sinovels Chapter 2 Disembowelment
Chapter 2 Disembowelment
As the sun sets in the west, the evening glow turns half the sky a fiery red.
The surface of Baiyang Lake shimmered with golden light, sparkling like scattered gold.
Wild ducks returned to their nests in the reed marshes, quacking and flapping their wings.
Two small boats, one after the other, cut through the blue waves, the sound of oars splashing as they headed towards the village.
Chen Zheng sat at the bow of the boat, watching Lutang Village get closer and closer, feeling a mix of emotions.
In their past lives, at this time, the four of them returned empty-handed.
Zhang Jianguo was hit on the head by the fish's tail and was dizzy for a full half minute. When he woke up, his eyes were rolling back.
After returning to the village, the parents of the four men took turns making fun of them, and the whole village, young and old, gathered around to watch the spectacle, laughing so hard they were doubled over.
But this time it's completely different.
The large blue fish lay in the cabin, its body covered with reed leaves, only its bluish-green tail showing.
It occasionally moves a little.
Snapped!
It was thrown onto the deck.
"Ah Zheng, if we take this fish back, will my mother believe I took it?"
Zhang Jianguo squatted at the stern of the boat, holding the bamboo pole in his hand, his face beaming with joy.
His dark red face glowed in the sunset.
Chen Zheng glanced back at him and said, "Whether your mother believes it or not doesn't matter, but you're probably not going to escape a beating from your father."
Zhang Jianguo was taken aback: "Why are you still hitting us? We got the fish!"
"Even if we get the fish, we'll still beat them up."
Chen Zheng smiled, revealing a set of white teeth. "We snuck off to the lake. Did your dad know beforehand?"
Zhang Jianguo blinked, fell silent, and lowered his head to splash water with his hand.
Liu Jiawang chimed in from the side: "As the ancients said, 'To execute first and report later is a crime deserving of death.'"
"We went to the lake first and reported later; getting a beating is the least of our worries."
He spoke in a refined, scholarly manner, swaying his head like an old teacher in a school.
Shui Sheng rowed the boat with his head down, a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth revealing two small tiger teeth.
The paddle blades entered the water steadily, one stroke at a time.
The two boats, one after the other, docked at the shore.
Lutang Village is located in the southeast of Baiyang Lake. Built along the water, it has about a hundred households, and generations of them have made a living by fishing.
The village is small. After getting off the lake, walking through a field of reeds and past a few crooked trees, you will reach Chen Zheng's house not far away.
It was dinnertime, and wisps of smoke rose from the village chimneys, carrying the aroma of firewood and the salty fragrance of stewed fish.
As Chen Zheng and his group carried the fish ashore, they bumped into someone.
He was an old man in his fifties, as thin as a bamboo pole, with prominent cheekbones. He carried a boat oar on his shoulder, and his trousers were rolled up to his knees. He had just returned from the lake.
The old man's jaw nearly dropped when he saw the four of them carrying a huge fish: "My goodness! How big is this fish?"
Chen Zheng's heart tightened.
This old man is called Chen Laoshuan. He is an old bachelor in the village, and he only needs to eat his fill.
He loved to visit neighbors, going from house to house. He was always the first to know about anything happening in someone's home and the first to spread the news.
In their past lives, the four of them returned empty-handed, and Old Chen even stood at the village entrance laughing at them, slapping his thigh in laughter:
"Four grown men, and they can't even hold a fish? What a waste of their size! Aren't they ashamed of themselves!"
But this time, the situation has completely changed.
Old Chen's mouth was agape, big enough to fit an egg, staring at the large bluefish, his mouth practically watering.
"Zhengwazi, did you take these fish?"
Chen Zheng nodded: "Uncle Shuan, I just got it."
Old Chen circled the fish twice, then squatted down and reached out to touch its tail, marveling at it.
"Incredible! This fish weighs at least forty pounds! I've lived for over fifty years and never handled such a large grass carp!"
He stood up, patted the scales off his hands, and said, "You kids, you've got some nerve!"
Zhang Jianguo grinned from the side, puffing out his chest: "Uncle Shuan, I speared that fish!"
Old Man Chen glanced at him, then looked at Chen Zheng and chuckled, "I know your skills too well."
Last year when I went down to the lake, I managed to spear away a two-pound carp. How could you spear this one?
"Is this Zhengwazi's idea?"
Zhang Jianguo was indignant, his face turning red: "It really was me who did it!"
My fork pierced the fish's spine perfectly, right in the back!
Old Chen waved his hand, not arguing with him, and simply said, "Zhengwa, what are you planning to do with this fish?"
Chen Zheng knew what he was thinking.
Old Chen is a gossipy man, but he's not a bad person at heart; he just has a penchant for taking advantage of others.
In the old days, whenever someone in the village slaughtered a pig or sheep, or got married, he was always the first one to arrive.
He didn't come empty-handed either, shouting, "I'll lend a hand!"
Ke Ren squatted down by the stove, lit a cigarette, and started gesturing and pointing.
He kept saying the fire was too low, or that there wasn't enough salt; he was busier than anyone else with his mouth.
Once the food was on the table, he had already set out the bowls and chopsticks, and he specifically picked out the fattiest and thickest pieces to put into his mouth.
Everyone in the village knew about his problem, and no one bothered to argue with him.
After all, that's just how Lao Shuan is; he's been like that for decades, and he can't change.
But Chen Zheng has no intention of indulging him anymore in this lifetime.
"Uncle Shuan, let's divide this fish among ourselves and each family can take it home to eat."
As Chen Zheng spoke, he gave Zhang Jianguo and the others a wink.
The four men carried the fish away.
Old Chen called out from behind, "Zhengwa, call me when you're cleaning the fish later, I'll give you a hand!"
"I'm good at cleaning fish!"
Chen Zheng didn't even turn his head: "No need, Uncle Shuan, we can manage on our own!"
Old Chen stood there, watching them walk away, muttering to himself:
"This kid seems like a completely different person today..."
He scratched his head, shouldered the oar, and walked home, turning back to look at it every few steps.
Chen Zheng and his group carried the fish to Zhang Jian's house first.
Zhang Jianguo's house is located at the east end of the village. It consists of three mud-brick rooms, with some of the plaster peeling off the walls, revealing the straw inside.
The courtyard was small, piled with fishing nets and oars, with a few bamboo poles for drying fish standing in the corner.
Before I even entered the door, I could hear someone coughing inside, one cough after another, which was heartbreaking to hear.
Zhang Jianguo's expression changed, and he quickened his pace.
The reason was simple: Zhang Jianguo's mother was coughing.
In his past life, Zhang Jianguo's mother developed this illness in the last two years.
It started as a cough, but it got worse and worse, with blood in the phlegm. It dragged on for three years, and then the person died.
During those years, Zhang Jianguo seemed to have lost his soul. He would sit by the lake in a daze all day long, and he lost all interest in fishing.
"Mother!" Zhang Jianguo shouted as he pushed open the courtyard gate.
The coughing inside stopped, and a woman's voice came through, breathless: "Jianguo's back?"
Zhang Jianguo rushed into the house, taking three steps at a time, with Chen Zheng and the others following behind.
Zhang Jianguo's mother is named Li Guixiang. She is in her forties, thin and petite, with somewhat high cheekbones.
Her face was sallow, and her hair was pulled back and held in place with a wooden hairpin.
At this moment, he is sitting in front of the stove, tending the fire.
Seeing her son come in, she was about to speak,
He looked up and saw Chen Zheng and the others carrying in a large fish. He was stunned.
The fire tongs in my hand almost fell to the ground.
"What... what is this?"
Li Guixiang stood up, walked over to the fish, and stared at it for a long time.
I couldn't help but reach out and touch the fish's body; it was cool and slippery.
Zhang Jianguo grinned: "Mom, this is what I got! A big bluefish, over forty pounds!"
Li Guixiang's expression changed, and she raised her hand to slap Zhang Jianguo's arm.
Snapped!
"You idiot! You've only known how to row for a few days, and you dare to go into the lake to catch big fish? Are you crazy?"
He was about to hit me again.
Zhang Jianguo clutched his arm and backed away, hiding behind Chen Zheng: "Mom, I'm fine! I got the fish!"
Li Guixiang ignored him, turned to look at Chen Zheng, her eyes slightly red: "Zhengwa, you're the older one, why didn't you stop him?"
Chen Zheng lowered his head, not daring to look her in the eye: "Auntie, it's my fault, I couldn't stop her."
Li Guixiang sighed, then looked at the fish again, her eyes filled with heartache and lingering fear:
"You kids are too daring... How big is this fish? It must weigh at least forty pounds, right?"
How much force would that take in the water?
A single sweep of its tail can knock someone out!
"You four are lucky to have caught it; your ancestors are protecting you."
Chen Zheng said, "Auntie, Jianguo speared this fish; he did the most work."
We've agreed that the fish will be divided into four portions, one for each family.
"Jianguo, keep this for yourself to help you recover. I heard from Jianguo that you've been coughing these past few days."
Li Guixiang was stunned, her eyes reddened again, her lips moved, but she couldn't speak for a long time.
Zhang Jianguo chimed in from the side, "Mom, Azheng is right. This fish soup is good for your health."
Your cough has been quite bad these past few days, so some fish soup would be perfect.
Li Guixiang opened her mouth, and after a long while, she said, "Zhengwa, you're such a thoughtful child."
Chen Zheng smiled and said, "Auntie, let's kill this fish first."
He thought to himself that he should do everything he could in his life, so as not to have any regrets.
While pondering, Li Guixiang took out a kitchen knife from the kitchen. The back of the knife was thick and the blade was shiny.
She handed the knife to Chen Zheng: "Zheng, are you really going to kill him yourselves?"
Chen Zheng nodded: "Auntie, I'll do the killing."
Li Guixiang glanced at her son, said nothing more, handed him the knife, turned around and went back into the house to boil water, her back view was thin and small.
Chen Zheng took the knife, squatted down in front of the fish, but didn't rush to make a move.
He looked up at Zhang Jianguo and the other two, and said, "We caught a big fish today, it's the first time."
Some rules must be followed.
Zhang Jianguo blinked: "What rules?"
Chen Zheng didn't answer. He stood up and walked towards the east end of the courtyard.
There is a small earthen platform there, which is where Zhang Jianguo's father, Zhang Laohan, usually burns incense and worships the gods.
On the earthen platform stood a tablet of the Dragon King, the wooden plaque blackened by smoke, the characters on it blurred and indistinct.
In front of the memorial tablet was a broken incense burner, with a chip in it and half of an unburnt incense stick stuck inside, with ashes scattered all over the burner.
Chen Zheng took out three incense sticks from beside the incense burner, and then took out a box of matches.
A fire was struck, incense was lit, and three wisps of smoke rose, their shapes swaying in the evening breeze.
Chen Zheng placed the incense sticks into the incense burner, stepped back, bent down, and bowed.
Zhang Jianguo and the other two stood at the back, looking at each other, and then bowed in unison.
Chen Zheng straightened up, turned around, and said, "Every profession has its rules and its own jargon."
We live off the water; the fish in Baiyang Lake were a gift from the Dragon King.
If you take something from someone, you have to give an explanation.
Shui Sheng nodded and said softly, "That's what my father said too. Before catching the big fish, we have to pay homage to the Dragon King."
He speaks softly, like a little girl.
Liu Jiawang chimed in from the side: "The Book of Rites says, 'Courtesy demands reciprocity.'"
It is impolite to give without receiving; it is also impolite to receive without giving in return.
"We took the Dragon King's fish and burned incense; this is a gift."
Zhang Jianguo scratched his head: "So when are we going to kill the fish?"
Chen Zheng walked back to the fish, squatted down, put the cleaver aside, and first reached out to touch the fish's head.
The fish head was as big as his head, its mouth open, revealing fine, white teeth that looked eerie.
Chen Zheng said, "There are rules for killing fish. The first thing is to look at the fish's eyes."
He pointed to the fish's eyes: "Look, the fish's eyes are still bright, black is black and white is white."
What does this show?
This means the fish had only recently died; its soul hadn't yet dissipated.
Zhang Jianguo leaned closer, practically pressing his nose against the glass: "So what do we do?"
Chen Zheng said, "We have to wait until its eyes become cloudy and covered with a layer of grayish-white before we can open it up."
Otherwise, the fish's spirit won't dissipate, the flesh will become tough, and it won't taste good. That's what my dad said.
This is what his father taught him in his past life.
Old Chen spent his whole life catching and killing fish; his hands were stained with countless fish blood.
Chen Zheng can now recall every word he said before leaving, and he can't forget them even if he wanted to.
"How long will it take?" Zhang Jianguo asked.
Chen Zheng looked up at the sky. The sunset had faded, leaving only a gray-white band of light on the horizon, and the stars were beginning to appear.
"It'll be fine once it gets dark. Let's do something else first."
As he spoke, he reached out to pry open the fish's mouth.
Pry open the fish's mouth to reveal bright red gills inside, with gill filaments still oozing blood that drips down the corners of its mouth.
Chen Zheng said, "Jiawang, go and get a basin."
Liu Jiawang responded, ran into the kitchen, and brought out an earthenware basin with blue and white patterns on the bottom and a chipped edge.
Chen Zheng turned the fish's head to the side so that its gills faced the basin, then reached in and scooped the gills out handful by handful.
The gills were slippery, smelled fishy, and felt cool. When you took them out and threw them into the basin, they made a soft, gurgling sound.
Zhang Jianguo squatted to the side, watching, and asked, "These gills aren't edible, are they?"
Chen Zheng shook his head: "We can't eat them, we'll feed them to the cats. There are a lot of cats in our village, we'll divide them up among several families later."
Shuisheng squatted down and reached out to help. The two of them squatted there, cleaning the gills, their fingers stained bright red.
Liu Jiawang muttered to himself, "The 'Essential Techniques for the Common People' says that the gills of fish are the source of their fishy smell. Remove the gills before cooking, and the fishy smell will disappear."
Zhang Jianguo rolled his eyes at him and said irritably, "Can't you just shut up for a bit?"
Liu Jiawang chuckled, said nothing, and squatted down to watch them remove the gills.
After cleaning the gills, Chen Zheng went to touch the fish's belly.
The fish's belly was bulging and soft to the touch, with a springy texture, as if it contained something inside.
Chen Zheng said, "There's quite a lot inside this fish."
Zhang Jianguo's eyes lit up: "Do you have fish roe?"
Chen Zheng smiled and ran his finger along the fish's belly: "This is a male fish, it doesn't have any eggs."
Zhang Jianguo was a little disappointed, pouting, "So what?"
Chen Zheng said, "It has a swim bladder. This grass carp is so big, its swim bladder is quite large. It can be dried and sold for money; pharmacies buy it."
Shuisheng interjected, "I've heard that fish swim bladders can be used in medicine to nourish the body."
Chen Zheng nodded: "Yes. It replenishes qi and blood, and treats deficiency. I'll dry it and keep it for your mother."
Shuisheng paused for a moment, lowered his head, and remained silent, his fingers digging into the rim of the basin.
It grew darker and darker. The courtyard was completely dark, with only a dim yellow light shining from the kitchen.
Li Guixiang came out of the kitchen, carrying an oil lamp in her hand. The lamplight flickered, and she placed it on the stone platform in the middle of the courtyard.
The stone platform was polished smooth, and it had been there for who knows how many years.
The lamplight cast long shadows on the ground.
At this moment, Chen Zheng touched the fish's eye again.
The pupils were no longer bright, covered with a layer of grayish-white, like a layer of fog.
"Alright," Chen Zheng said, picking up a kitchen knife.
The back of the knife gleamed coldly in the lamplight.
Chen Zheng aimed the tip of the knife at the underside of the fish's belly, near the fins, and made a gentle cut.
The blade pierced the flesh.