Ye Yaodong turned to head home after speaking, but A-Zheng caught hold of him. "What's the rush? You think we don't know the water's risen and we can't see the holes? Xiao Xiao said he went to check the drainage in the rice fields yesterday and saw lots of freshly dug eel holes along the furrow banks on the seedling-field side. The rice fields probably flooded, so they dug new holes. He figured everyone would be busy cleaning up at home after the typhoon, so he waited until now, when the sun wasn't so strong, to come get us."
"That's more like it. Did you bring hooks and earthworms?"
"Yes, yes. As if you needed to tell us!"
"Then wait a moment. I'll change into rubber boots and get a bucket."
He hadn't fished for rice eels in decades, and he was quite interested. These were about the only country pursuits he enjoyed.
When he came out, he looked curiously at Xiao Xiao again. "Were there many fish in your rice fields yesterday?"
"A fair few. Crucian carp, common carp, grass carp-all sorts. The grass carp were pretty big, but the other fish were tiny. No idea where they swam in from. Do you guys want any? If you do, come get them from my house. They taste awful. I don't know why my dad brought them home."
Everyone shook their heads. At this time, people on the coast weren't particularly fond of freshwater fish. They thought the muddy taste was too strong!
Only Ye Yaodong said without standing on ceremony, "If you don't want them, I do. I'll come by later for the grass carp and crucian carp. I'll pass on the common carp."
He didn't like common carp. He liked braised crucian carp and crucian carp soup with