sinovels Chapter 1708 Casting a Net to Fish
Chapter 1708 Casting a Net to Fish
Chapter 1708 Casting a Net to Fish
A hunting dog's skill in navigating the mountains has nothing to do with whether it has been neutered or not. It will do whatever job it is meant to do.
Some hunters use castrated dogs for hunting because castrated dogs are obedient and do not fight.
Like Zhao Hongbin, hunting dogs were more like tools for making money. He kept them as long as they could help him hunt and earn money, and sold them off when he no longer needed them.
The Zhao family would never do something like this.
This is not to say that Zhao Jun and Zhao Youcai are particularly kind and righteous; the father and son also make money by going up the mountain, and they also enjoy making money.
But even more than profit, the Zhao family values relationships. They treat people this way, and they treat dogs the same way.
The Zhao family couldn't bear to harm the dog, couldn't bring themselves to castrate it, and opposed such an act.
If Zhao Youcai had known earlier that these three were neutered dogs, no matter how skilled they were or how cheap they were, he wouldn't have bought them.
But when Zhao Youcai bought the dog, he asked a whole bunch of questions. He asked all the same questions that Zhao Jun had asked Zhao Hongbin, but he overlooked this one.
Now that he had already given them the money and left the dog behind, Zhao Youcai felt he would lose face if he went back on his word...
To be honest, ever since his family became wealthy, Zhao Youcai smokes Shilin cigarettes, has a car parked at the door, and even threw the most extravagant banquet in Yong'an's history. These days, Zhao Youcai is extremely concerned with his image; he would never do something as blatantly hypocritical as returning a dog—it's something he'd rather die than do.
Zhao Youcai, holding the rope, gazed in the direction Zhao Hongbin had left, and finally let out a long sigh.
"Alright, Dad." At this moment, Zhao Jun advised Zhao Youcai, "Since you've already bought it, stop sighing and complaining."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Youcai glared at Zhao Jun, then looked down at the three dogs and said, "Alright, from now on these will be our dogs."
As he spoke, Zhao Youcai ran his finger along the three dogs and said, "I'll name them Daqiang, Erqiang, and Sanqiang."
"Huh?" Zhao Jun was stunned. Before he could react, Wang Qiang shoved Zhao Youcai from behind and said, "Get over there!"
Everyone chuckled. Zhao Youcai smiled and patted the black dog closest to him, saying, "This is called Sanhei."
After saying that, Zhao Youcai pointed to another black dog and said, "That one is called Four Black, and the one with the spots is called Five Black."
That spotted dog was black with white spots, but you could also mistake it for a black dog.
"Uncle, what about Big Black?" Zhao Jinhui asked. Zhao Youcai replied, "There's no Big Black. Our Second Black is the boss."
“That sounds awful, Dad,” Zhao Jun suggested from the side. “Look at these three dogs, all with long, unkempt hair. It would be much better to name them Big Hair, Second Hair, and Third Hair.”
“Okay, brother.” As soon as Zhao Jun finished speaking, Li Baoyu chimed in, “That’s a nice name.”
"What a load of crap!" Zhao Youcai interrupted irritably, saying, "It's my dog, I can name it whatever I want."
Zhao Youcai gets angry at the mere mention of naming his dog. He had originally named his red dog Sihong (Four Reds) so it could be paired with the three red dogs at home, but Zhao Jun insisted on calling it Bald Tail.
Zhao Jun called it that, so everyone started calling it that too. Over time, the dog came to recognize the name "Bald Tail" on its own.
Zhao Jun certainly wouldn't argue with Zhao Youcai about this. He only said to Zhao Youcai, "Dad, there's only a doghouse left in our backyard now. I was thinking of putting Niu Niu in it."
In the Zhao family's backyard, on the east and west sides, there was a large pot on one side and a doghouse on the other. Even if Hua Niu Niu didn't live there, there wasn't enough room for the three dogs in the doghouse.
After building fourteen doghouses, Zhao Jun decided not to get any more dogs.
The dog gang already has enough dogs. They hunt with guns, not knives, so they don't need that many. Especially since they have a lot of lead dogs, having too many dogs would be bad and could easily lead to them splitting into different gangs.
But no one expected that Zhao Youcai, so sly and unassuming, would secretly buy three more dogs.
Upon hearing Zhao Jun say that there was no place at home to put the three dogs, Zhao Youcai turned to Wang Qiang and said, "Qiangzi, take these three dogs to your house first and keep them there for a while."
After saying this, Zhao Youcai pointed to the west courtyard and said, "Once Baoyu moves over, we'll bring this dog back and put it in his courtyard."
There was also a row of dog kennels in Li Baoyu's backyard, reserved for Xiaohua and Heiniu. But the young couple hadn't moved in yet, so it was impossible to let the dogs live there first.
As for the Zhao family's old house, they had already agreed to lend it to Zhao Weipeng's family for temporary accommodation. A few days later, Zhao Weipeng brought his wife and elderly relatives. At this time, Zhao Youcai brought over three dogs, which easily led people to speculate whether they didn't want us to stay.
"Okay, take them to my place." Wang Qiang knew what Zhao Youcai was thinking. There was nowhere to put the three dogs now, so this was the only option. After all, he was his brother-in-law.
Zhao Youcai led his three dogs and followed Wang Qiang home, while Zhao Jun and the others went back inside after settling Hua Niu Niu in.
When Zhao Jun entered the house, he heard Wang Meilan ask him, "What kind of dog did your dad buy this time?"
"Oh dear!" Zhao Jun said with a wry smile, "I bought three dogs with great carelessness, and they were all castrated."
Upon hearing this, Wang Meilan's lips twitched. She seemed to want to say something, but considering her daughter-in-law was nearby, she finally only said, "What a day."
Knowing that Zhao Youcai would definitely get scolded that night, Zhao Jun stopped trying to sabotage him.
Zhao Youcai, who brought the dog back, was very savvy and volunteered to cook for the night, making the Zhao family's unique "Three Immortals of the Earth".
We only ate the venison and lynx meat we brought back yesterday for one meal last night. The rest, besides being stored in the refrigerator, are kept in a large basin of cold water.
Currently, Zhao Youcai is the best in Yong'an in two things: marksmanship and cooking.
Although they were the same three kinds of earth delicacy, his version tasted better than those made by chefs like Han Dachun.
Several families enjoyed a lively dinner, then gathered together to chat and watch TV. Around nine o'clock in the evening, the diners went home, and the lights in the east and west rooms of the Zhao family's house were gradually turned off.
Zhao Jun had been struggling with Wang Haitao's situation for several days, and today he could finally sleep soundly with his wife in his arms.
Zhao Jun slept until 5:30 the next morning. When he sensed that Ma Ling was getting up, he quickly got up as well.
His father pushed the task of feeding the dogs onto Ma Ling. Before, with four dogs, Ma Ling could manage to feed them. Now, with thirteen dogs, how is Ma Ling supposed to feed them all by herself?
The young couple got dressed and went to the outer room to wash up. The stove was lit in the morning, and once the fire was lit, the room was very warm.
As Zhao Jun was wiping his face, he heard Wang Meilan instruct Zhao Youcai, "Dad, go and get two pieces of tofu and exchange them for some dried tofu. Our son brought back fish today, so let's stew it."
Well, her son hasn't even left the house yet, and she's already thinking about how to stew that fish.
Zhao Youcai obeyed and left with a basin full of soybeans.
Zhao Jun and Ma Ling went outside, and Ma Ling carried firewood.
They started a fire to boil water, Zhao Jun went down into the cellar to get potatoes, and went to the warehouse to get cornmeal.
After the dog food was prepared, Zhao Jun and Ma Ling fed the dogs separately.
Ma Ling is very patient with dogs, something Zhao Jun knew from his past life. Moreover, Ma Ling is generous with the food she feeds the dogs, as evidenced by the affection Black Tiger has for her.
After feeding the dogs, Zhao Jun told Ma Ling to go back inside and help Wang Meilan cook. He cleaned the large pot and spatula outside, and after the dogs finished eating and licked their bowls, Zhao Jun poured warm water into their bowls.
After breakfast, Zhao Jun and Xing San loaded their gear onto the Jiefang truck. They were going fishing today, so they brought a lot of equipment.
Fish traps, hanging nets, lifting nets, casting nets, and scooping nets. There are also large iron basins, shovels, feeding nets, picks, sledgehammers, shovels, two-pronged rakes…
Before Zhao Jun left, Wang Meilan and Ma Ling came out to see him off. Fishing wasn't dangerous; the mother and daughter simply hoped that Zhao Jun and his men would catch more fish.
Otherwise, there won't be much food left at home.
Zhao Jun and Xing San got into the Liberation truck, drove around the village, and picked up Wang Qiang, Zhang Yuanmin, Li Baoyu, Xie Chen, Zhao Jinhui, and Li Ruhai before leaving Yong'an Village together.
Today is April 1, 1988. The riverbank of Dongda Ditch has been thawed, but not much has been thawed; it's just a strip about two meters wide.
Around the riverbank, there were many people picking up rotten fish.
Even Zhao Jun's family has nothing to eat this season, let alone these people.
It's still too cold this time of year, and the fish in the water aren't biting. So, you can't fish in Dongdagou right now. Along the riverbank, you can only use fish traps or woven baskets made of tree branches.
However, neither of these fishing gears can be retrieved immediately. There are many people loitering around Dongda Ditch lately; if you set a fish trap or fishing basket today, you might not be able to find it tomorrow.
Zhao Jun and his group had a car, so they kept walking upstream along the water source.
After walking about three or four miles, puddlees appeared on both sides of the river branch ahead.
The bubbles come in all shapes and sizes; some are even smaller than a swimming pool.
"Bang! Bang!" Zhao Jun, who was driving, felt someone knocking on the back of the car, so he stepped on the brakes and stopped the car.
"Big Brother!" Zhao Jun pushed open the car window and shouted to the back, "Let's get to work!"
"Let's get started, brothers!" Zhang Yuanmin shouted from the back of the truck. "Don't go any further, there are fish in this pond."
Upon hearing Zhang Yuanmin's words, Zhao Jun, Wang Qiang, and Xing San opened the car door and got out.
At this moment, Zhang Yuanmin and the others had already taken the nets down from the back of the truck.
The word "casting a net" here is not a verb, but a noun. This type of net is also called a hand-cast net, hand-thrown net, or swirl net, and as the name suggests, it is cast into the water by hand.
Lead weights are tied around the edge of the net, and when the net is cast out, the entire net opens with the opening facing down.
Because the sinker has weight, it will cause the net to sink quickly into the water.
Then pull the rope connecting the net, and the net will be pulled inward. The fish inside the net, with their fins and tails caught in it, will be pulled ashore along with the net.
The net that Zhang Yuanmin bought from the Sun family was a five-and-a-half-meter net, which Sun Da Xiaba had woven before his death.
The five and a half meters refers not to the diameter of the net, but to the fact that when the net is folded up, it is five and a half meters high, so the diameter can reach eight meters.
The net was much taller than a person. Li Baoyu and Xie Chen carried the net to the big pond, one in front of the other.
This huge pond is almost as big as the Zhao family's front yard, and the ice on the surface has melted away. However, there is still a ring of ice near the shore.
These ponds contain still water, making them ideal for casting nets.
Li Baoyu and Xie Chen lowered the net, and Zhang Yuanmin began to retrieve it.
The first step in retrieving the net is to sort out the rope, which is still about ten meters long.
Zhang Yuanmin demonstrated to his brothers by repeatedly pulling the rope with his right hand, transferring sections of the rope, about 20 to 30 centimeters long, to his left hand.
This is done to prevent the rope from twisting. When the rope reaches the end, it will be connected to the center of the net, so the net will be cone-shaped at this point.
Zhang Yuanmin arranged the net like he was arranging a rope, holding sections of the net, fifty or sixty centimeters long, in his left hand.
Zhang Yuanmin held the net in mid-air with his left hand, leaving about two meters of net hanging down. With his right hand at his waist, he grabbed a strand of the net and gently shook it outwards.
With Zhang Yuanmin's shake, one of the weights close to the ground shifted outwards. Immediately afterwards, Zhang Yuanmin shook off a strand of net, and the second weight separated outwards.
And so, Zhang Yuanmin shook out the pendants one by one. In the end, all the pendants formed a circle on the ground.
These preparations are essential and must be done well. Otherwise, if the weights get tangled, the net will never open.
Zhang Yuanmin held the rope and part of the net in his left hand, suspending them at face level, while his right hand lifted a section of the net, with about three or four weights attached, and handed it to his left hand to hold as well.
Then, Zhang Yuanmin bent slightly to the right, his right hand hanging down in front of his knee, his four fingers hooking the net and pinching it between his thumb and forefinger. He repeated the action continuously, hooking the net higher and higher, slowly bringing most of the section of the net about one meter off the ground into his right hand.
When only three strands of net and three weights remained, Zhang Yuanmin folded and pinched the three strands with his left hand. Then, with his right hand, he lifted the net and folded it to the left, simultaneously lifting the entire net and grabbing the folded portion with his left hand.
At this moment, Zhang Yuanmin was holding nearly five meters of the five-and-a-half-meter-high net. The remaining net hung in front of Zhang Yuanmin's calves, with each weight only a dozen centimeters off the ground.
The key point is that each pendant is separate, not tangled or messy.
At this moment, Zhang Yuanmin had his back to the pond. He held the net he had picked up and arranged in both hands and gently pushed it to the right front.
When he had exhausted his strength, Zhang Yuanmin pulled the net to the left with both hands. When the net was on his left side, Zhang Yuanmin used his right foot as a pivot, turned around, and at the same time flipped his wrists to throw the net out forcefully.
With the right hand leaving and the left hand following, the net, along with the rope, is flung into the air above the water, spreading out as it goes.
When the net is fully deployed, that's when the fish will fall into the water.
There are weights around the edge of the net, and the moment these weights touch the water, they pull the net down into the water.
At this moment, Zhang Yuanmin still had a piece of rope in his hand. It had only been two seconds since the net was released. It was clear that most of the rope that had been released was in the water, and the part that wasn't in the water was being stretched taut. This meant the net had reached its end.
Zhang Yuanmin started pulling the rope with both hands, and Zhao Jun and others rushed forward to check the fish.
At this point, there was no rush. As the rope, which was more than ten meters long, was folded into sections in his hands, the fishing net began to emerge from the water.
No fish were seen in the first three meters of the net when it came out of the water, but then a patch of yellow and black suddenly appeared.
"Got it, got it!" The old and young around Zhang Yuanmin got excited, as if they had never seen a fish before.
That's the fun of fishing and catching fish – the main thing is to participate.
"Gaga!" Li Ruhai's eyes weren't the sharpest, but his mouth was the fastest.
"There are still gagazi here?" Zhao Jun was also a little surprised. Just then, as the fishing net was about to be taken out of the water, water splashed on the surface.
"Fish!" A dozen or so small crucian carp, each about ten centimeters long, were seen circling near the bottom of the net.
The fish in this pond are about this size. It's best to braise this fish, as the bones are small and fine, making them difficult to remove. But it's fine to pan-fry it.
A group of people hurriedly picked the fish and threw them into the feeding trough. The fins on the catfish were the most difficult to remove, but the fish stewed in sauce was absolutely delicious.
The first catch was so-so, but everyone was in high spirits. Xing San said to Zhang Yuanmin, "Zhang kid, let me cast a net!"
(End of this chapter)