Chen Haichao's heart pounded, and he was overjoyed, looking as if he had hit the jackpot. He prayed inwardly, Please let it be real, really real!
He set the two crabs aside and reached for the fish, but the sea bass was still lively, slippery as it shook its head and lashed its tail in struggle.
If he hadn't heard it thrashing in the shallow pool, he probably would have missed it. The seawater was almost high enough to reach it now, and the "golden fish" would have been back in the sea in no time.
Today was his lucky day. An extra dish!
"Hahahaha..."
He caught the fish, hooked his fingers under its gills, and lifted it out of the water. Its tail kept whipping against his arm, splattering his padded jacket with droplets.
But that didn't matter, as long as the gold was real!!!
He tried to slide it off, but it wouldn't budge?
It was stuck rather tightly. He gave it a hard tug toward the tail, and the bangle flew off at once, striking a reef with a clang before landing on the beach.
He hurried over and picked it up. Not minding the dirt, he rubbed it against his padded jacket and bit it. His face lit up at once. "It's soft!"
That meant it was real, and it was heavy, too.
"But I don't think gold can be bought and sold right now."
He thought it over. Everything was subject to unified purchase and allocation now, with the People's Bank buying and distributing it. Individuals could own gold, but they couldn't buy or sell it. If they wanted to sell it, they could only sell it to the bank at the official state price.
It seemed quite cheap now. The official price was different from the market price, sometimes by several times.
But that didn't dampen his happiness!
Finding treasure was a thrill!
He held the big gold bangle high in the sunlight. It glittered brilliantly. He just loved yellow!
The surface of the big gold bangle bore intricate patterns. It had probably taken quite a beating, for its surface looked pitted and uneven, and there was a little sand and mud in the grooves. But that didn't change the fact that it was gold.
Gold would shine wherever it went!
Happy with his haul, he tucked the big gold bangle into his pocket and patted it before turning his attention to the sea bass.
The big gold bangle had caught around its pectoral fins, leaving an indentation around that part of the fish. Even its scales there were paler and thinner than elsewhere, but that wouldn't stop it from going in the pot.
He threaded a stalk of rice straw through its gills, tied a knot, and carried it in his hand.
He grabbed another handful of sea greens from the rocks, then picked up the two crabs, which had run off in opposite directions and were now playing tug-of-war. He had tied their strings together. Once he had all his spoils, he headed back.
With fish, crabs, and sea greens, they would have extra dishes tonight. Chen Haichao was in an incomparably good mood. Nothing but good things had happened these past two days.
At home, Mother Chen was at the door, turning the shrimp over one by one. When she saw him come back carrying fish and crabs, she looked displeased.
"There's more salted fish at home than we can finish, and you still went to the shore to pick up more?"
"I wanted something fresh."
"When have we ever eaten fish that wasn't fresh?"
"This fish is different."
"How is it different? Isn't it just a sea bass?" Mother Chen took a deliberate glance. She hadn't thought much of it at first, but then she paused. "Huh? It does look a little different. Why is it thinner around the middle?"
"Take it to the back door and clean it. I'll tell you."
"Acting all mysterious."
Despite what she said, Mother Chen took the fish from him and walked into the house, looking at it curiously.
"Why did this sea bass grow so strangely? Did something get stuck around it?"
Just as she was taking a cutting board and knife to the well by the back door to clean the fish, Chen Haichao tugged at her. Seeing that no one else was home, he turned his back to the doorway, pulled the big gold bangle from his pocket, and showed it to her, speaking softly.
"Look at this."
Mother Chen's eyes went round and her mouth fell open. Astonished, she looked at the gold bangle, then at him.
"Th-this... where did it come from?"
Chen Haichao took his mother's rough hand, and her palm scraped against his. He paused for a second, feeling sorry for her, then casually tried to slip the somewhat pitted big gold bangle onto her wrist. But it was too tight and caught on her knuckles.
"It won't go on..."
After years of labor, Mother Chen's palms were rough and her knuckles large. Her hands were also chapped and cracked from the winter cold. Without something to lubricate them, there was no getting the bangle on.
She came to her senses and stopped him. "Don't bother. It won't go on. My hands are too rough, and my knuckles are too big. If you push any harder, my skin will split again."
Chen Haichao looked at her scarred hand, his eyes full of concern, and stopped at once. "I wanted to surprise you and let you wear it for a bit of fun, but now it won't fit. When I make a lot of money someday, I'll buy you one that does."
She was already overjoyed. She held the gold bangle, stroking it over and over, then bit it and asked softly, "Where did you get it? This is worth a lot. I heard the bank pays dozens of yuan per qian."
At the time, the older generation measured gold in qian rather than grams. One qian was about 3.78 grams.
"Weren't you just wondering why the fish had a dent around its back? This is the answer. The big gold bangle was stuck around it. I was shocked when I found it, too."
Mother Chen's face was full of disbelief and excitement. "Oh, really? This fish was wearing a big gold bangle. It really was a goldfish of wealth and fortune!"
"Haha, that's a vivid way to put it. Let's stew it into soup tonight and have a taste of this goldfish of wealth and fortune. We'll have good luck one after another when we eat it."
"Yes, yes, good luck for the whole family."
She couldn't bear to put the bangle down, stroking it all the while. After trying several times without getting it on, she regretfully gave up and simply looped it over her hand to admire it.
"Looks like I wasn't destined to wear a gold bangle in this life, but it's nice just to touch it and look at it. It's so pretty. Just looking at it makes you feel rich. How much is it worth? Even if the whole family worked for a year, we might not be able to afford it, right?"
"I don't know. It must weigh eight or nine qian?"
She immediately clutched it tight and glanced around like a guilty thief, afraid someone might see. "Good heavens, we're rich..."
"Take it back to your room and put it away. Don't let anyone see it. We did find it, after all. If it gets confiscated, we'll lose out badly."
"I'll go hide it first, then. You found it, so of course it belongs to our family. How could they confiscate it?"
In her haste, she didn't bother saying anything else and took it back to her room.
It was quite a while before Chen Haichao saw his mother come out. She had probably spent another long while handling it in her room before she could bear to hide it away.
"I'll keep it for you for now. When you get married, I'll pass it down to your wife. It can be a family heirloom..."
"Huh? A family heirloom?"
"What's with the huh? That bangle is heavy. It must be terribly valuable. What's wrong with making it a family heirloom? We can keep it at the bottom of the chest, and if we're ever really short of money, we can take it out and exchange it for cash anytime."
"Right, everything you say is right. But there's no need to give it to my wife. There isn't even a shadow of one yet. Keep it for yourself. Later, rub some clam oil on your hands to smooth them and see if you can get it on."
"Even if I could get it on, I couldn't wear it. I'll just put it away. Never mind the worry that someone might see it; it would get in the way of work, too. You found it, so it's yours. I'll keep it safe for you for now. Otherwise, if you gave it to me, my things would still have to be divided between you and your brother later."
"All right."
Mother Chen said cheerfully, "Now we've got something to fall back on. Your wife will certainly be happy when she sees it. If there isn't enough money for you to get married, we can exchange it for cash and give it to you."
"There isn't even a shadow of a wife yet. As long as you're happy."
His parents had worked hard all these years.
He had never noticed that his mother's hands were like this. When he held her hand just now, it had been covered in dry cracks, her fingers swollen, rough, and hard. And after years of labor, every knuckle was large.
Those were hands that had done heavy labor for years. "Women hold up half the sky" was no empty saying.
As soon as Mother Chen thought of having a daughter-in-law, her thoughts turned to grandchildren, giving her even more to look forward to. "Soon, soon. While we have this time off, we'll find Third Sister a good family to marry into. Once she's married, it'll be Fourth Sister's turn. I promise we'll find you a wife by the end of next year at the latest."
"If there's someone you like, tell me about her too. I'll see if she's suitable. It's fine if you get married before your sisters..."
Chen Haichao quickly held up a hand to stop her. "Stop! I'm not in a hurry. Let them get married first, one at a time."
"All right, then. If there's someone you like or you start courting someone, tell me. We've saved up a little money now, so our family can afford to get you married."
"Got it."