Building a sled

Li Long and the others returned to the team just as it was nearly time for lunch.

Tao Daqiang was going to head home, but Li Long insisted that he stay for lunch.

When Li Jianguo spoke up too, Tao Daqiang agreed to stay. He knew there might not be any food waiting for him at home anyway, and he would have to cook for himself. After a tiring morning, though, he did not feel like moving.

Liang Yuemei had already prepared lunch: rice mixed with corn grits, stir-fried lamb offal, stewed fish, and pickled vegetables.

Li Long had asked for the pickled vegetables, which actually made Liang Yuemei quite happy. Her younger brother-in-law liked the pickles she made, and that was naturally a good thing.

Everyone was hungry. Even Li Qiang hurried to wash his hands and get ready to eat after showing his mother the big grass carp in his arms.

"Just the two of you go this afternoon. I'll take the saw and cut some wood to make a sled," Li Jianguo said. "I'll try to have it finished by the time you get back tonight."

"Okay," Li Long said as he shoveled rice into his mouth. "Hopefully we can catch more this afternoon."

"If we catch a lot, are we going to sell the fish first thing tomorrow morning?" Tao Daqiang asked, raising his head.

"Yes. We'll have to leave early tomorrow, even earlier than when we went into the mountains. Otherwise, we won't be able to sell the fish, and we could easily get caught," Li Long said seriously.

Although reform and opening up had already begun, selling things was still a little risky in those days. Only next year, when land began to be allocated to households, would restrictions on small traders and street vendors gradually ease in this area.

Tao Daqiang nodded, only half understanding. At home, he basically did whatever Tao Jianshe told him. Only after spending time with Li Long and the others and hearing more about the outside world had he gained a little perspective.

Yet the more he understood, the more troubled he became. He now knew that his father played favorites, and that his older brother and sister-in-law did not treat him particularly well either.

But his mother had died young, and under the local rules, since his older brother had already split off into a separate household and moved out, he could only share a residential plot with Tao Jianshe. There was no way for him to establish another household of his own.

He disagreed with his father's way of raising him, which made life painful.

Spending every day with Li Long was, in a way, an escape.

After lunch, Li Qiang ran outside to play spinning tops, while Li Juan happily played jacks with ankle bones on the kang by herself. Li Long and Tao Daqiang got dressed, gathered their gear, and set off for Little Haizi.

"I wonder if the people who went into the mountains to haul wood today found anything," Tao Daqiang mused on the way.

"Who cares?" Li Long said. "If they find anything, they won't share it with us. If they don't, I reckon other people will borrow horse carts and head out early too. Let's just focus on our own work and catch as many fish as we can. Hopefully we can get a good price tomorrow."

When they reached the hole in the ice, only a thin layer had frozen over the water. Li Long broke it up, and Tao Daqiang immediately scooped away the floating ice with the Scoop Net. Then he went down onto the ice steps and waited with his legs spread.

He had gained a little experience by now. To catch more fish, he had to wait until the ripples disappeared from the surface and lower the Scoop Net slowly. That way, the fish gathering to breathe fresh air would not immediately be frightened away.

Actually, a hole cut the day before was best for catching fish the next day. But Li Long figured that with ice this thick and fish this plentiful, they could simply sell the next day whatever they caught that day. At worst, they could catch more after coming back from selling them.

Soon, Tao Daqiang lifted his first netful. This time, it did not disappoint him: three fish weighing over a kilogram each, one common carp, one silver carp, and one grass carp, along with plenty of small crucian carp.

It was a good haul.

Tao Daqiang immediately scrambled out and ran to get ready at the other hole.

Li Long found it rather amusing. Tao Daqiang was nearly six feet tall, yet he could move so quickly. Catching fish clearly held a strong appeal for him.

Since the other man wanted to catch the fish, he would pick them up.

Taking the urea sack they had brought, Li Long began putting the fish into it one by one.

With daytime temperatures more than twenty degrees below freezing, the fish could only flop three or five times on the ice before they froze.

Tao Daqiang caught fewer fish in this hole: two large crucian carp, plus some small crucian carp and ditch fish. These happened to be fish Li Long liked.

He scooped seven or eight netfuls, catching fewer fish each time, until Li Long simply told him to stop.

"Take a break. I'll light a fire so you can warm up. I'll scoop a few netfuls in a bit."

Tao Daqiang gave a sheepish smile. He had completely forgotten to let Li Long have a turn.

"Look, your clothes are all wet. Make sure you dry them properly by the fire." These days, practically everyone had only one set of outer clothes. If they got wet and became unwearable, it would hold up everything.

Smiling, Tao Daqiang obediently went to warm himself by the fire, while Li Long began moving back and forth between the two holes.

Drawing on the experience of his previous life, he caught fish at an unhurried pace. He left longer intervals between each scoop, and naturally caught more each time.

As the sun sank toward the west, Li Long checked their catch. Between them, they had caught more than twenty large fish weighing over a kilogram each, along with ten-odd kilograms of assorted smaller fish.

"Not as many as last time," Tao Daqiang said, still a little dissatisfied.

"This is plenty," Li Long said with a smile. Only because fish were so abundant right now could they catch this many in little more than half a day.

In a few years, when floods washed away the dam north of Little Haizi, there would never be this many fish again.

"Let's head back," Li Long said, looking at the sun. "We still need to see whether the sled's finished."

Although Tao Daqiang still wanted more, he knew they probably would not catch much even if they kept going. He picked up the urea sack full of fish, swung it onto his back, and started home.

Li Long followed behind with the tools.

"Carrying it on your back is tiring. Put it on the shovel blade and drag it back. That'll save you some effort," Li Long called from behind.

"It'll fall off too easily that way," Tao Daqiang said without turning around. "I'm strong. It's fine."

Fair enough. Li Long knew Tao Daqiang wanted to contribute more by putting in the physical effort. After all, he did not own a Scoop Net, and even the spots where they had cut the holes had been chosen by Li Long. If he did not work harder, he would feel ashamed to take his share of the money.

As they neared the Li family home, they saw a horse cart returning to the Production Team from the west.

"They didn't find much," Tao Daqiang said, looking at the cart with some surprise.

"Do you think just anyone can find the way into the mountains and pick up pine logs?" Li Long laughed. "There are so many entrances. They could take the wrong one, or lose their way once they're inside."

Only then did Tao Daqiang realize how much trust Li Long had shown by taking him into the mountains. He really had held nothing back from him.

Even if I remember the route, I can't tell Dad or my brother, he thought. If I do, I'll be letting Brother Long down.

Li Long paid no attention to the person driving the horse cart. He and Tao Daqiang hurried back to the Li family home, put the fish in the kitchen, and then went straight to the East Room.

The stove in the East Room was still banked. Li Long used the poker to stir up the banked coal, then added a few pieces of split wood. Soon, the fire was burning vigorously.

Neither man fussed about it. They both took off their outer clothes, leaving only their long underwear on, and hung their clothes against the heated wall to dry.

Tao Daqiang asked Li Long to tell him about Wu City. Li Long shared a few things he remembered, and Tao Daqiang listened with longing written all over his face.

In all his life, he had only visited the county town a handful of times, let alone Wu City.

Li Long could not help saying:

"Once we've made some money, I'll take you to have a look around Wu City."

Tao Daqiang eagerly agreed.

Now he was even more excited to see how much money they could get for the fish tomorrow!

Thanks to reader 20190328215706789 for the monthly vote, and thanks to everyone for your recommendation votes and continued reading. I hope those who want to keep reading will continue following the story. This week, we fell just short of the readership needed for a recommendation spot. Hopefully we'll get one next week. Thank you all for your support!

(End of chapter)