Chapter 001: A Cold Raft in the Night
This is also Su Chen's only opportunity to catch large crucian carp
Su Chen filled a basket with fish, and a hint of joy appeared on his youthful face as he paddled the bamboo raft home. He contemplated that after this New Year, his younger siblings would grow a year or two older, and with two more sensible little ones to help with the chores, life would gradually improve.
It is easily startled, swims at a speed that is not extremely fast, cuts through the water like a knife, and disappears in an instant
Look at this silver spine knife fish, it must weigh at least seven or eight taels!
The riverbank is enveloped in profound silence, with the cold wind cutting like a knife
These five cash coins are not many, but as long as one frequently goes fishing, the accumulation over day and night can also supplement the household expenses a bit, and my parents would surely appreciate it
The family was as poor as a church mouse, and he certainly understood what such a precious silver spine knife fish signified
If a fisherman is fortunate enough to catch a fish, he will certainly boast about it to all the fishermen in Zhouzhuang, wishing that everyone would admire and envy him.
At that moment, a crow perched in a nest at the treetops by the river suddenly woke up for some unknown reason and let out a piercing caw.
Cold winter
The splashes of water occasionally lightly sprayed onto the raft, wetting his straw sandals, and the icy water penetrated with a chilling cold that seeped into his bones. As the cold wind blew, his thin and frail body immediately shivered several times
Su Chen let out a sigh, feeling somewhat apologetic as he gazed at the crow's nest atop the branches
Su Chen quickly held his breath, and in his clear eyes shone the golden light of numerous copper coins. His small hands steadily gripped the fish net, and he began to slowly pull in the net.
His parents, knowing how capable he is, would surely smile with joy and affectionately praise him while ruffling his hair.
Su Chen was still a youth, weak in strength, afraid to venture into the large lake, and could only use a small bamboo raft to fish in the calm river
Su Chen, still a frail twelve-year-old boy, was already quite mature and sensible. He wanted to take advantage of the dawn, with an hour left until sunrise, to catch some fish and shrimp in the river to earn a few coins to help with household expenses
A silver spine knife fish weighing half a pound can be sold for five hundred wen of copper coins
The fishermen of Zhouzhuang are reluctant to eat the large fish they catch themselves
Excess copper coins can even be used to pay the boat tax to the Suzhou County government, alleviating some of the burden on my parents.
Su Chen often accompanied the fishermen to the Tianying Inn in the county town to sell fish, where he became acquainted with a young assistant named A Chou. After several interactions, the two boys became close brothers who shared everything, thus becoming familiar with the market conditions of the fish market in the county town
Thinking of these three exquisite fish, Su Chen felt a surge of warmth in his heart
Goods are usually transported to the city of Gusu for sale, exchanged for cash to cover the boat tax imposed by the county office. The remaining cash is then exchanged for rice, salt, oil, and cloth, barely sustaining the livelihood of the entire family.
The bamboo raft reached the river, and he deeply inserted a one-zhang long bamboo pole into the riverbed silt, anchoring it.
Su Chen endured the biting cold wind, patiently squatting on the bamboo raft and waiting
Near the water town of Zhouzhuang, there is a deep water lake over a hundred miles long in Lou County, named Dianshan Lake. The lake is characterized by high winds and rough waves, and is renowned for its abundant production of large crucian carp
What he seeks to catch are not these small fish and shrimp that are worth only a few coins when filling a large basket, but rather big fish
After a while, Su Chen's arms felt weak and sore, and he sat down dejectedly on the bamboo raft, overwhelmed with despair
Once he has walked far away, the cold crows will naturally fly down from the tree to feed
Occasionally, large crucian carp that have swum out of the lake can also be caught in the small river
A large crucian carp at the Zhouzhuang market can be exchanged with a woodcutter for a big bundle of firewood, enough to last for four or five nights in winter.
A rare silver spine knife fish weighing only half a pound can be sold to the largest tavern in Suzhou County, "Tianying Inn," for an astonishing price of five hundred copper coins, nearly equivalent to the value of an entire boatload of fish caught by fishermen
... ...
Even seasoned fishermen with decades of experience find it difficult to catch silverback knife fish in deep water lakes using enormous fishing nets several zhang in size
A large fish weighing two jin can be sold for five wen of copper coins
It is that damn foul-mouthed crow making a racket
The small fish and shrimp, packed in a large fishing basket and transported all the way to the Ximen Wharf market in Gusu County, could only be exchanged for two or three wen of copper coins, which was hardly enough to cover the fishermen's meal expenses for a busy day
Su Chen grabbed a handful of small fish and shrimp from the fishing basket and tossed them under the old tree roots, then continued fishing while supporting himself on the bamboo raft
Su Chen remained calm and slowly reeled in the net
If a little fish feed such as fish grass leaves, earthworms, and broken corn cake is sprinkled, it will naturally attract more fish and shrimp to come foraging.
Su Chen almost thought he was seeing things in that moment
I apologize! I should not have vented my anger on you in a moment of frustration and disturbed your sanctuary. In this cold weather, you must be suffering in your nest, so consider these shrimp as my way of making amends.
However, that is something that only the esteemed guests of the county town's families and inns frequently enjoy
He admires these rare specialty fish, but he does not dare to covet them too much
Ah ~ ~ ーー ! ''
However, these precious fish species are extremely difficult to catch. Every day, hundreds of fishing boats go out onto the lake, yet it is not guaranteed that even one or two of them will manage to catch a single one of the three great treasures
He hurriedly lit the bamboo oil lamp on the raft with hay, using a small stick to place the bamboo oil lamp at the edge of the bamboo raft, close to the water's surface
What is there to be angry about with it
Damn!
The retrieval of silver spine knife fish is a significant test of a fisherman's skill
I can also get a few feet of fabric for my younger brother and sister to make two new sets of clothes for the New Year
"Light to Attract Fish" is a small technique used by fishermen to catch fish at night, and it is also Su Chen's most proficient fishing method
"Stinky cold crow, stop your foolish cawing!"
Unfortunately, only mature fishermen dare to take fishing boats out onto the large lake to cast their nets for fishing
Only during the brief hour at dawn, when there are almost no large vessels traversing the river, will the big fish not be startled and thus come to the surface to seek out the small insects in the water.
Su Chen held an empty fish net with only a few small shrimp in it, and he couldn't help but tremble with anger, almost on the verge of tears
Su Chen stood on a small bamboo raft, his frozen red hands tightly gripping a ten-foot-long bamboo pole, swaying and drifting in the water as he glided towards the river channel
Father and mother go fishing at the big lake every day, leaving early and returning late, barely earning enough to make ends meet for the family of five
Su Chen's face flushed, and his heart raced with a thump.
Unfortunately, everything was lost with a single call from that foul-mouthed crow
At this moment, the water town of Zhouzhuang remains enveloped in a thick morning fog, revealing only a hazy outline of the water town
Su Chen's eyes were red, and he glared fiercely at the crow's nest on the treetop by the riverbank
Fish and shrimp are attracted to light, making them easily drawn to open flames at night
The "Silverback Knife Fish," known as the flying knife in the water, is certainly not an empty title
The life of fishermen is difficult, and the boat tax imposed by the county office of Gusu is already quite burdensome. Coupled with the occasional extortion by river gangs, it is like two heavy boulders pressing down on the Su family, making it hard for them to breathe
Before long, some small schools of fish were attracted by the fishing lights and appeared around the bamboo raft
An hour later, Su Chen finally filled a fishing basket with a variety of fish and shrimp
Su Chen is a child from a poor fishing family in Zhouzhuang
After a busy night, although I did not catch the rare silver spine knife fish, I did have some other gains, having caught a two-pound big crucian carp
He was extremely angry, as the bamboo raft glided past, he picked up the long bamboo pole in his hand and poked at a nest of old crows in the treetops
If this knife fish is caught and sold at a high price in the inns of Gusu County, it could be exchanged for several large bags of snow-white rice, staple food, salt, and new cloth
After finishing these tasks, Su Chen tightened his thin burlap shirt, squatted on the cold, waterlogged bamboo raft, and patiently waited with a fishing net for the fish in the river to come searching for food
However, the waterway from Zhouzhuang to Gusu County is a very busy river.
With this silver spine knife fish, we will surely have an easy and prosperous year this year
During the day, there are at least dozens of large and small merchant ships in transit, and the number of fishing boats is even in the hundreds. The large fish in the river are easily startled and can be frightened away by the large vessels, sinking to the bottom of the river at depths of seven to eight zhang, making them virtually impossible to catch
Sigh
The silverback knife fish was startled and fled
This is a silver spine knife fish weighing about 7 to 8 taels, worth a full 700 to 800 wen of copper coins
The crow's nest was poked, and the startled crows cried out in a chaotic "yawa wa," yet they remained in the nest, playing dead and not daring to show their heads
This year's wish for a good New Year has also gone down the drain
Su Chen, fully focused, was taken aback; the small hands tightly gripping the net trembled slightly, causing a faint splash on the river surface
This winter is particularly difficult to endure, more so than in previous years
Suddenly, a silver light appeared in the river, like a lively silver thread swimming in the water, surfacing to take the bait. Illuminated by the flickering light of an oil lamp hanging from the bamboo raft, it was dazzling and enchanting against the night backdrop
In the nest of crows at the top of a withered tree, the cold crows huddle within, occasionally emitting a cry that is particularly jarring and discordant in the night.
Feeling a bit hungry, I took out a cold and hard steamed bun from my pocket, broke it in half, and slowly chewed on one half to fill my stomach a little. I was reluctant to eat the remaining half, so I put it back in my pocket to save it.
It is uncertain how much time has passed
Su Chen also understood that this old crow knew nothing; it was merely startled awake by the frost in the middle of the night and squawked out of confusion, not intentionally trying to harm him
The valuable ones are the large fish weighing several kilograms
Su Chen rubbed his almost frozen hands vigorously to warm them up a bit. He rolled up the sleeves of his coarse garment and took out flint and dry grass from his pocket. After striking them together forcefully more than ten times, he finally ignited a bundle of dry grass
There are many small fish and shrimp in the river, but they are not worth much money
His pitch-black, lively eyes remained fixed on the delicate, shimmering silver line gliding through the river, his breath quickening, his heart pounding, revealing an expression of disbelief
On the bamboo raft behind him, there was a bamboo-woven fishing basket, a bamboo tube fishing lamp, and a fishing net.
For every additional two, one can sell for an extra one hundred wen of copper coins. This silver spine knife fish can fetch a price of seven to eight hundred wen of copper coins, equivalent to the amount of money one earns in a year of hard work
The silver spine knife fish can only be occasionally seen in the depths of large lakes, likely due to insufficient food in the lakes, prompting it to swim into the rivers in search of food during the cold winter
This is a silver spine knife fish
The crescent moon rises early, and as it sets, dawn approaches
Although the small fish and shrimp left in the fishing basket cannot be sold for much money, they can be used to make a few bowls of fish soup for my younger siblings. If there are any leftovers, I will take them to exchange for some vegetable leaves with the farmers in Zhouzhuang.
Calm mind, steady breath, precise vision, swift hands
In addition, the large lakes also contain the extremely rare three treasures: "silverback knife fish, snowflake stone fish, and red-tailed shrimp"
It is now the twelfth month of the lunar calendar, and the New Year is approaching soon
The light of the bamboo oil lamp is exceedingly dim, yet it is the only source of illumination in this tranquil river shrouded in the hazy night.
The cold crow protested with a few "ya ya" cries, then curled up in its nest and continued to play dead
The silver-backed knife fish in the river was suddenly startled, its tail flicked violently, and in a flash, it darted three to four zhang away from the edge of the fish trap, disappearing into the depths of the river in the blink of an eye
The little face, flushed red from the frost, bore an expression of dejection and disappointment
This year during the New Year, we can enjoy a delicious meal of shrimp and vegetarian dumplings, accompanied by a large bowl of fragrant white rice, no longer having to gnaw on hard and tough steamed cornbread.