Don't panic in a famine, I live in the mountains with my golden finger

Chapter 339: Fishing in the Pond

The long-awaited fishing in the fish pond has finally arrived.

Early in the morning of that day, when the sky was gray and gloomy, villagers had already gathered by the fish pond to watch.

Before we knew it, it is the beginning of summer and the weather is gradually getting hotter.

The sun rose, dispelling the fog in the mountains, and the dew on the grass and leaves gradually evaporated.

The fish pond is close to the big river on the east side of the village. After Gu Qinghan made the bamboo raft that day, he had already placed it on the water.

Many villagers brought their fishing nets and waited anxiously.

Xuanyu, Gu Qingming, Guozi, and several other children including Liu Yuelai were already waiting impatiently on the shore and brought their fishing rods.

Because this was the first time fishing, Village Chief Gu did not plan to catch all the fish fry in the pond. He just fished out some big ones and then put a batch of small ones in as the space was limited.

Fish ponds are not like big rivers, and their depths may vary. Therefore, Village Chief Gu warned the children in the village not to get too close to the fish ponds and not to chase and play on the shore.

He also spread the word: "Everyone in the village can take a small wooden bucket of fish from the fish pond, for free."

After all the able-bodied men who were ready to fish arrived, groups of six stepped onto the bamboo rafts and began to cast their nets.

Some villagers also brought bamboo baskets, put some traps in the baskets, threw them into the fish pond, waited for the harvest, and brought benches to watch the excitement.

Because there is a large open space here and there are trees for shade, a cool breeze blows gently and dry branches can be seen everywhere.

The women in the village thought together that since their men were helping to fish, they might as well have lunch here. They could just grill the fish they caught and save the trouble of walking back and forth. So some built stoves, some went home to get pots to make fires, some went home to get water, some got seasonings, salt, and vegetables, and in short, they brought whatever they had.

It was just like the Chinese New Year, very lively and bustling. The open space was slowly becoming tidy, and the people standing on the bamboo raft were waiting for this time with anticipation.

I wished to find a very flat and thin stone slab, and I was very satisfied.

I found a good place, built a stove, put the stone slabs on top, and made a grill.

I went home specially to bring a can of lard, seasonings, tools and bowls, and also picked some vegetables and put them in a backpack.

Seeing this, Xu Qing couldn't help but feel a little happy. Could it be that this girl was planning to build a kitchen here?

"Aunt Qing, you don't have to build the stove. You can just cook one here." Xu Yuan shouted to Xu Qing.

"Okay, you're welcome, Auntie. I'll go back and get some things too." Xu Qing was very happy.

Xu Yuan also helped Pan Dahai and Li Juanhua to fix the stove.

"Xuyuan, do you think there is a small stove that we can just take out when we need it, it doesn't take up much space, and it can hold the charcoal ash." Chen Biyun came over and asked curiously.

"of course."

Xu Yuan nodded and said, there is already one in his kitchen. It is an extra small stove, which is usually used to boil medicine and boil water.

"Oh, making a wish, can you tell me what it is like?" Chen Biyun asked with a look of surprise.

"It's just like an ordinary stove, but it's not made of stones. I use yellow mud mixed with weeds to make a rough shape of a wooden barrel, hollow out the middle, and punch a few small holes in the bottom, just like making a clay pot."

Xu Yuan gave a brief description to Chen Biyun, but he unexpectedly attracted the attention of several girls in the village, and there was some shock in their eyes.

At the same time, I can't help but feel a little envious. We all grew up eating the same food, so why are their brains so flexible?

Li Yuncai listened very carefully and couldn't wait to get started.

Then he quietly moved his feet and squatted behind Xuyuan, thinking that Xuyuan might come up with some good ideas.

"Yuncai, what are you doing squatting over there? Get up and go find some firewood with mother." Zhang Xiamei and another woman from the same village planned to cook together. In a blink of an eye, her daughter disappeared. She was worried that her daughter had gone to Luo Xiqing's house again, but she was not the one. No one knew what she was doing. A girl was squatting behind the house secretly. Zhang Xiamei couldn't bear to watch it and shouted angrily.

"Coming." Li Yuncai replied reluctantly, threw the weeds he had picked up on the ground, and stood up quickly.

Xuyuan heard the girl's voice behind him, turned his head and glanced, raising his eyebrows.

It turns out that this is the girl named Li Yuncai. This time I finally see her in the real person.

She is totally different from what I imagined. She is a pretty girl from a small family, which is the type most men like. She doesn't look like she will be unmarried.

Then why was her mother in such a hurry to find a partner for her?

"Sister Xuyuan, can I eat this?"

Liu Yuelai came running over with a small bamboo basket on his back, looking excited, followed by Liu Xiaoyu.

He took out a clam shell from the basket as if he had found a treasure.

"Where did it come from?"

"Hey, I found it when I went to the river to look for snails."

Anyway, Liu Adie and the others were catching fish in the fish pond, so it didn't matter if he had one more or one less. Then he took his friends to the creek to catch snails.

Apart from fishing, this is Liu Yuelai’s favorite thing to do.

Snails have a unique flavor when eaten chewed, and Liu Yuelai loves them the most.

Xu Yuan looked at the many Japanese confectioners who were still on the shore staring at the fishing rods patiently, and Qingming Daquan was also looking very similar. It was strange that those guys didn't follow.

"Sister Xuyuan, don't worry, I didn't call them to go. They are working hard to catch shrimps." Seeing Xuyuan's gaze fall on that side, Liu Xiaoyu explained.

"Yuelai Xiaoyu, when you go to the river to pick snails, be careful."

"Well, we'll pay attention."

"What about this?" Liu Yuelai weighed the clam in his hand.

"You can eat it. It's a river clam. Open the shell and take out the internal organs. This is the meat."

Xu Yuan took the clam from Liu Yuelai's hand, held the dagger, and demonstrated quickly how to use the knife.

It’s just that there’s not much meat, and even Xiaojiu’s prompt sound didn’t come out. It seems that this is not a valuable thing.

"That's great, Sister Xuyuan, these are all yours, let's continue fishing."

Liu Yuelai and Liu Xiaoyu emptied all the food in the bamboo baskets they were carrying into the wooden barrel that Xuyuan had placed aside, and then ran away.

Not more, not less, half a bucket including snails and clams.

Seeing Chen Biyun's curious look, "Come on, help me deal with the things, I'll send some to you."

Xu Zhi, along with Juanhua and several other sisters, went into the woods with the women in the village to collect firewood.

When they came back, Xu Yuan and Chen Biyun had already cleaned up the clams and snails in the wooden barrel and the vegetables they brought.

Wash the slate clean and use it as a boiler.

The first fire was lit.