Chapter 11: Help! My Fish Is Dying!

No wonder every mention of fishing was met with ridicule.

Su Yanwen approached the riverbank and saw before him a realm of sheer icy desolation.

The river surface was frozen, the ice uneven in thickness, hiding treacherous cracks beneath.

A fierce wind howled past, whipping up snow across the ice like sharp blades dancing in the air.

Beneath the ice, the water rushed frigid and biting cold; even the fish sought refuge in the deep, moving little.

To fish here would indeed fulfill their taunts—one could watch until death and never see a fish.

Pausing at the edge, Su Yanwen observed quietly.

Though the ice appeared thick and solid, a single misstep onto a thin patch would spell disaster.

Should one fall through, escape would be impossible; suffocation beneath the ice was certain.

Even if one chose a sturdy spot, without a professional ice auger, breaking through the ice posed a daunting challenge.

Moreover, in these times, the ground was frozen solid, making it utterly futile to dig for earthworms.

Gathering food was a hardship itself, let alone gathering bait or chum.

Yet Su Yanwen felt no rush.

He scratched his head, eyeing the thick frozen layer.

Without an ice drill, piercing the ice was arduous; using a sharp stone to hammer risked uneven pressure and cracking the surface dangerously.

Helpless, he fashioned a crude drillhead from a long, sturdy branch, sharpening one end and binding it with two cords.

By repeatedly twisting and rubbing the cords, he aimed to bore a hole.

This method was laborious and inefficient, but there was no alternative.

Fortunately, after some effort, he finally made a hole.

Yet the strain reopened an unhealed wound, sending a piercing pain through him that made him grit his teeth fiercely.

Now was no time for weakness.

His movements quickened; in the bitter cold, he had to fish before the hole refroze.

He opened a leather pouch tied at his waist, revealing a large chunk of meat, a long line, and a sewing needle.

Wrapping the meat in cloth, he tied it securely with a long rope, embedding sharp, toothpick-like wooden sticks around it.

He dropped it into the icy hole.

The dog meat was poisoned; inedible to humans, but perfect for baiting fish.

Its pungent stench would surely attract many fish.

Yet when the fish tried to bite the meat, the sharp sticks pricked their mouths.

Thus, the bait remained even after the fisherman left.

He then hung a small piece of dog meat on the hook and began fishing.

The cold wind blew.

Less than half an hour passed before the line tugged.

Though the surface temperature was below minus ten degrees, beneath the ice it hovered around minus four or five, enough for some fish activity.

The fish still needed to feed.

In this harsh winter of scarcity, dog meat was a godsend delicacy.

When the fish bit firmly, Su Yanwen, crouching low, jerked sharply and lifted his catch.

It was a crucian carp about the width of two fingers.

He accepted it and continued waiting.

More fish of similar size followed.

Most were no more than two fingers wide, weighing less than 100 grams.

Whether they hid deeper or simply found too little food, the numbers were few.

Seeing a dozen small crucian carps was nonetheless a great harvest.

Just as Su Yanwen considered giving up, the line twitched again.

This time, the movement was so slight it almost went unnoticed.

He straightened, crouching low to watch.

This fish nibbled cautiously, testing before finally biting.

Feeling the tug, Su Yanwen wasted no time and pulled it up.

He was stunned by the beauty of the catch.

Was this the pure splendor of an unspoiled, natural environment?

The fish was under eight centimeters, delicate and exquisite.

Yet its vitality was weak; once out of water, it quickly lost vigor.

Su Yanwen cupped water in his hands and gently held the fish.

The little creature resembled a water sprite; its scales shimmered faintly like stars in the light.

Its colors were subtle and elegant, lines graceful, fins fluttering like translucent silk.

It resembled a Hu Luo fish but was even more beautiful.

The water slipped through his fingers as the fish’s life slowly faded.

If Cao’er could see such a beautiful fish, how delighted she would be.

Thinking this, Su Yanwen quickly threaded a hemp rope through the fish’s gills and mouth, stringing them together to carry on his back.

With the small fish cradled in water, he hastened home.

“Boss Su!”

“Boss Su!”

Voices called from afar.

The river lay beneath snow-capped mountains, areas near the peaks were seldom visited.

No one would come looking for him here.

At sunset, the snow-covered mountains were places people feared, wary of being swallowed by the snow spirits.

The figure approaching was a man.

Drawing nearer, it was Brother Da Lang from Aunt Zhang’s family.

A simple and honest man, with five boys at home; his parents had passed early, leaving the household affairs to his wife.

He was the village’s butt of jokes, bullied by women and deemed a weakling.

“Brother Da Lang.”

Su Yanwen, anxious as water slipped through his fingers, called out, “Quick, help! Help!”

Hearing the commotion, Da Lang hurried over, panting.

“My wife said you went fishing by the river and feared something might happen, so she sent me to check.”

“This river is wide; I searched for hours but couldn’t find you.”

“Enough talk, we need to save lives!” Su Yanwen said gravely.

“All right, all right.”

Da Lang nodded repeatedly and ran toward the opposite side of the river from Su Yanwen.

After a few steps, he stopped, looking up at Su Yanwen.

“Boss Su, you’re right here in one piece. Who needs saving?”

“Fish!” Su Yanwen replied, exasperated, extending his hands.

“Fish?”

Da Lang’s eyes lit up, then dimmed.

He frowned, “Just this tiny little catfish? Ah! Good you’re unharmed.”

“No more nonsense.”

Su Yanwen’s gaze fell on the bamboo tube at Da Lang’s waist.

It was clever—a container holding drinkable water wrapped in padded cloth to keep the water from freezing.

Da Lang felt uneasy.

Timidly he asked, “What? You want some water?”

“No, this was made by my wife herself.”

He chuckled.

This was the perfect way to keep the fish alive.

“Give it here.”

Su Yanwen snatched the tube, opened the lid, and placed the little catfish inside.

The water sprite returned to its element, shimmering dazzlingly.

Da Lang almost gasped, his voice trembling with anger.

“You… you…”

“My wife was right—you're not a good man. I can’t stay near you.”

“You’re so rude, you…”

The fish slapped Da Lang’s shaking hand.

“You… you’re too much.”

One more for good measure.

“You… you throw gold and harm people.”

And one last one.

“You… you really caught fish?”

Fearful Su Yanwen might change his mind, Da Lang hurriedly held the three small catfish with a radiant smile.

“How did you catch fish? No one in the village has, but you?”

“Using this?” Su Yanwen tapped his head.

Da Lang’s expression twisted in horror.

Soon the whole village would say: “Ah! Boss Su has gone mad, fishing with his head!”

But now they were returning to the village, their catch abundant.

Though a dozen small crucian carps barely counted as a great haul, in this famine year when even fetching water for cooking was difficult, it was a miracle.

Entering the village, Da Lang immediately covered the fish with his hands.

“Boss Su, take it easy. Don’t show off too much, or you’ll draw envy.”

“If I hold back, will their eyes not turn green?”

With Maoqin, that old shrew at home, any whiff of meat or fish spread across the village.

Da Lang smiled awkwardly and said no more.

As they entered, a group gathering wild vegetables cast swift glances their way.

“Hey, isn’t that Boss Su? Didn’t fall in and drown?”

“Haha, fishing again, and poor Da Lang has to come rescue you.”

“Madman and coward, a perfect pair!”

“Two fools, did you bring anything back from the river?”

Su Yanwen said nothing to the jeers.

He simply hung the string of fish from his neck, their scales gleaming brilliantly.

No choice—their shimmering beauty, paired with his confident stride, silenced even the loudest mockers.