Alarm

By late May, nearing June, the weather was clear and bright. The brilliant sunshine cast a natural filter over everything, adding a touch more color.

Rarely having the chance to come out, Zhao Danshi had specifically brought Dou Dou along.

Dou Dou seldom went out with them. From the moment they reached the foot of the mountain, his clear eyes had been darting everywhere. From time to time, he giggled to himself. The leaves were fascinating, the flowers were fascinating, and even the butterflies and birds seemed wonderfully novel.

Blackie and the other four gathered around. "Uncle Danshi, Dou Dou seems to really like it here."

"He likes coming out to play."

Blackie immediately said, "Uncle Danshi, we'll each push him for a while. We promise we won't jostle Dou Dou."

"Right. If the ground's uneven, we'll carry Dou Dou."

Zhao Danshi smiled. "Try carrying him first. Dou Dou is nearly twenty jin now, so he's a little heavy."

Blackie immediately thumped his chest. "Only twenty jin? I could carry fifty!"

Oblivious, Dou Dou smiled with his two little white teeth showing as Blackie held him in his arms. Every now and then, he kicked his legs, then turned his eyes to stare at Zhao Danshi, who looked especially handsome today.

Zhao Danshi could not help stepping forward to rub Dou Dou's little head. Smiling, he said, "Then I'll solemnly entrust Dou Dou to you. In a while, I'll film up ahead while you follow behind. Try to keep a distance of around ten meters, okay?"

Blackie and the others obediently nodded. Zhao Danshi had them put Dou Dou in the stroller and told them not to carry him out unless necessary.

Dou Dou was still too young. If they held him incorrectly, it could easily be dangerous.

The group first followed the concrete road up the mountain. As they walked, it became a dirt road, and farther on, they had to take a small path down into the valley.

The scenery along the concrete road was nothing special, so Li Ping only briefly filmed that section before turning off the camera.

Climbing the mountain in this weather felt rather like a spring outing.

Blackie and the others led the way with Dou Dou, while Zhao Danshi and Li Ping brought up the rear.

As Zhao Danshi and Li Ping headed up the mountain, Zhao Danshi carried a winnowing basket in one hand and a wooden bucket in the other. A small hoe was inside the basket.

Li Ping carried the camera, reflector board, and a whole range of equipment on his back. The two strolled along at an unhurried pace.

"Senior Brother, look, there's Ruo bamboo over there." Zhao Danshi excitedly pointed toward a small thicket beside them. A clump of little bamboo grew there, its leaves broad and long. "The Dragon Boat Festival is coming soon. How about we film ourselves making zongzi for the next video?"

"Sure. What kind of zongzi?"

"Fresh pork zongzi, salted egg yolk zongzi, that sort of thing." Zhao Danshi turned back to look at Li Ping, his eyes smiling. "Senior Brother, how about we change into Hanfu too and see whether we can make zongzi in Hanfu while drifting along the river in a boat?"

"We can give it a try."

"Then we'll need to find someone to make the clothes."

Zhao Danshi turned to look at Li Ping. His eyelashes were long, his lips red, and his teeth white. Looking over like that, he seemed like a vivid painting. Before Li Ping even realized what he was doing, he instinctively lifted the camera and took a picture of him. Only afterward did he ask, "What did you just say?"

Zhao Danshi helplessly shook his head with a smile and repeated what he had just said.

As they talked, they kept watching Blackie and the others behind them. Only when they saw Dou Dou sitting safely in the stroller as they slowly pushed him along did they relax.

The group followed the main road until they reached a fork, where they turned onto a smaller path.

Zhao Danshi called Blackie and the others over and had them wait to the side while he and Li Ping finished filming the part where they changed paths.

After filming, Zhao Danshi came over and picked up Dou Dou. "Let's head down. Be careful, everyone."

It was Dou Dou's first time entering the valley. His eyes darted around as he lay against Zhao Danshi's chest, constantly turning his little head, looking over here and then over there.

The group kept walking deeper into the mountains along the valley. When they reached a relatively flat area, Zhao Danshi set down the winnowing basket and bucket, then waved to Blackie and the others. "Let's get ready to catch fish."

"Mm-hm, okay. We're coming."

The boys hurried over, chose the narrowest bend in the nearby stretch of stream, rolled up their pant legs, and went barefoot into the water.

After choosing their spot, they used hoes to dig up mud and block the stream, leaving only an opening the size of the winnowing basket. Then they placed the basket behind that sole opening and simply drove the fish downstream from upstream.

Chengtou and Maolin eagerly ran upstream to drive the fish down.

For a time, laughter and shouting echoed continuously through the valley.

When they ran up to Blackie, who was holding down the basket, with only twenty or thirty centimeters between them, Blackie suddenly lifted the basket.

Zhao Danshi looked over and saw more than a dozen small fish indeed struggling and wriggling inside. Once the last of the water drained away, the fish finally settled in the basket.

There were all kinds of fish in the basket. The smallest were only as thick as a finger, while the largest were three fingers wide. Zhao Luxing filled half a bucket with water, then picked all the fish from the basket and tossed them into the bucket.

Zhao Danshi saw how it worked. There was not much skill involved in this method of catching fish. As long as there were fish in the stream, they could catch at least some. How many they caught depended on luck.

Zhao Danshi squatted down to examine the fish. "Not bad. I'll go upstream and try in a bit. Dou Dou will be in your care."

Blackie awkwardly wiped his hands on his pant legs. "It's fine, it's fine, Uncle Danshi. Go ahead."

Li Ping followed him upstream. Before turning on the camera, he said, "Don't kick at the banks. Break off a stick and tap the water to drive the fish out. There might be sharp rocks or snakes and bugs along the banks."

Zhao Danshi obediently nodded. "I know, Senior Brother. Don't worry."

Li Ping curled his lips in a smile. "Then I'll start filming."

Zhao Danshi agreed, immediately adjusted his posture, lifted his chin, squared his shoulders, and walked forward naturally.

His gaze roamed over the mountain-side edges of the valley. At last, he spotted a suitable shrub, walked over, snapped off a branch of the right thickness, and returned.

Imitating Blackie and the others, Zhao Danshi found the narrowest part of the stream. He dug up mud and blocked it from both sides toward the middle, leaving only an opening the size of the winnowing basket before setting the basket in place. Since no one was there to hold it down for him, he deliberately put a rock inside so the current would not knock the basket aside and let the fish escape.

After setting the basket in place, Zhao Danshi began driving fish downstream from a spot twelve or thirteen meters upstream. His luck was good, and he caught sixteen fish on his first try.

He drove fish through that spot three times in a row. His catch decreased each time, so he finally changed locations.

By the time they had filmed enough footage, Zhao Danshi was already some distance from Blackie and the others. He could vaguely hear them playing and shouting downstream.

Zhao Danshi found a rock and plopped down on it. He patted the rock beside him, raised his head, and said to Li Ping, who had turned off the camera and walked over, "I've realized that running around like this isn't any easier than weeding in the fields."

Li Ping looked at his bright, lively face and asked with a smile, "Tired?"

Zhao Danshi wiped his forehead. "A little. Senior Brother, are you tired? You should rest too."

"I'm alright." Li Ping sat down beside him and casually took out a tissue to wipe the sweat from Zhao Danshi's forehead.

Zhao Danshi held the tissue down and wiped from his forehead downward. After wiping his chin, he followed the line of his neck and wiped his chest as well.

The two sat in the valley and rested comfortably. Zhao Danshi recovered a little, propped up his head, and let out a long breath. "Senior Brother, shall we go sell vegetables tomorrow?"

"We should be able to pick dozens, maybe over a hundred jin of eggplants and cucumbers. There are forty or fifty jin of yardlong beans and peppers too. If we pick some sweet potato leaves and water spinach as well, that should be enough."

"Alright. We'll pick a batch of vegetables this evening, then pick another batch tomorrow after harvesting the strawberries."

Zhao Danshi blinked. "It's been so long since we went to sell vegetables. I wonder whether I've gotten rusty at it."

After catching fish, the two headed back with the group of boys behind them. They still had to continue filming the video about making dried little fish.

That afternoon, after Blackie and the others finished their work, they happily went home with big red envelopes.

Zhao Danshi calculated that when they came next week, it would be just in time to harvest peppers and vegetables. The large and small peppers planted in the fields were gradually ripening red. They should be able to pick thirty or forty jin in one go.

Peppers were harder to pick. They were small and required patience, so it would be best if Blackie and the others came.

When the old man saw them bring back two shoulder loads of eggplants that evening, he asked, "Going to sell eggplants tomorrow?"

"Yeah, we'll give it a try."

Summer fruits and vegetables did not sell as well as winter vegetables. Their eggplants would probably only fetch three or four yuan per jin, and cucumbers were about the same. Yardlong beans and peppers could sell for fifty cents more, but there was not much of them yet. Calculating it all, they could only make a little over a thousand yuan at one market—and that was only if they sold everything.

For the first time, Zhao Danshi felt he had made the wrong move. He should have planted more cash crops. Growing vegetables really did not make much money.

If he had grown fruits and melons, things would have been much better.

Still, this was only the first year, so there was time to adjust. He would have experience next year.

Vegetables were not actually hard to sell, but everyone grew vegetables. In a small place like this, few people would pay a high price for vegetables grown by someone else just because they tasted better. On the other hand, if there were some rare varieties, plenty of people would be willing to spend money to try them as a treat.

After carrying the vegetables home, Zhao Danshi did not rest. He went back to the fields and picked some cucumbers and scallions.

He did not stop working until after seven in the evening.

It was almost June now, so night fell late and their working hours had lengthened accordingly. Still, the weather was pleasant—neither the bitter cold of winter nor the scorching heat of summer—making it more comfortable to work.

After returning, Zhao Danshi took a refreshing bath. Li Ping came over to help tend the fire, and after the two finished cooking, the family ate and went off to rest.

Although Zhao Danshi and Li Ping were already together, they had not moved into the same room and still slept separately. The only additional step now was saying goodnight to each other, along with a goodnight kiss.

Zhao Danshi worked hard in the fields during the day and slept deeply at night. Only a small part of his attention remained alert for Dou Dou's crying; otherwise, nothing could disturb him.

Therefore, when Watcher sounded an alarm in the middle of the night, Zhao Danshi took a while to react. He sat up, utterly bewildered. "What's going on?"

Watcher's tone was somewhat grave. "Get up quickly. Someone has sneaked into your fields."

"Huh?" Zhao Danshi did not stop to think. He hurriedly threw back the covers, put on his slippers, picked up the soundly sleeping Dou Dou, and went to knock on the old man's door.

The old man had just fallen asleep. Hearing the noise, he turned on the light and called out, "What is it?"

"Grandpa, I need to go out for something urgent. Please open the door quickly and watch Dou Dou."

The old man heard the anxiety in his voice and hurriedly threw back the covers, quickening his steps. "What's so urgent? At this hour of the night?"

Li Ping had also been awakened. After getting dressed, he opened his door and came out. "What happened?"

Zhao Danshi gave the old man a reassuring smile. "I'll explain when I get back. Someone is waiting for Senior Brother and me outside."

"Alright, alright. Hurry and go. Don't delay."

Dahei, sleeping in the doghouse, had been awakened by the commotion. He stood up and wanted to go out with them. Zhao Danshi patted Dahei's head and pointed toward the old man's room. "Dahei, stay here and guard."