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

Around 1 p.m., at the old house of the Chishongtun team headquarters.

Amidst the swirling smoke around a dark, gleaming wooden table, the old Party Secretary, the brigade leader, the accountant, and several squad leaders gathered.

"Hama Pond is the one and a half acres of land on the east slope next to the mountain stream."

The old Party Secretary put down his large tea mug, its paint chipped and bearing the red characters "Serve the People," and looked at Zhang Wenshan with a warm smile.

"Shanzi, what do you think?"

"No problem." Zhang Wenshan obediently echoed, sitting quietly next to the captain.

This is the content of the transaction.

The three giants have already discussed the specific rules, and since he, who has the technology, doesn't object, the few squad leaders can't cause any trouble.

"Secretary," a squad leader said, frowning, his fingers unconsciously rubbing a cigarette, "I was thinking that meadow area is pretty good, isn't it? It's spacious!"

"The western slope has more gravel land, which is more in line with policy, right?"

"Isn't one and a half mu a bit too little?"

Once someone took the lead, the others immediately chimed in, turning the quiet team headquarters into a noisy mess with spittle flying everywhere.

Zhang Wenshan watched silently, finding it quite interesting.

Chishongtun has a population of over 500. Although the land has been distributed, the location of their homes has not changed, and in case of any issues, the team still takes the lead.

Hama Pond is a collectively owned property.

When it came to issues such as land, work points, dividends, and management rights, each team leader refused to budge an inch.

"What nonsense!" A loud voice rang out, "The meadow belongs to the community. Why should your team get an advantage just because you're closer to it?"

"Exactly! Our team has the most people, and if we work there, we'll have to walk an extra mile every day. No way!"

"Then let's choose the middle one."

"Get lost, how long would that ditch have to be dug to bring in water?"

Seeing the argument escalating, the old Party Secretary picked up his teacup and tapped it.

In an instant, everyone fell silent.

"Shanzi, you're tech-savvy, tell me what to do?"

What appeared to be a question was actually an order to charge into battle.

You take someone's money and do their bidding.

Zhang Wenshan understood immediately and stood up, saying, "The location chosen by the old Party Secretary is fine; one and a half acres is just right. This is our first time doing this, so we can't spread the business too thin."

He spoke eloquently, using a variety of technical terms.

What is the optimal water temperature range for hatching, dissolved oxygen requirements, feed density for tadpoles, and the risk of cross-infection of diseases?

This completely baffled a group of men who had spent their lives working with crops.

I can't even understand what they're saying, let alone refute them.

"No objections now, right?" The old Party Secretary nodded. "Next, let's talk about the personnel."

"I think..."

The argument started again, and the process repeated itself. It took a full two hours before the specific details of Hama Pond were finally settled.

"Alright, that's all for today." The old Party Secretary breathed a satisfied sigh of relief, picked up his teacup, and said, "For now, the profits and dividends will follow the old rules. We'll adjust them if there are any problems later."

Shanzi, is there anything else you'd like to add?

"No," Zhang Wenshan answered decisively.

If there's a real problem, you have to talk to the captain privately and then relay the message.

These days, showing off isn't a good thing.

If you've gained something, staying under the protection of the collective is the wise choice.

"There's something else."

As the event was about to end, Wang Tieshan, the captain who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, pointing to two fish traps in the corner and the shrimp and crabs in the bucket next to them.

"I'm thinking, should we set up another fishing and hunting team within the group?"

The old Party Secretary frowned suddenly, his eyes sweeping suspiciously over Wang Tieshan.

This matter wasn't discussed beforehand.

"Hasn't Shanzi been fishing and catching shrimp to supplement the family income lately?" Wang Tieshan said casually, dropping a bombshell, "He ran into the supply and marketing cooperative's foreign trade plan to buy shrimp and crabs."

Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in uproar.

"What? People abroad still need this stuff?"

"Oh my god! I just made some snacks to go with my drinks the other day."

"How much can you sell it for?"

After the commotion subsided, Wang Tieshan slowly spoke up: "Besides shrimp and crabs, there are fish in the river, and rabbits and pheasants in the mountains. We didn't hunt them before because we didn't have any skilled people in our village!"

"You mean Shanzi?" The old Party Secretary's eyes lit up, revealing a look of understanding.

Should we make fishing and hunting activities more transparent?

Is that so?

That makes sense. Zhang Wenshan's reputation is already tarnished, and he was fired from the factory for gambling and fighting. It's only natural that he'd be careful.

"Is Shanzi Xingyao?"

"It's fine to find something to eat on your own; collective industry is not child's play."

"Perhaps Old Li scared him. Didn't he say the other day that he'd report us if Jianshe did anything else?"

When someone brought up the old story, Li Yuejin blushed instantly and said irritably, "I was just saying things in a fit of anger that day, and I've already moved on."

"That's right, Uncle Li even lent me a stun gun to watch over the frog pond," Zhang Wenshan said with a timely smile, offering a way out.

Li Yuejin immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

If we keep bringing up that incident, he'll really be in deep trouble.

"Alright." The old Party Secretary waved his hand, silencing the discussion. "Foreign trade tasks aren't that simple. Will a third of these shrimp and crabs even be up to standard?"

If we shamelessly ask for a quota, what if we can't meet it?

As long as Shanzi doesn't break any taboos when hunting or fishing, the team doesn't interfere; Yuejin's words are just considered nonsense.

"Old Secretary, you underestimate me." Wang Tieshan gestured with his lip and said, "Shanzi, report back."

Zhang Wenshan stood up, held up the fish trap, and said, "My master taught me this technique. These two can yield more than four catties in one night, with about three catties being the standard."

This statement was like pouring cold water into a hot oil pan; the entire brigade headquarters instantly erupted into chaos.

"What? More than four pounds! Even the old hands can only manage two pounds a day at most, working from dawn till dusk."

"Don't talk nonsense, there's only a little bit left in the bucket."

"I've never heard of anyone selling it even once? This cage must have just been put down this morning!"

The squad leaders could no longer sit still and swarmed around, frantically examining the two cages.

"Made of wire, this cage must be really expensive!"

"They use different ones than the fishing teams. Is there a reason for that?"

"Secretary, why don't we give it a try?"

Just throw the cage into the water and wait to collect it; isn't that like picking up money?

"Everyone, it's not that simple. After catching the shrimp and crabs, you still need to clean and prepare them. It's a delicate and tedious job."

Zhang Wenshan took the initiative to pour cold water on the road.

"I can't guarantee a good result either. It's always packed, so you can't make a lot of money."

Everyone calmed down.

"That's true. In the village, you only see sparrows every day. There are fewer and fewer living creatures."

"Why is it called the Crayfish River? Because you could catch crayfish with just a basin in the past, but now there aren't many left, let alone here."

"What exactly do you mean?" The old Party Secretary's brows furrowed deeply. "According to your logic, the fishing and hunting team shouldn't have been approved in the first place. The investment is uncertain, and they might even lose money. How are we going to explain this to everyone at the end of the year?"

Before Zhang Wenshan could speak, Wang Tiejun volunteered, "A family in need."

In an instant, the entire team headquarters fell silent, and everyone's face became solemn.

This is the most perplexing problem in the village, especially after the land was distributed to individual households.

The policy forbids leasing, but they just pretend not to see it. They can't expect an elderly woman in her seventies or eighties to work in the fields, forcing a young widow to lead an eight- or nine-year-old child to plow the fields.

"Shanzi is willing to lead those in need," Wang Tieshan's voice broke the silence. "These cages are easy to make, and they'll at least provide some income."

"What?"

"Did I hear that right?"

The squad leaders' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets; they couldn't believe their ears.

Even the old Party Secretary couldn't help himself. He suddenly stood up, took a few steps to Zhang Wenshan, and grabbed his hand.

Those weathered eyes stared intently at him, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly.

"What Tieshan said is true."

"right."

Zhang Wenshan straightened his back, facing the old Party Secretary and all the incredulous gazes.

"I was ignorant before, but the team and the villagers were very tolerant and gave me the chance to correct my mistakes."

"Now that I have some skills, I want to do what I can to help my fellow villagers."

The old Party Secretary's hand trembled.

Suddenly, I really wanted to hand over the teacup that symbolizes "serving the people."

The squad leaders were collectively petrified, looking at Zhang Wenshan as if he were a strange giant, and couldn't help but take two steps back.

What exactly did this kid learn in town?

How come they sound more enlightened than them!