I fought guerrilla warfare in the Yimeng Mountains during the Anti-Japanese War

It was already five o'clock when we got back to the fishing village. The fishing boats were moored at the simple pier. Daya found her own cart and helped her father unload the fish. There were two baskets of large cucumbers and one and a half baskets of blue-spotted mackerel. The other species were not available in large quantities and the prices were not ideal, so they could only be taken home to make seafood dumpling soup.

Thinking of the seafood dumpling soup, Daya thought of the spicy seafood soup and seafood noodles she made herself. Looking at the various kinds of seafood in the small basket, such as small yellow flowers, golden squid, swimming crabs, and small pomfret, it would be great if the captain was here. He would definitely devour today's seafood soup.

"Girl, what are you hesitating about? Push it over here quickly."

"Oh, I'm coming right up."

Daya pushed the small cart closer to the fishing boat. It was called a fishing boat, but in fact it was just a small sampan that could carry seven or eight people at most. If there were more, it would sink. They didn’t dare to go far when fishing every day. In case they encountered strong winds and waves, the small sampan would not be able to withstand the tossing.

The two of them worked together to lift the fish basket onto the cart. Daya tied it tightly with a rope. Uncle Liang checked the rope that tied the fishing boat and pushed the cart straight to the west of the village. Daya felt sorry for her father who had to carry half a basket of mackerel. She held the small basket of miscellaneous seafood in her left hand and pulled the rope in front of the cart with her right hand. The fishermen in the village all liked this hardworking and sensible girl, and they greeted the father and son when they saw them.

"Lao Liang, the girl is still young, don't let the fish basket hurt her body."

Uncle Liang always chuckled when he heard this, but he didn't say anything. Daya pulled the cart to help her father explain:

"Uncle, I'm not tired. I only carried half a basket of fish. I feel very light."

Uncle Zheng showed a kind smile. This girl had been without a mother since she was young. She was sensible at an early age, hardworking and sweet-spoken. If it weren't for his silly son who was lazy and inactive, he would have thought of finding a matchmaker to reconcile the girl. However, he also understood that with the girl's looks, it would be a loss for her to marry his son.

"Daya, there are many soldiers in the village. They will be arranged to stay in each household tonight to fish on the fishing boats and practice their swimming skills. Your family must also send one."

Daya suddenly became interested. Could it be them?

"Uncle Zheng, which team are you from? Have you heard of it?"

"He didn't say where he came from, but Captain Huang also came with us. He should be from the Yimeng guerrillas."

Before she finished speaking, Daya increased the speed of the horse and pulled the cart forward at a rumbling speed. Uncle Liang behind her did not know whether to laugh or cry.

"Girl, slow down, don't overturn the car."

When we arrived at the purchasing point, we saw dozens of horse-drawn carriages parked there, and three trucks parked more than a hundred meters away. They were all covered with tarpaulins, which would be opened only after dark. Not every trade route had trucks, only the route from Lanshan to Linyi had them. This was done in consideration of the effectiveness of seafood transportation. I heard that the number of trucks will increase when the weather gets hot.

Daya and her father carried down the fish baskets and lined up to be weighed. Huang Shanhe was talking to the chief of the caravan when he saw Daya coming over with a grin on her face.

"Girl, how was the harvest?"

Daya rolled her eyes at Huang Shanhe:

"fraud".

Huang Shanhe was stunned.

"Girl, when did I lie to you?"

Daya was a little embarrassed to speak, so she approached Huang Shanhe and whispered:

"Didn't you say that Captain Lengqiang had five wives? The captain said that it was not true at all and you were talking nonsense. He also said that he would deal with you when he had the chance. What happened? Did you get beaten?"

Huang Shanhe looked bitter, remembering that he had boasted too much to the children.

"Oh girl, how can you ask such a thing! It's troublesome, I dare not go back to Mengshan."

Daya smiled:

"Stop talking nonsense. By the way, Uncle Huang, I heard that they are going to send people to the fishermen's house again. Do you have any at home?"

"No, I won't send them to your house. It's inconvenient as they are all grown up guys after a long time."

Daya was a little disappointed. She had just heard that Captain Leng Qiang didn't come. That was right! He was a high-ranking officer in charge of tens of thousands of soldiers. How could he have time to come to such a small fishing village for training?

"Girl, come and help."

When it was Uncle Liang's turn, Daya hurried over to help her father carry the fish basket to weigh it.

"One hundred and sixty-two kilograms of large yellow croaker and one hundred and twenty-four kilograms of swordfish. What are they called? Should we exchange them for dried melon or wheat?"

Uncle Liang chuckled:

"Brother Liu, my name is Liang Jinsan, let's exchange for wheat!"

"Four pounds of wheat for one pound, two hundred and eighty-six pounds of fish for seventy-one and a half pounds. Did you calculate it correctly? If so, go and get the wheat."

One pound of dried melon can be exchanged for two and a half pounds of fish, and one pound of wheat can be exchanged for four pounds. Most fishermen choose to exchange for dried melon, and only exchange for wheat when the harvest is good.

"Yes, yes, yes, you have never made a mistake in calculating the accounts. There is no need to calculate them again."

The young man surnamed Liu leaned over the table and wrote a note, motioning Liang Jinsan to come and get it. Uncle Liang then remembered that young man Liu had difficulty walking as half of his leg was missing and he walked with the help of a cane. He had been leaning on the table for support while collecting fish, so he quickly stepped forward and took the note.

"Hey, wait, Uncle Liang Jin, what is your relationship with Daya? By the way, your full name is Liang Aihua."

Uncle Liang was a little surprised?

"It's my daughter, what's wrong?"

Daya also stared at Brother Liu who was talking. Brother Liu looked at Daya for a few times, and then looked at Liang Jinsan.

"After collecting the food, go to the truck and find the driver named Zhou. Someone has brought some things for you. Push the truck over there."

The father and daughter received the food. The heavy wheat made them happy. They nervously came to several trucks in the convoy, and a smoking driver jumped out.

"Uncle Liang? You are Liang Aihua, Daya, right?"

Seeing the two men nod, the driver got into the cab and picked up a bag from the side.

"Uncle Liang, take it."

Liang Jinsan and Daya quickly took the bags. There were three bags, all of which were quite heavy. They didn't know what was in them.

The driver jumped down, looked at the two men and said:

"The captain brought it to you, saying that he wanted to thank Daya for leading the way and for the spicy seafood soup she made."

Daya stood aside, blinking her eyes, but didn't say anything. Liang Jinsan was a little frightened:

"No, no, it's too expensive. Captain Leng Qiang has already left us canned food and dollars. How can we do this?"

"Please accept it! The captain specifically instructed me to do so. I will be in trouble if you don't accept it."

Driver Zhou lifted the three bags onto the cart, untied the ropes that tied the wheat bags and helped seal the cart. Uncle Liang was a little at a loss, and Daya looked at the three bags in a daze.

"Brother Zhou, please thank the captain on our behalf. We can't catch them for nothing. From now on, any good fish we catch will be dried and left for the captain. You must bring them back next time you come!"

The driver named Zhou glanced at Daya and explained with a smile:

"You don't have to be polite, and you don't have to keep the fish. Just exchange them for more food to avoid the Japanese warships blocking the sea again. Last time, every household in the shelter team received gifts, but this time the trucks are bringing the team, and the horse-drawn carriages are carrying food, so I will bring them all next time."