Chapter 81 – Hey brothers, you know what Bitcoin is?

Standing on the riverbank and looking out into the distance, they saw the mighty Yellow River, wave upon wave surging forward. The water crashed against itself, throwing up sprays of pale yellow foam, roaring as it churned, dragging along vast amounts of silt and tearing at everything in its path.

Cao Shujie and the others could feel the earth beneath their feet trembling as if being ripped apart by the rushing flood. Chunks of soil on the riverbank broke loose, tumbling into the water with a dull plop, swallowed instantly before the splash even rose.

“Boom!”

A thunderous roar shook the air as a surge of water slammed against the stone bulwark sloping down into the river. The blue-grey stone slabs looked as if they might come loose under the impact, the sheer force of it terrifying to witness.

Even the usually fearless Mengmeng felt a jolt of fear. She clung tightly to her mother’s leg, her tiny hands gripping hard, unwilling to get any closer to the raging waters.

Cao Shujie, Cao Shuyang, Cao Shulun, Cao Fei, Cao Zhen, and Cao Tiemin—six grown men—watched the roaring Yellow River with furrowed brows and an uneasy feeling in their chests.

“Damn… don’t tell me it’s going to be like thirteen years ago, water rising up right to the base of the dam,” Cao Fei muttered nervously.

He remembered clearly. Thirteen years ago, it had poured with rain, the river swelling dangerously. The water nearly overtopped the section of flood-control dam that protected Cao Family Village. If it had spilled over back then, the whole village would’ve been underwater and left only as a ruin today.

“Cao Fei, don’t talk nonsense,” Cao Tiemin snapped. “It’s just a bit of water. How could it rise that high?”

He didn’t believe it. Nor did Cao Shuyang, or anyone else. Cao Shujie was the most confident of all—it was not possible for the river to reach that kind of disaster again.

As they stared at the waves, Cao Zhen spotted a mass of fish leaping from the water, struggling to gulp fresh air. Further upstream, some people were already tossing their nets into river and air, snatching up the fish as they surfaced.

The catch came easy.

“Come on, let’s grab some fish too. Don’t waste time,” Cao Shuyang urged. “Once we’re done, we’ll head over to Shujie’s place for meat and wine.”

The idea clicked with everyone. From the tricycle, they quickly unloaded the long-handled dip nets and buckets, gripping bamboo poles and thrusting the nets into the surging river.

The riverbank was only a meter or so above the water’s surface, and with so many fish being swept along the current towards the north, catching them was effortless.

With a single dip, Cao Shulun hauled up two fish. He hurriedly pulled back the net, and before he could drop them into the bucket, Cao Fei swooped down another catch. “Damn, this one’s at least three jin!”

“Stop yapping, Cao Fei. Get moving! Fill these three buckets and cart them home—strike while the iron’s hot; the more the better,” Cao Zhen called out, moving nimbly with his net like a spear in his hands. He flicked it in and out of the water, smooth and stylish, and every time, he came up with fish.

Even Cao Shujie had to admit, in terms of netting fish, Cao Zhen was in a league of his own.

“Daddy! Fish! Hurry!” Mengmeng jumped excitedly, her little arms locked around her mother’s leg. Seeing her father not moving, she bounced up and down in anxious cheerleading.

“Watch this, Mengmeng.” Shujie couldn’t disappoint his daughter.

He dipped his net into the water, tugging it gently against the current. He hardly had to exert himself before several fish flopped right in.

“Daddy, fish! Look! Fish!” Mengmeng squealed, clapping her little hands like she’d caught them herself.

Cheng Xiaolin’s eyes shone as she glanced at her husband, then at the buckets filling fast. A quiet pride curved her lips.

Before long, the buckets were crammed with fish. “You guys rest—I’ll take these home, dump ’em in a basin, and bring back empty buckets,” Cao Fei announced, shouting over the commotion.

“Go, quick! Today we’re hauling back a few hundred jin!” Cao Zhen laughed boldly, eager to reassert the title they once jokingly gave him—the Fishing King.

They kept at it until nearly noon, though most of that time was spent waiting for Cao Fei to come back with empty buckets. Naturally, the waiting turned into idle chatter.

Cao Shujie reminded Cao Tiemin to hurry and prepare building materials, saying that if things went smoothly next month, he’d start renovating his house.

“Don’t worry, Shujie,” Cao Tiemin thumped his chest. “Even if it costs me money, I’ll make sure your place is ready. Otherwise, how could I hold my head up in Cao Family Village?”

Cheng Xiaolin chuckled softly when she heard that.

By the time Cao Fei set out for the third trip back, the group was packing it in, riding another tricycle and an electric scooter home to Shujie’s place.

When they arrived, three large iron basins sat at the gate, overflowing with wriggling fish—the famous Yellow River carp among them.

As they lugged in yet more buckets of fish, Cao Jianguo’s eyes widened. “So many fish today?” he asked.

“Uncle, you didn’t see it—it’s easy. Just dip the net in and you’re guaranteed one or two every time,” Cao Shuyang gestured broadly. “If only it could be like this every day, I’d quit my job and just fish for a living. Catching and selling them would earn more than my salary.”

“Hah, don’t bluff,” scoffed Cao Shulun. “Even if you got the chance, you wouldn’t risk giving up your job.”

“Forget that, let’s eat and drink!” Cao Zhen said bluntly, eyeing the pot on the stove.

A cauldron of mutton had been simmering away for two hours, its rich aroma wafting through the air. He swallowed a mouthful of drool.

Cao Jianguo laughed in delight. “Exactly! Wash your hands, kids, and let’s drink and feast on meat.”

“Grandfather, me too!” Mengmeng piped up.

Jianguo’s eyes crinkled with joy. “Of course, Grandfather wouldn’t forget his good little girl. Come, the best piece is waiting for you.” He reached over, took her small hand, and led her inside.

Cheng Xiaolin called after them, “Dad! Wash her hands first, she was playing with the fish. They’re filthy!”

“Alright, alright!” Jianguo nodded.

That noon, the men drank deep and ate heartily. Every so often, one would throw out a boast, and the rest would banter back, each trying to top the others with their own stories and knowledge.

It was during one of these rowdy exchanges that Cao Zhen tossed out a question that caught Cao Shujie’s attention.

“Hey, brothers—any of you know what a Bitcoin is?”

Cao Fei and the others all froze for a moment before asking, “What’s this thing called Bitcoin?”

“Yeah, exactly. If you’d said stocks, I could at least name a few. But Bitcoin? Never heard of it.” Cao Shuyang shook his head.

He worked on the highway, earning an average monthly salary. Nothing impressive, but the year-end bonus was decent. Because of that, at the start of every year he’d always put some money into the stock market.

The problem was, once the money went in, it never seemed to come back out.

When he brought up stocks, Cao Zhen rolled his eyes at him. “Shuyang, don’t say I never warned you—stocks are nothing but a scam. With your level of skill, you’re just cannon fodder, a lamb for the slaughter. You’d better pull out while you still have some capital left.”

Hearing this, Cao Shujie glanced at Cao Zhen with newfound respect. “He’s right, Shuyang. Honestly, you’ve got no techniques, no insider information. We can’t compete with the old sharks in the market.”

“But… this Bitcoin…” Cao Shujie’s thoughts were pulled back to the original topic.

(End of Chapter)