The next morning, Li Juan went to school, and Li Qiang went to Preschool Class. The production team's loudspeaker called people out to clear the irrigation channels, and Li Jianguo went. Liang Yuemei went to weed the fields, while Li Long began sorting out the nets he had bought.
The snow had all melted, and the ice on Little Haizi was nearly gone. Green had begun to appear in the fields, so next came his real business-what others saw as "neglecting his proper work."
In later years, quite a few part-time "fishermen" had emerged in the village. During slack farming periods, they set nets to catch fish, collected the fish early in the morning, then went to the market to sell them. When farmwork grew busy, they hung up their nets and became proper farmers again.
But in his previous life, that had not happened for at least another three to five years. Now Li Long had brought it forward.
While he was sorting the nets, Tao Daqiang came into the yard.
"Brother Long, are we setting the nets this afternoon?"
"Yes," Li Long answered. "You've never set nets before, have you?"
"No." Tao Daqiang stepped forward and touched a net, curious but cautious. These nets weren't cheap!
To buy a donkey and build a donkey cart, Tao Daqiang had borrowed eighty yuan from Li Long. According to Li Long, it would be deducted from his future wages. Tao Daqiang could work out that this meant at least sixteen full days of work.
So although he did not know how to set nets, he very much hoped Li Long would take him along and get to work. Being in debt felt unfamiliar and uncomfortable.
"Then I'll teach you how to sort the nets first. We'll set them, then collect the