Era: Seven money-losing girls? They're trying to trick me into having a daughter again!

"Daqiang, who's here?"

Zhou Li also came out of the house wearing an old cotton shirt.

Her hair was a little disheveled, and her collar was slightly open. When she saw Wu Shaoli standing at the gate of the courtyard, she immediately walked over quickly.

"Shaoli? What brings you here? Come in and have a seat!"

"Sister-in-law, I can't stay any longer. The children are at home, and I have to go back after saying this!"

Wu Shaoli hurriedly recounted the story again.

After listening, Zhou Li did not immediately deny it like Fang Qiang did.

"Daqiang, why don't you go?"

She thought for a moment, then took her husband's arm and said, "Dawei has been really reliable these past few days, you've seen it yourself."

"Go there, even if it's a wasted trip, it won't cost you anything. Just consider it helping your brother out."

"My brother..."

Fang Qiang muttered something under his breath, but his tone softened noticeably.

"Big brother!"

Wu Shaoli pressed her advantage, quickly adding, "Dawei said you should call one more person; more people means more help!"

Fang Qiang glanced at his wife, then at his sister-in-law who looked anxious, and sighed heavily.

"Okay, okay! I'll go!"

He turned and went into the house, where he also found two fishing nets and several buckets.

Before leaving, he turned another corner and knocked on the door of Dacheng's house next door.

Dacheng was an honest and simple farmer. He didn't talk much in the village, but he was very good at working.

He had been cheated out of his wages while working in town before, and Fang Qiang helped him get his wages back. He had always remembered Fang Qiang's kindness ever since.

"Brother Qiang? It's the middle of the night..."

Da Cheng rubbed his eyes and opened the door. After listening to Fang Qiang's brief explanation, he went back into the house without saying a word and grabbed a fishing net and a bamboo basket.

On the other side, Fang Wei also found Yang Qian's house.

This time, he didn't even bother knocking. He simply cupped his hands to his mouth and whispered, "Yang Qian! Yang Qian!"

After calling out a few times, the lights inside the room came on.

Yang Qian rushed out wearing only a t-shirt and a pair of worn-out cloth shoes, his hair a mess like a bird's nest.

"David?!"

When he saw that it was indeed Fang Wei who had come, he excitedly opened the courtyard gate. "It's so late, Dawei, did you need something?"

"There are river shrimp over at Jiaoshan, want to come catch some with me?"

Fang Wei didn't waste any words and directly stated his purpose.

"good!"

Yang Qian didn't even ask a question properly before turning around and rushing back into the house.

In less than two minutes, he came running out in a flurry, carrying a large fishing net and two large bamboo baskets in his hands.

"David! I'm ready! Which way do you want to go?"

Fang Wei couldn't help but laugh when he saw Fang Wei's energetic appearance.

Ever since that kid helped him sell wild boar and got sixty yuan in cash, he's been acting like he's met a god of wealth whenever he sees him.

"Let's go, let's meet up with my older brother and the others at the intersection first."

……

The two groups met at the crossroads leading to Jiaoshan.

Da Cheng, carrying the fishing net, stood next to Fang Qiang and nodded to Fang Wei with an honest expression.

Seeing Yang Qian's excited expression, almost wagging his tail, Fang Qiang secretly shook his head.

This silly kid! He only went hunting wild boar with Fang Wei once and earned a few dozen yuan, and he already trusts his brother so much!

Thinking about it this way, he felt a little uneasy.

If someone could teach him to earn a few dozen yuan a day, he would probably do whatever that person said, just like Yang Qian.

"Everyone's here, let's go."

Fang Wei walked at the front with a flashlight, and the four of them lined up in a row, heading towards Jiaoshan along the mountain road.

The August night breeze felt quite refreshing.

But the mountain road was difficult to walk on, full of potholes, and the flashlight could only illuminate a small area underfoot.

It took the group nearly an hour and a half to reach the shallows of the Jiaoshan Wild River.

Fang Wei raised his flashlight and swept it across the river.

The river was pitch black, and apart from a few chirping insects and the rushing water, there was no other sound.

Fang Qiang stood by the river, scanning the surface of the water several times, but he couldn't see a single shrimp.

"Where are the shrimp?"

His tone was somewhat unfriendly, and he frowned as he asked, "Fang Wei, where are the river shrimp you mentioned?"

Da Cheng also peered into the river a few times, but indeed didn't see a single shrimp. He whispered, "Brother Qiang, how about... we go back? It's the middle of the night, and the mosquitoes are practically carrying us away."

Although Yang Qian didn't speak, he kept looking at the river.

Fang Wei ignored their questions, put down the several large bamboo baskets on his back, and took out the bag of specially made bait.

"Big brother, don't panic."

He broke apart the dough made of cornmeal and rice wine, and a faint aroma of wine immediately wafted out. "First, help me set up the fishing nets in several backwaters, in places where the water is narrow, with the mesh facing upstream."

It should be before 11 o'clock yet. Once he has everything set up, those scary things should appear.

Fang Qiang glared at Fang Wei, but could only do as he was told with a dark face.

The four people split into two groups: Fang Wei and Yang Qian in one group, and Fang Qiang and Da Cheng in the other. They found several backwaters with slow-moving water along the riverbank and carefully set up their fine-mesh fishing nets.

Fang Wei then directed them to scatter the bait evenly on the water surface around the fishing net. The crumbs floated downstream and spread out on the water surface.

"Alright, let's crouch down in the bushes and wait for a bit."

"Do we have to wait?"

Fang Qiang's tone grew even harsher, "When are we going to get there?"

If it were just him alone, he could wait, but he also called Dacheng, who has to get up early tomorrow morning to go to work!

I really shouldn't have let this kid mess around with me!

"Big brother, don't be in such a hurry, okay? I promise there will definitely be shrimp."

As Fang Wei spoke, he walked directly to the grass by the river and squatted down.

Yang Qian also ran over and squatted down next to him.

Fang Qiang and Da Cheng exchanged a glance and could only follow helplessly.

Four large men squatted in the grass by the river. Their flashlights were off, and it was pitch black all around.

Apart from the rushing sound of the wild river, there was only the buzzing of mosquitoes.

"Snapped!"

Yang slapped his own neck, and when he opened his hand, his palm was covered in blood.

"These mosquitoes are incredibly venomous."

He muttered something and wiped the blood on his pants.

Fang Qiang was also a bit annoyed; his face and arms were covered in mosquito bites. He could only whisper, "Fang Wei, is what you're saying reliable or not?"

Da Cheng added in a muffled voice, "Brother Qiang is right. If we don't have shrimp, we might as well go back to sleep."

Fang Wei remained silent, simply staring at the river.

Time passed by, second by second.

Yang swatted no fewer than twenty mosquitoes, and his neck was covered in red welts.

Fang Qiang was too lazy to talk anymore, he just kept smoking the pipe he had brought.

Da Cheng simply buried his head in his knees, and it was unclear whether he had fallen asleep.

"They're here!"

After Fang Wei finished speaking in a low voice, he suddenly turned on the flashlight with a "snap".

A white beam of light suddenly struck the river surface, and the four people who followed the beam of light gasped in shock.

The surface of the water, which had been calm just moments before, suddenly became a turbulent, dark mass.

Countless wild river shrimp are surging upstream from the riverbed, their dark blue shells gleaming coldly in the sunlight!

The water began to churn, and the river shrimp were all very large, the longest of which was as long as an adult's palm, darting around in the river!