HPDBC Chapter 1709 Fishing in the Mountain Stream
Chapter 1709 Fishing in the Mountain Stream
Chapter 1709 Fishing in the Mountain Stream
In Northeast China, crucian carp are called "crucian melon seeds".
Large crucian carp have black backs and white bellies, while small crucian carp caught from ponds have more white and less black on their bodies.
At this moment, small crucian carp were thrown into the feeding hopper. They slapped their tails and their scales shimmered in the sunlight, creating a white, fluffy mess.
As Xing San, Wang Qiang, Zhao Jun, Xie Chen, and others cast their nets one after another, the lorry was already half full, containing about four or five pounds of these small crucian carp.
The bucket next to it contained catfish, whitebait, old mandarin fish, and a few small catfish.
In Northeast China, cold-water fish are categorized into three types: three flowers, five luo, and eighteen zi. Crucian carp is called "crucian melon seed," common carp is called "common carp crook," grass carp is called "grass root stick," and catfish is called "catfish ball."
These catches weren't all from one pond, but from four ponds.
There weren't many catfish, whitebait, old mandarin fish, or other similar species, but these fish were quite large, and most of them filled the pot.
The catfish and crucian carp were easy to keep alive, but the whitebait and old mandarin fish were more difficult to handle. Even after adding cold water to the bucket, the whitebait and old mandarin fish didn't seem to be very active.
Finally, there's Zhao Jinhui. It's true what they say, strength pays off. Weighing over 200 pounds, Zhao Jinhui casts the net like it's nothing, his movements so effortless and casual.
But while picking the fish, even though Zhao Jun and the others gave him instructions one by one, Zhao Jinhui was still pricked by a bone spur on Ga Yazi's back.
In the south, the goat thorn is called yellow hot thorn. Its bone spurs are poisonous, and if a person is pricked by it, the wound will be swollen and painful.
Seeing Zhao Jinhui clutching his hand and crying out in pain, Li Ruhai grabbed Zhao Jinhui's wrist and said, "Come on, Brother Hui, let me pee on you, and your hand won't hurt anymore."
"What?" Zhao Jinhui was stunned, forgetting even the pain.
Then, Li Ruhai continued, "You didn't know that virgin urine can cure this?"
"Really?" Zhao Jinhui was taken aback, then realized what he meant, shoved Li Ruhai, and said, "I'm a virgin too, why would I need you?"
Zhao Jun and the others chuckled. Zhang Yuanmin picked up a catfish and said to Zhao Jinhui, "Jinhui, don't pee. I'll scrape some of the mucus off this fish for you. Applying it will make a big difference."
As soon as Zhang Yuanmin finished speaking, Xing San stopped him. Xing San pulled a bag of tobacco leaves from his back, pinched out a pinch of tobacco leaves, and called to Zhao Jinhui, "Fatty, open your mouth."
"Huh?" Zhao Jinhui looked at Xing San in surprise, and then heard Xing San say, "You chew this tobacco leaf yourself, then smear it on that spot, and it will be fine in a little while."
Zhao Jinhui believed Xing San. When he heard Xing San say that, he tilted his head back, opened his mouth, and let Xing San throw the tobacco leaves into his mouth.
“I knew it, any of you who messes up will get pricked.” Xing San said while tucking a cigarette pouch into his back pocket, “These are tobacco leaves I brought from home specifically for this purpose.”
Having spent a lot of time with these people, Xing San has also learned to care about them.
Sure enough, Xing San's trick was more effective than virgin urine or the sticky fluid from a baby's body. Zhao Jinhui applied the chewed tobacco leaves to the wound, and the wound didn't swell up. Moreover, the pain subsided in a short while.
Zhao Jinhui held the item in his hand and stood aside, while Zhao Jun and the other seven began packing their things, preparing to move to another location.
Eight men cast eight nets and caught over eight pounds of fish. That would be more than enough for an average family. But not for Zhao Jun's family; they had thirty people eating that evening, so how could that be enough?
But at this point, they decided not to cast their nets. The ponds were stagnant water; to find real river delicacies, one had to go to the mountains and rivers.
As the group loaded the nets and buckets into the back of the truck, Zhang Yuanmin pointed to a puddle not far to the right and said to Zhao Jun and the others, "It's too cold here, we can't go into the water. Why don't we go up there, put the nets there, and maybe we can lift some turtles out?"
The "old turtle" that Zhang Yuanmin mentioned is actually a water beetle, scientifically known as a water beetle, which is basically a black scaly beetle about the size of a quail egg.
Both adult and larval water beetles live in water. They're not dirty; just tug on their wings, pinch their tails, and pull them out to remove their intestines. Once cleaned, they can be fried or roasted.
Fried or roasted water turtles are fragrant, crispy, and crunchy, making them a rare delicacy for children as a snack or for men to enjoy with alcohol.
"How deep is the water?" Li Baoyu asked Zhang Yuanmin. "About how far up to me?"
"You can't go down anywhere," Zhao Jun stopped Li Baoyu, saying, "It's too cold, you'll get sick again."
Men dislike sitting for long periods and getting cold. Unless the water is above their boots, Zhao Jun wouldn't let Li Baoyu go into the water. But even the shallowest pools here rarely go above knee-deep.
Hearing Zhao Jun's words, Li Baoyu fell silent. After they got into the car, Zhao Jun drove towards the mountain.
When you reach the foot of the mountain, go around to the right and back; the further you go, the more rocks you'll see.
Seeing that the car ahead couldn't pass, Zhao Jun stopped the car, and everyone got out, grabbed their tools, and walked a short distance before seeing the mountain stream rushing down.
The ravine is three or four meters wide, with gentle slopes formed by rocks and sand on both sides. It's different from Dongdagou, where the edges have melted, but here there's only a thin layer of ice on the banks.
The current is very strong, perfect for damming up the river to catch fish.
At this moment, Zhang Yuanmin asked Li Baoyu and Xie Chen to accompany him down to the deeper part of the water to set up the fish traps, leaving Zhao Jun and the others to go up and carry the fish.
Thus, the group split into two: Zhang Yuanmin and his two companions went downstream, while Zhao Jun and his five men went upstream.
"This water is so clear!" Li Ruhai said, carrying a two-pronged scratcher and a sledgehammer in one hand and a feeding basket in the other, walking on the stones while talking non-stop.
The mountain stream flows day and night, washing over the stones in the river. The water is crystal clear, reaching up to the calves in some places and just up to the ankles in others.
But the depth here is adjustable; by moving the stones in the water, the deep areas can become shallower, and the shallow areas can become deeper.
"Brother Jun, fish!" Suddenly, Zhao Jinhui called out to Zhao Jun. Zhao Jun, who was walking in front, turned around and glanced at him, but he didn't go over.
Wang Qiang, who was closer to Zhao Jinhui, turned around and shouted, "Jinhui, let's go, there will be plenty of fish in a while."
The current is so strong that the fish have already gone downstream. When you're watching a fish, you can't catch it.
The five men continued uphill, but after walking a short distance, Xing San called out to Zhao Jun, "Kid, let's set up our net here."
The water was above calf-deep, so the five men prepared to use a net to catch fish in front of the steps.
Today, the Zhao family brought two lifting nets, each two meters long and one and a half meters wide, with larch sticks threaded onto both sides.
The so-called "lifting the net" involves two people holding sticks on either side, submerging the net in the water, and then lifting it up. Water flows through the mesh of the net, leaving fish trapped inside.
This type of net can only be used in shallow water, because if the water is too deep, people will drown. Like Zhang Yuanmin mentioned before, there are water puddles with water turtles, and those puddles are waist-deep for a normal person, so this lifting net is the best choice.
The mesh of this net is so fine that it catches both big and small fish with every cast.
There is no such thing as a "deadly net". The cold-water fish in Northeast China, such as minnows, loach, and river pomegranate, are all small fish.
Moreover, even with such abundant cold-water fish resources, there was no shortage when Zhao Jun was reborn. On the contrary, in some southern waters, native fish had been wiped out by invasive species such as plecos.
Zhao Jun divided Xing San and Li Ruhai into one group and Wang Qiang and Zhao Jinhui into another group. The two groups were led by experienced men and guided by younger men. Each group held a carrying net and stood side by side in the mountain stream.
All five were wearing rubber boots. The boots weren't warm, but they wore two layers of felted wool socks inside.
At this point, four people hold a net and place it diagonally in the water, facing the direction of the current, with the front lower than the back. Most of the front half of the net is in the water, while the back half is above water.
This isn't like lifting fish from a stagnant pond; the water there is still, but this water is flowing and fast. If you put the net in the water, wouldn't the fish just drift away with the current?
At this moment, Zhao Jun stood in front of the four men, holding a two-pronged rake. The two-pronged rake is a useful tool for harvesting potatoes in Northeast China.
Zhao Jun used a two-pronged shovel to hook the stones of various sizes in the water, partly to increase the water flow and partly to catch the small fish hiding under the stones.
The icy river water crashed against the raised net, splashing and obscuring the underwater scenery.
But after the net held for more than twenty seconds, Xing San called to Li Ruhai, "Second son, lift the net."
Li Ruhai was the second son in his family, so Xing San called him "Second Young Master".
Upon hearing this, Li Ruhai shifted his body to the side and, together with Xing San, slowly lifted the net.
At this time, the temperature in the mountains is not high, and it is even colder near the water, so you must not rush when lifting the net and try not to splash water on yourself.
As the net was lifted out of the water, water droplets continued to fall from it, and more than a dozen small fish were wriggling inside the yellow fishing net.
The small fish are 10 to 15 centimeters long, with a flat body, a long pointed head, a protruding mouth, a grayish-brown back, a grayish-white belly, and black stripes on both sides of its body.
This fish is called a loach.
"Wow! So many fish!" Xing San scooped the fish out of the net with his hands and called to Zhao Jun, "Kid, hurry up and get the bucket!"
There were fourteen small loaches in total, which wasn't a lot, but the fisherman's excitement was palpable.
After picking up the fish from Xing San and Li Ruhai's side, Zhao Jun went to pick up the fish from Wang Qiang and Zhao Jinhui's net.
Less than thirty small fish were put into the bucket, and the four men continued to net, block the water, and lift the fish.
These small fish usually live in groups, so the fish caught in one net or several nets in a row are all of the same species.
Xing San and his team worked tirelessly, lifting the fish net by net, while Zhao Jun picked them up. Each group averaged one net of fish every two or three minutes.
Although each net only catches a dozen or so small fish, the frequency is too high. Half an hour later, the large willow basket submerged in water is almost full.
Just then, Zhang Yuanmin and the other two returned from setting up the fish traps, and the five of them finished their work and went ashore to rest.
The cold-water fish resources here are very abundant; more than 200 small fish were brought out in just half an hour.
These fish lay halfway up the edge of the pond. Adding water to the edge caused the small fish to float to the surface in groups, breathing.
They seemed to be organized, swimming in groups, which was quite a sight. The fish here were mostly loaches, with only twenty or thirty small fish.
Everyone says that fried minnows are the best to eat, but at this moment Li Baoyu suggested to Zhao Jun, "Brother, let's build a fire to warm up and then grill a couple of skewers of fish."
Even wearing many layers of clothing, you'd still feel cold if you stirred up water that day. However, Li Baoyu was mainly busy building a fire to roast fish.
They came out today to fish, and also to have fun. Zhao Jun agreed to Li Baoyu's suggestion, and the group walked up the south bank slope. In the grove, Li Baoyu, Xie Chen, Zhao Jinhui, and Li Ruhai gathered firewood and started a fire.
Zhao Jun, Xing San, Wang Qiang, and Zhang Yuanmin used knives to cut tree branches into skewers and threaded small fish onto them.
Once the fire was lit, the group warmed themselves and dried the hems of their clothes and trousers that had been soaked by the water.
"Brother Jun, when are we going to grill fish?" Zhao Jinhui asked anxiously. Zhao Jun laughed and said, "We'll grill it when we're warmed up and the firewood is burning brightly."
Hearing Zhao Jun say that, Zhao Jinhui licked his lips.
This kind of grilled fish doesn't require any special skills; you just place it in a circle next to the fire to roast. It has no oil or salt, and you eat it once it's slightly charred.
The small fish were only slightly thicker than chopsticks, but they were eaten fresh and tender.
Fish that have just been caught from the river and roasted over a wood fire have a unique flavor.
Grilling these small fish won't fill you up; it's just something to try for the novelty.
After warming themselves by the fire and eating the fish, the group got up and continued fishing. As they walked towards the water, Li Baoyu said to Zhao Jinhui, "In about half a month, let's set up a small pot by the water, simmer the fish directly in that water, and then make a row of flatbreads. That will be so delicious."
No sooner had Li Baoyu finished speaking than Wang Qiang said, "Baoyu, look at you! You're still bragging to Jin Hui about this, while he's right next to the sea!"
“Ah, hehe…” Li Baoyu was taken aback upon hearing this, then chuckled.
At this moment, Zhao Jinhui said, "My home is by the sea, and I've never done this before. You can't cook fish in seawater."
“Then we’ll do it next time,” Zhao Jun said. “After a while, when it’s warmer, we’ll come back to catch crayfish. Before we do, we’ll bring a pot and a jar of soybean paste from home. Then we’ll get some fish and braise it.”
Zhao Jinhui pursed his lips as he listened, but still somewhat confused, he asked Zhao Jun, "Brother Jun, what is a crayfish?"
“Crawfish…” Zhao Jun thought for a moment. He didn’t know if crawfish had been served yet, but he knew that Zhao Jinhui probably didn’t know what crawfish were.
But Zhao Jinhui definitely knew about lobsters, so Zhao Jun said to him, "It looks like a lobster, but it's not very big."
As he spoke, Zhao Jun gestured with his hands.
"They're so small, can they even have any meat?" Zhao Jinhui asked. Zhao Jun laughed and said, "It doesn't matter if they don't have any meat, they're delicious. They're perfect for making crayfish tofu."
"Stewed tofu?" Zhao Jinhui pressed, but Zhao Jun shook his head and said, "No, it's called crayfish tofu..."
Before Zhao Jun could finish speaking, Wang Qiang called out to them, "Nephew, why are you still walking forward?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Jun stopped in his tracks, but then heard Zhang Yuanmin, who was walking ahead, say, "Let's go, let's go up ahead."
Knowing that Zhang Yuanmin was an expert fisherman, everyone followed him. Further ahead, they saw that the rocks in the mountain stream were piled up in a stepped pattern.
“This was built by my father back then,” Zhang Yuanmin said, startling everyone.
Moving forward, you'll see steps leading up to a large, gentle platform made of piled stones, about three or four meters long. At the end of the platform, there are more steps leading upwards.
The water at the platform was only ankle-deep. Zhang Yuanmin turned around and called to Zhao Jun and the others, saying, "Come on, give me the net."
A lifting net was handed over, and Zhang Yuanmin unfolded it and placed it in the water. The larch sticks on both sides were parallel to the water flow, and then stones were moved to weigh down the sticks, securing the net in the water.
When fixing it, the front should be lower than the back. Place a stone on each of the two back sides so that the slope of the net faces the water flow.
There were withered grasses on the slopes on both sides of the stream. Zhang Yuanmin asked Li Baoyu and Xie Chen to cut the withered grasses, divide them into bundles about the size of a bowl, tie them up, and lay them across the net, weighing them down with small stones.
In this way, the water washes the fish into the net, the water flows through the mesh, but the fish are blocked by the grass.
The fish can't swim upstream, so they can only stay on the net. Therefore, you just need to go and retrieve the fish every two minutes.
"Did you see that?" Zhang Yuanmin said with a smile to the people around him, "That's how you use a lifting net!"
"Brother, you're really amazing!" Zhao Jun sincerely praised Zhang Yuanmin, and Zhang Yuanmin laughed and said, "Brother, last year when I brought you those river pomegranates, this is how I carried them out."
"Oh, brother," Zhao Jun exclaimed, mentioning the river pomegranate, "that fish was really delicious!"
"Zhang boy," Xing San suddenly said to Zhang Yuanmin, "You look like you know quite a lot, why are you bothering Hei Xiazi with this nonsense?"
Upon hearing Xing San's words, the smile on Zhang Yuanmin's face vanished instantly.
(End of this chapter)