Once May had passed, the days grew hotter and longer.
These days, Li Long went to set his nets every afternoon, then got up early each morning to retrieve them, sort the fish, and sell them. The market in Stone City drew heavy foot traffic, pulling in customers from several nearby counties, cities, and districts, so there was basically no chance of his fish going unsold.
After more than half a month of brisk sales, demand for Ditch Fish gradually settled down, while common carp, Five-Stripe Perch, and crucian carp remained popular.
Li Long delivered common carp to the Big Meat Canteen twice a week. Zhong Guoqiang always paid on the spot without any fuss, which convinced Li Long that this was indeed a business relationship worth continuing.
He also tried peddling his fish to several state-run restaurants in Stone City, but apart from one that said he could deliver fish once a week, the others showed little interest.
Li Long guessed they probably had regular suppliers, or, being state-run establishments themselves, preferred dealing with the state-run fisheries that existed at the time and still felt uneasy buying fish from individuals.
So he simply settled on Old Street, making a trip there almost every day, with an occasional day or two off each week.
But whenever he took a day off, regular customers would ask why he had not come the previous day when he returned to sell fish.
Some people did not eat meat and simply liked fish soup; it had become a habit. Some complained that fish tasted fishy, but others liked that very taste, which was perfectly normal.
Li Qingxia basically stopped going along with Li Long to sell fish. He had become hooked on riding a bicycle. Once Li Jianguo rode his new bicycle home, it