Chapter 10: The Night Scene of the Lotus Pond
Cough, cough, Mom, your cooking is truly delicious. Sigh, Mom, what if in the future your daughter-in-law doesn't have your skills? What am I going to do?" Zhang Lan, amused by Li Feng's worried expression, laughed heartily, feeling quite pleased. She secretly praised her son, thinking about how a mother hopes her son will marry and forget his mother. Although Li Feng currently has no wife, Zhang Lan still felt proud as she looked at her husband, Li Shan.
The pond covers about half an acre. Li Shan bought around fifty fish, and within two hours, the three of them had placed all the lotus roots into the pond. While digging the mud pit to plant the lotus, Li Feng and Li Shan caught a few fish. This time, they caught three black fish weighing two to three pounds each, which made Li Feng particularly happy as he finally caught some arrow fish—two small ones that together weighed about seven to eight taels and were around one foot long. Tonight, they will have swordfish tofu, which is absolutely delicious. In fact, Li Feng wanted to eat it at noon, but unfortunately, swordfish meat is tough and comparable to eel, making it not easy to prepare.
Although they did not eat the arrow fish, the two did not put it back into the pond, as it was too dangerous. Instead, they diverted some water from the pond into a small ditch nearby, sprinkled a handful of thorny chicken heads, and slowly placed the arrow fish inside.
As for the black fish, it is absolutely unacceptable to keep them; these creatures are entirely carnivorous. It is no wonder that there are hardly any small fish in the pond, as they have all been consumed by them. Li Feng intends to raise fish, and the black fish will definitely be the first to be eliminated. However, the flesh of the black fish is delicate, pale, and rich in nutrients, especially the wild black fish, which is undoubtedly a premium quality. Li Feng is considering setting aside a one-meter square area in the adjacent ditch for their cultivation.
"Mother, quickly bring the water bucket." At this moment, Li Feng had finished clearing the water plants and was filled with playful spirit. The pond was abundant with fish and shrimp. Li Feng chased after a grass carp, faintly seeing its thick, dark green back. This grass carp was not small, and despite several attempts to catch it, Li Feng was unsuccessful, repeatedly calling for his mother to bring the water bucket.
The task was completed, and the family began to clean the remaining water plants in the pond anew. Most of the water plants had already been removed by Li Feng's family using iron hooks. The two members of Li Feng's family put on their rubber boots again and gradually scooped up the floating, tangled water plants, tossing them into a net bag. Before long, the scattered and disordered water plants in the pond were collected and spread out along both sides of the pond.
Observing that the ponds on both sides were nearly ready, Zhang Lan carried a basket and held a water bucket, which contained quite a few crucian carp and some meat strips, intended for lunch
These days, I may have been affected by being dismissed from the company, which has impacted my reputation. Many companies no longer seek me out, and it was only a few days ago that I received a job offer.
The crucian carp has a golden-brown skin, with thick sauce stretching long. Peeling back the skin reveals white, tender fish meat, carrying a faint hint of sweetness. It is chewy, with not a trace of fishy smell, and a subtle sweet and sour flavor from aged vinegar. Li Feng felt as if he could swallow his own tongue.
It was not until 5 o'clock that Li Feng finished and sent it over. He checked his email and found a message. Upon opening it, he saw a letter from a jewelry company, which included an account number. Li Feng was taken aback and called the number, but it seemed that the person had already left work and no one answered. Li Feng thought to himself that he would deal with it tomorrow, turned off the computer, and swiftly entered the space. This time, the space was even brighter; half of the land had transformed into gray, and the spring water had increased in size.
Li Shan looked at his son, expressionless, holding a water bucket. Before long, three or four red carp weighing about three to four jin, along with a large half jin of crucian carp, filled more than half the bucket. Li Feng was taken aback, rolling his eyes in disbelief, and picked up the net, making several swipes. He didn't catch any fish but ended up netting a large turtle, which made Zhang Lan and Li Shan burst into laughter.
Before noon, most of the matters, big and small, in the pond had been dealt with. Li Shan mentioned going home to help Zhang Lan with cooking, while Li Feng stayed behind to clear the silt from the drainage ditch. This ditch connects to the river bay, which is a water bay formed by the river flowing through Li Jiagang, covering more than ten acres and now resembling a small lake, with only one end connected to the river. Li Feng's pond draws water from the river bay, with the narrow water channel being only about one meter wide and extending three to four hundred meters. As Li Feng cleared the silt from the ditch, he also planted some prickly water lily. Earlier, Li Shan had advised against planting in the pond, claiming the thorns would harm the fish. However, Li Feng did not see it that way, as lotus roots also have small thorns. Nevertheless, since his father had spoken, he could only comply. The water channel was just right for planting, as it would not harm the fish.
A swordfish of about 1.5 meters takes at least ten to twenty years to grow, which is truly unimaginable. This pond has only existed for a few decades; it seems it was originally a depression where a peach orchard was planted. No wonder Li Shan feels that it is not easy for the fish to grow to such a size. Li Feng glanced at it and nodded. Although he has a big appetite, he realizes that it is indeed not easy for a swordfish to grow this large. He decided to endure it and, if necessary, would find a smaller one to eat.
"Let's plant the lotus roots later." Looking at the murky water in the pond, Li Shan wore a bitter smile, wondering when he had become so reckless. He hadn't planned well and had mixed up the fish and the books, which was truly frustrating. At that moment, a family carefully took lotus roots out of a basket, holding them gently. The best way to place the lotus roots in the pond is to put them in whole, with the root heads facing upwards, and still carrying some soil. The lotus seeds Li Shan had specially purchased were far superior to those bought by Li Feng; they were not the coarse types but rather the refined ones, with a bud at each segment.
"Dad, how about we first put them in the ditch? We can plant the lotus roots first, and then deal with the prickly water lily later. Let's wait until the water is clearer before moving the fish over." Li Feng felt quite pleased with the catch, but when it came to eating fish, even his family wouldn't be able to finish them in a year. Looking at the abundance of fish also brought a sense of worry, and the few of them exchanged wry smiles.
"Hmph, Mom, don't laugh. This turtle is much more expensive than Dad's bucket of fish." Although Li Feng felt quite frustrated inside, he was unwilling to admit it verbally. Weighing it in his hands, the turtle was quite large, its shell thick and glimmering with a hint of golden yellow. The turtle's four legs were tucked in along with its head, and Li Feng shook it proudly.
Li Feng had no choice but to accompany Li Shan in continuing to clear the water plants along the pond, including the irrigation ditches, and to separate the sections. They absolutely could not allow the swordfish to be in the same area; otherwise, it would lead to another round of complications when fishing.
Subsequently, several individuals hurriedly exerted themselves to clean the pond, catching four or five large fish in succession, along with crucian carp, silver carp, and various other fish, totaling around two to three hundred jin. Notably, there were several turtles, the largest weighing at least four to five jin. However, they faced a dilemma regarding how to handle these fish, as there were only three people in the household, making it impossible to consume them all. Giving them away was not a viable option either, as the villagers had no shortage of fish; aside from the large river, there were several acres of ponds in the village teeming with fish.
"Well done." There was no other choice; Li Feng could only pick up the chubby boy, carrying him along with another small child, as they wobbled their way to the peach grove. This afternoon, Li Feng's main task was to dismantle the thatched hut. However, looking around, Li Feng sighed. The thatched hut was actually more suitable for the peach grove. Nevertheless, he had to take action for the sake of his future livelihood.
After finishing lunch, Li Feng took Fatty for a walk, while Mao Qiu bounced on Li Feng's shoulder, nibbling on a large almond. Fatty looked at Mao Qiu, occasionally tugging at Li Feng's pant leg and emitting a whimpering sound of grievance, leaving Li Feng speechless. These two were like children, acting spoiled.
"From now on, Mom will cook for you every day." Zhang Lan said with a smile as she picked up a large crucian carp from her bowl and handed it to Li Feng'er, while she herself slurped the soup.
Only the little squirrel was quite excited, eagerly watching the turtle in the plate, occasionally tapping on the turtle shell with its small paws. This little creature had a strong ability to learn; after observing Li Feng's actions a few times, the furball somehow remembered them. However, this made the old turtle somewhat depressed, as it didn't even dare to stick its head out.
"Here you go, child," Zhang Lan directly handed over the net bag. Li Feng picked it up and scooped out a dark greenish-black grass carp, measuring about fifty to sixty centimeters, with a white belly glistening. At first glance, it weighed at least five to six pounds. Catching such a large fish made Li Feng feel quite pleased, and he cheerfully poured the grass carp into the water bucket.
"Take it easy, child. No one is trying to snatch it from you." Zhang Lan watched as Fatty and Furball fought while eating. These two little ones seemed to be at odds with each other, barking and yapping, creating quite a commotion. Zhang Lan looked at the cola, teasing it, as it had been a long time since her home had been this lively.
"Alright, first go urinate and then defecate." Li Feng led Fatty to the roadside and pointed at the bushes, regardless of whether Fatty understood or not
At noon, I prepared the whole fish, cooking both large and small fish together. First, I briefly fried them in oil until they were three-quarters cooked, then added seasonings, including minced scallions, garlic, and ginger, along with yellow wine and aged vinegar. Finally, I thickened the sauce with starch, and poured a circle of corn paste over the fish in the pan. The result was a dazzling golden-brown crust, especially when I poured a layer of corn paste over the fish soup, creating soft, fluffy dumplings soaking in the broth, which is Li Feng's favorite. The golden crispness, the soft and flavorful texture, and the chewy consistency, combined with a sip of rich fish soup and a bite of corn dumpling, are exactly what Li Feng dreams of. The dazzling golden-brown crust, especially when I poured a layer of corn paste over the fish soup, creating soft, fluffy dumplings soaking in the broth, is indeed Li Feng's favorite. The golden crispness, the soft and flavorful texture, and the chewy consistency, combined with a sip of rich fish soup and a bite of corn dumpling, are exactly what Li Feng dreams of.
"Woof woof." The little chubby boy trotted to the roadside, lifted his leg, and indeed urinated. After finishing, he wagged his tail and ran in front of Li Feng, as if he had accomplished something truly great
In fact, the thatched cottage was not constructed from more than a few pine logs; it could be easily dismantled in less than two hours. The wood was neatly stacked, and aside from a cool bed, this bed was left behind by grandfather from his childhood. When he was young, Li Feng loved to snuggle beside his grandfather, listening to stories about the Qinling Mountains and tales of tigers and leopards. Now that grandfather is no longer here, this bed still exists. After some contemplation, Li Feng decided to keep this cool bed. He put in considerable effort to help move it back home, placing it in his own room, intending to move it to the new house once it is built. Now that grandfather is no longer here, this bed still exists. After some contemplation, Li Feng decided to keep this cool bed. He put in considerable effort to help move it back home, placing it in his own room, intending to move it to the new house once it is built.
Subsequently, Li Feng opened his computer; he had taken on a project a few days ago that must be completed today. Li Feng used to work in marketing planning and was somewhat well-known in Beijing. While at work, he also took on some side projects, which amounted to about three to five thousand yuan a month. Most of his side projects were for township enterprises and companies that lacked professional planning personnel.