The table was full of seafood, chicken soup, and taro rice, which was more sumptuous than what he had at home. This was also the first time he had eaten taro rice this year.
No, including my previous life, it’s been several decades.
In my previous life, I was only at home for three months during the fishing moratorium, and I didn't live with my son and daughter-in-law. I would just cook a pot of rice and eat it for two days, with a bowl of blanched seafood and a bowl of stir-fried vegetables. I kept it as simple as possible.
(During the fishing moratorium, trawlers still go to the small dock here as usual, and there are also trap nets and Korean nets. The fishery administration is not strict. Only large ships strictly follow the regulations.)
It was a rare opportunity to eat, so his appetite was greatly improved. The bowl of noodles he had in the afternoon was almost finished after the trip up the mountain. Mother Lin filled his bowl with rice, and he did not refuse.
Mr. Lin's family has quite a few people. Although they have separated, their daughter and son-in-law are coming to celebrate today, so the whole family must have a meal together.
There was a big pot full of taro rice, with two or three bowls for each person. Everything was pressed tightly into the pot. Even the rice crust at the bottom of the pot was so crispy that the children could grab it and chew it.
It's so rare to eat it. Lin's mother hasn't cooked it this year. In the past, they had sweet potato porridge for three meals a day. This thing is a standard in every household here in this era. Today, it is only thanks to Ye Yaodong that they can eat it again.
If Lin Xiuqing came back alone, Lin's father and mother would not be so enthusiastic to cook taro rice and kill chickens. After all, no family was well off in those days.
The son-in-law is the real guest of honor!
After dinner, the sky began to darken. After autumn, the days become shorter and the nights become longer.
The room that the Lin family arranged for them was the one that Lin Xiuqing lived in with several sisters before she got married. After they got married, they gave it to their children to live in. It was specially vacated today.
The room still has the old-fashioned bunk bed and a set of tables and chairs. The tabletop is covered with scratches and various writings, and there are even holes in some places. These are really solid wooden tables and chairs!
The table was piled with textbooks. As soon as Ye Chenghu and Ye Chengyang saw it, they climbed onto the stool and reached out to grab a book.
Lin Xiuqing hurriedly stopped them, "Don't move! This belongs to your cousins. If you tear it, I'll take off your pants and beat you with a cane!"
The two were so scared that they quickly withdrew their hands and dared not touch anything.
"Wipe it on their bodies, I'll go walk around the door." Actually, he wanted to smoke.
He was paying attention to her family members, whether they were running around all day or facing them.
As a result, as soon as he walked out of the door, he saw his elder brother-in-law holding a shrimp cage and his younger brother-in-law holding a hand net and holding a flashlight. His eyes suddenly lit up.
"Where are you going?"
Lin Xianghui smiled and said, "I plan to go to the river at the foot of the mountain to catch some river shrimps to eat tomorrow. The ones you brought here today will all be eaten tonight."
There were no refrigerators in those days, and shrimps and crabs were afraid of dying if left overnight and becoming stale, so Lin's mother had to cook and eat them in advance, leaving only the sea bass and blue crabs.
Sea bass hanging in a well are not afraid of going bad, and blue crabs can survive for a few days as long as they are not bitten by mosquitoes.
Afraid that there wouldn't be enough food tomorrow due to the large crowds, Lin Xianghui and Lin Xiangrong planned to go to the river to catch some river shrimps in the evening. For people from the mountains, river shrimps were a rare meat dish that was also very fresh. They caught them every day and would often catch some fresh fish and shrimps to sell in the village or town.
"Seafood must be eaten while it's fresh. It can't be left to spoil. It's still early to go to bed now, and I'm free anyway. I'll go with you guys and see if it's easy to catch river shrimps."
The two brothers-in-law looked at each other and nodded with a smile, "Okay, as long as you are not afraid of mosquito bites. There are still a lot of mosquitoes now."
"It's okay. I don't attract mosquitoes."
After Ye Yaodong said something to Lin Xiuqing, he followed happily and helped to get the shrimp cage.
There is not much difference between ground traps and shrimp traps and crab traps.
Shrimp cages and crab cages are both ground cages, but ground cages are denser, shrimp cages are sparser, and crab cages can have larger mesh. Ground cages are cages for fish, shrimp, crabs, etc. Shrimp cages are mainly used to store shrimp, but fish can also enter.
But when the shrimp cages with horizontal mouths are put into the water, fish will also enter, and the fish cages with vertical mouths will also enter shrimps, but the ones with large cage mesh can only catch fish.
They passed the river they were going to during the day, and Ye Yaodong took a few more glances at it, wondering if there were any fish, shrimps, or loaches in it. He didn't expect that they would have to come with a flashlight to catch them at night.
The village was unusually deserted at night. After all, it was not summer, and there were still people enjoying the cool air.
If you are inside the village, there will still be lights, but once you leave the village, the road is completely dark and you can't see your hand in front of you. It is very scary, and many people will not go out unless there are special circumstances.
Every home will have a toilet ready for use at night, and the toilet will be emptied the next day. Few people go out to the toilet at night, so if they are not careful, they may fall into the toilet.
Lin Xianghui and Lin Xiangrong took Ye Yaodong to the place where they usually put the cages. They actually liked to play with them, and Ye Yaodong had seen fishing rods in their homes.
We are all like-minded people.
As a result, before they reached their destination, they heard strange noises in the river. The sound of water crackling was very familiar to the three of them, and joy flashed in their eyes.
Ye Yaodong shone the flashlight directly towards the water surface and saw a bunch of fish jumping on the water surface, splashing layer upon layer of white flowers.
He said happily, "You don't have to go to your usual fixed spot. Let's go here. It looks like there are a lot of fish in the river."
"Okay, let's try it here. Fish can enter the shrimp cage anyway. These fish will come out at night to look for food."
"Adong has been setting up ground traps a lot now, so he must be very skilled. Can I set up shrimp cages for you too?"
There is really no difference between the two cages.
"Okay, you guys use the hand net to catch these fish first, and I'll go put the cages aside."
With so many fish, you’d better miss it!
The two brothers-in-law rolled up their sleeves and got to work, but the river was quite wide and the water level was not shallow. It was difficult for them to fish while standing on the shore, so they simply took off their clothes and pants and went into the water.
The water in early autumn was icy cold, but it was not unbearable. The two shivered and walked carefully towards the river.
The fish were jumping around very actively at night, and it was easy for the two of them to catch the fish.
Ye Yaodong helped to light a flashlight on the shore, and put the chicken intestines prepared in advance into the shrimp cage as bait. This was specially intercepted from Lin's mother by the two brothers-in-law in the afternoon, and they were also scolded for a lot.
After he put the bait down, he placed the flashlight on a large rock to give them a little light, and then he took the shrimp cage and placed it not far downstream, where he could barely see it with the faint light.
River shrimps are easier to catch at night. They usually appear more at night and rest in their nests in the morning.
This does not need to be placed for a day or two before being collected like the sea traps. This can be collected in 15-30 minutes.
While waiting, he ran to his brother-in-law to see how many fish they had caught, and helped to shine the flashlight, but he happened to shine the light on a fish with a very long snout next to his brother-in-law.
He was so shocked that he immediately said, "Brother, there is a Chinese sturgeon next to you!"
That’s right, it’s the Chinese sturgeon!
He once chatted with his co-workers on a fishing boat about this rare fish, which is now on the verge of extinction. He was also educated about caviar and even searched the news out of curiosity.
Lin Xianghui turned around in shock and looked around, muttering, "I vaguely saw a big fish swimming next to me, but the light was not good so I couldn't see it clearly and I'm not sure. Where is it now?"
Lin Xiangrong also hurriedly started looking for it, "Is this true? Is it really a Chinese sturgeon? Are you sure? Do you know this fish? How come we have one here?"
Although they have never seen it, they have at least heard of the Chinese sturgeon, which is the famous king of fish in the Yangtze River. It was born in the river and grew up in the sea.
"This fish can be found in the Minjiang River. Your river is not far from the Minjiang River, so it might be a tributary. Although it is rare, it is not impossible. I have seen this fish before. I think I saw it correctly. I saw that its head is pointed and its snout is long. Its snout is sometimes ten centimeters long."
"Really? Look for it quickly. Where did it go? I just saw a big fish..."
"Let's look for it separately. Adong, you can see more carefully from the shore. Look further away..."
The two brothers-in-law were instantly excited, they loved fishing and knew some well-known fish species. They knew the value of this fish very well and they would make a fortune if they could catch it.
Ye Yaodong shone the flashlight around his two brothers-in-law again and again, but he didn't see any shadows, as if it was just an illusion
"I didn't see where it went. Could it be that I saw it wrong? It's impossible..."
He was a little unsure whether it was because the light was bad and he couldn't see clearly, or because the waves stirred up by the big fish in the water made him see it wrongly
Lin Xianghui also said hesitantly: "I did feel that there were big fish around. I touched them several times with the hand net, but they were too heavy to pull up. I thought they were big grass carps or something. I also caught several big fish in the bucket. But you said it has a long snout, and I feel like I have vaguely seen it."
Ye Yaodong frowned, "Or you can fish while searching? If you can find it, that's the best. If not, just come up. The water in the river is too cold. It's autumn now, don't catch a cold."
"Let's try again. If we can't find anything, then forget it."
"If we see it, we won't be able to catch it with our hand-cast nets, right? I heard that the Chinese sturgeon is very big, and we might not be able to catch it and it will run away."
"Isn't it a bit excessive for you to worry about this now? You are still unsure. Dongzi is now doubting whether he has seen it wrong."
"It's okay to think about it, right? I've already thought about what I'm going to do with the money I earn..."
"That's amazing! You will definitely make a fortune if you close your eyes at night!"
…
Ye Yaodong listened to his two brothers-in-law chattering about their daily lives while searching. He also shone a flashlight around, but after searching for a while, he only caught some common small fish.
"Don't look for it anymore. It may have run away, or it may have been a mistake. The water is very cold. Hurry up and get up. Let's go collect the shrimp cages. It's almost time. Let's pick one up and have a look."
"Where did you put it? Let's swim over there and help pull it up."
"Just down the river that way."
The two brothers-in-law had already been soaking in the water for quite a while, so they didn’t mind spending a little more time, so they went over to help with the netting.
"It hasn't been long since we put it down, how come it's so heavy? Big brother, come and help us, don't look for it anymore, it must be that Dong is dazzled or ran away, there's no way he can be found right here for you to look for him."
"Oh oh, here I come."
Ye Yaodong also reached out to help pull the boat from the shore, but found it was really heavy. He had only let it go for less than 20 minutes. What kind of thing could there be so much in the river
"Shit, it's in the shrimp pot!"