Fishing and Hunting 82, Starting with Three Sisters Who Overprotect Their Brothers

"Young man, why don't you take a break?"

Seeing Zhang Wenshan's heavy steps and increasingly labored breathing, Zhang Fengxia couldn't help but try to persuade him.

"If the fine-scaled fish don't come out because of the heat, all our efforts will have been in vain." Zhang Wenshan shook his head, gritted his teeth, and continued climbing.

Without a word, Zhang Fengxia stepped forward, snatched the machete, and cleared a path: "I'll do it."

"Be careful." Zhang Wenshan didn't insist any further and obediently stepped back.

The original owner of this body lived a life of luxury and comfort, and her health was far worse than that of her older sister, who worked in the fields year-round.

After crossing the sandy hill, a cool breeze swept by, carrying a thick layer of moisture.

Zhang Wenshan was immediately invigorated. He didn't need to look at the markings in the intelligence system; the sound of flowing water in his ears said it all.

He could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground, his chest heaving violently.

His gaze was fixed downwards, and a slight smile played on his lips.

A crack appeared in the rock wall of the mountain valley, and the dark blue-green rocks gleamed from the water. Clear river water seeped out from the crack, mixed with the scent of moss and decaying leaves.

Years of erosion have made the riverbanks as smooth as mirrors.

Countless smooth, round pebbles formed a shallow beach, and several clumps of delicate aquatic plants grew on the shore, their leaves adorned with dewdrops that swayed in the wind.

"Crane Beak Cave!" Zhang Fengxia stared at it for a while, then suddenly realized, "The water here is bad; someone almost died after drinking it, and there aren't many fish."

"The water in the underground river contains bacteria and parasites and is not drinkable. The water temperature is also low, and most fish cannot adapt to it, but the fine-scaled fish can."

Zhang Wenshan got up from the ground as he spoke.

Carrying my things, I carefully ventured down the bank, but the shore was slippery and there was hardly any place to put my feet.

"Why is this water so green and bottomless?" Zhang Fengxia caught up and grabbed his arm, her voice tight.

"The clearer the water, the greener it appears."

Zhang Wenshan had anticipated this, so he connected the poles of the net and tentatively lowered it.

"With the moss and water plants reflected in the water, you can't tell the depth of the water."

Clang.

The pole touched the bottom, making a soft sound.

Zhang Fengxia clicked her tongue in amazement and said, "It really is! It's only knee-high."

"We still need to be careful, we don't know what's going on ahead." Zhang Wenshan said, taking out a hemp rope, tying it around his waist, and putting the other end in his older sister's hand.

We don't lack these kinds of things at home.

Plant some hemp in the corner of the vegetable garden, and weave it during the off-season.

"I'll go ahead and scout it out, don't get too close."

He kicked off his shoes and socks and stepped into the river. The chill suddenly seeped into his bones, making him shiver and almost lose his balance.

Waterproof boots also need to be added to the supplies list.

Judging from the size of the underground river, it should be enough to feed us for two years. I hope we don't develop health problems at such a young age.

"Ouch, it's so cold!" Zhang Fengxia pulled her foot back as soon as she touched the water. "No wonder my parents have only heard of the fine-scaled fish, but have never seen one."

"We're lucky; the state-run restaurant knows about it, otherwise we would have had to go through a lot more trouble." Zhang Wenshan had already adapted to the river water temperature and moved forward step by step.

In Northeast China, aquatic products are categorized according to their rarity and taste, with a saying that goes, "Three flowers, five luo, eighteen zi, and seventy-two miscellaneous fish."

The fine-scaled fish, also known as the fine-scaled bream, is clearly classified in a relatively low position.

A large part of the reason is that the growing environment is harsh, and the size is not large, at most forty centimeters, so very few people know about eating it.

"Sister, just stand there."

Zhang Wenshan waded to the crevice in the mountain wall, where the water was up to his waist.

He turned on the borrowed stun gun, and the beam of light pierced into the depths of the dark crevice, reflecting off the water like scattered silver light, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The waterways inside must be spacious; there might even be something big hidden there.

Unfortunately, I don't have the equipment to go in.

Zhang Wenshan sighed, somewhat regretfully, shook his head, took out cornmeal, mixed it with water to knead it into small balls, and stuffed them into the bait bag in the middle of the trap.

He then took out half a fermented wheat bran cake, broke it into pieces, and sprinkled it on the ground.

Next, wed the fish trap into the gap, with the three flared openings facing against the direction of the water flow, and finally fix the connecting hemp rope to the rock wall.

"Sis, don't move."

After setting the trap, Zhang Wenshan reminded everyone to submerge the net to the bottom and stand still.

The water quickly calmed down.

His eyes were fixed on the opening of the crevice. The fine-scaled fish was very alert and would flee at the slightest sound.

In a moment, ripples spread gently.

Beneath the emerald green river, a flash of silver light appeared, and several small-scaled fish, attracted by the aroma, rushed over without hesitation and devoured the food.

They live year-round in a remote, underground river.

They have no idea of ​​the wickedness of human nature and regard food as a gift from nature.

"Closer, take it slow, keep your hand steady..."

Zhang Wenshan held his breath, concentrating intently, completely oblivious to the coldness of the river water, his mind constantly replaying the key to catching fine-scaled fish.

Five yuan, when converted into food, is equivalent to more than two hundred yuan in my previous life.

Even losing a single network would be a huge loss.

one two Three!

Leave you!

Seeing that the time was almost right, Zhang Wenshan did not hesitate and scooped up the net with his hand.

"Splash!"

Water splashed, and several silvery figures bounced desperately in the net.

"Quickly, put it in." Zhang Fengxia immediately stepped forward and handed over the fish basket.

This stuff, which can be exchanged for more than five pounds of pork, is so valuable that we can't afford to make a mistake.

"Oh, so this is a fine-scaled fish. Why isn't it big?" Zhang Fengxia looked at her catch in the fish basket, her eyes filled with curiosity and a hint of doubt.

The largest one is only a little over half a foot.

In such uninhabited waters, shouldn't the fish be big and plump?

"These things grow half a pound in three years and a pound in five years. We've already done a pretty good job catching them."

"No wonder it's so expensive." Zhang Fengxia immediately realized, knowing the principle that scarcity increases value. "Little brother, you go ashore, I'll give it a try."

Zhang Wenshan nodded.

Once the excitement of catching the fish wore off, the river water became chillingly cold, like being pricked by needles.

"Splash!"

The fishing net was lifted into the air again, but there were only a few small-scaled fish inside; most of them escaped at the last moment.

Zhang Fengxia's face flushed instantly, revealing a look of annoyance.

She thought fishing with nets wouldn't be difficult, and she figured she shouldn't let her younger brother soak in cold water. But when she got her hands on the nets, she discovered that things were completely different from what she had imagined.

"It's okay, you're just using the wrong technique..."

Zhang Wenshan wasn't annoyed. He smiled and went back into the water to demonstrate fishing techniques.

Soon, under his guidance, Zhang Fengxia also successfully stocked the goods, but significantly less than before.

"These things are very clever; they're hard to catch now," Zhang Wenshan said with a smile, trying to comfort his older sister who was feeling down.

He wasn't lying.

When it was my turn to try again, the wait was longer, and I managed to catch even fewer fish.

"Sister, don't come any closer, let's go." Zhang Wenshan silently estimated the time and stopped his older sister who still wanted to continue.

Zhang Fengxia said urgently, "Little brother, take a break, I'll do another round."

Even if there's only a small amount, at a price of five yuan per kilogram, it seems incredibly precious.

"It's alright, it's already been set in the trap. Small-scaled fish are sensitive to heat, we need to get it there quickly." Zhang Wenshan shook his head.

While I was fishing, today's intelligence had already been updated.

[Daily News 1: High temperatures are expected to persist for the next five days, with today's high reaching 32°C]

[Daily Report 2: Due to weather conditions, the activity range of aquatic creatures such as river crabs, shrimps, and crayfish has changed (click to view specific locations)]