Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 73 Not Enough

Soon they arrived at the riverbank. Chen Fan walked a short distance upstream from the water-carrying dock until he saw a clump of lush aquatic plants, at which point he stopped.

He first dipped his fishing rod into the water to test the depth. The water was shallow near the shore, but it suddenly sank more than a meter away, and the fishing rod couldn't reach the bottom.

Alright, here it is.

First, thread a strip of meat onto the hook, then move the float to a height of more than three meters above the hook, grab some bait mixed with white rice and cooked rice to create a feeding area, and then cast the fishing rod out with a whoosh.

Then he squatted down and waited.

One minute, two minutes...

Five minutes, ten minutes...

Chen Fan squatted until his legs went numb, but he didn't catch a single small fish.

That's a beaver.

When he lifted the fishing rod, he saw that the shredded meat was long gone, and his face immediately darkened.

The fish ate my bait but didn't bite; they're so rude.

He angrily hung up another strip of meat and was about to throw it away when he suddenly noticed a small fish, about the size of his palm, swimming in the water. He couldn't help but roll his eyes and call out to the fish, "Hey, little fish, come here."

However, the fish ignored him and swam on its own in the water.

Chen Fan frowned. Did his animalistic language not include fish?

Or is it that the level is not high enough, or that the fish is brainless?
But fish have brains, and they're actually quite delicious.

Chen Fan squatted silently by the river, stroking his chin as he pondered fishing techniques for winter.

Oh, right.

He suddenly remembered that in winter, when the water temperature drops, most fish sink to the bottom and stay there. So, what about here?

Chen Fan turned his gaze to the distance.

Could it be in the middle of the river?
The area near the riverbank is all shallow water, and you can see the bottom at a glance. It seems that the small fish just now swam up from the deep water, so most of the fish are probably there.

Chen Fan's face was scrunched up in a frown, but how was he supposed to get across?
His eyes darted around twice, then suddenly lit up. He put the fishing rod down and turned to run back.

Zhang Wenliang and the warehouse keeper Huang were chatting when Jiang Lili was washing vegetables at the kitchen door. A large wooden basin was filled with water, and all the vegetables were soaked in it. She could wash them clean by shaking them a couple of times, and then rinse them again.

Then the three of them saw Chen Fan rush in and disappear into a room.

A few minutes later, he suddenly ran out again, with a basin of kidneys on his head and a basket hanging in front of him. He also took a five-meter-long thick bamboo pole with him when he left.

Zhang Wenliang looked at the warehouse keeper, Huang, with a blank expression. "What is he doing?"

The custodian, Huang, thought for a moment, "Could it be that they're going fishing in the middle of the river?"

Otherwise, why bring a kidney basin?

"Go fishing in the river?"

Zhang Wenliang's eyes darted around slightly. "Let's go take a look."

The two got up and walked outside.

Since I'm just killing time anyway, I might as well go and see what's going on.

The two walked unhurriedly to the riverbank and saw Chen Fan already sitting in the basin, his legs stretched out, his basket on his lap, and his fishing rod held upright. He was paddling the water from side to side with the bamboo pole, and soon he reached the middle of the river.

He then stuck the bamboo pole upright to the bottom, with about a meter of it sticking out, indicating that the water was only about four meters deep.

In winter, the water flows very slowly, and you can hardly see the water moving. Chen Fan holds onto the bamboo pole to ensure that he doesn't drift with the current.

Now, the moment of witnessing a miracle has arrived!
He baited the spot and cast the line in one smooth motion. Just as Chen Fan was about to catch his breath, the fishing rod suddenly tightened, startling him.

Damn, they took the bait already?
He immediately tightened the fishing rod and slowly pulled it upwards.

Wow, it's so heavy, it's definitely a big fish.

Unfortunately, the fishing rod was too old-fashioned, with no reel to reel in the line, and since he was sitting in a basin, he couldn't exert much force and dared not use too much power for fear of breaking the rod.

To prevent the boat from capsizing, he leaned back, bracing his feet against the edge of the basin and resting his back against it, trying to maintain his balance. At the same time, he held tightly to the bamboo pole stuck in the water to prevent the boat from being swept away.

Even so, the small boat was still being dragged and rocked from side to side. He could only hold the fishing rod tightly with both hands, not fighting against the big fish, but going with the fish to prevent it from getting off the hook.

Zhang Wenliang and Huang, the custodian, were originally watching the commotion on the riverbank when they saw what was happening. They exchanged a glance.

The custodian, Huang, immediately said, "You stay here and watch over things, I'll go find the rope."

If this were my own son, would he even bother looking for a rope? I'd be lucky if he didn't immediately take off his shoe and smash it over his head!
While they were talking, the situation in the river changed.

Zhang Wenliang pulled him aside, "Wait a minute, look."

After stabilizing himself, Chen Fan sandwiched the fishing rod between his legs, pressed it down with his buttocks, freed one hand to grab the bamboo pole, pulled it up, and used it to lean towards the shore.

Zhang Wenliang and Huang, the custodian, immediately ran down the riverbank.

When they reached the water's edge, Chen Fan was almost there too. Zhang Wenliang shouted, "Extend the bamboo pole over here."

Chen Fan handed him the bamboo pole, and the two of them pulled him to the shore.

Huang, the custodian, grabbed the basin of kidneys, and Zhang Wenliang took the fishing rod from his hand. The next second, he gripped it tightly, his eyes almost bulging out. "You've caught a big one!"

Panting, Chen Fan climbed ashore from the basin, dragged the wooden basin up, picked up the basket, and said to Zhang Wenliang, "Brother Sanhu, bring the fish to the side, I'll use this to scoop them up."

Zhang Wenliang then understood why he had brought a basket, and immediately burst into laughter, "Your idea is excellent."

He then slowly reeled in the rod, while taking small steps backward.

After walking around for several minutes, a huge black shadow finally appeared in front of the three of them. Even the custodian, Huang, was surprised. "What a huge black fish!"

Chen Fan stood guard on the shore, one foot almost in the water. When the black fish was pulled closer, he aimed and scooped it up with his basket.

The blackfish was successfully placed in the basket and lifted up.

The river water quickly drained away, and the blackfish, unwilling to be put in the basket, were jumping and wriggling inside. Chen Fan felt as if he were holding a monster, and he almost couldn't even hold onto the basket.

The storekeeper, Huang, quickly took the basket from him, steadily lifted it, weighed it a couple of times, and grinned, saying, "Goodness, it probably weighs about twenty pounds."

The fish head is at the bottom of the basket, but the tail is sticking out; it could easily weigh twenty pounds.

After catching a big fish, they returned in triumph.

Huang, the storekeeper, walked ahead carrying a basket on his back. Chen Fan and Zhang Wenliang put the other things in a basin, lifted the basin together, and then one took a fishing rod and the other a bamboo pole, walking back with their heads held high.

Just then, Yang Ju called Captain Yang and Accountant Liu back. Once everyone was together, they started discussing the big black fish again.

Captain Yang, "Braise the fish body, and stew the fish head and tail with white radish to make soup."

Accountant Liu, "We could also make some braised fish fillets."

"Cut some fish fillets, marinate them with ginger, salt, and wine, then steam them, and finally sprinkle some chopped green onions on top. They'll smell delicious."

Zhang Wenliang grinned, "If we had a clay pot, we could also braise it in it, add some chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, and the broth would be perfect with rice."

Chen Fan blinked to the side, then looked at the big black fish. At their rate, one fish probably wouldn't be enough.

(End of this chapter)