bookrebus Chapter 247 Winter Fishing and Hunting: Setting Up Nets
Chapter 247 Winter Fishing and Hunting: Setting Up Nets
He Shangguo said, "This is nothing. You can use a different tool later. The one you have isn't handy or useful. Use the one Li Paotou has."
Song Desheng tried to slack off whenever possible. After pretending to make three holes in the ice with an ice chisel, he was already thinking of quitting. He winked at Li Ju'an and said, "I'll go find Sun Weimin later. If we can get a ride back, we'll go back. It'll save us from suffering here. We won't make much money selling these fish anyway."
He genuinely felt he had never seen fish or meat on the table at home. There were no bear gallbladders, large hides, or fox furs in the rivers. In his memory, the cheapest meat at the county market was bear meat and wild boar meat, which cost only 35 cents per pound. If someone were to sell wolf meat, it would be sour and fishy, and even selling it cheaply might not be enough to sell it.
If this were fish or meat, how many people would eat it? He went through all that trouble to catch such cheap things; he was resentful.
He said, "Our family has never eaten fish before, let alone fresh fish. We've never even had dried salted fish on the table."
In the early 1980s, fresh fish in the city market cost an average of one yuan per jin (500 grams), and dried salted fish was not uncommon, costing only a few mao (0.00 yuan) per jin. Prices were really cheap, although people's incomes were also low at that time.
Some people also fish for loaches in the fields and rural waterways. These creatures look strange; although they resemble loaches, they are longer, with a longer snout. The villagers usually stew or cook them themselves after catching them.
Li Ju'an said, "You just haven't seen the fish that can be sold at a good price. If you could catch fish that fetch a high price, you wouldn't think that way. Besides, your mother wouldn't buy you expensive fish to eat."
After thinking about it, Song Desheng realized it made perfect sense. His mother and wife were very frugal; before he started hunting, they used their meat ration coupons sparingly, and they were lucky to even have oil in their meals. Any extra money they had could be used to trade with hunters for wild boar meat to improve their lives. Even if they had spare cash, they wouldn't spend it on river delicacies.
In a small county town nestled in a mountain valley, far from the sea and rivers, freshwater and seafood are truly not something that ordinary families can afford.
Before his rebirth, when Li Ju'an traveled south to do business, he once traded goods in Yantai, a coastal city.
The women in Yantai are beautiful, and the seafood there is truly delicious. When he first arrived in Yantai and hadn't made any money yet, he only earned a few hundred yuan after selling his goods. After deducting the cost price, he made a little over a hundred yuan, but he had to split the profits with his brother, so he only received fifty or sixty yuan. That was the first time he made a profit from reselling, and he was incredibly satisfied.
After making money that trip, he and Zhang Yingnian would go to the market in Yantai. The money was enough for him to buy a big basin of mantis shrimp and eat his fill with Zhang Yingnian. They could also eat several plates of crabs of various sizes.
Back then in Yantai, some seafood was really expensive. He was amazed by the prices at the market, but he didn't dare to take out his wallet, not even considering buying it. A dan (a unit of weight) of ribbonfish with more than 8 heads sold for 120 yuan. A mackerel weighing 2 jin (a unit of weight) could sell for 160 yuan per jin.
At that time, the retail price of red snapper had already exceeded 100 yuan. After he traveled all over the country and returned to Yantai with Zhang Yingnian to continue trading, it was already 1987. The price of large yellow croaker had been adjusted to 210 yuan, and the price of red snapper was even higher.
High-quality seafood, such as red snapper and large yellow croaker, is unaffordable for ordinary families. Families living near the sea can only afford cheaper seafood, such as small fish and river shrimp. Only when distinguished guests arrive will families purchase larger and more expensive fish to entertain them.
Li Ju'an and Song Desheng said, "I've seen fish that are over 23 centimeters long. They can sell for 210 yuan a dan (a unit of weight) at retail."
A load is usually calculated in units of 100 jin (50 kg), which translates to a little over two yuan per jin.
Upon hearing this, Song Desheng exclaimed in amazement, "What kind of fish is that? It's so big! And it's so expensive! This is much better than setting a trap to catch a flying dragon!"
Li Ju'an added, "Medium-sized yellow croakers, ranging from 18 to 23 centimeters, can sell for 110 yuan per dan (a unit of weight). Smaller fish, less than 13 centimeters, are cheaper, costing around 40 or 50 yuan per dan."
Song Desheng was amazed. He had never even tasted river fish, let alone sea fish, so how would he know about yellow croaker? Just hearing about it made him feel very happy.
He rolled up his sleeves and, with all his might, began to coolly chisel the ice in his eyes with an ice chisel, ignoring anyone's advice to rest.
Song Desheng was full of energy, and his energetic and passionate appearance made He Shangguo feel excited, as if his blood was rushing to his head and he felt as if he had become decades younger.
"Good lad! You're really energetic. Sometimes, I don't really think big fish taste better than small fish. We sell the big fish, but if it's a slightly smaller fish, we can sauté some scallions and ginger, add some vinegar and water, and simmer it for a while. My wife can simmer it until the broth is thick and white, and that's when it tastes really fresh."
He Shangguo's words made Li Ju'an's mouth water. He hadn't tasted fresh fish in a long time. It had to be the winter catch; the tender taste and texture were no less delicious than the fish caught at the beginning of the season.
As they chatted, Lu Jinyang went back to the He family's house and called over Old Qin, who was warming himself by the fire, and Old Zhang from the security department to help. Old Qin and Old Zhang were feeling rather bored by the fire; all the men in the He family were out fishing on the ice, leaving only the women at home. They felt awkward standing there, so they just kept drinking hot tea and made several trips to the outhouse. The two of them were practically begging to be called to help on the ice.
Seeing the two of them looking so disheveled, Lu Jinyang hurriedly ran out with him, laughing and saying, "What's wrong? Grandma is so enthusiastic, and sister-in-law is enthusiastic too. People who don't know the situation might think that Qin Pao'er and you were mistreated by the host family."
Old Qin touched the cotton hat on his head, looking quite embarrassed, and said, "It's really not a good thing, I still have to come out and work. Let's go, let's get to work."
Old Zhang from the security department no longer felt pain in his legs and feet, and he was quite agile. As long as he didn't stay with the women from the He family, he could slide very fast on the ice. After meeting up with Li Ju'an and the others, he had so much strength that he didn't know where to put it, and he just kept going on and on the ice.
Many hands make light work. The hunters and the men, relatives of the He family, worked together, chatting about the fun of fishing, and chiseling more than 400 holes in the 1,000-meter-long ice surface.
The opening of the net has already been cut out, and directly opposite the lower opening, an isosceles triangular opening has been carved out. He Shangguo explained that it had to be an isosceles triangle so that the two pieces of fishing net could be joined together later.
Starting from the lower net opening, ice holes are drilled every 7-10 meters to the left and right, forming a semi-circle.
The bottom and top openings of the net, along with numerous ice holes, form a circle, resembling a beaded bracelet. The bottom and top openings are the largest, while the ice holes on either side are much smaller.
With a loud shout from He Shangguo, "Off the net!"
Inside the cut-out opening in the net. A rectangular opening was surrounded by people, through which two large fishing nets were lowered into the water.