Fishing and Hunting 82, Starting with Three Sisters Who Overprotect Their Brothers

The siblings returned home close to noon.

"It's alright, at least it'll be ready in time to make meat."

Zhang Wenshan saw the black smoke billowing from the chimney from a distance and quickened his pace.

Upon entering the courtyard, I found my eldest nephew, Zhao Qiang, standing at the doorway, his body covered in dried mud, his face wrinkled like a dried date.

"Uncle."

Upon seeing Zhang Wenshan, Zhao Qiang seemed to have seen a savior. His eyes lit up instantly, and he shouted at the top of his lungs, but he dared not move an inch and remained obediently rooted to the spot.

Zhang Wenshan understood about 70-80% of it at a glance, shook his head and smiled.

Zhao Qiang's face fell even more, and he pleaded in a whisper, "Uncle, I promise I'll never play in the mud again, please save me."

He knew who had the final say in the family.

"It's beyond saving, but I can give you this."

As Zhang Wenshan spoke, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of fruit candy.

The red and white candy wrappers shone brightly in the sunlight, and the deer printed on them seemed ready to jump out.

"sugar?"

Zhao Qiang grinned, his eyes glued to Zhang Wenshan's hand. He instinctively lunged forward but then stopped abruptly, his lips slightly moist.

"Do you recognize these two characters?" Zhang Wenshan deliberately held the candy up high. "If you pronounce them correctly, it's yours."

"Apple!" the child blurted out.

"Oh?" Zhang Wenshan raised an eyebrow. "How do you know each other?"

In those days, five- or six-year-old children in rural Northeast China didn't even go to school, let alone receive preschool education, and usually couldn't read a single character.

He also considered cultivating his nephew's interest in learning.

The mission ended in failure.

"Last time you ate this candy, you let me lick the wrapper." Zhao Qiang craned his neck, his eyes gleaming with eager anticipation, and asked, "Uncle, you really gave it to me?"

"Of course I'll give it to you."

Zhang Wenshan pressed the candy into his palm, turned around and rushed into the house, only to find the cheers behind him particularly jarring.

"Mom, have some candy."

He lifted the curtain and rushed into the steamy outer room, deftly unwrapped a piece of candy, and stuffed it directly into his mother's mouth.

He casually stuffed the candy wrapper into the stove pit.

If I don't do it this way, I might throw up.

"You're just wasting money. You eat it yourself, why are you giving it to me?" Xu Xiulian turned her face away, her words filled with complaint, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up.

"Your son is capable, so eat with peace of mind." Zhang Wenshan smiled as he put away the things he was carrying. "Mom, how about adding a dish for lunch?"

"What should we add?" Xu Xiulian looked down and saw the bundle of hemp rope on the ground. Her brows immediately furrowed. "Why did we buy this? I can just make some tonight!"

"You should get some rest tonight. It's only five cents, not worth the effort. Besides, I need it urgently." Zhang Wenshan deftly untied the knot. "You need a thin rope to make crab traps."

"What, is the state-run restaurant getting a new business?"

"No, the lady inside told me that the supply and marketing cooperative buys river crabs and shrimp."

"Huh?" Xu Xiulian was stunned upon hearing this. Her gaze swept over the pile of ingredients before returning to her son's face. She swallowed the words she was about to say. "What dishes should we add?"

Zhang Wenshan didn't notice his mother's expression: "Big sister, hurry up and take the meat out."

"You bought meat?" Upon hearing this, Xu Xiulian immediately looked towards the door, brandishing a spatula and yelling, "Why didn't you stop them?"

"How could I stop him..." Zhang Fengxia muttered softly, shrinking by the door. "If I hadn't stopped him, he would have bought two pounds of lean meat."

"What? You bought two pounds?"

Xu Xiulian selectively ignored a part of it, quickly stepped forward, lifted the oil paper in the fish basket and looked inside, her brows furrowing even more tightly.

"He's too skinny. He doesn't know how to choose, and neither do you?"

"If you go too late, all the fat will have been picked clean..." Zhang Fengxia took a half step back.

"Still talking back!" Xu Xiulian angrily raised her hand, but accidentally knocked over the fish basket.

With a clang.

The aluminum lunchbox lid fell off, revealing eight fried cakes.

Xu Xiulian looked down and her breathing became heavier: "What a waste! Can't we make this ourselves? Why do we have to spend money?"

"I bought it, I want to eat it."

Zhang Wenshan quickly stopped his mother, who was about to go berserk.

I finally understood why my eldest sister had been acting strangely all along, and I also gained a deeper understanding of my position in the family.

"Hey, you're really something else. You've only earned a few bucks and you're already wasting your time like this?"

As Xu Xiulian spoke, she looked at the pile of materials again.

It's alright, most of them can still be kept and used, so they won't all go to waste.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Zhang Wenshan said with a smile.

"We're really struggling in the fields right now, and my older sister has been helping me a lot. If I don't get some extra food, how will Dad and my brother-in-law manage?"

"Hey, you two go pick some green beans." Xu Xiulian reluctantly picked up a kitchen knife, preparing to separate the fatty and lean meat.

"Sister, you can go. I'll help you." Zhang Wenshan didn't move, standing next to the cutting board, staring intently.

"No need, just don't ruin anything."

"Mother, cut them all up, they won't keep in this heat."

"Stop talking nonsense. Just eat a little bit by yourself. Smoke the rest and you can keep it until the New Year."

"Now I can start doing it like this."

After a tug-of-war, the entire two pounds of meat ended up in the pot.

Xu Xiulian kept muttering about how wasteful she was, but she soon quieted down.

The aroma of oil gradually wafted from the pot, growing stronger with each passing moment.

Zhao Qiang had somehow ended up by the door, and the candy in his mouth suddenly seemed to have lost its flavor.

……

"Old Zhang, there's something special about your frog pond. I put them in this morning, and they haven't escaped yet."

"We can't be sure what the master taught us."

"Which deity does Shanzi worship? Could you introduce him?"

"It makes me angry just thinking about it. What a dimwit. He didn't even say a word after his master left."

"Shanzi said he wants to go up the mountain and down the river, to hunt and catch fish. Is he really serious?"

"He only learned a little bit, but he insisted on showing off."

"My son Tiger's got nothing better to do, how about we put them together for company?"

On the dirt road in Donghetun, many people chatted with Zhang Jianshe, and most of them circled around Hama Pond.

Some even went to the gravel area early in the morning, and now they're back.

"Don't take it to heart, everyone's like this." The neighbor, seeing Zhang Jianshe's bad expression, comforted him. "Shanzi is sensible now, you've finally made it through."

"I hope so," Zhang Jianshe shook his head. "Hunting and fishing are unpredictable; farming is more reliable."

"Isn't there also the skill of raising toads?"

"Hey, that kid said he listens to the brigade leader in Hama Pond, and he got a letter of introduction. He's determined to go into the mountains and rivers."

Zhang Jianshe sighed, his face scrunched up in a frown.

They've discussed this before, so there's no need to hide anything; just tell the truth.

"My God, that's a 15% profit?" The neighbor's older brother suddenly stopped, his mouth agape, wide enough to swallow an egg.

The village had a collective industry system, and everyone knew exactly how the profits were distributed.

Just to get proof, Zhang Wenshan gave up the benefits he had already secured?

If you can raise toads, wouldn't that be more profitable than hunting and fishing?

"Who says otherwise?" Zhang Jianshe shook his head repeatedly, feeling genuinely worried.

"Huh? Where's that meat smell coming from?"

The older brother next door suddenly sniffed and stretched his neck out.

Zhang Jianshe sniffed around and looked around in confusion—his gaze slowly landing on his own yard.

Then came the sour sound from the neighbor next door.

"Old Zhang, you're not being honest. You've had meat again, and you still say Shanzi only learned the basics?"