Chapter 7: Catching Fish

Xie Zhao’s eyes suddenly grew hot.

He fell silent for a moment, but in the end, he reached out and took the money.

“Mom, don’t worry. I’ll pay big brother back this money,” Xie Zhao said softly but firmly.

Tian Xiufen hadn’t said anything, but he had found out later in his past life.

In his past life, Xie Cheng had worked down in the mines. That was money earned at the risk of his life.

Their family was poor, and the savings Xie Cheng had painstakingly scraped together over several years had all been spent to get Xie Zhao a wife.

In those days, conditions in the mines were terrible. Not only were the workers constantly falling ill, but deaths occurred every few days. When migrant workers died and no one came to claim them, they were simply wrapped in straw mats, thrown into a pit, and buried. Who would ever know?

Xie Cheng had originally planned to save enough for his own marriage, work in the mines for another two years, and then quit to come back and eke out a living from the land with their father, Xie Youzhen.

Though they would earn less, it would at least bring peace of mind, without the constant fear of going down a shaft and never coming back up.

But when Xie Zhao returned and got married, everything went back to square one for him.

Without a single word of complaint, Xie Cheng went back down into the mines after the Lunar New Year.

And in his past life, the next time Xie Zhao heard news of him was three years later.

There had been an accident in the mine.

None of the thirteen laborers who went down that day returned, and Xie Cheng was one of them.

Tian Xiufen cried herself blind, and Xie Youzhen fell ill and never recovered.

From then on, the family completely fell apart.

Xie Zhao took a deep breath.

His eyes were already damp.

Tian Xiufen didn’t notice. She merely smiled gently, reached out to pat Xie Zhao’s arm, and said softly, “Your big brother is just like that, a closed gourd^[1] who won’t say a word for half the day, but his heart is warm! He’s glad you’re back, so don’t worry. There’s no need to keep such strict accounts between us. We’re family, after all. As long as everyone is safe and healthy, that’s better than anything else.”

With that, Tian Xiufen turned and went back into the ward.

Xie Zhao stared at the money, fell silent for a moment, and quickly counted it.

It was two hundred and thirteen yuan in total.

Without dwelling on it any further, he went to pay the fees, then stopped by the nurse’s station to ask about his daughter. Hearing that everything was fine, he finally felt completely at ease.

He walked out of the hospital and returned to the place where he had bought the eggs. He ordered three bowls of chicken noodle soup, which came with a thick layer of oil on top and carried an enticing aroma.

He finished his own bowl first, then carried the remaining two bowls back to the hospital.

Seeing that Xie Zhao had bought chicken noodle soup, Tian Xiufen was pained by the expense.

She quickly said, “I brought steamed buns, I can just eat those! Save this noodle soup for your wife, I don’t need any!”

But Xie Zhao shook his head and looked at her firmly.

“Mom, you eat too. I know you hate to spend the money, but I’m going to head home in a bit to bring back our clay stove. We can cook our own noodles and meals from now on.”

Lin Muyu also said softly, “Mom, please eat. You’ve had a long, hard day. If you don’t eat, how can I?”

Only then did Tian Xiufen reach out and take it.

She took the food container, carefully picked out the chicken and eggs, and placed them all into Lin Muyu’s bowl. “You eat more,” she urged. “That way you can produce milk. The baby won’t go hungry if she has milk to drink.”

Lin Muyu nodded and didn’t refuse again.

Hearing that Xie Zhao was going back, Tian Xiufen gave him detailed instructions once more, telling him to bring back a few more things.

Xie Zhao noted down every item.

Once they finished eating, he returned the washed bowls and chopsticks, and then began pushing his handcart back to Shishui Village.

*

Shishui Village was located in a very remote area.

Leaving Hudong County and walking along the mountain paths, it took two hours to cover the twenty li of mountain roads.

True to its name, Shishui Village, which literally meant “Stone Water Village,” lay in a mountain valley filled with nothing but stones and water. The soil was barren, making it impossible to grow good crops.

Several sprawling mountains surrounded and enclosed it, while a rushing river surged along the foot of the mountains, completely cutting it off from the outside world.

Because of this, Shishui Village was so poor and remote that even the wars of the past had failed to reach it.

Upon returning home, Xie Zhao packed his things with care.

A change of clothes, the clay stove, and some firewood he had chopped himself.

Since the hospital stay would likely last a few days, buying every meal would break Tian Xiufen’s heart.

Besides, Xie Zhao didn’t have much money in his pockets, so he had to budget carefully.

Once everything was packed and lashed to the handcart, Xie Zhao looked up at the sky. It was already evening.

He pondered for a moment, staring at the river’s surface as an idea flashed through his mind.

In his past life, he seemed to have read somewhere that crucian carp soup was the best thing for a woman who had just given birth.

It was highly effective for nourishing the body and promoting milk production.

Moreover, there would likely be other women giving birth in the coming days. If he caught enough fish to sell, it could turn into a profitable little business.

As for catching fish, he certainly knew how. In his past life, after Lin Muyu left, he had lived alone by Dahetan for over a year.

During that year, he had barely stepped foot outside, going down to the river to catch fish whenever he was hungry. His skills had been honed to perfection.

Xie Zhao wasted no time.

He found a few wicker baskets in the house, grabbed a hoe, and dug into a patch of relatively fertile soil just beyond the riverbank.

Before long, thin, wriggling red earthworms began to emerge.

He placed the earthworms into a basket, clapped the dirt off his hands, stood up, and walked toward Dahetan.

The riverbed sloped down gradually. It was very cold, so Xie Zhao walked slowly. Holding a basket, he approached the reed beds and quietly lowered it into the water.

In those days, the river was teeming with fish. There were no destructive poisoning methods or electric fishing, and the cold weather made it hard for the fish to find food.

Thus, not long after the basket was lowered, a few palm-sized fish caught the scent and swam toward it.

Xie Zhao held his breath.

The fish were extremely cautious. They tried to swim into the basket, but at the slightest ripple on the water’s surface, they immediately turned and darted away.

He remained frozen, not moving a muscle.

In the water, the thin red earthworms wriggled restlessly from the lack of oxygen, their scent acting as an irresistible lure.

Finally, after testing the waters a few times and sensing no danger, they swam in boldly and began to greedily devour the bait.

The reeds rustled.

For Xie Zhao, this was the moment!

“Splash!”

He moved with swift, fierce precision, scooping the basket upward in one motion!

“Haha!”

He let out a hearty laugh. Inside the basket, two crucian carp and a silver carp were thrashing about in a panic, arching their bodies as they tried to flop their way out.

Xie Zhao quickly grabbed them, took a few strides onto the bank, and tossed them into his bucket.

Without wasting a moment, Xie Zhao waded back into the river. He pushed his way through the water weeds and reeds, relying on his memory to find a few spots where fish gathered.

An hour later, the sky had turned a dusky, gloomy gray.

The winter river water was bone-chillingly cold. Xie Zhao’s teeth had long been chattering, so he decided not to push his luck. He turned and quickly scrambled back onto the bank.

He headed home, changed into dry clothes, and wrapped himself in a cotton-padded jacket. After resting for a while, he finally warmed up.