sinovels Chapter 25
Chapter 25
Chen Zheng woke up before dawn.
He was awakened by the noise in the yard.
There were footsteps in the kitchen; it was his mother, Zhang Cuihua, getting up to start the fire.
The sound of the pot lid hitting the rim, the ladle scooping water, and the crackling of firewood being stuffed into the stove.
These sounds blended together, like birdsong in the early morning, slowly pulling people out of their dreams.
Chen Zheng got up in the dark, took the watch out from under his pillow, and glanced at it in the dim light coming through the window paper.
It was just past four o'clock.
He put the watch in his pocket, put on his clothes, and quietly pushed open the door.
The courtyard was cool and damp, with heavy dew. The stone platform was wet and slippery underfoot.
The black cat, perched on the edge of the water tank, turned its head and glanced at him when it heard the door open.
It meowed once, then turned back to lick its paws.
Chen Rong was already waiting in the courtyard.
He squatted by the threshold, clutching the turtle hooks in his hand, the hooks gleaming from being polished.
Beside him was a small tin can containing the bait he had prepared the night before: pig liver.
The pig liver was bought from the town's supply and marketing cooperative for three cents a pound. I bought two pounds and cut them into small cubes.
Each piece was tied with a thin hemp rope to prevent it from falling apart after being put into the water.
"Brother, is that enough?"
Chen Rong lifted the tin can, and blood from the pig liver seeped out from the bottom of the can, dripping down the side of the can.
Chen Zheng squatted down, picked up a piece of pig liver and looked at it.
The pig liver is cut into even pieces and tied tightly with hemp rope so it won't fall off the hook.
He nodded. "That's enough. Did you cut it?"
"Hmm. I cut it last night." Chen Rong put down the tin can and smiled slightly.
Chen Zheng glanced at him.
This kid doesn't talk much, but he's quick and efficient.
Last night, he was reading the book "Freshwater Fish Farming Techniques" in his room when he heard the sound of a knife being sharpened in the yard. When he went out to look, he saw Chen Rong squatting under the moonlight, sharpening a hook.
He polished them meticulously, one by one, and only when he finished did he test the hook tip with his fingertip and make a mark was he satisfied.
After sharpening the hook, he started cutting the pig liver, making neat cuts, one slice at a time.
"Rongzi, your skills are better than your brother's." Chen Zheng patted him on the shoulder.
Chen Rong lowered his head, his ears turned red, but the corners of his mouth curled up even higher.
Zhang Cuihua brought out two bowls of hot porridge from the kitchen and placed them on the stone platform in the courtyard.
The porridge was rice porridge, cooked until thick, with a few slices of dried sweet potato floating on top, giving it a sweet taste.
She then took out a few flatbreads from the kitchen, wrapped them in a cloth, and stuffed them into Chen Zheng's arms:
"Take it with you, have it for lunch. South Bay is far away, it takes a long time to row there, don't go hungry."
"Mother, you're up so early again."
Chen Zheng took the flatbread and put it in his pocket. The flatbread was warm; you could feel the warmth even through the cloth.
"I'm getting old, I need less sleep." Zhang Cuihua wiped her hands on her apron, glanced at Chen Rong, then at Chen Zheng.
"You two be careful. Soft-shelled turtles are very fierce; once they bite, they won't let go. Don't let them bite you."
"Okay, Mother."
The two of them finished the porridge in a few bites.
Chen Zheng put the turtle hook and pig liver into a bamboo basket.
They also took a net and a long bamboo pole with a wire loop tied to the end of the pole, which was used to trap turtles.
Chen Rong carried a shovel, and the two of them went out in the dark.
A thin mist covered the distant lake, white and gauze-like, connecting the reed beds with the sky and water into one.
Chen Zheng took a deep breath, letting the cool air fill his lungs.
"Rongzi, do you know the difference between a soft-shelled turtle and a tortoise?" Chen Zheng asked as they walked.
Chen Rong thought for a moment: "Soft-shelled turtles have skirts, but tortoises don't."
"Anything else?"
"The soft-shelled turtle has a pointed mouth, while the tortoise has a round mouth."
"Anything else?"
Chen Rong thought for a long time but couldn't come up with an answer.
"The shell of a soft-shelled turtle is soft, with soft edges. The shell of a tortoise is hard, with hard edges as well."
Soft-shelled turtles swim fast in the water, while tortoises swim slowly.
A soft-shelled turtle bites something and won't let go, while a tortoise bites and then retracts its grip.
As Chen Zheng spoke, he extended his right hand and pointed to the white mark on his index finger.
"Look at this scar, it's from when I was bitten by a turtle when I was a child."
It bit down, and no matter how hard I tried to shake it off, it wouldn't let go. Finally, my dad had to burn its nose with a cigarette butt before it released its grip.
Chen Rong looked down at the scar; it was white, like a small worm crawling on his finger.
He took those words to heart. The turtle wouldn't let go once it bit down, so he had to burn his nose with a cigarette butt.
When the two arrived at the lake, Chen Zheng untied his own boat.
"Rongzi, you sit at the bow, I'll row." Chen Zheng put the bamboo basket into the cabin and picked up the oars.
Chen Rong boarded the boat, sat at the bow, and braced himself against the gunwale with both hands.
His eyes were fixed on the water ahead.
Chen Zheng rowed the small boat swiftly across the water, heading towards South Bay.
The oars plunged into the water, splash, splash.
The mist on the lake was stirred up by the oars, swirling and dispersing before gathering again.
Just then, the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn, and the clouds in the east were tinged with a pale orange-red.
The sun hadn't risen yet, but the lake was already starting to light up, and you could see the distant reed beds, a dark expanse.
The sound of wild ducks quacking came from inside, one quack after another.
"Rongzi, look over there." Chen Zheng pointed ahead with his chin.
Chen Rong followed his gaze.
A small ripple spread outwards in concentric circles on the water surface a dozen meters away.
At the center of the ripples, a dark brown object, about the size of a fist, floated motionless on the surface of the water.
"What's that?"
"The turtle's head. It's coming out to breathe."
Chen Zheng slowed down his rowing speed, and the small boat glided gently forward.
"Soft-shelled turtles are turtles that breathe with lungs, not gills."
It's been underwater for a while, so it needs to surface for air. That black dot you see is its nose.
Chen Rong stared at the black dot, his eyes unblinking.
The black dot stayed on the surface of the water for a few seconds, then sank silently.
It left only a small ripple, which slowly spread out and finally disappeared on the surface of the water.
"Brother, it got away."
"It didn't run away. It's underwater, and it'll come up again in a bit."
The turtle can hold its breath for almost half an hour at a time. We're not in a hurry, let's wait.
Chen Zheng moored the boat beside a patch of reeds and stopped rowing.
The reeds were dense and taller than a person, rustling in the wind.
The water beneath the reeds was shallow, no deeper than knee-deep, and the bottom was covered with dark silt and aquatic plants.
This is the kind of shallow water that turtles love to stay in, where the sun shines brightly.
The silt at the bottom of the water is full of snails and earthworms, which are all things that turtles love to eat.
"Rongzi, do you see that patch of reeds? It's where the water plants are dense, and turtles like to lie there."
It lay prone in the mud, with only its nose showing; it was practically invisible unless you looked closely.
Chen Rong looked in the direction he was pointing.
A few water chestnut leaves floated on the water's surface beneath the reed roots, their leaves a vibrant green.
The water plants swayed gently underwater, obscuring what lay beneath.
"Brother, how did you know turtles like to stay in places like this?"
"My dad taught me that. He said turtles are lazy but clever."
It loves to stay in shallow water because the sun shines through and it's warm in shallow water.
But it doesn't want to be seen, so it specifically seeks out places with dense aquatic plants, only showing its nose, like a submarine.
As Chen Zheng spoke, he took out a turtle hook from the bamboo basket and began hanging pig livers on it.
"The smell of pork liver is strong and dissipates quickly in water, so the turtles come here because of the smell."
He threaded the pig liver onto the hook, the hook tip piercing through the middle of the liver, leaving a section sticking out, gleaming coldly.
I held the hook in my hand and weighed it; the weight was just right.
The nylon thread was straightened and checked; there were no knots.
"Rongzi, watch this. Setting a softshell turtle hook is different from setting a regular fish hook."
The fishhook is suspended in the middle of the water, so the turtle hook has to sink to the bottom.
Because turtles live on the bottom of the water, crawling along the mud, you have to put the hook in the path they're crawling along.
As Chen Zheng spoke, he picked up a turtle hook with a pig liver skewered on it and gently placed it into the water.
The hook sank down, and the nylon thread slipped between my fingers with a hissing sound.
Once the hook had sunk to the bottom, he wrapped the nylon line around his finger twice, gently lifted it to make sure the hook wasn't caught on the seaweed, and then tied the other end of the line to a reed stalk.
"The length of the line is also important. If the water is one foot deep, leave one and a half feet of line."
It's too short; the hook is suspended in mid-water, and the turtle can't reach it.
The line is too long; it piles up at the bottom, and when the turtle bites, it darts around, making the line easily tangled in the weeds.
"Then we'll have to lose everything, hook and line."
Chen Zheng cast his line as he spoke. Chen Rong squatted at the bow of the boat, watching intently, memorizing every word.
After casting the fifth hook, the sun came out.
First, a beam of red light shone from behind the reeds to the east, turning half the sky orange-red.
Then the sun slowly emerged, like a salted egg yolk.
The mist on the lake turned a pale gold color when the sunlight shone on it, drifting ethereally and beautifully.
"Brother, with so many hooks, are we sure we can catch anything?" Chen Rong asked.
"It's hard to say. Soft-shelled turtles are harder to catch than fish."
Fish travel in groups, while turtles are solitary creatures.
In a body of water, finding one or two is considered lucky.
Chen Zheng finished casting the last hook, tied the line, and straightened up.
"However, there are many aquatic plants and snails in Nanwan, which is a favorite spot for soft-shelled turtles."
These are all good spots we've chosen. Whether we can capitalize on them depends on luck.
He said that, but he knew what he was really thinking.
The reed marshes of Nanwan are where the most soft-shelled turtles are found in Baiyang Lake.
This body of water is low-lying, densely covered with aquatic plants, and exposed to strong sunlight.
The silt at the bottom of the water is fertile, and there are plenty of snails, clams, and earthworms. Soft-shelled turtles have no shortage of food here, so they are all big.
His father used to catch several large soft-shelled turtles in this area, the largest of which weighed twelve pounds and sold for a lot of money.
It's just that he wasn't there when his father was catching turtles in his past life.
He was working in the city and only learned about this after receiving a letter from his father.
The letter was written by Liu the Bald, at his father's request; it consisted of a few crooked lines of writing.
"Zhengwa, your dad caught a big soft-shelled turtle in Nanwan. It weighed twelve jin and sold for more than thirty yuan."
Everything's fine at home, don't worry.
He read the letter several times, then folded it and put it under his pillow.
I moved several times afterward, and I don't know when I lost that letter.
"Rongzi, let's wait here for a while. Turtles don't bite as quickly as fish; we need to give them time."
Chen Zheng placed the oar horizontally on the boat, sat down, took out a flatbread from his pocket, broke it in half, and handed it to Chen Rong.
"Eat. Eat while you wait."
Chen Rong took the flatbread, but didn't eat it right away. He placed it on his lap while keeping his eyes fixed on the water.
He watched for a while before picking up the flatbread, breaking it into small pieces, and slowly putting it into his mouth.
"Rongzi, don't just stare at one spot. When a turtle bites the hook, there will be some movement on the surface of the water, but it won't be much."
Sometimes the line suddenly tightens, and sometimes the reed stalk moves.
You need a sharp eye to spot it.
Chen Rong nodded, his gaze slowly sweeping across the water's surface, from left to right and from right to left, not missing a single detail.
The two of them sat on the boat, munching on cornbread while staring at the water.
As the sun rose higher, the mist over the lake dissipated, revealing the emerald green water.
The water plants swayed gently underwater, and occasionally a small fish would dart out from among them, creating a small splash before disappearing back inside.
About half an hour later, Chen Zheng suddenly sat up straight.
He saw the third reed stalk on the left move slightly.
It suddenly sank down, then bounced back, wobbling twice.
"Rongzi, there's movement." Chen Zheng lowered his voice, picked up the oar, and slowly rowed towards the reed stalk.
The boat glided gently, the sound of the oars hitting the water barely audible.
Chen Rong squatted at the bow of the boat, his hands bracing against the gunwale, his eyes fixed on the reed stalk, motionless.
As they got closer, Chen Zheng could see more clearly.
The nylon line tied to the reed stalk was taut and inserted diagonally into the water.
The other end of the line was underwater and could not be seen.
But I could feel something pulling at me.
The thread was loose and tight, loose and tight.
"It's taken the bait." Chen Zheng put down the oar and reached out to touch the nylon line.
The moment his fingers touched the thread, it tightened suddenly, almost slipping from his hand.
The thing underwater sensed someone pulling the line and began to struggle.
"That's quite a bit of strength." Chen Zheng gripped the nylon thread with both hands and slowly pulled it upwards.
The line trembled in his hand as the thing underwater struggled to pull it down, thrashing left and right, trying to shake off the hook.
However, the turtle hook is curved and has barbs at the tip; once it bites, it cannot escape.
"Rongzi, get the net!"
Chen Rong had already made preparations.
He grabbed the long bamboo pole from the bow of the boat, with a wire loop and a net tied to the end, and stretched it out over the water, waiting.
Chen Zheng slowly reeled in the line.
The thing underwater struggled even more violently, the string trembling wildly in his hand, making his fingers ache.
He dared not stop too quickly.
Although the turtle's lips are hard, the part where the hook goes in is soft, and pulling back too quickly can easily pull the hook off.
The line was pulled in about two feet when the water suddenly broke open.
The first thing to appear was a dark brown head, about the size of a fist, with a pointed mouth and small, beady eyes that gleamed with a fierce light.
His mouth was wide open, revealing fine teeth, as he bit into a piece of pig liver. Half of the liver had already been chewed up, with strands hanging from his mouth.
Next is the neck.
The turtle's neck is very long, not much thicker than its head, and is dark brown and wrinkled.
A nylon thread was hanging around his neck, the other end of which disappeared into his mouth.
"It's a soft-shelled turtle! And it's quite big!" Chen Zheng's movements became even more steady.
The turtle was pulled out of the water, and its four legs began to kick wildly.
Its legs are short but powerful, and its toes are webbed, splashing water everywhere when it kicks.
Its shell is as big as a washbasin, dark brown, with a soft skirt around the edge.
The skirt is the most delicious part of the turtle; it's rich in collagen, making the soup sticky and delicious.
City dwellers recognize this, and it commands the highest price.
"Rongzi, the net!"
Chen Rong extended the bamboo pole and aimed the wire loop at the turtle's head.
When the turtle saw the net, it struggled even more fiercely, kicking its four legs wildly and swishing its tail back and forth, splashing water all over Chen Rong's face.
Chen Rong didn't dodge. He didn't blink, and his hands firmly gripped the bamboo pole. He slowly slipped the wire loop into the turtle's head, and then suddenly pulled it up.
The net caught the turtle's entire body.
The turtle struggled in the net, its four legs sticking out from the mesh, scratching and clawing wildly.
Its mouth was open, biting the nylon rope of the net bag and refusing to let go, the sound of its teeth rubbing against the nylon rope could be heard.
Crunch!
It's so disgusting it makes your teeth ache.
"Wow, that's really powerful!"
Chen Zheng lifted the net onto the boat, and the turtle turned over inside the net, belly up.
Its belly is yellowish-white and soft.
The four legs were still kicking, but they couldn't get any strength out of them, and they couldn't flip over even after kicking for a long time.
Chen Zheng squatted down, holding the turtle's shell with one hand while carefully removing the hook with the other.
The hook was stuck in the turtle's upper lip, not very deep, but the barbs were stuck, making it difficult to remove.
The turtle's mouth opened and closed, revealing its fine teeth.
Each one is as sharp as a needle; if you bite into one, it's no joke.
"Rongzi, hold down its shell and don't let it move."
Chen Rong pressed down on the turtle's shell with both hands. The turtle's shell was slippery, covered with a layer of mucus, making it slippery when pressed.
Chen Rong used all his strength, his face turning red, before he finally managed to hold the turtle down.
Chen Zheng used both hands to carefully pry open the turtle's mouth.
The turtle's mouth is very hard, like two pieces of bone, and it makes a cracking sound when you break it open.
He quickly removed the hook from the turtle's lip, because the turtle's mouth could close at any moment.
The moment the hook was removed, the turtle's mouth snapped shut.
The upper and lower lips collided.
click!