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

When Zhang Wenshan returned home, he heard voices coming from inside the house before he even entered the yard.

"Auntie, you've finally made it! Shanzi is now in charge of the collective industry."

"I knew he was right when I was a kid. He dared to lure away wild boars at the age of fourteen. You can't find another one like him in the whole town, let alone in the village."

"It's because I was led astray in the past two years."

Zhang Wenshan stopped in his tracks, feeling a toothache, already anticipating what he would encounter upon entering the house.

"Sister..." He rolled his eyes, intending to slip away, but then he noticed his older sister standing there, her eyes slightly red.

"What's wrong?"

"If I had stepped in back then, you might have continued your studies and avoided getting involved with Li Dong's gang. You might have ended up with a vocational school diploma like Lao San."

Zhang Fengxia twisted the hem of her clothes with all her might, her voice growing softer and softer until it finally broke into a sob.

She regretted freezing in place because of fear.

I regret watching helplessly as my younger brother faced the wild boar.

"Maybe he'll get into a fight at school, gamble, and cause a death, ending up in police custody," Zhang Wenshan sighed, speaking in a deliberately flippant tone.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Zhang Fengxia's eyes widened suddenly.

"He might even catch the eye of a rich girl, marry into her family, or go to another place to join the army, work in a factory, or do business..."

Zhang Wenshan looked into the distance, his voice carrying a hint of relief.

"There are no 'what ifs' in this world. What's done is done, and everything happens for a reason."

Zhang Fengxia blinked, and after a while, tilted her head and asked, "What do you mean? I don't understand."

"If you really feel bad about it, hurry up and learn to read and write, and figure out how to put the account book out."

"Yes, I can do this."

"Just tell them I went up the mountain when you get back!"

As Zhang Wenshan spoke, he crouched down and darted into the backyard to hide.

Upon seeing this, the eldest sister couldn't help but smile. She went inside, and soon after, her family members came out one after another to say goodbye.

"It's so hot." Zhang Wenshan went inside and gulped down several mouthfuls of cold water from his tea mug.

Xu Xiulian, sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), immediately saw through the siblings' trick and sighed, saying, "No wonder she was dragging people to do chores!"

Zhang Fengxia immediately defended them, saying, "They're just trying to pull strings and gain an advantage. Why didn't they come before?"

"You!" Xu Xiulian gave her eldest daughter a light tap, "You know but you can't say anything."

"I just find socializing troublesome. I'd rather spend that time setting up a couple more fish traps," Zhang Wenshan said with a smile, trying to smooth things over.

My mother and eldest sister are both doing this for their own good.

In a village, you see each other all the time, and you have to rely on your fellow villagers for help whenever something happens. You can't do without interacting with people.

At least it has to look presentable.

"You can run away from the first day of the month, but you can't hide from the fifteenth. I guarantee someone else will come knocking on your door later."

"It's alright, I'll take my things to the storeroom."

Zhang Wenshan hid until almost dinnertime before coming out.

"How did you crawl out of the storeroom?" Old Man Zhang Jianshe asked, frowning. "You didn't even make any arrangements when the family came. A lot of people were looking for you."

"I didn't hear you," Zhang Wenshan said, feigning ignorance.

Zhang Wenhui, who was setting the table, bluntly exposed him: "He's deliberately hiding."

"You can't do it like that..." Zhang Jianshe immediately objected.

Seeing that his father was about to start lecturing, Zhang Wenshan hurriedly took the money out of his pocket: "The money is divided, eldest sister, keep track of the accounts."

"They're here."

"We earned money from two sources today. Everyone contributed to the shrimp and crab business. The eldest sister worked the most, and her 50 cents has already been paid. You all got 20 cents, just like the third sister."

Zhang Jianshe's face darkened instantly, and he began to pant heavily.

The brother-in-law looked at his wife and asked with his eyes.

Xu Xiulian asked bluntly, "Si'er, what are you up to?"

Zhang Wenshan repeated what he had said during the day, and added: "I have already spoken to the team about the fishing and hunting group. You all need to set an example now."

"Getting paid for doing work is a matter of course."

"We'll just tell them, you can keep the money yourself," Xu Xiulian refused again.

Zhang Wenshan shook his head and said, "Life will get better and better from now on, and the money we get will increase. We don't care about a few cents, but what about a few dollars, tens of dollars, or even hundreds of dollars?"

"A few hundred? Dream on!" The old man scoffed, his disbelief written all over his face.

Zhang Wenshan didn't respond, and continued on his own: "After that, I got married, my third sister got married, and I was still so confused."

To put it bluntly, who would be happy to give without receiving anything in return?

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.

Xu Xiulian stopped working at the stove, her expression turning serious: "That makes sense."

In the past, we all toiled in the fields for a living, and no matter what, it was just a matter of how much grain we had.

But now it's converted into money...

The old man remained silent, like a taciturn gourd. He took out his pipe, then put it back. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and tossed one to his son and eldest son-in-law.

"Besides, you only have a future if you work hard and get paid." Zhang Wenshan took the cigarette and lit it. "You can't expect your older sister and brother-in-law to save up money just to buy a piece of candy or a new piece of clothing for their child, can you?"

We can't let my third sister be penniless, can we?

They all did the work.

"If you, Father and Mother, don't take it, what are they supposed to do?"

Because of the money being divided, the Zhang family ate dinner in a very quiet manner, with everyone preoccupied with their own thoughts.

There were no entertainment activities on the evening of 1982, and everyone went to bed early.

Zhang Jianshe lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

Xu Xiulian, standing nearby, gave her husband a playful whack with her pestle: "Making pancakes?"

"I just don't feel right," Zhang Jianshe said in a muffled voice. "Where did that brat learn that? His words are so hurtful, like the family is about to fall apart."

"What the fourth brother said makes sense. What happened in private is another matter. It's only right that we get paid for our hard work."

"I'm not stupid, I can tell the difference between good and bad talk, right?"

"You're destined to be a workaholic, never able to enjoy life. Your son is not only sensible but also capable now, what's there to be unhappy about?"

Silent all night.

The next morning, Zhang Wenshan's family got up early again and got busy.

Having had previous experience, we weren't as panicked as we were yesterday; everyone knew what to do.

As agreed, Zhang Wenshan and his elder sister met up and waited for Zhao Dezhu and his group outside the supply and marketing cooperative.

"You're here early, bro!"

Zhao Dezhu wore an awkward smile, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

"I can't keep up with you guys. Look how heavy this basket is, it must be much heavier than yesterday's, right?" Zhang Wenshan glanced at the other person's basket. "It must have been quite a journey to bring this all this way."

"Thanks to your guidance, brother." Zhao Dezhu's smile became even more awkward. He took two steps closer and said, "Brother, how about we chat privately?"

Zhang Wenshan hadn't spoken yet.

"Why waste your breath on him?" an arrogant voice rang out. "Your method of tying fish, twenty bucks, to teach us."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fengxia's expression changed drastically.

Without making a sound, she put down the basket on her back and suddenly gripped the elm wood shovel handle hidden inside with her right hand.

"Brother Zhao," Zhang Wenshan said without even lifting his eyelids, "and who is this?"

"Our fishing team leader, Tao Jun," Zhao Dezhu said, scratching the back of his head, forcing a smile, "Brother, fifty yuan is really too expensive, you see..."

"No bargaining." Zhang Wenshan smirked and turned to walk towards the gate of the supply and marketing cooperative.

"Hey, don't go..."

The tall, thin young man rushed forward, and several figures quickly surrounded him, blocking his path.