1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 156 Have fun
Da Da Da~
Around 3:30 a.m., in the dead of night, a tricycle stopped by the roadside.

Yi Long couldn't wait to get out of the car: "Uncle, what are we going to use to put the fish?"

"Get a plastic basket."

"Oh, then you take it, I'll go take a look first."

This kid wasn't afraid of the dark. He ran all by himself into the ditch where the fish traps were placed. By the time Chen Jiazhi arrived, he had already rolled up his trousers and stepped into the water. The water wasn't deep or shallow, just above Yi Long's knees.

"Uncle, there are fish and loach, come quick!"

Chen Jiazhi rolled up his trousers and went into the water. "You take the plastic basket, I'll empty the fish."

Yi Long looked on expectantly: "Okay, I'll take it. Uncle, hurry up and pour the fish out."

Chen Jiazhi picked up the first fish trap, untied the rope, put the opening into the vegetable basket, and then poured out all the fish.

Crucian carp, loach, eel, crab, crayfish...

We had a good haul, and everything was fresh, especially a few crayfish that were waving their big claws as if they wanted to pinch someone.

"Keep them all."

"Ah."

Then came the second batch, which also yielded a catch, including a large, golden-yellow crucian carp that probably weighed seven or eight ounces.

Chen Jiazhi's eyes lit up at the sight; crucian carp soup is great for promoting lactation!

In her previous life, Li Xiu was malnourished. Her son was born looking like a monkey, and because she lacked breast milk, he had to start eating porridge and noodles very early on.

"This crucian carp is delicious!"

"Uncle, there are still three more cages!"

Yi Long was also very excited. He carried the basket with both hands ashore and walked to the next spot.

"Watch the road."

Chen Jiazhi reminded them, shining his headlamp under his feet, that frogs were hopping around in the paddy field from time to time, and snails were crawling on the muddy surface of the paddy field after it had just been raked.

I'm getting a little hungry.

"Uncle, hurry up."

The third trap was under a tree. When Chen Jiazhi lifted it, he sensed there was something inside, and it made quite a commotion.

"Crucian carp, it's crucian carp again!"

"And there are eels, huge eels!"

Yi Long exclaimed repeatedly, and Chen Jiazhi also felt that he was incredibly lucky.

After emptying the cage of fish, two more large crucian carp and a yellow eel weighing half a pound were found!
Could it be that he also has the potential to be a jungler?
I used to catch fish and shrimp all the time in my past life, but I've never had such luck before!

The day before he was reborn, he went fishing with Yi Dinggan, but they only managed to catch four decent crucian carp all night.

But now there are three large crucian carp, not to mention the smaller crucian carp, loach, shrimp, crabs, and eels~
Holy crap, that was pretty awesome!

This seems much more interesting than selling vegetables.

After cleaning the third cage, the bottom of the plastic basket was filled with various kinds of fish, and the two hurried to find the fourth cage.

This basket didn't yield as many results, but it still contained seven or eight crayfish, a few loaches, and small crucian carp.

The last basket was a bit better; it contained two eels, a crucian carp about three fingers wide, and quite a few other small fish and shrimp.

"Let's go, let's go back and deal with this quickly."

Do you want them all?

"I want both. Give me the basket. I can fry the small fish and shrimp to give to your dad as a snack with his drinks."

Chen Jiazhi took the vegetable basket and walked another two hundred meters or so before getting into the car. It was a quiet night, but the two of them were in high spirits.

After arriving home, instead of sleeping, I took out buckets and basins and sorted the fish, shrimp, and crabs.

Put crucian carp, loach, and eel together; put small fish and shrimp together; and put crayfish and crabs together.

I first selected some of the more vigorous ones, then filled buckets and basins with water to keep them alive.

Chen Jiazhi then took out scissors and a small knife for cutting vegetables, intending to process the rest and then cook some eel porridge in the morning.

"Little Dragon, are you sleepy? If you are, go to sleep. I can kill them all by myself."

"I'm not sleepy, I'll kill fish with you."

"Great job, young man, you've got a lot of energy."

"Haha, if Xiaohu knew, he would be so envious. Sure enough, it's more fun to be with my uncle. My dad never takes me with him. Even when I help him with chores, he complains about this and that."

"Keep your voice down..."

Eels, loaches, and mudfish—the two men, wearing headlamps, gutted them one by one along the edge of the concrete dam.

During this time, Chen Jiazhi took a few more eels to the kitchen, washed them, chopped them into small pieces, and then cooked rice porridge.

Eel is rich in nutrients, and it is especially suitable for pregnant women to eat when it is cooked into porridge. Whether it is during the preconception period, pregnancy, or postpartum period, it can supplement nutrition.

As dawn broke, the porridge was ready, and Chen Jiazhi planned to put it in a vegetable basin to cool.

Before they had even settled in, Chen Jiafang pushed open the back door and exclaimed in surprise, "Did you prepare dinner so early?"

Chen Jiazhi nodded and said, "Yes, the eel porridge I made is very hot. Let it cool down first so it will taste better later."

"You really caught one! Eating this eel is good for Li Xiu, and the porridge looks good too. Your cooking skills are quite good, Jia Zhi."

Chen Jiafang found it increasingly fascinating and praised it repeatedly. Only after Chen Jiazhi served the porridge did she remember to ask where Yi Long had gone.

"Xiaolong is still cleaning fish in the dam ahead. He caught quite a few fish last night. He processed some of the small crucian carp and fried them with river shrimp."

Chen Jiafang said, "We use crucian carp to make soup, it helps with lactation!"

Chen Jiazhi laughed and said, "Yes, we're raising them. There are also three big crucian carp and some loaches. Li Xiu can't possibly eat them all by herself."

After placing the eel porridge on the table, Chen Jiazhi and Chen Jiafang went to the front door.

Three people had already surrounded Yi Long, including Yi Dinggan, and they were all discussing the matter.

"This is quite a haul!"

"Look at this big crucian carp! Its color and size make it an absolute must-have, whether braised or used in soup!"

"Old Yi, you and Jiazhi didn't have this many catches when you went fishing last time, did you?"

"Not nearly there, I remember there were only four fish."

"Xiao Long, where did you catch him?"

Yi Long's hands reeked of fish, but he felt quite energetic and cheerfully said, "My uncle took me there. You can ask him; he's out now." Chen Jiazhi came over and continued cleaning the fish. Yi Dinggan quickly asked him where he got the fish.

I should have known he would go with me. I got carried away playing chess last night and remembered that I didn't catch any fish last time, so I didn't go out.

Now that I've gained so much, I'm filled with regret.

The more anxious he became, the less Chen Jiazhi would say. "Don't just stand there watching, come and help kill the fish!"

"This is pointless." Yi Dinggan waved his hand. "Never mind, I'll go check the fields. It rained all morning yesterday, I don't know if we can dig now."

Chen Jiazhi asked, "Is the land not finished yet?"

“There’s one more thing,” Yi Dinggan said. “Do you think everyone is like you, with a rotary tiller, digging one hoe at a time, working hard?”

"It's in the shed next to my machine room. Feel free to use it if you want."

"No, you're beholden to those who feed you, and you might end up in a bad situation without even realizing it. I'll buy it myself if I need it."

"Okay, then don't eat the eel porridge later. I'll make braised eel and braised loach for lunch, so don't eat those either."

Yi Dinggan: "It's different. Xiaolong went too. It's only right that I eat my son's food."

"..."

In a short while, a faint orange-yellow hue appeared on the local horizon, and the clouds were also tinged with a soft color.

The vegetable farmers got up one after another and were all amazed to see Chen Jiazhi and Yi Long's harvest from the previous night.

Although Panyu is known as a land of fish and rice, the vegetable farmers rarely go out to catch fish and shrimp; at most, they fish in the two ponds in the market.

Such a bumper harvest as Chen Jiazhi's is truly rare.

To make fish and shrimp taste good, you need a lot of oil and seasonings, but everyone knows that Chen Jiazhi is not short of money, so he always says nice things when he speaks.

After Li Xiu got up and went out, she heard many words of praise.

"You're in luck, Li Xiu. Jia Zhi brought you back a lot of eels and crucian carp."

"Li Xiu, you have a good eye. People who have been educated are different. Once they get the hang of it, they can succeed at anything."

"You've finally made it through the tough times! Don't forget us when you become a wealthy lady!"

Feeling a little embarrassed, Li Xiu fetched some water, took a toothbrush and toothpaste, and went to the edge of the dam to brush her teeth and rinse her mouth. She also saw the cleaned crucian carp in the basin and was inexplicably moved.

After cleaning the last fish, I rinsed it with clean water again. The eel porridge in the room had almost cooled down.

Everyone happily ate a big bowl.

Yi Long rubbed his stomach and asked, "Uncle, are we going again tonight?"

"I'm not going." Chen Jiazhi moved a small stool and sat outside the door, smoking.

"We caught enough last night to last two days. If we run out, we'll go back for more. Yi Long, why don't you deliver some more to everyone later?"

Li Xiu: "I'll go."

Chen Jiazhi pondered for a moment and said, "That thing is slippery, so don't touch it. Take Yi Long instead."

Yi Long also said, "I'll go, I'll go, Auntie, I can do it. Just tell me how to deliver it."

Li Xiu smiled and said, "That's fine too."

There are 11 families in the market now; some cook alone, while others cook in pairs.

Last night we caught 16 jin of eels alone, plus loach, small fish and shrimp. We were able to share some of them.

Of course, you have to keep the crucian carp for yourself.

After finishing a cigarette, Chen Jiazhi went out to inspect the fields.

The two paparazzi were also drinking the leftover eel porridge, looking at him and then at the dog bowl, hesitating. In the end, the food won out over 'work'.

I took a quick look at the vegetable field and there weren't any major adjustments. The routine of weeding and thinning was done, pesticides were sprayed once in the evening, and then there was the unwavering harvesting of vegetables.

After inspecting the fields, Chen Jiazhi would spend the whole morning at home or accompany Li Xiu for a walk.

The main reason is that he knows his due date is in the next couple of days.

In her previous life, it was a little past 3 PM on the 15th day of the 6th lunar month, which is 3 PM tomorrow. It was a cloudy day, and Li Xiu was busy in the cowpea field at the time.

But things have changed so much now, time must have changed.

I need to go sell vegetables tonight, but there are a lot of people at the market. If I just call out, someone will come to help.

Li Xiu often stays home alone during the day, afraid of being late.

He had considered going to the hospital.

I asked Li Xiu beforehand, but she didn't want to go. Her generation has a natural aversion to hospitals, and they all gave birth at home. I can only go along with her for now, but we'll have to go to the hospital if there are any complications later.

At noon, Chen Jiazhi personally cooked at home again: crucian carp and tofu soup, braised eel, braised loach, and crispy fried small fish and shrimp.

He's generous with the seasonings when he cooks, and the aroma is so strong that it can be smelled from far away.

Yi Long, who was catching up on sleep, was woken up by the aroma, and the other vegetable farmers and workers who came back to cook were also drooling with envy.

In the Dongxiang vegetable market, men usually sit back and relax before and after meals, so don't expect them to help out.

However, this noon was different; Chen Jiazhi delivered eels or loaches to each household.

Qi Yongfeng and Guo Mancang both stood in front of the stove, each taking charge of the cooking, to treat themselves to a good meal.

When Chen Jiazhi brought the last dish into the house, Yi Dinggan had already opened two bottles of beer.

"Brother, for the sake of this meal, let's not talk about quitting drinking today. We'll quit after we finish this meal."

Having not had a drink for a while, Chen Jiazhi was also looking forward to having a sip.

"Just one bottle, okay?"

"Stop hesitating, drink it first. Xiaolong, do you want me to pour you a glass? Drink it so you can continue your afternoon nap."

"No, what's so great about alcohol?" Yi Long shook his head, not even wanting to touch the wine.

Chen Jiazhi knew that he was allergic to alcohol and felt unwell after drinking it.

But in his previous life, Yi Long often drank glass after glass of baijiu (Chinese liquor) to make engineering projects, and by the time he was forty, he had very little hair left.

On the contrary, Chen Jiazhi, who is in his fifties, has a thick head of black hair as black as ink, and Yi Dinggan, who is in his seventies, has a thick head of white hair as white as snow. The two old men have better hair than a large group of young people.

People only think about hair when they go bald, and only when they grow old do they see the past.

We drank to our hearts' content.

(End of this chapter)