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

Zhang Wenshan ate a couple of mouthfuls of rice and said confidently, "Whether I tampered with anything or not is not important, as long as someone believes me."

Most of the men in the village play cards to some extent.

In previous years, there was little free time during collective labor, but this year, with the land allocated, the number of people at the mahjong table has increased significantly. Many people have lost to Li Dongqian, and as long as there is a pretext, a fight can be started.

As for whether it's true or false.

Anyway, the original owner won less and lost more, which caused his family to go hungry.

Besides, stopping gambling is a good thing.

"That makes sense. Isn't it a bit too obvious for Mother to tell everyone?"

"Just mention it to Big Mouth's wife, and I guarantee the whole village will be talking about it before nightfall."

"We need to be more vague..."

The family members discussed what to do, one after another, and Zhang Wenshan didn't have a chance to interrupt.

The next morning, Zhang Wenshan got up early.

With the Li family turmoil looming, we have to speed up our plans and can't keep waiting for people to come to us. We have to show off our skills.

He first crushed the small shrimp and crabs he had deliberately set aside, then mixed them with fermented cornmeal, drizzled sesame oil on top, and kneaded them into bait balls with both hands.

"They eat better than we do." Xu Xiulian, who was busy in the kitchen, caught a glimpse of this and her eyes twitched. She couldn't help but speak up.

The little sesame oil they had at home was so precious that they couldn't bear to eat it themselves; now they were used to feed shrimp and crabs. But thinking of her son's harvest, she could only suppress her heartache and sigh.

"Don't worry, we've got enough to buy several bottles and there's still some left over," Zhang Wenshan chuckled.

My mother has been frugal for half her life, and she's not so easy to change. Even if she knows she can make money, she can't help but nag.

"All you do is show off all day long. Going out at this hour, you're probably going to get seen, aren't you?"

"Only when everyone sees it will people come to the fishing group." Third Sister Zhang Wenhui wiped her face, her gaze sweeping over the scattered items on the ground. "To make fishing rods?"

"Hmm." Zhang Wenshan placed the bait, picked up the large sewing needle he had sharpened earlier, and used fire tongs to put it into the stove.

Because there were no pliers.

It could only be bent by placing it in the cracks of the stone, a slow and laborious process, and I even got burned in the process.

Zhang Wenhui's brows furrowed deeply. Xu Xiulian gasped, her heart aching, "Is it really necessary to be so meticulous?"

"You have to be careful to get results." Zhang Wenshan smiled and waited for the hook to cool completely before carefully polishing it with a whetstone.

"What are you doing now?"

"Make a barbed opening to prevent the fish from escaping."

"You know what, it's true." Xu Xiulian blinked, gestured with her hand, and said sincerely, "No wonder everyone else in the village keeps running away when they go fishing."

"Mom, lend a hand."

Zhang Wenshan handed the fishhook to Xu Xiulian, then wrapped thick cotton thread around the eye of the needle five or six times and tied it into a double knot.

"Oh my, this button is fastened perfectly; the more you pull, the tighter it gets."

"What are you doing with the lard...?"

Amidst Xu Xiulian's nagging, a handmade fishing rod made of nylon rope and sewing needles took shape.

There's a knot about a foot long on the fishing line.

The lead weight is made of stone.

The float is made of goose feathers.

"There are quite a few broken pieces, will it work?" Zhang Jianshe approached to examine it, habitually pouring cold water on the idea, "Many people in the village use ash wood rods to fish, but most of them are broken, and very few people can catch anything."

Before Zhang Wenshan could speak, Xu Xiulian retorted, "Why not? My son learned from the master chef; he can't be wrong. Didn't you eat the meat from before?"

Zhang Jianshe touched his nose, speechless.

After making preparations, the family split up and took action.

Zhang Wenshan and his elder sister went out and were greeted by the villagers who were going to work in the fields.

"Shanzi, are you going into the water to retrieve something?"

"Brother Shan, I only caught some small shrimp and crabs yesterday, what went wrong?"

"Shanzi, are you really going to set up that self-financing fishing and hunting team?"

Amidst the curious exclamations, there were also some jarring noises.

"Just because you got lucky and managed to get something, you think you're above the law, even assuming responsibility for your own profits and losses. Do you even have the skills?"

"Look at those cage bars, all flashy and gaudy, they don't look like proper tools for working."

"Shanzi, you've made Li Dong and the others too scared to go home. Pretty impressive, huh?"

"Speculation and profiteering is money earned without conscience; it will inevitably lead to trouble sooner or later."

Zhang Wenshan ignored him, a faint smile on his face, and walked straight past.

Most people, having been turned away, grumbled and dispersed. Only a few young men and teenagers remained, and seeing that he didn't chase them away, they followed closely behind.

Her eyes were glued to his hand; she was clearly trying to learn his technique.

Arriving at the first bend in the river, Zhang Wenshan submerged the fish trap in the water, deliberately leaving a small portion floating on the surface to ensure the shrimp and crabs inside could catch their breath.

"Shanzi, why don't you press it all the way down?"

"What can you possibly gain from a half-empty operation?"

"How did you mix the bait? It smells so good!"

"Why is the cage arranged like this...?"

Zhang Fengxia stood with her hands on her hips, turned around and glared fiercely at the others. The others scratched their heads and shut their mouths in embarrassment.

"Brother Shanzi, the water is deep under the poplar tree, there aren't many fish, and it's easy to get snagged on the bottom."

"Yes, it's all murky and you can't see anything at all."

Upon arriving at the fishing spot, the group began to discuss and offer their opinions again.

Zhang Wenshan smiled and didn't argue.

During periods of sustained high temperatures, fish tend to stay in cool, deep waters. The techniques and hard work that anglers of later generations developed are far beyond the comprehension of people in this era.

Moreover, there are daily intelligence markers.

He pinched a ball of bait and hung it on the hook, with only one end of the goose feather float showing. With a slight flick of his wrist, he gently lowered it towards the fishing spot.

Just as I felt it sink to the bottom, the float started to tremble, and then it began to sink further down.

"Isn't that too fast?"

Zhang Wenshan was surprised. He had only wanted to show off his skills, but he never expected that God would be so kind to him.

Perhaps it's because there's enough aquatic life these days, and the fish haven't experienced the wickedness of human nature, so they're not very smart.

It seems the measures prepared for the accident won't be needed!

"Damn, it's taken the bait!"

A boy on the shore jumped up to shout, but someone immediately covered his mouth.

Shh, be quiet.

"Brother Shan, hurry up and bring it up!"

Zhang Wenshan smiled slightly and calmly played with the fish.

To be honest, most people in the village don't know anything about fishing and hunting techniques. In the past, they thought they were experts because they thought there were plenty of things in the mountains and rivers that they could easily get.

As soon as the items are gone, their true nature is immediately revealed.

The younger ones, who have been working in the fields since childhood and occasionally try to figure things out on their own using methods passed down from the past, are unlikely to achieve anything significant.

"Brother Shan, what are you dawdling about?"

"The fish is trying to escape!"

"I'll help you..."

The onlookers were already impatient, and some couldn't resist trying to get a piece of the action, but Zhang Fengxia stopped them all with her arm.

It looks like it's almost done.

Zhang Wenshan flicked his wrist, exerted sudden force, lifted the rod, tightened the line, and attracted the fish...

Before anyone could react, the others had already reacted.

With a splash, ripples spread across the water, and the large, golden-backed, white-bellied crucian carp was pulled to the shore.

Zhang Fengxia was quick-witted and nimble; she grabbed the net and scooped it up.

"Wow, what a huge crucian carp!"

"It must weigh about a pound, right?"

"Does this godforsaken place really have fish?"

Several people on the shore were marveling at the net, and Zhang Fengxia was also somewhat dazed.

When did fishing become so easy?

Just then, Zhang Wenshan's voice rang out again.

"dip net!"

"???"

Everyone turned their heads in unison, their eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

A grass carp weighing at least two pounds had already reached the shore.