Li Long's kick sent the big common carp flying before it landed on the ice more than two meters away. The fish was remarkably tough. Even after landing, it thrashed its tail hard a couple of times, flopping about in search of water.
Only then did the others react, all turning to look at Li Long. But Li Long smiled at Li Qingxia and said,
"Dad, that was a good catch! Look at that big carp, with its red head and tail and those long whiskers. It looks like a dragon. What a good omen!"
"Hey, if it weren't for you, that fish would've slipped out of the net and escaped!" Li Qingxia was delighted too. As he pulled in the net, he added, "Even if there isn't another fish after this, that's fine."
Everyone else gathered around to look at the big carp, and sure enough, the rest of Li Qingxia's net held no more fish.
Although he said he was satisfied, Li Long knew he was still a little disappointed.
Still, this really was plenty. This beautiful carp wasn't one of those red-headed, red-tailed varieties raised in parks, but a native common carp. Once they grew this large, their heads and tails naturally turned yellowish red. Its belly looked fat and broad, much prettier than silver carp or those long, thick grass carp.
Li Juan and Li Qiang hovered around the fish, occasionally prodding its whiskers with reed stalks. Unfortunately, the carp, so powerful in the water, had no strength left now. Its mouth opened and closed weakly, and it looked as though it would soon die.
"It's got to weigh five kilos at least!" Xie Yundong said. "We really haven't seen many carp this big and beautiful in our team these past few years."
Although carp was