you rest."

Zhao Hua smiled and raised his hand, saying, "I'm just keeping an eye on this big fish for you. If it recovers and escapes, or if someone else sees it and picks it up, you'll be at a huge loss."

Zhao Ru put the carrying pole and sack on the ground, put her hands on her hips, and took several deep breaths.

"You're so good at talking. Here you go."

Zhao Hua looked behind his younger sister and, seeing that she was alone, asked, "Didn't anyone ask you what you were doing with all this?"

"No, they were all busy. I was looking for something and rushed over, so I didn't say anything."

Zhao Hua nodded, stood up, and carefully wrapped his arms around the mandarin fish's body; the big guy was very heavy.

He used a little effort to half-lift it, and the brother and sister worked together to put the fish into a sack.

Zhao Ru deftly tied the bag opening tightly with a rope, then threaded the carrying pole through the rope loop of the sack to test its weight.

"Brother, should you go first or should I go first?"

Zhao Hua patted the dirt off his hands.

"You go first, this fish is quite big, it'll be hard for you to carry. Try to straighten the rope around your neck."

After saying that, he bent down and hoisted the carrying pole onto his shoulder. The heavy weight of the sack caused the pole to bend slightly.

The brother and sister walked one after the other, stepping on the roadside weeds, chatting and laughing as they slowly made their way towards the village.

Zhao Hua walked behind, reminding his younger sister every now and then to watch her step.

Zhao Ru walked ahead, glancing back every now and then at the swaying burlap sack.

I felt both excited and a little smug.

This is a rare, large mandarin fish! Bringing it back to the village will definitely attract a lot of attention.

The two walked back to the village at a leisurely pace. Just as they reached the village entrance, they were spotted by several villagers who were chatting idly.

"Hey! Isn't that Hua Zi and Xiao Ru? What are they carrying that's so heavy?"

"Hua Zi, what kind of treasure are you carrying? The carrying pole is bent under the weight."

"It looks like a fish, but the markings on the side look like a fish tail."

"This sack is so big, it must be quite large."

Zhao Hua smiled and put down the carrying pole. In those days, the human touch in the countryside was much stronger than it was later.

If someone greets you and you don't reply, people will talk about you behind your back and might even go to your house to complain. From now on, whenever people gather around you, they'll all bring up how you ignored them.

When everyone gathered around to take a look, they were all astonished and stared wide-eyed.

Someone reached out and touched the bulging burlap sack, and couldn't help but gasp in amazement.

"My goodness, it's as tall as a person! What is that thing so big?"

"It's a mandarin fish, a water tiger," Zhao Hua said as he untied the rope.

"My younger sister and I went to the river and saw that it was stranded, so we pulled it out."

When the sack was opened, the large, silvery fish was revealed. Although it was still somewhat weak, it was still full of imposing presence.

"My goodness! It's so big!"

"This must weigh forty or fifty pounds, such a big fish!"

"Goodness gracious! This fish is huge, it weighs more than my teenager!"

"That's not a fish, that's a river monster! It's grown so big, it must be a spirit by now!"

A group of teenagers crowded on the outer circle, standing on tiptoe with wide eyes, chattering noisily.

"Brother Hua is amazing! He managed to bring back such a big fish!"

"Brother Hua, where did you catch that? It's so big!"

The women also gathered around, marveling, "Such a big fish is rare! We haven't seen one this big in decades!"

Standing to the side, Zhao Ru proudly added with her little face upturned, "I saw it first! It was splashing around so fiercely! My brother had to use a lot of effort to push it ashore!"

Just as everyone was marveling at the giant fish and discussing it animatedly, a tall, thin man suddenly squeezed through the crowd.

This man is Wang Gang, who used to harass Third Sister.

When the third sister got married, Wang Gang led a group of people to disrupt the wedding and try to steal the bride. Zhao Hua was so angry that he picked up a wood-chopping knife and was about to fight to the death, but his eldest and second sisters stopped him. In the end, it was his eldest brother Zhao Zhenghong, second brother Zhao Zhengze, and relatives who drove the people away. From then on, the two families became enemies.

He stared at the giant mandarin fish weighing forty or fifty pounds on the ground, then suddenly raised his voice.

"My goodness! Such a big fish... it must be some kind of spirit! This thing can't be kept alive, release it immediately, or it'll cause trouble!"