Chapter 04 Preparing to Go Fishing
Boiling salt requires a significant amount of firewood, and the Yang family often has to mobilize the entire household to gather enough wood, just barely enough to sustain the consumption of three large pots. However, the salt they produce is only purchased at a price of four wen per pound, or even three wen. After a month of hard work, rising early and toiling late, they manage to boil only about one hundred pounds of salt, yielding an income of merely three to four hundred wen, which must support a family of seven.
Strike first, then be struck by others; he must take the initiative to act first
Yang Yinghan's expression was somewhat peculiar, as if she wanted to say something to the rat, but in the end, she said nothing. She turned to Zhang Zhun and said: "Just be careful... It doesn't matter if there are no fish."
Zhang Zhun tested the tip of the gun with his hand; it was still quite sharp
Yang Yinghan came out of the room and saw the nets in the hands of the two men. She frowned and called out, "Second Brother, do not let Yulin go into the water; his wound cannot come into contact with fresh water"
Surely one cannot starve to death in such a manner
In the past, five wen could buy a pound of grain, but now it is certainly not enough; at least eight wen, and even nine or ten wen are required. The income from boiling salt each month can barely purchase fifty pounds of grain. With seven family members, plus Zhang Zhun, that makes eight; how could that possibly be sufficient? It is inevitable that we must eat wild vegetables at every meal, with rice merely serving as an embellishment
Yang Yinghan then entered the room
The mouse curiously asked: "Er Leng, what are you doing? Why are you carrying a spear? Are you going to war!"
Zhang Zhun realized that this kid was all talk and no action, appearing clever and slick, yet in reality, he had no real skills whatsoever, unable to even catch a single fish. No wonder Yang Yinghan reacted that way. What she just retracted was most likely: "Second Brother, you might as well not go, it's a waste of time"
The salinity of seawater is approximately 3%. To extract one pound of salt from a pot, about thirty pounds of seawater must be added, which is already quite a large pot. Evaporating such a large quantity of seawater is indeed not an easy task! The Yang family has three pots and produces three pounds of salt daily, which is already the limit. However, the income from three pounds of salt amounts to merely ten wen, which can only purchase a little over one pound of grain
Moreover, being tenants for the officers entails a relatively high land rent. Throughout the year, there is hardly any surplus. Achieving basic sustenance is quite unlikely. One can only say that if there is land to cultivate, life will be slightly better than that of others. In reality, it is not much better at all. Being tenants for the officers is essentially akin to being slaves, with one's life and property largely under the control of the officers.
Yang Yinghan thought for a moment, lifted the pile of firewood, and took out a long spear, which was also covered in dust, from behind the firewood. "Is this it?"
Forget it, let's make do with it
Yang Yinghan was busy in the kitchen and, seeing him looking around curiously, asked, "Yulin, what are you looking for?"
The rat suddenly blushed, and its demeanor became even more awkward as it stammered, "It's not that there isn't... it's just that everyone else has already caught them all, hasn't it?"
During my time in the Marine Corps, the soldiers were never short of seafood. In addition to frequently going to the rocks to catch crabs and lobsters, spear fishing was also one of their specialties. Friends from the north may be familiar with the practice of drilling a hole in the frozen river surface during winter, using bait to lure the fish over, and then raising a spear to strike down. As long as the movement is quick, accurate, and forceful enough, a fish can be speared and brought up.
When the conversation did not resonate, Zhang Zhun went to look for the rat
However, the fish caught can basically only be consumed by oneself; selling them for money is quite unlikely. The commodity economy in Fushan is not well-developed, and there are no buyers for fish. Even so, not every military household has fish to eat, as it depends on luck. After all, they are not professional fishermen and do not possess specialized fishing tools; the yellow croaker is not so foolish as to be easily caught by hand.
Zhang nodded in agreement
Sister, this is not a javelin, this is a spear
The residents of Fushan are all military households, and logically, they should be soldiers. However, there is not a single decent weapon to be seen inside or outside the house. On the wall, there is a waist knife, which should be the standard waist knife of the Ming army, but the dust on it is so thick that it seems to bond the knife to the wall. Zhang Zhun took a glance and ultimately abandoned the thought of taking it down. While removing the waist knife might be simple, it would be troublesome if the wall were to collapse.
Zhang Zhun also said: "Rest assured, I will not go into the water. My own life, how could I not cherish it? The rat is responsible for fishing, and I am responsible for watching"
Zhang Zhun was too lazy to ask, so he looked around and decided to find it himself
Such conveniences do not exist in the south. However, it does not matter. As long as there are fish in the vicinity, the warriors can demonstrate this skill. Whether it is by using bait to lure the fish or by using stones to drive them out from the bottom of the water, as long as fish appear nearby, a spear thrust will hit its mark. If you miss, you will have no face to show to others in the future
For such a straightforward person, Zhang Zhun has always been very caring and sympathetic. If he were to loosen his grip, Yang Yinghan would become someone else's woman. He helped to arrange the firewood, stacking bundles of dry branches with effort, and casually asked, "Brother Feng, how many jin of salt can we cook today?"
Fortunately, Laoshan is vast and rich in resources, with firewood, medicinal herbs, and wild vegetables. When Yang Ruifeng and his companions go to gather firewood, they also bring back a lot of wild vegetables, grass roots, and tree roots. It would be even better if they could find mushrooms. However, due to everyone's hunger and lack of discernment, as well as insufficient knowledge about mushrooms, they often end up collecting toxic varieties. Just last year, more than ten people around Yangjiatun died from poisonous mushrooms, so Yang Ruifeng and his group are not very reassured and absolutely do not collect unfamiliar mushrooms.
As the saying goes, those who rely on the mountains eat from the mountains, and those who rely on the sea eat from the sea. Fushan is surrounded by water on three sides, naturally leading to an interest in the ocean. The marine resources around Fushan are quite abundant; in this era, there is no industrial pollution and no overfishing, allowing the fish to grow vigorously. Those who go out to sea by boat often see schools of large yellow croaker swimming leisurely, completely unafraid of people and cameras.
Yang Yinghan is also not very clear
Having taken up the spear, I arrived at the well to draw water
Upon receiving the spear, one became busy
The rat is preparing firewood for boiling salt with his elder brother Yang Ruifeng
The rat's face grew increasingly red, yet it could not bring itself to admit that its fishing skills were indeed lacking. It continued to cover up its embarrassment by saying: "Today, I will definitely find a good spot to cast my net... I must catch a fish to bring back..."
Zhang Zhun was speechless
Fishing is the second option for military households to sustain their livelihoods
In the past, the military households of Fushan could still expect the distribution of their grain and money even after a delay of three to four months. Everyone would grit their teeth and endure, tightening their belts to get through it. However, with the ongoing intensification of the war in Liaodong and the increasingly severe civil unrest in Shaanxi, the distribution of these funds has been delayed for an even longer period. The grain and money due in March of last year have still not been distributed to this day
Zhang Zhun said irritably: "Stop talking nonsense! Come here and help me polish the tip of the gun, clean off all the rust. The barrel also needs a good scrubbing to remove all the dust."
This ... ...
Zhang Zhun said: "Javelin"
Completely different from the rat, the eldest son of the Yang family, Yang Ruifeng, is a very honest person, diligent and capable. He works from dawn till dusk, and although he is in his twenties, he appears to be in his forties or fifties, with a face full of wrinkles and signs of hardship. Due to long-term dealings with sea salt, his hands have long been cracked, resembling the bark of a thousand-year-old tree. Yang Kaide feels that the greatest regret regarding his son is that he has not yet been able to arrange a marriage for Yang Ruifeng.
Yang Ruifeng's blunt response: "Three jin."
"Uncle, I understand. I will not do it," Zhang Zhun replied with great certainty
Yulin, do not act foolishly, and do not seek to display reckless bravery! Wang Shixin has many henchmen, and both Yang Kun and Black Panther are notorious bullies, surrounded by numerous thugs. You alone cannot possibly defeat so many of them. If anything were to happen to you, I would feel deeply remorseful towards the late Brother Si! I promised him that I would take good care of you!" Yang Kaide, sensing something, repeatedly cautioned Zhang Zhun. "I promised him that I would take good care of you!" Yang Kaide, sensing something, repeatedly cautioned Zhang Zhun.
Zhang Zhun nodded silently
Zhang Zhun suddenly realized, turned his head to look at the mouse, and curiously asked: "What did that last sentence mean? What does it mean that it doesn't matter if there are no fish?"
Er Leng, let us go fishing
After preparing the firewood, the rat will pick up the fishing net
Boiling salt is the most chosen livelihood for the military households without land. Fushan is surrounded by the sea on three sides, and Yangjiatun is the closest to the shore, where there is an abundance of salt in the seawater. The flowers, grasses, and trees of Laoshan are also free; one can gather them vigorously, and after drying, they can be used as firewood. By setting up several large pots by the seaside, filling them with seawater, igniting the firewood, and evaporating the water, one can obtain salt.
Such a thick spear, when thrust down, could pierce a whale to death
Yang Kaide felt somewhat reassured
No findings outside, enter the house
Zhang Zhun, too lazy to pay him any mind, casually asked, "Do you have a javelin?"
All right! Let's go!
Zhang Zhun raised his spear and said in a loud voice
Zhang Jun was momentarily taken aback and instinctively asked, "You... have never brought back fish before?"
The rat said in confusion: "What javelin?"
The rat's expression suddenly became unnatural, and he said unconvincingly: "She said that because she thinks I have no ability to catch fish. Today, I must bring back a grouper to show that little girl my prowess"
Without professional fishing tools, the military households had to come up with various ingenious methods, adapting to local conditions to create their own fishing equipment. The fishing net was the most common, usually made from torn cloth. The rat's fishing net was already in a state of disrepair, with several large holes in the middle. He used vines to wrap around the damaged areas, barely patching it up. However, inadvertently, the vines came loose, and the holes reappeared, swaying precariously.
Sharpening the tip of the spear is not due to the need for fishing, but rather because the tip is covered in rust. If it pierces the fish and leaves behind rust stains, would anyone still want to eat that fish
The rat is incapable of handling major affairs, yet he manages to attend to this minor task quite adequately. He meticulously removed all the rust from the tip of the gun and cleaned the dust off the barrel, before finally handing the spear over to Zhang Zhun
However, if Yang Kaide had been a bit more attentive, he would certainly have noticed that Zhang Zhun's response was indeed too quick and too loud. Yes, Zhang Zhun's answer was completely perfunctory. ... In a previous life, my father had also given such advice, and the final outcome ... was a family shattered, with wife and children separated! With such a lesson, Zhang Zhun would certainly not repeat the same mistake!
There is no way out; the military households have no choice but to seek their own solutions
The rat said: "I know, we will not go into the water"
Having said that, he made a gesture as if to catch fish
Zhang Zhun said: "It is... used for fishing!"
Farming for the officers is the most common means of livelihood. In other words, it is akin to being tenants for the officers. However, this way of life is not accessible to every military household. Only those military households willing to flatter the leaders such as the thousand-household, deputy thousand-household, and hundred-household have this qualification. For instance, the Sui Mingyi family from Yangjiatun farms for Wang Shixin. Such military households number about a dozen in each settlement and do not represent the mainstream. Especially in the most remote Yangjiatun, there are very few military households acting as tenants. For instance, the Sui Mingyi family from Yangjiatun farms for Wang Shixin. Such military households number about a dozen in each settlement and do not represent the mainstream. Especially in the most remote Yangjiatun, there are very few military households acting as tenants
The rat said with a smile: "Alright!"
For the impoverished military households, consuming meat, particularly pork, lamb, and beef, is a luxury. Pork costs over 50 wen per jin, equivalent to five or six days' worth of income from salt boiling, making it unaffordable for these poor families. They can only purchase a small piece during festivals, and must first render oil to save for several months or even a year. After rendering the oil, the remaining residue can be divided into small portions for each person. Thus, to indulge in the taste of oil, these military households ultimately have to rely on the sea.
In other words, he will absolutely no longer be "calm" or tolerant
The impoverished military families often practiced marriage exchanges. This meant that you would marry your daughter to my son, and I would marry my daughter to your son, with neither party requiring a bride price or anything of the sort. Yang Yinghan was beautiful and understanding, and many military families came to propose marriage exchanges. However, Yang Ruifeng firmly refused to exchange his sister for a daughter-in-law, and thus the matter was left unresolved.