HPDBC Chapter 12 Fish Catch
Chapter 12 Fish Catch
The Chaobai River was icy cold in the morning. Jia Dongjin's health was much worse than in his previous life. After setting the net, he suffered leg cramps, which terrified him. He desperately swam towards the shore and narrowly escaped death.
"Calm down, calm down! Maybe there's nothing in your stomach." Jia Dongjin recovered and, shivering, picked up some dry branches and grass, lit a small fire, roasted a cornbread, and heated up some pig intestines.
When you're hungry, everything tastes good. The cornbread that used to be hard to swallow now smelled deliciously caramelized. After eating, his stomach felt warm and cozy, and his body stopped trembling. He couldn't help but grimace and curse the heavens again, "I almost lost my life. Everyone in the courtyard was waiting for the feast. I'm having such a hard time."
Giving up was out of the question. Jia Zhangshi was right; he was the only male in the family, and the whole family depended on him. This was only the first step in a long journey, and Jia Dongjin had to grit his teeth and persevere.
After his body temperature returned to normal, Jia Dongjin went fishing in the bay he had chosen.
"Amitabha Buddha, I keep my word and will never again covet Yu Li or Yu Shui. I will definitely be an honest and good person! I hope for a lucky start to the fishing season, and that the fish in the bay will soon be in my bowl."
He wasn't an experienced player using only one pole, nor was he a novice setting up a stall; he used a two-pole setup, a habit he had from his previous life.
The nest was prepared before the fire was lit. Since there was no bait as we were used to in our previous life, we had to use earthworm soil mixed with earthworm meat paste as a substitute.
Not four and a half meters, nor five and a half meters, Jia Dongjin took the homemade fishing rod tied to his bicycle, attached the fishing line and hook, baited it with a whole earthworm, and cast his first line of hope.
Fortunately, the fish population was not destroyed. The float on the short rod had barely settled when the long rod, which had been cast earlier, gave a signal.
"Middle fish!"
With a gentle flick of his wrist, Jia Dongjin felt a familiar weight and let out a soft cry. His movements—setting the hook, reeling in the fish, and removing it—were skillful, and a crucian carp weighing about three ounces was caught in his pocket.
With a successful start, Jia Dongjin thought to himself, "At least an ounce of protein is in my hands." He smiled and said, "One must eat one bite at a time. A tall building starts from the ground up. This life will begin with being a fisherman."
After catching the first fish, the fishing man's movements are fluid: casting and reeling in the fish, then casting again and reeling in the fish again. This series of actions is as natural as breathing, possessing a unique rhythm and beauty.
Fortunately, the technique was still reliable, and the fish were attracted to the feeding area effectively. After more than an hour of continuous fishing, he caught more than 30 crucian carp. With these 5 kilograms of fish as a base, Jia Dongjin's trip was already worthwhile.
The subsequent netting operation lived up to expectations, yielding nearly twenty fish weighing about sixteen pounds, including three large fish weighing over three pounds each, one of which was surprisingly a black carp. With food in his stomach, Jia Dongjin did not experience any more cramps.
"Not bad, at least I don't have to worry about starving to death. But I have to keep my word. I'm not destined to meet Yu Liyu and the others in this life." Jia Dongjin was secretly pleased. He no longer cared about the pound of small fish he caught in the fish cage.
However, in those days, waste and crime were synonymous. He collected all the fish in the netted fish baskets, then tied up his fishing gear and rods, preparing to temporarily withdraw and return to Beijing to sell the stolen goods.
"Whether it's the scorching sun or the dangerous river, I find joy in it, I find joy in it."
Still humming his adapted march, Jia Dongjin prepared to try his hand at speculation. Fish couldn't be stored in the hot weather, so selling them was the best option.
Two days ago, he secretly went to the place where he lived in his previous life. As expected, he found no trace of his past life. His parents, relatives and friends were nowhere to be found. He could only accept his fate.
Catching fish by the river is a way for him to relax, a way to completely unwind.
"You can catch fish and relax at the same time. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Yan Fugui, you're too attached to appearances. You don't know the joy of a fisherman." Jia Dongjin smugly belittled the Third Uncle, a fellow fisherman.
The fishermen returning with their catch attracted a lot of attention, especially after Jia Dongjin deliberately showed off, although the two fishing rods tied to their bicycles seemed to be an eyesore.
"Shh! Everyone, don't rush. I'll go borrow a steelyard balance. We'll sell here in this corner later. I guarantee it'll be cheaper than at the market. You can even exchange it for a ticket. Just sneak into the village quietly, and don't shout 'No!'"
Because the price was lower than at the market, Jia Dongjin's fish catch, including the small catfish caught in the fish trap, was sold out before we even had a chance to eat the wontons we ordered.
These small karaomis are also considered meat, and no one will mind them; they are all turned into money and various receipts.
At that time, the price of fish was 2 cents per pound. Without counting receipts, he made 7 yuan from the nearly 21 pounds of fish.
After eating wontons and steamed cornbread, Jia Dongjin regained his strength. He returned to the Chaobai River, changed his position, and set up the net again before finally having time to rest.
"It's impossible to fish at noon, I'll never fish at noon in my life."
Even a god can't catch fish at noon. In the hot summer, fish stop biting at midday. Jia Dongjin was leisurely roasting fish under the shade of a tree. Just now, when he threw tender grass into the water to lure grass carp, he found three unlucky fish weighing about two ounces each in the net.
Sprinkle a little salt on the fish, blow on it a few times, and Jia Dongjin takes a bite. Although it lacks seasoning and has a fishy smell, the aroma still makes Jia Dongjin squint his eyes in satisfaction. This body is young and energetic, but it is malnourished and too thin. It urgently needs to replenish protein and fat.
He didn't have a small boat, and fishing in the river was hard work. In those days, nutrition was scarce everywhere, so he had to find his own way to make up for it.
Jia Dongjin didn't know how to hunt, but he had his eye on river fish early on. He also happened to have some fishing skills, which is why he spent a lot of money to buy these equipment.
After eating a few fish, he touched his body and felt much better. Protein and fat were good; they were more welcome to his weak body than carbohydrates.
"Pure spare ribs! I can't let myself be bullied by Sha Zhu like Xu Damao. I'll grill a few more later. I need lots of protein and fat." Jia Dongjin grinned lewdly. He was only 22 years old and hoped to develop eight-pack abs so his future wife could benefit from them.
After a good meal, Jia Dongjin started thinking about women. He believed that as long as he passed the electrician's certificate exam at the end of the month, he would be a proud senior worker and finding a wife would not be difficult.
When Jia Dongjin made his wish, he laid an ambush. He didn't provoke Yu Liyu, Shui Louzi, and others, but there were plenty of beautiful girls in Beijing.
Now that there's no competition between bosses, officials, and intellectual elites, and some second-generation rich kids haven't even had a chance to become high-ranking officials, many beautiful women have nowhere to go, and dashing young workers also have the opportunity to date pretty wives.
For example, Yan Jiecheng, an apprentice in the original drama, was able to find Yu Li. Jia Dongjin believed that he was much better than Yan Jiecheng and was full of confidence in finding a beautiful wife in the future. He decided not to be a foolish old bachelor anymore.
The task is arduous and the road ahead is long. Confidence alone is not enough. A person appeared under the shade of a tree, humming and hawing. Jia Dongjin tentatively started exercising. Eating without training is not enough.
The bicycle assembly project, the electrician project in sight, the shower project, and even the fishing project—a series of victories encouraged Jia Dongjin. He felt that he could not only save the situation, but even defy the odds.
As long as you survive peacefully until the right time, you'll be a successful person, and your mistress will be eager to jump into your bowl. Having a golden kidney is a joke, but a good physique is indispensable. As long as you persevere, getting eight-pack abs is a piece of cake.
"Persistence, persistence is victory, and I will find joy in it. There will be fish, there will be protein, there will be everything." Jia Dongjin's eyes lit up, and he threw a few punches, causing the locust tree in front of him to tremble, and leaves fell all over Jia Dongjin.
By evening, Jia Dongjin had packed up his fishing gear before dark. After removing the eight fish he had grilled that afternoon, his catch was about twenty pounds, including two grass carp weighing four pounds each.
At 6:30, Yan Fugui, the gatekeeper of the courtyard house, had just finished dinner when he met Jia Dongjin, who looked travel-worn.
"Dongjin, you really went fishing? How was the catch?"
Jia Dongjin chuckled and feigned annoyance, saying, "Third Uncle, it didn't work out today. My luck was terrible. I only caught two."
On the banks of the Chaobai River, after venting his anger, Jia Dongjin felt refreshed and resumed his harmless persona.
"It's alright, keep up the good work, your third uncle has high hopes for you."
"If you're not doing well, then I'm all sunshine and rainbows," Yan Fugui thought to himself with secret delight. He quickly pressed his advantage, preparing to mock the arrogant fisherman in front of him and strongly demand to see his catch.
"There are only two reasons, my grades are so bad I'm embarrassed to show them to Uncle San. Hey, Uncle San, please don't hit me, let me put my things away first, then I'll show them to you, okay?" After pretending to be a coward, Jia Dongjin finally switched to his bragging mode.
He placed the fishing rod and the cart on the porch in front of his house, first carrying the sack containing the fishing nets home, before opening the satchel in the cart basket.
"Uncle, I said two, and I meant two. You can see for yourself."
As the sun set, two large grass carp were so close to Yan Fugui, yet so far away!
"Uncle has good wine, let's have a couple of drinks today. Fish and wine go hand in hand, the more we drink, the more we have!" Envy is useless, Yan Fugui is preparing to use an outside trick to turn the tables and wants to achieve the goal of sharing the big grass carp.
"Uncle, you've been drinking that diluted liquor for two years, how come it's still not finished?" Seeing the big fish caught, He Yuzhu couldn't help but chime in.
He Yuzhu was craving alcohol, and he also had the idea of sharing. He winked at Jia Dongjin and invited, "Brother Dongjin, I have some leftovers from the cafeteria and a bottle of cabbage. I'll make you braised fish later. I guarantee it will be delicious. Let's also invite an old man. We'll drink until we drop."
"Silly Zhu, I can drink with anyone but you. I've learned a secret fish-making method, and I can't let you learn it for nothing." Having just finished teasing the door god Yan Fugui, Jia Dongjin, who was Silly Zhu's fake older brother, narrowed his eyes and started thinking about swindling money.
There was nothing he could do; he was desperately short of money. He looked at He Yuzhu like he was looking at a gold ingot, the kind that glitters with gold.