Chapter 206 - 190: Last Mountain Trip Before the New Year

Chapter 206: Chapter 190: Last Mountain Trip Before the New Year

"We can sort them out when we get back. The sun’s still up, let’s cast the net one more time!"

"You got it!"

No one complained of being tired. The four of them divided the labor and worked in an orderly fashion, some pulling out fish, others bagging them. The fish froze solid just moments after being pulled from the water, which made packing them much easier. After bustling about for more than half an hour, they finally finished bagging all the fish from the trawl net.

In total, they had packed three large, full burlap sacks—a harvest of at least three hundred jin. Zhao Wenjun’s face was alight with excitement as he looked at the fish.

"Holy cow, look at all this fish! This trip was definitely worth it. Now we can have a real fish feast for the New Year."

In truth, the people of Dragon King Pond weren’t particularly fond of fish. They found it too pungent, and cooking it was time-consuming and required a lot of other ingredients. But this was a disaster year, so things were different. For many families, eating fish this winter was an unimaginable luxury. Hadn’t the old man been so happy after eating Zhao Wendong’s fish that he’d gifted him calligraphy?

A happy smile also spread across Zhao Ergou’s face.

"Brother San, how many bricks can we trade for with all this fish? We can make sure everyone in the village has an extra dish for the New Year!"

They all knew that their harvest, apart from what they ate themselves, would be traded for bricks and other materials. In the future, it would become a brand-new, one-of-a-kind brick-and-tile house. At the same time, it would help all their fellow villagers. With this thought, everyone’s heart was filled with motivation.

"Yes, the elders and children in the village need to build up their strength. It’s a disaster year and life is hard. Everyone is struggling. This fish is our village’s hope. It will allow everyone to have a proper meal for the New Year."

As Zhao Wendong spoke, a gratified smile appeared on his face. He hadn’t even noticed it himself, but ever since the old man had gifted him the calligraphy, his methods, his principles, and the way he approached problems had all subtly changed. It was these subtle differences that would perhaps, in the end, transform into merit—a quiet and nourishing influence on everything around him.

He pulled out his pocket watch to check the time. Zhao Wendong quickly urged everyone to cast the net again, as it would be difficult to work once it got dark. They needed to break the ice from the holes again, as a thin layer had already formed over them. By the time they pulled up the second net, the sky was already beginning to darken.

The second haul only brought in a little over a hundred jin of fish, bringing their total to just under five burlap sacks for the day. Xiaojin also returned, having found nothing, but as usual, he contributed a plump wild rabbit.

"Let’s go. Head back!"

The intensity of the day’s work had been truly high, and Zhao Wendong and his group were exhausted. Still, they were very satisfied with their haul of over four hundred jin of fish. Besides, they could come back tomorrow and cast the net twice more, which should yield another decent harvest.

By the time the four of them returned to the stone cave stronghold with the fish, everyone was too tired to speak. Even someone as strong as Zhao Wenwu collapsed onto the ground and refused to get up. After resting for a while, they made a simple, hot meal. Once they had fed Gouzi and Xiaojin, they unrolled their quilts and immediately fell asleep.

They slept soundly until after nine o’clock the next morning. The men gradually woke up, stretching their still-weary bodies. For breakfast, they had rice porridge and red bean buns to replenish their energy. Leaving the fish at the cave stronghold, the four set out again with the trawl net. One more day of fishing should be enough to clear out the shallow areas.

The pool now seemed to be very deep; the trawl net couldn’t touch the bottom when they lowered it. But for now, this was all they had to work with. They would have to leave the rest for the future, when they had better tools or when the fish population had a chance to recover.

The path became more and more familiar. As long as it didn’t snow, they could follow their previous footprints. After walking it many times, they had trampled a narrow, winding path in the snow, which saved them a good deal of energy and allowed them to travel faster.

They arrived at the waterfall hot spring again. This time, two hauls of the net only yielded a little over two hundred jin of fish. Xiaojin had also found nothing. On the way back, seeing his brothers looking a bit dejected, Zhao Wendong couldn’t help but laugh.

"Big Brother, Second Brother, Er Gouzi, why are you three hanging your heads? Anyone who didn’t know better would think we went fishing and got skunked! We still caught over two hundred jin of fish, you know. Your appetites are getting bigger and bigger, huh? Now you’re not even satisfied with two hundred jin?"

The three of them thought about it and realized he was right. Since when has any hunter had a huge haul every single time? Their current harvest was already top-notch. Thinking this, the three of them cheered up a little.

When they returned to the stone cave stronghold, the sky had grown dark. Zhao Wendong suddenly narrowed his eyes and held up a hand to stop the brothers behind him.

"Stop. Something’s wrong!"

When they left that morning, the entrance to the cave stronghold had been properly sealed. Now, although it was blocked again, it had clearly been opened by someone. The others also noticed something was amiss. They all took the guns from their backs and chambered a round.

"Big Brother, you and Er Gouzi stay outside. Second Brother, you bring a flashlight and come with me to check it out!"

With that, Zhao Wendong moved the stone door aside. He had Zhao Wenjun shine the flashlight from behind while he cautiously crept into the cave, rifle at the ready. After passing two turns, the sound of voices came from within the cave. Zhao Wendong was about to listen closely, but Zhao Wenjun had already shouted in relief.

"It’s our sisters-in-law!"

From inside the cave stronghold, the beam of a flashlight flared to life, shining toward the entrance.

"You’re back!"

The voices of Lin Zhiyin and Jin Xiuying rang out at the same time. Zhao Wendong breathed a sigh of relief. It was a false alarm—just their own people. He quickly called out to those behind him.

"Big Brother, Er Gouzi, come on in! It’s Second Sister-in-law and my wife."

Once everyone had gathered in the cave stronghold, before Zhao Wendong and the others could even ask, Lin Zhiyin began to explain why they had come.

"Wendong, Chen Baoguo came by. He wants to ask you to take Xiaojin and help him catch two special agents in the mountains. He also said that his superiors were always reluctant to approve my parents’ move to Dragon King Pond, but since they need our help this time, they’ve finally relented. He said if you help them with this, they’ll approve my parents’ transfer immediately."

Zhao Wendong nodded, lost in thought.

’Special agents?’

’What a word from a bygone era!’