Returning to the 82 Mountain Village: An Encounter with the Journey to the West Film Crew at the Beg

Ah Hai's back rose and fell, his shirt soaked with sweat, clinging to his body and revealing the outline of his muscles.

After catching his breath for a while, he straightened up, looked down at the pile of fish, and then looked up at Zhou Fangyuan and Xiao Liu.

His eyes were a little unfocused, as if he hadn't yet recovered from what had just happened.

"I...I've been adrift at sea for so many years..."

His voice was weak and trembling uncontrollably, as if something was stuck in his throat: "Never, never before have I had this kind of luck!"

As he spoke, he glanced down at the pile of golden yellow again, his Adam's apple bobbed, he swallowed, and continued to gasp for breath.

"You guys are truly blessed!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Liu quickly composed herself.

He tried to suppress it, wanting to appear more composed, but the corners of his mouth wouldn't close properly; they twitched uncontrollably.

He asked in a low voice, "Ah Hai, what... what kind of fish is this? Why are you so excited?"

Zhou Fangyuan also stared at the golden color. He had a vague impression of it. He seemed to have seen this kind of fish in his previous life. He knew it was very expensive, but he couldn't remember what it was called. He also looked at Ah Hai.

Ahai squatted down and gently touched the brightest yellow croaker with his finger.

The fish was still thrashing about, its tail swishing back and forth, very active.

He didn't dodge; he just squatted there, gently tapping the fish with his finger, as if to confirm that it was real.

"This is a large yellow croaker."

He spoke, his voice still carrying a hint of surprise, and touched the fish again with his fingers: "It's the kind of... very expensive fish. It's hard to come across one normally, and if you do, you'll be happy for half a month."

He paused, as if afraid they wouldn't understand, and added, "My grandfather said that there were many of these when he was young, but they've become increasingly rare in recent years. Last year, I only encountered them twice, and each time there were only three or four."

He pointed to the golden expanse, his hand still trembling slightly: "It's mid-December now, the time when yellow croakers flock here to overwinter."

Normally, if you happen to run into one, it's good luck; if you run into a few, it's incredibly lucky! But today…”

He couldn't continue, he just shook his head, and even he felt that what he was saying didn't seem real, as if he were dreaming.

Then he pointed to the several silvery, flat-bodied fish:

"And this is a white pomfret, even more expensive than a yellow croaker, and much rarer. I only saw one last year; it sold for seven yuan in town!"

Zhou Fangyuan looked down at the few white pomfret, which were silvery and shimmering in the sunlight.

Unlike yellow croakers, they don't jump as much. They lie on the deck with their mouths slightly open, their gills opening and closing, and their bodies occasionally twitching slightly.

He counted them; there were four in total.

Xiao Liu swallowed hard, his voice trembling, "Four...that'll be twenty-eight yuan, won't it?"

Ahai didn't answer, he just nodded.

He looked at those white pomfret, and the light in his eyes was something Zhou Fangyuan couldn't quite put his finger on, but it made his heart ache.

Ah Hai squatted there and watched for a while, then suddenly stood up and took a deep breath.

He looked at the pile of fish, the light in his eyes gradually calmed down, and his hands stopped trembling.

"These nets combined..." he said, his voice becoming a little steadyer, "can sell for at least sixty dollars."

Sixty yuan!

Zhou Fangyuan did the math in his head. His salary on the film set was over thirty yuan a month. Most importantly, he had no expenses for food and lodging, which was comparable to most workers' monthly salary.

This one net of fish is worth two months' salary for him! It's even more than what he earns in a day selling wood carvings in Beijing. Their trip today was definitely worthwhile.

Xiao Liu opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a long time.

He looked down at the pile of fish, counted them, and counted them again, as if he were calculating the cost. After he finished, he looked up at Ah Hai, and his eyes had changed.

Ah Hai didn't say anything more, and squatted down to start putting the fish into the basket.

His hands were still trembling slightly, but his movements were steady as he picked them up one by one, setting the larger ones aside and the smaller ones aside.

He placed the few white pomfret in a separate basket, covered with a damp cloth, as if to prevent them from getting damaged by the sun.

Zhou Fangyuan squatted down to help him pick them up. The fish were slippery in his hands and still jumping around. He had to squeeze them tightly to throw them into the basket.

Some fish are strong and can jump out of the boat if you slip your hand, landing on the deck with a loud thud, so you have to pick them up again.

Fish scales stuck to your hands, glistening and impossible to wipe off.

Xiao Liu also squatted down, and the three of them squatted on the small boat plank, surrounding the pile of golden strips, throwing them into the basket one by one.

No one spoke; the only sounds were the slapping of fish tails against the basket and the gentle lapping of waves against the boat's deck.

As they were picking things up, Xiao Liu suddenly whispered, "Ah Hai, what you said earlier... about a stranger's face pressing down on a boat, is that true?"

Ah Hai paused for a moment, his hands stopping their movements.

Then his lips twitched, a smile that was unusual and stood out on his tanned face.

"I was just making things up at first." He lowered his head and continued picking up fish. "My grandpa always says that, I don't know if it's true or not, but today I believe it."

Xiao Liu chuckled twice, then looked down and continued picking up fish.

After picking up two, he looked up again and asked, "Ah Hai, are we coming again tomorrow?"

Ahai thought about it seriously: "We need to see if the tide is suitable tomorrow."

Xiao Liu nodded and didn't ask any more questions. He didn't know anything about the professional aspects of fishing either. He continued picking up the fish, which now looked like glittering little coins to him.

As Zhou Fangyuan was picking things up, he suddenly remembered how Ah Hai's hands were trembling earlier.

He looked up at Ah Hai, who was picking up fish with his head down. He couldn't see Ah Hai's expression, but he could see his rough, dark hands moving between the golden and silvery colors.

The sunlight shone on the sea, creating a golden expanse that was so dazzling that it was hard to open one's eyes.

The boat rocked gently, and the fish in the baskets increased more and more, the pile of golden fish slowly turning into three full baskets of harvest.

The fish scales on the wooden planks shimmered and moved with the rocking of the boat, as if they were still alive.

They changed locations and cast their nets several more times, and the baskets and the boat deck became increasingly full of fish.

Zhou Fangyuan looked down at the boat planks, then at the several bamboo baskets that were already bulging, and felt that the boat beneath his feet seemed to have sunk a little.

He looked closely and sure enough, the edge of the boat was closer to the water than before, and when the waves crashed over, the water splashed up and landed on the deck.

Xiao Liu was still excitedly counting the fish, counting them over and over again, his mouth agape.

He looked up at Ah Hai, his eyes flashing with an alarming light: "Brother Ah Hai, shall we cast another net?"

Ahai also had a big smile on his face, but he didn't reply. He just looked down at the boat.

He walked around the ship's side again, and with each step he took, the ship swayed. When he reached the stern, he stopped and stared at the water for a long time.

"Let's stop playing now, we should go back."