From Changsha to Yueyang, it takes only two hours by train.
There is light rain today, the weather is foggy, and the lake is covered with a layer of water vapor. Although it is already the 21st century, there are still simple fishing boats with motors returning from the lake.
Lin Luoran and Rong Donglin stood on the embankment of Dongting Lake, and the slight lake wind mixed with drizzle was blowing towards them. Even if they were fanning, their clothes would inevitably get wet.
The water is rippling, not to mention the shrinking area of the 800-mile Dongting, even the water is no longer as clear as it used to be. Even if there are dragons, I don't know how they can survive in such water.
Long Lin Luoran didn't see it, but the fishing boats started dumping and sorting today's harvest by the lake. The fishing ban in spring is about to start, and fishermen are catching up to the last time to fish, so the boats of fish are pulled back with the sound of "bang bang bang" motors, and then dumped by the lake, by the old and weak at home Women and children come to sort.
Naturally, this season is not the time to eat crabs, but Dongting Lake is also rich in crayfish. March and April are the season for crayfish to dig holes and lay eggs. The fishermen have not officially started the fishing ban, and batches of dumped fish Among the goods, a large part is crayfish.
Crayfish are poisonous after death and cannot be eaten. The dead shrimp are spread on the lake beach. In March of Yangchun, they are piled up like a mountain, emitting a disgusting stench.
Lin Luoran likes spicy crayfish very much, but this kind of fishing method makes her somewhat sigh.
Seemingly seeing what she was sighing, Rong Donglin scratched his head, "A buddy in the dormitory said that crayfish in Yueyang are the cheapest, only 3 or 4 yuan a catty in summer, the price can't be raised, they can only use the quantity Arrived."
Lin Luoran smiled, and didn't delve into this topic, but walked over holding an umbrella.
"Sister, do you sell fish and shrimp?"
The fisherwoman put her head down and worked hard, waving her hands again and again:
"Not retail, not retail."
Lin Luoran didn't force her, and asked from door to door. There were more than a dozen fishermen's houses on the lake embankment, and finally an old man who smoked answered her.
Years of hard work made the old man's exposed skin look bronze, and his whole body exuded a fishy smell. He was guarding a dilapidated boat and smoking low-quality cigarettes.
"Master, is the harvest good today?"
This area is only so big, Lin Luoran chased others to sell fish to her all the way, the old fisherman had already heard it, he was waiting for the young couple to open their mouths to buy fish, but Lin Luoran asked him if the harvest was good, he Only then did he take a look at the couple.
Both of them looked to be in their early twenties, the boy looked ordinary, but the girl was very juicy.
"Little girl, are you really here to buy fish?" The old fisherman took a puff of his cigarette and asked calmly.
Rong Donglin kept beating in his heart, Senior Sister Lin didn't know what was wrong, the road was so hurried, they flew straight to Changsha, and then changed to Yueyang, they didn't rest all the way, how could they know that when they arrived at the edge of Dongting Lake, Lin Luoran didn't know what to do They are clamoring to eat fish.
Hearing the old man's question back, Rong Donglin suddenly realized that a smart person like Senior Sister Lin would never aim for nothing, so he might as well just wait for Senior Sister Lin's plan.
Lin Luoran rolled her eyes, and she looked no different from an ignorant female student:
"Master, of course we are here to buy fish. Do you want to sell this fish?"
The old fisherman glanced at the small fish and shrimps in the cabin, as well as a few large lake crabs, and extinguished the cigarette: "I'm too embarrassed to sell these two small fish and shrimps to you, and rumors spread that I, Lao Liao, cheated."
Seeing that Lin Luoran was neither disappointed nor annoyed, he changed the topic: "But the two younger boys don't dislike the dirty place here, and the old man can make you a meal of fish."
Rong Donglin looked at his black-topped boat, both for fishing and for managing the house. He could also see the living utensils placed in the corner of the boat. It was as dark as the skin color of an old fisherman. Well, in other words, this is a dirty boat. Messy fishing boat.
In such a place, Senior Sister Lin might not be able to eat.
Rong Donglin thought she was going to refuse, but Lin Luoran frowned when she heard the old fisherman's words:
"Then I'll really have the cheek to stay for dinner, sir."
She put away her umbrella and jumped onto the deck. Naturally, Rong Donglin had no choice but to board the boat, at a loss.
The old fisherman was really not shy. He lit a fire in a small stove with a thin wooden board, put an iron pot on it, mixed it with water and boiled it. The intestines were broken, and the fish maws, crayfish heads, and crabs' thin feet were all cleaned up, and they were all poured into the boiling pot.
There was no ginger, no green onions, and no cooking wine to remove the smell. Rong Donglin didn't expect much from the white water fish and shrimp, but after the old fisherman sprinkled a pinch of salt, he smelled a fresh fragrance.
The old fisherman took out two foreign porcelain bowls with peeling paint, and each of them filled a large bowl for them.
"Let's eat."
Lin Luoran didn't feel disgusted, and took small sips from the porcelain bowl. Perhaps it is because there are no seasonings except salt. To Rongcheng people who are used to eating heavy-tasting dishes, the fish and shrimp are a bit bland, but after a while, you can taste the unique deliciousness of the game.
"It's really fragrant, isn't it, Junior Brother Rong?"
Lin Luoran ate very contentedly, and Rong Donglin vaguely agreed to her because his mouth was also full of fish.
Seeing whether they look like fakes or not, the old fisherman's face looks like a gully carved by a knife, and it is not easy to notice that it has stretched a little.
"Master, thank you for inviting us to eat fish..."
"Thanks to your patronage, the two of you ate two bowls of fish, and he drank an extra bowl of soup, just give the old man three hundred yuan."
The old fisherman asked for money with all his hands, and ignored the relationship between Lin Luoran's words. This person, don't talk about feelings, it hurts money!
"You..." When Rong Donglin heard it, his heart ached. He ate two bowls of small fish for three hundred yuan. How could this be a hospitable fisherman
"What's wrong with me? The old man said he would treat you two to eat? My fish is wild. You cook it with your own eyes. Without any additives, it's worth 300 yuan!" The old fisherman rolled his eyes and said, I was speechless.
He is not good at arguing with others, and his face becomes red when he is blocked by a few words. If he was not afraid of bad things, Rong Donglin would have left in a hurry.
The three red tickets were pinched by a delicate hand, pulled out from the wallet, and handed to the old fisherman who was snarling.
The creases on the old man's face were all stretched out, and he took the three hundred Huaxia coins with his hand covered with fish scales, and smiled happily: "Little girl, you are still on the way, it's not bad!"
Lin Luoran gave Rong Donglin a calm look, and sat on the small bench chatting with the old fisherman.
Perhaps because of the money, the old fisherman simply answered every question. Lin Luoran asked from the usual:
"Master, you must have been fishing in Dongting Lake for many years, right?"
"The little girl really has eyes... The old man has been wandering on this Dongting Lake since he was nine years old, and it has been sixty years now, tsk tsk."
Sixty years, and it was only sixty-two years since the founding of Huaxia, so he is really old fashioned.
The two chatted all the way, but it was getting late, and the old fisherman seemed to feel that the three hundred yuan they paid was worth the time, and he began to get impatient again.
"I said, you don't intend to spend the night on the old man's boat, do you?"
Rong Donglin felt greasy when he thought of the cabin that couldn't see the original color. If he really wanted to sleep here, he would eat the sky-high priced fish soup in the afternoon.
As the rain intensified, a strong wind blew by the lake, causing the small fishing boat to sway from side to side, with waves hitting the cabin from time to time—tonight is a rare rainy weather in spring.
Lin Luoran's voice was scattered by the wind, but the tone was still so casual:
"Master, you are a person who has seen the world on this Dongting Lake. You said that if there is a Dragon Palace at the bottom of the lake... where would it be?"
Senior sister Lin made a big circle, just to ask this eccentric old fisherman about the whereabouts of Dongting Dragon Palace
Rong Donglin felt a little dizzy, is it because the wind is too strong by the lake, the rain is cold, Senior Sister Lin has caught a cold and has a fever...