Back to my 1980s

"There aren't many people here today."

Zhao Hua declined his mother's offer to come and help.

He placed the bucket on the ground in the alley and looked at the market, which was packed with people yesterday. Today it wasn't deserted, but there were only a few stalls, and the stalls were all concentrated in a small area.

He looked back at the girls behind him. Although he had been there before, he could still tell that Zhao Ru was a little nervous, while the other three girls looked much more relaxed.

"So even if we separate, won't we still be conspicuous, and people will see us walking together?" Zhao Ru asked, clutching the hem of her clothes. Underneath her dusty gray jacket, her hands were clenched into fists.

"Who would stare at you for no reason? Who would have the time for that?" He stroked his chin and added, "But we're the youngest, so it's not surprising that someone would notice."

He looked at the fish on the ground, somewhat worried, as he dared not take so many to the restaurant.

If you're lucky enough to catch a single large, high-quality item, you can sell it right away.

If you bring over a large quantity of small fish, they will immediately suspect that you bought them. Not only will you not be able to sell the fish, but you might even be detained and questioned.

Looking at the more than 40 pounds of fish in the bucket, he thought he could try selling them in the village. But if he went from village to village, how many families would be willing to buy fish to eat? What if he couldn't sell them all and the rest would go bad...?

After thinking for a moment, he took off his shirt and dipped the hem into the bucket of water to wet it.

The three girls next to him immediately turned away when they saw his actions, and Zhao Ru was also dumbfounded, wondering what had gotten into him.

Zhao Hua ignored them all. It wasn't until he put his wet shirt back on that Zhao Ru called the girls around and saw him put his feet into the bucket again, his trouser legs also getting wet.

He reached into the bucket and scooped up a few handfuls of water, splashing it on himself. Then he took off his shoes and handed them to Zhao Ru. He ran to the roadside ditch, stomped his feet in the mud, wiped them off, and ran back barefoot.

The girls were dumbfounded by his actions. He then picked up the straw hat from Zhao Ru's head and put it on his own, looking exactly like a freshly made little fisherman.

"I'll take more crucian carp with me. You can have the catfish and carp. We can't put them all together here; it's too conspicuous." He poured a small amount of crucian carp into her bucket, but he wanted to leave the rest with her.

"You're not setting up your stall here? Where are you going?" Zhao Ru took the bucket of water he had divided.

"I'll go take a walk around the nearby villages. The small fish are hard to sell, but the crucian carp should be okay."

"Then you'll go barefoot?" Zhao Ru glanced down at his feet.

"Hey, you didn't bring rain boots again. Who wears shoes to catch fish?"

"Then be careful when you walk. It hasn't rained in a long time, and the mud on the road is a bit hard."

"It's okay, just go back to the place you were before. Don't wander off after you've sold everything." Then she turned to the other three girls and said, "You guys just follow Xiaoru for a bit. I'll come back to find you. Remember to go to the bathroom in pairs if you need to."

"Hey! You should go! Why are you even talking about this?" Zhao Ru pushed him.

He didn't feel anything unusual, after all, his mental age was that of a person in their fifties or sixties.

Taking off my shoes, I felt refreshed and light, completely unaware of the sticky sweat on my feet from walking all the way. In a great mood, I couldn't help but give them a few more words of advice.

"Then I'm leaving. It's okay if the fish and bucket are lost. Just be careful." He added one more reminder.

"Got it!" Zhao Ru picked up the bucket from the ground, asked the girl next to her to help her get a scale, and walked towards the small area of ​​stalls without looking back.

Seeing that they had found a good spot to stand, Zhao Hua didn't delay any longer and used a carrying pole to lift the two buckets from the ground.

Fortunately, they brought an extra bucket to carry the catfish and blackfish, which Zhao Ru and a few other girls took turns carrying along the way, using tree branches to carry them.

Otherwise, with only one bucket, Zhao Hua wouldn't know how to get it to another village. It looks like he'll have to buy a bicycle.

Not only can I visit Song Xueping more often, but transporting fish will also be more comfortable; picking and choosing fish all day long is exhausting.

He carried the fish along the main road, casually plucking some wild grass to cover the bucket. Along the way, he calculated which route to take to Hongguang Village by bicycle, and which road was the best to ride.

Before I knew it, I had walked into a village far from the market. I looked back and couldn't help but chuckle to myself.

I was lost in thought for a couple of miles, and before I could even figure out the fastest and fastest way to ride, I'd already come all this way...

Composing himself, Zhao Hua went straight into the village and went to the door of a friend he had drunk with before. Zhao Hua didn't know many other people, but he knew the most people his age. He introduced them one by one, and after drinking with them a couple of times, he could barely strike up a conversation.

The door wasn't closed. He stood outside and called out, then bent down and scooped a few fish out of the bucket, stringing them together with straw rope.

"Hey, what brings you to our village today? Are you alone?" The friend who had been drinking with him went outside and looked around, only to find that he was all alone.

"I've brought you some fish, and I'd like to ask you for a favor. You know your village better than I do. I caught some fish and wanted to exchange them for some money."

He handed over the skewered fish. Zhao Hua had forgotten his name, but he had come here with friends before and had planned to find him before coming to the village.

He had never done street vending before, and the thought of Zhao Hua selling goods from village to village made him feel incredibly embarrassed.

However, the other party still remembered Zhao Hua. After receiving the fish, they were very enthusiastic. They glanced at the bucket on the ground and exclaimed, "You have quite a lot! Where did you catch them? Did you catch them all by yourself?"

"Where else could I find so many? I caught them with a hand net, and I just happened to stumble upon a fish nest." Zhao Hua wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Okay, okay, wait for me a moment, I'll go change my shoes and I'll be right back!" He carried the fish into the house and came out empty-handed a moment later.

"You're here pretty early. Did you go out so early this morning? Did you catch fish overnight? Why don't you try the market? There are people there even if it's not a big market, just fewer." He waved to Zhao Hua.

"I have too many fish, how dare I run onto public property?" Zhao Hua picked up a fish and followed behind him.

"There are quite a lot, you're pretty lucky." He led Zhao Hua to a shed.

The shed was connected to a low house, and as you got closer, you could faintly hear the sound of cards being slammed and a jumble of shouts and curses coming from inside.

"Just wait here for a bit. Others will come here to play cards after they finish breakfast. I'll help you spread the word."

Zhao Hua raised his eyebrows slightly, smiled, and took out a cigarette from his pocket and handed it over.

Looking back a few times, this place was indeed a feng shui treasure. Those who won the gamble could buy some fish to improve their lives, and those who lost could also buy a few fish to report back.

Feeling a little relieved, the worries that had been plaguing him dissipated considerably. He and this friend, whose name he couldn't recall at the moment, squatted down on the ground and started smoking.

The sun hung low on the treetops, casting a warm glow on the dirt road. Pedestrians passed by in twos and threes, while a few sparrows hopped and foraged for food by the roadside.

The crowd inside began to disperse, and Zhao Hua heard people walking out.

Looking back, some people had smiling faces, some were expressionless, and a few looked gloomy.

The friend quickly got up to greet them and asked if they wanted any fish. The group glanced at Zhao Hua, then strolled over to look at the fish in the bucket.

"Young man, what kind of fish do you have here?" He smiled and gently kicked the bucket, causing the fish inside to react and splash water everywhere.

"There are only crucian carp. I just happened to cast my net and caught a fish in the nest!" Zhao Hua explained to them again. Actually, he didn't need to explain; they weren't going to report him for speculation in front of the gambling den...

"It looks pretty fresh. How much does it cost?"

"I usually sell these for 9 cents a pound at the market, and they're all big ones. But today I'm not different sizes, they're all 8 cents!" Zhao Hua said, taking out a straw rope and a scale.

The person asking the question probably won a lot last night and was in a great mood. He didn't even haggle over the price and just bought a little over two jin (1 kg). Zhao Hua calculated it to be two jin, and after paying, he went home happily.

Once someone started, everything went smoothly. Zhao Hua didn't even need to shout; people saw a crowd gathered and came out to watch. The word spread, and the product sold out in no time. Those who came later with basins were left empty-handed.

After the crowd dispersed, Zhao Hua rubbed his sore shoulders, smiled at his friend, and quickly ran to the nearby convenience store to buy two packs of cigarettes and hand them to him. Seeing that Zhao Hua had made so much money from selling his fish, the friend didn't refuse and accepted them with a smile.

Zhao Hua exchanged a few jokes with him, then took his leave and hurried to the market, feeling uneasy about leaving a few young girls there.

He rushed back to the market and saw Zhao Ru still busy. He didn't go over to her, but threw the carrying pole and buckets on the ground in the alley, sat on the carrying pole, and waited for them while resting.

The girl next to Zhao Ru inadvertently turned around and saw Zhao Hua. She tugged at Zhao Ru's clothes, signaling her to turn around and look.

She turned her head and saw Zhao Hua, then suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. Her body relaxed a bit, and she turned back to greet the customers with a smile.

Zhao Hua waited a while longer and saw her pour the water from the bucket into the ditch behind her. Knowing that she had sold all her fish, he stood up and waited for her to come over.

"Brother, where are your fish? Are they all sold out?" Zhao Ru ran over with a big smile.

"Yes!" He picked up the bucket and carrying pole from the ground.

"How come you sold so fast today? Even faster than me." She took out all the money she had from selling the fish and handed it to Zhao Hua.

"I got some help today. You're not slow here either. Let's go home, I'm so tired." He took the money Zhao Ru handed him and put it in another pocket. This was the money Zhao Ru earned from selling things, and they hadn't settled the accounts yet.

"Oh! I feel fine, not too tired." She and the other three girls followed Zhao Hua back.

"You don't need to cast the net, of course you're not tired. Take a break this afternoon, don't go fishing, relax and rest well before we talk." Zhao Hua didn't even turn his head.

Zhao Ru looked anxious and rushed to Zhao Hua's side, saying with a worried expression, "What about the fish trap? If we don't go this afternoon, won't all the fish in the trap rot? We'll have to wash and dry them all again."

"...Really, why don't you go collect it yourself? You know how to row anyway." The three girls next to him changed their expressions upon hearing this and all looked at him and Zhao Ru.

However, Zhao Hua thought about it and felt uneasy again, so he sighed and said, "Forget it, I'll go this afternoon too. It's good to go to the river to get some fresh air. It's too hot to lie at home. It's much cooler by the river."

The hopeful light on the faces of the three girls beside them quickly faded.

"Since you're already going, why not catch some fish and bring them back? Bringing back fish from the fish traps isn't very useful," Zhao Ru pressed.

"Let's catch some fish, we're already there." Zhao Hua was just saying it casually. In reality, casting a net to fish is a hunting instinct ingrained in men's genes. Once you start, you can't control yourself. If you really don't let them go, they might not even be happy.

Zhao Hua suddenly had a flash of inspiration and remembered that he could go fishing. He turned to Zhao Hua and asked, "Do you know where I can buy fishhooks?"

The four girls shook their heads in unison.

Zhao Hua frowned, then suddenly remembered that their area was next to the river, and the town's general stores sold fishhooks and fishing lines, but fishing rods were hard to come by.

Now that water resources are abundant, rivers are not like ditches. There are many big fish in rivers, and if you don't have a good fishing rod, you might break it when you catch a fish.

But after thinking about it, he realized he could just tie it to the side of the boat and use a stick to reel in the line. With that thought, he quickly called to them and told them to wait where they were.

He quickly ran to buy several sets of fishing lines and hooks before meeting up with them and returning to the village.

Upon arriving at Shuanghuai Village, as is customary, each person received a packet of preserved plums, and after that, everyone went home.

"Brother, how much money did you make today?" Today, Zhao Ru didn't need Zhao Hua to pull her; she followed him into the house on her own, locked the door, and looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"I haven't calculated it yet, let me calculate yours first." He took out the money Zhao Ru had given him earlier and counted it.

"At my place, that big carp sold for eight yuan and thirty cents, the catfish for a little over three yuan, the loach for two mao, the crucian carp for a little over eight yuan, and the black carp and catfish for a dozen or so yuan. I didn't count them carefully; I just put them in my pocket after I sold them, so I've mixed them up." Zhao Ru stared at the money in his hand.

"Hey! Stop talking, I'm getting all confused counting, it's seven now and eight now." Zhao Hua waved his hand.

"Mmm!" Zhao Ru nodded vigorously, her mouth tightly shut.

"Here's 37.85 yuan. I'll give you four yuan." Zhao Hua counted out four yuan and handed it to Zhao Ru.

Zhao Ru nodded and took the money, keeping her mouth tightly shut.

"Alright, you can speak now."

"Hehe!" Zhao Ru stared at the money in her hand and chuckled foolishly.

"Didn't your mother ask you how much money I gave you? I always felt she shouldn't let you have so much money, so remember to hide it well." Zhao Hua continued to take out his pocketful of money, casually reminding her.

"I've asked her so many times! She doesn't believe me no matter what I say, but she just hasn't found where I kept my money." Zhao Ru put the money into her pocket.

"Is there anywhere in this house that your mother can't find? She can search anywhere she wants. Just be careful yourself." He pushed the money he had just finished counting aside and started counting the money in his pocket.

"I have 29.6 yuan here. I sold it to people in the village, and I rounded down the price. It's 67.45 yuan in total." He sorted the money, putting the banknotes in the corner of the drawer and piling the coins around. Looking at all this money, he suddenly felt energetic again, and his tired body was filled with strength again.

"Could you sew me a bag to hold my money when you have some free time? There are so many loose change pieces, and it's always jingling when I walk around. I have to be careful not to drop them, it's really annoying." He looked at Zhao Ru, whose eyes were shining with excitement.