Reborn in the Great Northern Wilderness in 1982, I farmed and hunted to support my whole family.

Li Siming glanced at He Yinglian and said impatiently, "Is it any of your business? I'll drink my wine, you dig your field, we're not related."

Upon hearing this, He Yinglian trembled with anger: "Li Siming, are you even a man? You never care about anything at home, all you do is drink and gamble. Now Li Mu even wants to dig a pond to raise fish!"

"So what if Li Mu dug a pond to raise fish? That's his business, what does it have to do with me? Do you think you can get rich by digging a pond?"

Seeing that Li Siming was so stubborn, He Yinglian stopped arguing with him and turned to go back into the house.

Li Siming then picked up the wine bottle again and poured himself a drink.

Meanwhile, Li Mu and his team were digging the pond very smoothly.

Under Tao Qingshan's guidance, they quickly dug a spacious and bright pond.

After the pond was dug, they busied themselves cleaning up the pebbles and weeds, making the pond clean and tidy.

"Where are the fish fry? What? You didn't buy any?"

Tao Qingshan didn't see them return with fish fry. How could they raise fish without fry? Li Mu patted his head and laughed, "Uncle Tao, don't worry, we've already thought of a way to deal with the fish fry. Have you forgotten? There are plenty of fat fish in the river in our village. We plan to go to the river and catch some to raise first. Once the pond is stable, we'll release these fish fry into it."

Upon hearing this, Tao Qingshan thought it was a good idea and let them do as they pleased.

Li Chuzi and Tian Xiaohu led their brothers to go fishing, specifically to the deep water area at the east end of the village, where the fish were not only plentiful but also large.

Li Mu took two hundred yuan from his pocket and went to find Huang Xiu'e.

"Sister! Is the fermented rice ready?"

Huang Xiu'e was busy brewing wine inside when she heard Li Mu's voice and poked her head out: "Muzi, what brings you here? The wine won't be ready for another two days."

Li Mu scratched his head: "Oh, I thought it would be ready today. Sister, could you sell me some of the lees?"

Huang Xiu'e asked in confusion, "What do you need the lees for?"

Li Mu chuckled: "I dug a pond, and I was thinking of feeding the fish with distiller's grains to see if it would make them grow faster."

Upon hearing this, Huang Xiu'e thought it was a good idea and agreed, "Okay, Mu Zi, wait a moment, I'll go and get some for you."

A moment later, Huang Xiu'e came out carrying a large bucket of distiller's grains: "Muzi, is this enough?"

Looking at the large bucket full of fermented grains, Li Mu beamed with joy: "That's enough, thank you, sister."

Li Mu carried the wine lees, gave her a hundred yuan, and insisted on stuffing it into her hand, saying, "Sister, take this money, don't be polite with me."

Huang Xiue couldn't refuse, so she had to accept the money, saying, "I won't charge you for the wine. Come see me in a couple of days, and let me ask you first, what do you need so much wine for?"

Two weeks ago, Li Mu asked her for three large jugs of wine, saying he wanted to use them to entertain friends. Huang Xiu'e was puzzled at the time, as Li Mu didn't usually have many friends visiting him, so why did he suddenly want to entertain them?

Now it seems that it was probably all for the purpose of digging the pond.

Li Mu smiled. He didn't care what others thought. This wine was to show respect to his Oroqen master. They had agreed to go up the mountain once every seven days, so it was only right to offer wine to his master.

"Sister, don't worry about it, I have my own reasons."

Seeing that he was unwilling to say more, Huang Xiu'e did not press him further, but simply reminded him, "Then you must be careful when you drink the wine, so as not to waste it."

Li Mu carried the lees and the remaining money. Li Chuzi and Tian Xiaohu had already caught a lot of fish and were busy sorting them. The big ones would be kept to sell, while the small ones and the less attractive ones would be put into the newly dug pond to be raised.

"Muzi, look! There are so many catfish here, and they're all so plump. Let's put the smaller and less attractive ones in the pond, raise them until they're bigger, and then we can fish them out and sell them. We're sure to get a good price!"

Upon hearing that there were catfish, Li Mu's eyes lit up immediately: "Catfish are a good thing. Where did you catch so many? These fish are very popular in the market, and they taste delicious."

Li Chuzi chuckled: "There are so many fish in that deep water area at the east end of the village. We can catch a lot with just one net. Besides, the water quality there is very good, so the fish raised there must be excellent."

"From now on, we'll all go fishing there."

"No! We can't just go into the neighboring village's territory. It would be bad if we caused any disputes. Let's just stay in our village's territory and fish there."

Li Mu's smile faded. He could already foresee what would happen next. The ice had begun to melt slowly a month ago, and the fish in the river were starting to become active. This was the perfect time for fishing, and also the best opportunity for them to dig ponds to raise fish.

Some villagers have already learned to fish like them and are selling their catch in the county town.

You can fish for at most two more months. After July, the number of fish in the river will decrease sharply due to reproduction, and it will be difficult to catch them then.

Moreover, after July, the weather gets hotter and hotter, making the fish more prone to rotting and difficult to preserve and transport. They must take advantage of the current abundance of fish to catch as many as possible, save enough money, and prepare for their future fish farming business.

Li Mu plans to organize several more fishing trips before July to accumulate as much fish as possible.

"After you go back, ask your relatives and neighbors to see who else is willing to work with us. Many hands make light work, and we can catch more fish and earn more money. In the end, we can share the fish raised in the pond together."

"Same old rules: five yuan per person per day for fishing, four yuan for a rabbit, twenty yuan for a fox, and ten yuan for catching a wild boar or roe deer!"

"How many people do you need? My cousins ​​asked me this indirectly the other day." Li Chuzi rubbed his hands together.

Li Mu thought for a moment and said, "This time we're going to dig a pond and raise fish, so there's a lot to do. The more people we have, the better. Go back and tell your cousins ​​to come. The wages will still be the same as before; we won't treat everyone unfairly."

"I need people with clean hands! We don't want those who are dishonest, cunning, or always looking to take advantage. We're doing honest business, and we value integrity and reputation. Only through everyone's cooperation can we make this a success!"

They divided up the money from today's fish, and each person received about twenty yuan. After the gathering ended, they went home to spread the word.

Li Siming also heard the news and watched eagerly as his neighbors busied themselves preparing to dig ponds and raise fish with Li Mu. He was itching to join them.

He figured he couldn't fall behind, so he had to tell his wife about it as soon as possible to make her happy, and maybe he could even help her out.

Clutching the information he'd heard from Li Mu, Li Siming ran home and shouted as soon as he entered, "Yingzi! Come out quickly, I have good news!"