Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 671 Fishing Alone in the Snowy River

A flock of geese flew in from the horizon, sometimes forming an L-shape, sometimes a V-shape.

When they reached the sky above Xinghu Lake, they were like dumplings being dropped into a pot, plunging headfirst through the wind and snow to land on the lake's surface, squeaking and refusing to move, paddling around looking for something to eat.

In a spot on the lake surrounded by wild geese, a small awning boat was moored on the water. Chen Fan sat cross-legged at the bow, wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat, holding a fishing rod, fishing seriously.

The black awning was covered with a thick layer of snowflakes, but that didn't mean Chen Fan had been there for a long time.

However, before setting sail, he only cleaned the bow and stern, neglecting the roof of the cabin, where snow had accumulated for a day and a night, so it was no wonder it was thick.

In other words, the awning was of good quality. It was made of sturdy wood on all sides, with the awning covering only the top, which was arched to help distribute the weight. The awning was made of bamboo strips, woven into a mat-like structure, then repeatedly brushed with tung oil and painted black to protect against wind and rain, which is why it didn't collapse under such heavy snow.

If it were a tourist boat like those in later times, the awning would probably collapse under the weight of this layer of snow.

A good awning boat is not only a tool for fishermen to make a living, but also their place of residence.

The entire Yangtze River basin, including Dongting Lake, Honghu Lake, Poyang Lake, and Taihu Lake, flows all the way to the sea. From the Huangpu River estuary southwards, all the way to Qiongzhou Island, including Hong Kong and Taiwan, there were fishing boats like these, where people lived on their boats.

The names for them vary from place to place. Some call them Tanka fishing boats or Lianjia fishing boats, while others call them Tanka people, Tanka family, or boat households. In early documents, they were also referred to as Yacht boatmen, Baishuilang, or Yan.

They were talking about families who lived on boats.

In the movie "The Battle at Lake Changjin," Wu Qianli returns home to find his parents and younger brother living on a boat—a traditional Tanka fishing boat.

(Still from the film, a Tanka fishing boat)

Chen Fan previously wrote a story called "The Tanka Fishing Boats," which tells the story of the daily life of people living on the water and their fight against the enemy. The plot is roughly the same as that of "Red Sorghum."

The size of the fishing boats also varies. The smaller ones have a bamboo canopy on them, and the hull is more than a meter longer than an ordinary small wooden boat. The inside is covered with wooden planks for sleeping, and if the planks are removed, it becomes living space, which is the boat that Chen Fan is sitting on.

The slightly larger ones are similar to those in the stills, with some living space inside the cabins, but that's about it. The largest ones are like multi-story ships, with not only upper and lower decks, but also dedicated kitchens and toilets.

In addition, there are rafts strung together in rows, with wooden houses built on them to form a small village. This type is quite common in old Hong Kong movies.

These Tanka fishing boats are very rare in the north. The reason is simple: apart from multi-story boats, these things are not much better than thatched huts. They provide very little warmth. It's a little better south of the Yangtze River, but north of the Yangtze River, people would die living on the water in winter!

Even in the warm Guangdong region, during the winter, one has to burn a small coal stove on the boat for warmth, otherwise it's really hard to get through the winter.

People living on the water like these will not all be able to move ashore until around 2018. For example, in 2016, Honghu proposed that "not a single acre of fishing nets should be left in Honghu, not a single bamboo pole should be left, and all fishermen should move ashore."

In Zhaoqing, Guangdong, along the Xijiang River, affordable housing was provided to the last 207 fishing households in 2018, solving their problem of living on land. After that, the Tanka fishing boats gradually disappeared.

However, that was decades later. Now, there are countless fishing boats like that. You can find large areas of Tanka people living near any dock on either side of the Yangtze River.

Near such gathering areas, there are naturally many small docks for building and repairing fishing boats.

The communes in various places did not leave the Tanka people alone; the universal registration was not a joke.

Tanka fishing boats are generally classified as "transportation cooperatives" of the local commune, or as part of a fishing company, making them a rather special group.

Originally, Chen Fan only hoped that Huang Tianzhi could help him get a small wooden boat to make fishing easier, but he didn't expect that Huang Tianzhi would actually get several of these Tanka awning boats, which was really helpful!

He sat at the bow of the boat fishing, and after a while, he leisurely lifted the rod, and a crucian carp the size of a palm was caught and pulled out of the water, creating ripples.

Chen Fan shook his head, took off the fishing hook, and casually tossed it, hitting a goose on the head. The fish fell into the water with a splash, but before it could swim away, it was caught by another goose and swallowed in two quick gulps.

The geese that were hit turned their heads and cried out a few times. No one took responsibility for the fish bomb, so they could only plunge their heads back into the water to forage for food.

Just as Chen Fan cast his fishing line into the lake, the awning door behind him was pushed open, and a waft of hot air accompanied by Xu Qizhen's voice drifted out, "Such a big fish, why did you throw it away?"

Chen Fan didn't even turn his head. "A fish the size of a palm is considered big? Let's not compete with the birds for food. I'll catch you a fish they can't finish eating right away."

He Qingsheng, smoking a cigarette, reached over the charcoal stove to brush off the ash. "Then hurry up, the water's almost boiling, we're waiting to put the fish in."

Next to him was Tan Yong, who was leaning against the quilt smoking. Judging from his lazy appearance, he didn't want to move because he was so hot.

Chen Fan didn't turn around, but simply gestured, "It'll be ready soon."

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly lifted the rod, and a foot-long river catfish was pulled up.

Seeing this, Tan Yong also got lazy and pushed He Qingsheng out of the cabin, making the small boat rock violently.

Startled, Xu Qizhen steadied herself against the charcoal stove and screamed, "Slow down, be careful the kettle falls over!"

Chen Fan turned around and smiled, "It's alright. This is a fishing boat used by the Tanka people. The bottom of the boat is much deeper than that of ordinary boats, so it's not easy to capsize."

Xu Qizhen breathed a long sigh of relief when she saw that the small boat regained its balance after rocking for a while, and that the charcoal stove stuck in the table pit and the stove on top of it were also fine.

He then shook his head and sighed, "Fishing alone on a snowy river is indeed very evocative, but it's too easy to make one anxious."

Tan Yong slowed down, gave an awkward smile, but stared blankly at Jiang Tuan. "This guy's huge. What are you planning to do with him?"

Chen Fan turned to look at him and smiled, "Of course it's stewed."

He Qingsheng was very curious, "Isn't the catfish a warm-water fish? How can you catch catfish in the middle of winter?"

Xinghu Lake is connected to a tributary of the Yangtze River by a waterway, so it's not surprising that there are catfish in it. What puzzled him was how he managed to catch a catfish in such cold weather.
While processing the fish, Chen Fan laughed and said, "What you're saying is true. The active water temperature of the river catfish is between 24 and 28 degrees Celsius, but that doesn't mean they can only survive in this temperature range."

The Yangtze River catfish can survive in temperatures ranging from 0°C to 38°C. The lake surface hasn't frozen yet, so the water temperature at the bottom is at least five or six degrees Celsius. The catfish have only stopped foraging; they haven't turned belly up.

He Qingsheng was even more puzzled and looked at him with a questioning look. "They had all stopped foraging for food, so how did you catch it?"

Chen Fan smiled slightly, "Luck."

He then ushered them into the cabin, saying, "We're going to stew fish, come in and sit down."

With a few simple gestures in his hand, he gutted the catfish, chopped it into evenly sized pieces, and washed it clean in the lake water. Several wild geese immediately swam over and glared at him.

Chen Fan wasn't stingy either, and simply threw the fish scraps to them.

If Jiang Lili weren't here today, I would definitely have caught two alive and taken them back.

Inside the cabin, Tan Yong took down the boiling copper kettle, and He Qingsheng put an iron pot on it.

Chen Fan placed the fish in a basin, hung his straw hat and raincoat at the cabin door, then went inside to pour in oil and ginger. Once the oil was hot, he picked up the catfish and threw it into the pot. With a sizzling sound, the aroma filled the air.

Xu Qizhen took a deep breath. "It smells so good."

Then, watching Chen Fan's actions, a hint of doubt appeared in his eyes. "You can cook?"

Chen Fan chuckled twice. "Just a little bit, just for the novelty."

Upon hearing this, He Qingsheng and the other two immediately lost all hope in him.

Xu Qizhen even tried to snatch the spatula away.

Unfortunately, Chen Fan was too quick. In a few swift movements, he added several seasonings to the pot, poured in boiling water, and covered it with the lid. Soon, the pot began to gurgle and release a rich, savory aroma.

As soon as the fish was put into the pot, Chen Fan cleaned up the kitchen utensils, opened the hatch, took out a large cabbage, held it in his hand, caught it in a bamboo sieve, and with a few quick cuts, filled the sieve.

Chen Fan rinsed the bamboo sieve in the lake water, lifted it out and placed it on a basin to drain, then dried his hands with a towel before announcing that preparations were complete.

Back in the cabin, he sat down next to Xu Qizhen and took out four small bowls and a jar of old yellow wine from the cupboard.

I poured in some hot water to warm the Shaoxing wine. After a few minutes, I lifted the lid, poured in some more Shaoxing wine, and simmered it for another two minutes. The stewed river catfish was ready.

Each person has a bowl of wine, and the pot contains milky white fish soup. The adorable catfish are soaking in the soup, making one's mouth water just looking at them.

At this moment, Xu Qizhen had already forgotten her earlier doubts. She picked up a piece of fish and put it in her mouth. After just one bite, her eyes lit up. Without even bothering to offer any comments, she picked up her bowl and started eating. He Qingsheng and Tan Yong across from her weren't much better off. They held their bowls, blew on the steam, ate the meat, exhaled, and drank the soup in one smooth motion, repeating this process over and over again.

Only Chen Fan stood to the side, holding a wine bowl, wondering if they had forgotten what they came for.

After thinking for a moment, he turned around and walked out.

The three foodies only glanced at him before continuing their work.

They were all worried that if they didn't eat quickly, they would eat the least.
Soon they stopped worrying.

Not long after, Chen Fan came in carrying a basin full of pieces of catfish.

He Qingsheng's eyes widened in disbelief. Was this also a stroke of luck?
Chen Fan poured the fish into the pot, added some ginger and salt for seasoning, covered the pot, and waited for the soup to boil again until the fish was cooked.

At this point, He Qingsheng and the other two regained their composure, put down their chopsticks and bowls, and picked up their wine bowls.

Xu Qizhen turned to look at Chen Fan, her eyes full of surprise, "Where did you learn to cook? It tastes even better than what the head chef at the Yangtze River Hotel makes!"

He Qingsheng and Tan Yong nodded in unison, both looking at him expectantly.

Chen Fan coughed lightly, crossed his legs, lit a cigarette, and the smoke drifted out of the cabin with the airflow, along with someone's voice, "Cooking is something that anyone with hands can do, isn't it?"

The three faces fell in unison, wanting to explode, but seeing the scalding pot and the snow-white fish, they decided to hold back.

He Qingsheng took a sip of rice wine, then took out two cigarettes and lit them with Tan Yong.

After puffing out smoke for a few seconds, he coughed lightly and said, "The meetings yesterday and the day before were very successful. Now, we can say that everything is settled and we are just waiting for success."

Well, Lao Zhao and Lao Qian went to see Xiao Bian yesterday to take over the work of the correspondence center. Lao Sun also went to the "Jiangnan Literature and Art" magazine office to discuss the matter of separating "Literary Youth" magazine from there and making it officially independent.

Their main work will focus on these two areas. These are all veteran comrades, reliable and dependable. We just need to wait for the results and don't need to interfere.

He took a drag of his cigarette, thought for a moment, then took a sip of Shaoxing wine, and turned to look at Chen Fan, "Where did you buy this wine? It's very good."

Tan Yong nodded repeatedly, "Rich and mellow!"

Chen Fan's eye twitched slightly. "I'll send you a jar when I get back."

He Qingsheng and Tan Yong: "Okay."

At this moment, they were very fortunate that when Chen Fan said he wanted to go out and fish alone in the snowy river and cook on the boat, they did not stop him. On the contrary, they were equally interested, forcing Xu Qizhen to go on the boat with them to hold the first meeting of the new presidium on the lake.

As for the fact that one member of the presidium is not present, that's not important; we can just let him know later.

Unexpectedly, there was another surprise once we got on the ship.

It's worth the trip just for this clear-broth stewed river catfish.

With an extra jar of aged Shaoxing wine, the value is doubled!
After being satisfied, He Qingsheng finally turned his attention back to work and said to Chen Fan, "Anyway, it was made very clear at yesterday's work meeting that everything else will remain the same, except for the external communication that you are in charge of, which is this year's key project. Do you have any plans for this?"

Chen Fan hesitated for two seconds, then silently picked up his bowl, scooped out a few pieces of fish and half a bowl of soup. He slowly and deliberately took a puff of cigarette, a sip of wine, a bite of meat, and a sip of soup. After finishing, he turned to Xu Qizhen and said, "Sister Xu, Huifang used to be in charge of the correspondence center and the literary youth magazine. Could you ask her if she wants to continue working on these two projects or work on the new project with me?"

While he was eating and drinking, the three people next to him weren't idle either, and before they knew it, they had each finished a bowl.

Upon hearing Chen Fan's words, Xu Qizhen quickly raised her head and said without hesitation, "No need to ask, she wants to continue with you."

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected this young girl to be so loyal and devoted. She must have been impressed by his talent!

Then Xu Qizhen continued, "I talked to her before the meeting. Although the correspondence center and the magazine were ready-made and she set them up with you, you could see the end from the beginning, and that was about it."

If we continue to work with you, then things will be different. Right now, there's a lot of discussion about how to develop the economy and whether or not to open up to the outside world. In the cultural field, after discussions with the Ministry of Culture, the basic principle of opening up to exchanges is always established.

Barring any major changes, the External Relations Department is probably the most likely candidate in our organization. Besides, you're not completely clueless; you have the backing of Takahashi Publishing House in the Asia-Africa region, and your uncle's company in the Europe and America region—you could say you have the best starting conditions.

If Huifang follows you, she will not only be able to continue to make contributions and build a foundation for our provincial writers' association's external exchanges, but she may also have the opportunity to study abroad in the future.

Compared to staying on those two projects, there's no doubt that there's more room for growth with you.

Chen Fan squinted. So there's no emotion, only self-interest?
Seeing Chen Fan's expression, Xu Qizhen chuckled dryly twice, "Of course, Huifang personally prefers to work under your leadership. You're so great, daring to delegate authority and take responsibility, allowing this student who just graduated this year to grow sufficiently. Where can you find a leader like that? You simply can't!"

He Qingsheng and Tan Yong: ...? ? ?
Chen Fan understood that Bian Huifang still wanted to stay with him, so things were easier to handle.

He looked up at He Qingsheng and said, "After this meeting, I'm afraid it will be difficult to allocate all the resources of the entire unit to serve the liaison department like before, right?"

He Qingsheng thought for a moment, then cut to the heart of the matter, "You want to add more people?"

Chen Fan smiled and handed over two cigarettes. "The External Relations Department is said to have two branches, but apart from me and Bian Huifang, there is only Director Duan. He doesn't even have a clerk under him."

Secondly, external liaison requires foreign language skills. Previously, when you contacted Hideo Takahashi, you used translators from the association. Now that you're officially establishing the external liaison department, you can't continue relying on this temporary, makeshift approach, can you?

He Qingsheng hesitated for two seconds, then asked seriously, "What do you want to do?"

Chen Fan smiled and said, "The first step is to set up the framework. In addition to the branch director, each of the two branches must have three to five clerks to handle various tasks in a timely manner, and at least one of them must be a foreign language expert."

English is an international language, so those who know English will have priority. Although Russian was the working language of the Soviet Union, given our current relationship with the Soviet Union, it doesn't matter whether we have it or not.

Furthermore, given our current close collaboration with Takahashi Publishing, someone who understands Japanese is definitely essential.

He paused for a moment, looked at He Qingsheng, who had a worried look on his face, shrugged and said, "That's all for now. We'll talk about the next step once we have all the people in place."

He Qingsheng's face was so bitter it could drip water; even the delicious fish soup didn't smell good, and the old yellow wine had no flavor.

He rubbed his face and said to Chen Fan, "You make it sound so easy. English is preferred, and we also need someone who knows Japanese. I'd like to have someone like that too. But where am I supposed to find one?"
"The college graduates we recruited last year and this year were immediately targeted by various organizations as soon as they entered the campus. Those from Beijing were directly targeted by ministries, and the situation was similar for those from other regions. Jiangnan University and Normal University are the schools with the most foreign language talents in the provincial capital, but those people have already been targeted by the province, and even the city can't get involved. Who am I supposed to ask for people?"

Chen Fan held the cigarette to the charcoal stove, flicked off the ash, and smiled at him, "Let the personnel department try first. If that doesn't work, you can step in yourself. How will we know the result if we don't try?"

He Qingsheng was so angry he almost choked. So you're not the one who's going to do it?
He took a drag of his cigarette with a troubled expression, turned to look at Tan Yong, then at Xu Qizhen, and said, "How about we try having the personnel department give it a shot?"

Tan Yong and Xu Qizhen exchanged a glance, pondered for a couple of seconds, and then nodded slightly.

They all felt sorry for the newly appointed personnel manager, Lao Li.

It's a pity that the newly restored personnel department was given such a big responsibility by this old comrade who is familiar with the unit's situation, and now he's been given a hot potato. I wonder if he'll rush to Lao He's office and start fuming?

Chen Fan leaned back in his chair, smiling but saying nothing.

You want me to do things? No problem, just make sure you have enough people first.

As long as I have enough manpower, I will assign the work.

Chairman He and Secretary-General Xu taught us not to be afraid to delegate authority and to give our subordinates more opportunities. When our subordinates achieve results, our own achievements will be even greater!

Putting that problem aside for now, He Qingsheng asked Chen Fan about his plans.

Chen Fan didn't hide anything and clearly explained his thoughts.

The group ate and chatted, and after finishing the fish, they put the prepared cabbage into the pot, which was eventually eaten clean.

It was almost noon by then, so we didn't need to eat lunch today. Plus, the alcohol was kicking in, so we all decided to go home and sleep.

Chen Fan rowed his boat through a flock of geese, startling countless birds into flight, and slowly returned to the dock.

Before the boat even docked, Bian Huifang was seen waving from the waterfront platform. "Director, someone from the province came and said your uncle is coming. They told me to let you know right away."

(End of this chapter)