Colorful years

He once tried to catch fish swimming in the river and bring them home, but he soon realized that this method had many limitations.

Compared to using a sharp harpoon to strike the vital spot, or using a hammer to shake the water's surface and stun the fish, fishing seems too gentle, indirect, and has very little effect.

Moreover, fishing requires an additional tedious step—preparing bait—which undoubtedly makes the entire fishing process more complicated and unpredictable.

More importantly, to succeed in fishing, one must possess both sufficient patience and superb skills; otherwise, one will return empty-handed and have caught nothing.

After several attempts, he was dismayed to find that, within the same timeframe, the number of fish he caught by fishing was far less than the number he obtained by using a hammer to shake the fish.

For Zhang Cong, who pursues speed and efficiency, he had no choice but to abandon this seemingly elegant but actually inefficient fishing method.

Just then, a fragment of his past life's memories quietly surfaced in his mind. It was a hazy recollection of an older, more direct, and more efficient fishing method—arrow dam fishing.

The principle behind this arrow-shaped dam is actually simple yet ingenious. First, a place with rushing, turbulent water is found. Then, materials are used locally, such as large, heavy stones, which are piled up one after another, and a dam is built on both sides to form an arrow-shaped dam.

The ingenious use of this dam is that it can guide the water flow in a specific direction and create a slight drop where the water flow is most turbulent.

Below the drop, a bamboo curtain, meticulously woven from bamboo strips, was cleverly placed. This curtain was placed steadily, supported and secured by wooden sticks and stones, thus forming a sloping structure that gently tilts towards the arrow dam.

The bamboo curtain extends out from both sides, with some extra portions naturally draped over the embankments on either side, as if adding a pair of wings to the entire installation.

Moreover, the upper part of the bamboo curtain was completely sealed off with long, narrow stones, making the whole thing look like a giant dustpan.

Finally, to better conceal the fishing trap from the fish, people covered it with a layer of fine willow branches and carefully arranged it to blend seamlessly with the surrounding environment, achieving a perfect camouflage effect.

In this way, every time night falls, the fish swimming happily with the current are completely unaware that a "trap" awaits them ahead. They continue to drift freely downstream, and then fall into the wide-open bamboo screen without any precautions.

Every morning, as the first rays of sunlight touch the earth, people simply bring a light bamboo basket and can easily harvest a basket full of lively, fresh fish. Usually, in just one night, they can catch three to five pounds of fish to take home and enjoy.

This fishing method is both simple and efficient, and it is truly amazing!

Since adopting this efficient fishing method, Congcong has successfully saved a lot of valuable time. He didn't let this time go to waste, but instead made full use of it, taking on more family responsibilities and engaging in agricultural labor.

Every morning, Congcong would get up early and first go to the river to retrieve the fish from the bamboo trap at the arrow dam. Then, without pausing for a moment, he would immediately pick up his machete and head up the mountain towards the rising sun. In the forest, he skillfully wielded the machete, cutting down one shrub after another, carefully binding them together and carrying them home.

After doing all this, he would quickly finish his breakfast, then carry his schoolbag and head to school to begin a busy and fulfilling day of study.

Every Sunday, Congcong would voluntarily accompany his father to the Zhangjiajie State-owned Forest Farm, becoming a little porter. Here, he would help carry heavy barrels of pine resin or move freshly felled timber.

Despite the arduous nature of the work, Congcong never complained. He always silently shouldered his heavy burden with his young shoulders, walking steadily step by step along the mountain path.

In this way, Congcong not only reduced the burden on his parents, but also made his life more colorful and meaningful.