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

"Uncle Ergui, Sister Cuihua, you two walk along the edge of the bay to the river mouth, spread out the net and stick it into the silt. Give a signal after you've set it up."

"Remember, the net must be taut and close to the water's surface."

"Be gentle."

Zhang Wenshan tossed a bamboo pole to Lang Qiuping.

"Go squat on the left and wait for the command. When the time comes, slowly herd the ducks toward the net. Don't worry about the small ones, just keep an eye on the big ones. If one or two run away, don't bother with them."

Lang Qiuping nodded without saying a word, gripped the bamboo pole tightly, and crouched down to disappear into the reeds.

"Hey sis, take the net, you're in charge of catching them later... If any wild ducks try to run away, throw mud clods in the water to scare them away..."

Zhang Wenshan speaks rapidly and gives clear instructions.

Shortly afterward, arms were waved from two different locations, indicating that preparations were complete.

"Let's get started."

Zhang Wenshan swung his arm downwards sharply, first using the bamboo pole to smash the reeds, then wading through the water and pushing them towards the center of the bay.

At the same time, Lang Qiuping's side also started to move.

The flock of wild ducks immediately erupted into chaos, quacking and squawking as they huddled together, flapping their wings as they fled toward the net.

The lead duck crashed headfirst into the net and couldn't get out for a while, causing the rest of the flock to panic and spin around in place.

Two of them turned their heads and tried to dart away.

Zhang Fengxia had been holding the mud in her hand, ready to be thrown. Seeing this, she threw it out hard, splashing water everywhere, and the two ducks immediately shrank back.

With their path blocked, the ducks panicked and flapped their wings, trying to fly into the sky.

As a result, it crashed into the net and got stuck, unable to break free no matter what it did.

"Don't just stand there, get started!"

At Zhang Wenshan's command, he rushed over first, pressed down on the neck, pinched the arm, and stuffed a wild duck into a sack in a few quick movements.

Zhang Fengxia followed suit, and others followed suit as well.

A few minutes.

All seven adult wild ducks were captured, but only one duck managed to squeeze through a gap, plunge into the deep water, and never resurfaced.

"Oh dear, it's all my fault!" Lin Cuihua waved her hands wildly, her face full of annoyance and regret.

The duck slipped away in her direction.

"It's alright, only one escaped on our first try, it's already pretty good." Zhang Wenshan smiled and patted the duck flapping in the bag, his words sincere.

This makeshift team had no experienced members and no training before going straight into battle.

I thought I'd be lucky to catch two or three, but to my surprise, only one escaped.

"Sigh..." Lin Cuihua sighed with her head down.

Zhang Wenshan didn't try to persuade them any further. Those who were willing to risk their reputation to join the fishing and hunting group were only driven to desperation.

Let alone a wild duck that can be eaten and sold for money, even losing a cornbread would be a heartache.

He turned his head away.

Ge Ergui was bending over, stuffing the little ducks into the sack as well.

He frowned and said, "No, I don't want it. Let it go."

Everyone except Zhang Fengxia was stunned.

Lin Cuihua couldn't help but say, "Let it go, why would we let it go?"

"They're too small, nobody's going to buy them. They'd be jostled to death if we carried them to town. No need to bother." Zhang Wenshan went straight over, took the ducklings that were already in the bag, and released them.

"We can eat them ourselves if we don't sell them!" Ge Ergui clicked his tongue, looking at the little ducklings that hurriedly burrowed into the reeds with a look of heartache on his face.

"There's not much meat. Most of them will survive if you release them, and that'll make several broods of ducks next year," Zhang Wenshan explained.

Lin Cuihua and Ge Ergui exchanged a glance, seeing the confusion in each other.

Lang Qiuping thought for a moment and asked, "Was it because of this that the team couldn't catch anything later?"

"There is a reason." Zhang Wenshan nodded and waded towards the shore.

His shoes, socks, and trouser legs were covered in mud and water, making them uncomfortable against his legs. He simply took them off to dry and take a break.

This body still lacks exercise.

"It's like a dream." Ge Ergui sat down next to him, clutching the heavy sack, and squeezed the creature inside, unable to help but sigh.

Lin Cuihua came over and echoed, "That's right, they caught so many old men in less than half an hour."

Brother Shanzi, your skills are truly amazing.

Sister Fengxia, how come you manage to produce so much every day?

After saying that, she quickly waved her hand and said, "I was just curious, I didn't mean anything else."

"Pretty much, I used to catch fish." Zhang Fengxia tried hard to keep a straight face, trying to appear normal, but her rapid breathing betrayed her.

"Team leader, shall we take a break before continuing the hunt?" Ge Ergui licked his lips, rubbed his hands together, and his eyes gleamed.

"No, not yet," Zhang Wenshan shook his head and said. "The weather has been hot lately, so wild ducks have limited time to move around, making them very difficult to find now. Besides, without the morning mist, it's almost impossible for us to get close."

"I see. No wonder it was so hard to catch wild ducks before, there's another reason."

"Not only that, the team leader's methods are also sophisticated, unlike us who just chase after them."

Before anyone knew it, Lin Cuihua had also changed how she was addressed.

……

"I never knew there were so many tricks to watering plants. Shanzi is really skilled."

In Zhang's vegetable garden, the brigade leader's wife bent down and stared at several bright green persimmons, making a clicking sound.

"I saw Shanzi in a promotional poster," Xu Xiulian said, waving her hand awkwardly.

I'm used to criticizing others when they say something bad about my son, so when I hear people praising him now, I feel inexplicably disoriented.

"Oh dear, don't be modest. Shanzi has really made something of himself these days, every day..."

Before the brigade leader's wife could finish speaking, she was interrupted by a burst of laughter.

"Haha, congratulations, Sister Zhang!"

Xu Xiulian quickly emerged from the vegetable garden; she was a woman from the village with whom she usually had little contact.

"As you know, my husband isn't in good health, and we're struggling to make ends meet..." The other person rubbed their hands together and began to complain.

Xu Xiulian looked completely bewildered.

We don't usually visit each other, and we're not even relatives. What's going on here?

"Old Shen's wife, what are you doing?" The brigade leader's wife also came out of the garden and looked at the newcomer suspiciously.

"Um... I was thinking of buying a duck to help my husband get some nourishment."

"Oh, um?"

Not only Xu Xiulian, but also the brigade leader's wife was baffled.

Buying ducks? Coming all the way here to buy them?

"Oh dear, look at my memory."

The other person slapped their forehead.

"Your son Shanzi is raising wild ducks, he's filled three sacks and is walking back. You'll have to give me two of them later, at a discount."

Xu Xiulian's mind went blank, and only a few words remained.

Wild ducks, three sacks full!

Before she could ask any further questions, a noisy commotion grew louder as a large crowd surged forward.

Leading the group were her son, Zhang Wenshan, and daughter, surrounded by members of the fishing and hunting team. The burlap sacks they carried were bulging and wriggling from time to time, clearly indicating the presence of living creatures.

"Shanzi, we're home. Open it and take a look."

"What are you afraid of? I'm not going to steal it from you."

"that is……"

Zhang Wenshan finally breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped into his home.

He didn't expect that, once the news spread, people would actually come all the way back from the fields to see what was going on.

"Open it."

As soon as the rope at the top of the sack was tied, the wild ducks inside started squawking and flapping their wings, causing an uproar among the onlookers.

"My goodness, it really is a wild duck!"

"One, two, three, wow, seven!"

"The last time we caught so many wild ducks in our village was probably seven or eight years ago, right?"