parentshiftbook Chapter 4 Fishing! Treasure?
Chapter 4 Fishing! Treasure?
The Qian family left in a grand procession, but the excitement at the market didn't subside. A certain something shone in the eyes of the onlookers: a hope for a change in their destiny.
Su Yu mingled in the crowd, but his mind was clear.
The Qian family's assessment was destined to be a fierce competition. Fishermen from Qingxi Town and even dozens of surrounding villages would not let this opportunity slip by.
But he remains confident!
It was already late when I got home.
Washing rice and starting a fire.
Before long, the long-lost aroma of rice filled the low-ceilinged room.
He carefully peeled open the two salted duck eggs, their bright red yolks glistening with oil, making them incredibly appetizing.
A big mouthful of soft, sticky rice, paired with a spoonful of oily salted egg yolk, brings a sense of satisfaction that travels straight down the throat to the bottom of the stomach.
That's life. Yesterday we ate dry, hard rye bread, today we eat soft, sticky rice with a runny duck egg. As long as there is progress, it will give us motivation.
After dinner, Su Yu carefully inspected the fishing net by the moonlight, repaired a few small tears, and went to bed early.
The next day, it was dawn.
Su Yu got up early, dipped a pig bristle brush in soapberry powder, brushed his teeth, and then took some rye cakes and water and headed for the Blackwater River.
The road was already bustling with people. Fishermen carrying fishing nets and baskets hurried along, their steps quick, clearly heading towards the Qian family's assessment.
By the time they arrived at the Blackwater River, it was already bright daylight. Su Yu breathed a sigh of relief; the eerie events he had encountered the previous night still sent chills down his spine.
In the distance, golden sunlight pierced the morning mist, spilling onto the vast Blackwater River, creating a cloud of golden steam. Several sampans, bathed in the rising sun, cut through the waves and sailed into the depths of the Blackwater River.
However, Su Yu didn't have a boat, so he could only look for opportunities on the shore.
Fortunately, the Blackwater River is very large. From the sky, the riverbank meanders like a giant snake, stretching all the way to the distant horizon. The banks are surrounded by dense forests and high mountains. Even on the outskirts, there may be rare medicinal herbs and precious fish hidden somewhere.
After walking for an hour, Su Yu arrived at a deserted, sheltered bay.
Here, reeds grow in abundance and the water flows gently. Seeing the dense bubbles rising to the surface, he cast his net without hesitation.
Whoosh!
Water splashed everywhere as the fishing net tightened instantly and was pulled up. Under the sunlight, dozens of plump grass carp and common carp thrashed wildly in the net, their scales reflecting a dazzling light.
……
Time flies, and the sun begins to set.
The fish basket behind Su Yu was once again filled to the brim.
"About fifty pounds..." He weighed it in his hand and secretly calculated in his mind.
Everyone has been putting in a lot of effort these past two days for the assessment, so the catch will definitely be much greater than usual.
However, fifty pounds is still a bit too much.
Su Yu had no intention of handing over all his catch to compete for first place.
As the old saying goes, "The tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind."
Since I am too weak now, it is better to take the middle way than to fight for empty fame.
So he found a spot on the soft, damp muddy bank, dug a small pit, and released several larger carp and grass carp into it.
After finishing, he looked at the dense forest in the distance. It wasn't actually very safe there; the fish's splashing might attract wild animals at night.
The best way to preserve fish is to make dried fish from the surplus, but salt is too expensive. Even coarse salt costs forty or fifty coins, so it's not cost-effective at all.
Evening, at the entrance to the market.
"Twenty coins!"
The Water Snake Gang members glanced sideways at the fish basket and made outrageous demands.
Su Yu cursed inwardly, "These skinflint bastards, they're going to take advantage of this opportunity to fleece us again."
Reluctantly, he could only take out twenty coins and go in.
A long queue had already formed in front of the Qian family's fish collection point.
Su Yu observed silently that most fishermen's catch was around ten or twenty kilograms, and those who occasionally caught twenty or more kilograms were already beaming with joy.
It's not much different from what I estimated. It seems that the real competitors are still the same few companies that have ships.
Just then, the crowd suddenly stirred.
A dark-skinned, arrogant young man strode over, the fishing net on his back bulging so heavily it almost bent him over.
"It's Bai Shun! The black loach from Bailu Village!"
"This kid grew up in the water, he's an excellent swimmer."
"With such a large catch, it looks like he's got this in the bag!"
The Qian family steward directed his men to weigh the item, then nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad! Sixty-nine jin! First place so far!"
After waiting a while, Su Yu stepped forward to register, just in time.
"Qingxi Village, Su Yu, 40 jin, third place."
Su Yu calmly accepted the 160 coins and casually asked, "Sir, may I ask how much the second and fourth coins are?"
Seeing his composure and politeness, the foreman stroked his beard and nodded, saying, "It's alright to tell you. Although the second place only caught a little over thirty catties, he was lucky and caught three white-scaled fish, which adds up to forty-five catties. As for the fourth place, it was twenty-nine catties, quite a bit less than yours."
"Thank you." Su Yu bowed in thanks, then turned and left.
It weighs 40 jin (approximately 20 kg), firmly holding third place.
This ranking is neither conspicuous nor too low, yet it's still firmly in the top five, perfectly meeting his expectations.
Among the crowd, Bai Shun, who hadn't left yet, noticed Su Yu.
"Forty catties? There's someone like that in Qingxi Village?" He narrowed his eyes slightly, his arrogant gaze lingering on Su Yu's back for a moment before he sneered indifferently, revealing his white teeth.
……
The next day, Su Yu's luck also took a turn for the better.
With one cast, they caught two white-scaled fish!
This fish is snow-white all over, with fine, jade-like scales and extremely fresh flesh. It is a hot commodity in city restaurants, and a pound of it is worth fifteen coins!
Su Yu handed in a large fish, bringing his total catch for the day to 35 jin, maintaining his third-place ranking.
The smaller one was taken home.
I remember my father catching a few, but we couldn't bear to eat them. I'd been craving them for a long time.
At night, the fish soup in the earthenware pot bubbled and steamed, its rich aroma making one's mouth water.
Su Yu scooped up a spoonful of milky white fish soup and put it in her mouth. The delicious taste exploded on her tongue instantly, so rich that she wanted to swallow her tongue.
In no time, he had devoured a white-scaled fish weighing over a pound.
What delighted him even more was that the words flashed before his eyes.
[4% increase in progress towards breaking the limit]
[Breakthrough Point]: 0 points (Progress 5%)
"It looks like this white-scaled fish contains much more energy than ordinary food."
This left him with mixed feelings of joy and worry.
To his delight, the limit-breaking points increased by 4%, giving him hope of breaking through the limit again. His current prowess in casting nets for fishing is largely due to the limit-breaking feature.
The worry is that with this accumulation of breakthrough points, the future will be inseparable from all kinds of rare and precious materials.
……
The third day, the last day.
Su Yu went to the Blackwater River early as usual, but he felt more relaxed because there were more than ten kilograms of fish in the fishpond.
He arrived at the sheltered bay with familiarity, and just as he was about to approach, he suddenly heard intermittent human voices in the wind.
anyone?
Su Yu's heart tightened, and he immediately stopped in his tracks.
Instead of immediately moving forward, he first hid the fish basket in the woods, then crouched down and, using the terrain for cover, quietly crept up behind a sloping hill.
Upon peeking out, his pupils immediately contracted!
Not far from the shore, an unmarked sampan was moored. Two men dressed in gray clothes with green cloth straps tied to their arms were carrying several wooden crates and stacking them in the sheltered bay.
Green Belt! They're from the Water Snake Gang!
What are you doing here?
It looks like they've set up camp by the river.
Trouble!
This place is deserted and uninhabited; if they see us, who knows what might happen to us.
Even with only a dozen or so catties of fish, his skills were still enough to secure his place in the fishing team.
In an instant, Su Yu had figured out the pros and cons and decided to leave secretly.
However, the footsteps of the two men suddenly approached, clearly indicating that they were going to cross the earthen slope!
Su Yu quickly surveyed the surrounding terrain. Apart from the earthen slope, the area was completely exposed. The dense forest where the fishing nets were hidden was a hundred feet long, leaving no time to hide.
In desperation, he immediately made a snap decision and reached into the water.
hiss!
The river water in autumn and winter is icy cold, like countless steel needles piercing your pores.
Su Yu forced himself to suppress his trembling and didn't make a sound. He sank into the water like a stone and dived into the reeds several meters away.
The footsteps stopped on the shore.
"Is this thing... really alright?" a slightly trembling voice asked.
Su Yu held his breath in the reeds and looked through the gaps in the reeds.
One of them took out a black wooden box from his pocket and carefully opened it a crack.
Then, as if frightened, he immediately closed the lid and stuffed the box into a patch of withered yellow grass on the shore.
"Brother Cao said that as long as you don't go into the water, you'll be fine," another person whispered to comfort him.