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

After setting up the traps, Zhang Wenshan rushed home without stopping.

He found a ruler and quickly bent two five-centimeter circles out of the remaining wire, then began carving three-centimeter-long skeins.

During the day at the supply and marketing cooperative, he saw the selected river crabs and shrimp, and noted their sizes.

"Have you inquired about the supply and marketing cooperative's foreign trade orders?" Zhang Wenhui, the third sister, asked.

She picked up a knife and deftly helped peel the skewers.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Even if I don't catch many, it won't bother me," Zhang Wenshan said without looking up.

He understands his family's concerns.

There are just some things that can't be said to others.

"The supply and marketing cooperative has requirements on the amount of goods to be received. Two cages are probably not enough, right?" Third Sister asked instead of answering.

"You've looked into it?" Zhang Wenshan asked, somewhat surprised.

"I heard about it from my classmates, but you hadn't started doing it yet, and the supply and marketing cooperatives had a fixed source of goods, so they usually found cooperative production teams."

Zhang Wenhui explained.

"It's difficult to get goods from outside that meet our purchasing standards. Once the news gets out, people will flock to send their goods there, and you can't refuse them."

"I know," Zhang Wenshan said with a smile. "So you're here to persuade me too?"

These days, people will do anything for a few cents.

If the news got out, it might cause some trouble, so the supply and marketing cooperatives uniformly told outsiders that they would not accept it.

After a moment of silence, Zhang Wenhui said, "I have a classmate who has a share in the production team. You can sell the ones you caught to him."

"Could it be that Liu Shiyaojun?" Zhang Wenshan immediately became alert.

"Liu Tiejun".

"Why are you worrying about this?" Zhang Wenshan rolled his eyes and instructed, "Don't get involved with him. Your task right now is to study hard."

"You don't need to tell me." Zhang Wenhui snorted. "Fishing and hunting permits can be obtained in town. You need a production certificate from the brigade, your household registration book, and a guarantor to sign and affix your fingerprint."

"If we don't use guns, we can use connections and even skip training."

She paused, pondering how to phrase her words more tactfully.

"Hey." Having lived two lives, Zhang Wenshan immediately understood and asked, "How much does it cost to pull some strings?"

Everything else is fine, but the guarantee letter is a bit troublesome.

Who would be willing to vouch for that messy case of being fired from the agricultural machinery factory for fighting in the personnel file?

It's not worth risking the old Party Secretary and the brigade leader's lives at Hama Pond.

After waiting for a while without getting an answer, Zhang Wenshan turned his head and saw his third sister blinking her big eyes and staring straight at him.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. A fishing permit only costs ten dollars, but a hunting permit might cost thirty dollars or more."

Zhang Wenhui's face remained expressionless, but she was filled with emotion.

People have to go through experiences to grow up. My younger brother used to be so clueless that he couldn't understand what was being said, but now he can understand the unspoken meaning.

"Thirty? Looks like I'll have to wait."

"Actually, with the captain's letter of introduction, selling some things in town shouldn't be a problem."

"No, it has to be done."

Zhang Wenshan shook his head, his attitude resolute.

The original owner left too many holes. If no preparations are made, the storm next year will inevitably affect him. If he makes any more mistakes in the meantime, he probably won't be able to save his life.

As a transmigrator with a system, there's no need to take risks to save money.

Zhang Wenhui stopped trying to persuade her: "A sole proprietorship license is simpler, it just takes time. If you're going to get one, it's best to apply for them all at once."

"Understood. If you're going to ask someone for help, ask them for it right away." Zhang Wenshan nodded. "Don't make decisions on your own. Wait for my news. I'll have results in ten days."

Third Sister has a lot of ideas.

Don't let her aloof and indifferent demeanor fool you; deep down, she's a devoted brother-supporter and might do something foolish like self-sacrifice one day.

"Heh." Zhang Wenhui rolled her eyes. "You can't always be lucky."

Thirty yuan is not a small amount.

Who can return home with a full catch every day while hunting or fishing?

If it were that simple, the village would be full of hunters and fishermen, who would still be toiling away farming?

"We'll know in ten days." Zhang Wenshan offered no explanation, nor could he explain.

You can't exactly say that you're using some cutting-edge equipment to block the entrance of the seafood market every day to pick up seafood.

……

Silent all night.

The next morning, before dawn, Zhang Wenshan got up from the kang (a heated brick bed).

River crabs and shrimp need to be sorted, and the road to town is far. If we don't get there early, we definitely won't make it in time. If only we had a car, or even just a bicycle...

"Snapped!"

He slapped himself, both to refresh himself and to reflect on his actions.

When did the standards become so low?

"Father, Mother, you..."

Lifting the curtain, two familiar figures came into view: my mother was busy in the kitchen, and my father was smoking a pipe at the door.

"Who sleeps until the sun is high in the sky like you every day?" Zhang Wenhui yawned and crawled out of the east room.

As they were talking.

Two figures walked in from outside the courtyard; it was the eldest sister and her husband.

"Oh dear, didn't I tell you not to come?" Xu Xiulian quickly stepped forward and took her sleeping grandson from her eldest daughter's arms. "Why are you bothering him?"

"It won't be delivered sooner or later," Zhang Fengxia said nonchalantly.

"How can that be the same?" Hsu Hsiu-lien rolled her eyes. "The wind is so strong in the morning, isn't it?"

Looking at the noisy family in front of him, Zhang Wenshan felt a warmth in his heart.

They are poor, have limited knowledge, and can't articulate profound truths, but they express their support through simple, pure, and even somewhat naive actions.

"You wouldn't believe it, the supply and marketing cooperative was huge, it had everything! The fabric was piled up like a small mountain!"

"Big sister, I go to town every day."

"Then why do you still go to the supply and marketing cooperative every day?"

"I've been there a few times."

"What are you going to do if you're not going to buy anything? Aren't you afraid the salesperson will glare at you?"

"Can't I even look if I don't have money in my pocket? Let them glare all they want, what's there to be afraid of?"

The two sisters were chattering away at the very back.

Three men led the way, walking at the very front, facing the rising sun.

Soon, everyone arrived at the first fish trap.

"This place is really out of the way," Zhang Jianshe couldn't help but mutter.

He didn't realize it until he heard his daughter say it last night, but once he got to this desolate riverbank, most of his hopes were dashed.

It would be strange if there were any in stock.

Without saying much, Zhang Wenshan confidently stepped forward, parted the grass, and walked straight to the shore.

Under the anxious gaze of his family, he grabbed the thick hemp rope tied to the tree root.

With a burst of strength from both arms, the rope tightened.

Rapid ripples spread across the river's surface, growing larger as the waves expanded, gradually revealing the outline of a long, narrow cage beneath the murky water.

"Is it full?"

"Fourth brother! You, your thing is really amazing?!"

The eldest and third sisters exclaimed in surprise.

Zhang Jianshe rubbed his eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing. Zhao Hongwei rushed forward and grabbed the rope, pulling hard to help him pull.

Zhang Wenshan smiled and said, "I already told you I was confident."

Whoosh!

The fish trap is completely drained!

It was filled with river crabs and shrimp, all of them quite large, and there were also quite a few loaches and crayfish.

"My God, what a huge river crab! I've never seen one like it before."

"There are also quite a few river shrimp."

"Its whiskers and claws aren't broken, and it's not dead, how could that be?"