When Li Long got home, he said nothing about it. He went to set the nets with Tao Daqiang as usual, taking the cast net along and catching a dozen or so fish with it.
After they returned, Tao Daqiang took two fish home. Li Long carefully washed the rest beside the hand pump, then put more than half in the pot to stew, setting aside one Five-Stripe Perch and one Slab Crucian Carp. He split them open, scored their backs, and sprinkled on seasonings. Once the fish in the pot were done, he wrapped the two remaining fish in paper, dampened the packages, and buried them in the glowing ashes beneath the stove.
Roasted fish.
As darkness fell that evening, the family sat around the table beneath the awning, eating fish and chatting.
Li Long took the roasted fish out from beneath the pot, tore off the paper, and put them on a plate. Then he said to Li Jianguo:
"Big brother, how about a couple of drinks?"
"Sure." Although he didn't know why Li Long had suggested drinking, Li Jianguo got up, fetched a bottle of liquor, opened it, and set out two cups.
Liang Yuemei didn't drink. After she and the children finished their fish, she cleared up and sent them to bed.
Before eating anything, Li Long clinked cups with Li Jianguo. After drinking, he said:
"Big brother, I got Gu Ermao hauled into the station today."
"What?" Li Jianguo was a little surprised. "You got Gu Ermao... didn't he go off to the Corps?"
"He hadn't learned his lesson. He was selling fake digital watches with some other people, piles of them. I spotted him and got the police to raid their den. Public Security said he'd be locked up for at least three years..."