Li Guowang had prepared plenty of special shredded tobacco the day before, and all three of them had a small bottle.
Li Changfeng and He Dongliang each searched along the tidal channel.
Wei Donglai, meanwhile, plunged straight into the mangroves.
He remembered Li Guowang saying that mud eels' burrows were generally found among tree roots or stumps in the mangrove intertidal zone.
He immediately began searching along the intertidal zone.
After walking about ten meters, he spotted a patch of whitish mud ahead.
Remembering what Uncle Guowang had said, he immediately searched the surrounding area. Sure enough, before long, he spotted a round hole.
He probed it with his hand, and when he felt slime, Wei Donglai was certain this was the mud eel burrow he was looking for.
He took some special shredded tobacco from the small bottle Uncle Guowang had prepared for him, rubbed a small pinch together, and stuffed it into the hole.
Then he dug up a lump of mud from nearby and sealed the entrance. After breaking a leafy branch off a nearby tree to mark the spot, he continued feeling his way forward.
He didn't know if it was good luck, but as he searched, he found two more mud eel burrows one after another.
Just as he was thinking of adding to his haul, he heard Li Guowang calling out.
He turned and emerged from the mangroves to see Li Guowang waving to them.
Li Changfeng and He Dongliang, who weren't far away, also slowly gathered around.
Li Guowang gestured for them to be quiet, then led them toward the first mud eel burrow where he had put tobacco.
When they approached the burrow, they saw a long, slender head twisting atop the mud that covered the entrance.
It was a mud eel.
Holding his mud eel fork, Li Guowang slowly approached. When he was a little over a meter away, he suddenly thrust the fork forward, pinning the mud eel into the mud.
He immediately twisted the fork with force, then pulled it out of the mud, bringing the mud eel out with it.
Li Guowang put the mud eel into the bucket and swept his gaze over the three of them.
"So, did you see what I just did clearly?"
The three nodded.
But Wei Donglai was still a little puzzled. "Uncle Guowang, we saw the movements clearly, but how exactly did you get it out with the fork?"
Li Guowang pointed at the fork. "Use these two prongs to pin the mud eel down, then twist it so the side ring hooks it. That way it can't get away. Understand?"
With that explanation and Li Guowang's movements fresh in their minds, the three had a clearer idea of how to use the mud eel fork.
"There's another thing you need to watch out for. A mud eel burrow usually has more than one entrance. You can examine the openings to see which one it comes out of. All right, I've taught you the method. How much you catch from here on is up to you."
After saying that, Li Guowang plunged back into the mangroves.
Wei Donglai was just about to leave when Li Changfeng came over. "A Lai, how many mud eel burrows did you find?"
"Not many. Three. What about you?"
"Haha, I found eight."
He Dongliang couldn't believe it. "How could there be that many? I only saw two."
"Is it possible some of A Feng's eight holes aren't mud eel burrows?"
Wei Donglai thought that saying it was possible might have been putting it a little mildly. Most of them probably weren't.
Eight holes? Did he really think mud eel burrows were that easy to find?
He Dongliang nodded when he heard that. "You might actually be right."
Li Changfeng immediately grew anxious. "Damn, you're jealous. Naked jealousy! Is it that hard to admit I'm good at this?"
Wei Donglai patted him on the shoulder. "What's the use of finding holes? Catching mud eels is what counts. If you want us to admit you're good, catch seven or eight mud eels and show us."
"Fine. I'll use the mud eels to shut you up."
He Dongliang's eyes darted around, and he put on a mischievous look. "A Feng, want to make another bet with A Lai?"
Li Changfeng glanced at Wei Donglai and saw him smiling. His confidence vanished in an instant.
He Dongliang looked at Wei Donglai. "A Lai, what do you say?"
"I don't mind. I've already got four packs of cigarettes to fall back on anyway."
"A Feng, what about you? Don't tell me you're scared? I'm betting on A Lai. If he loses, I'll give you two packs of cigarettes too."
Li Changfeng couldn't stand being goaded like that. His earlier misgivings vanished in an instant. "Fine, it's a bet! This time I'm betting four packs. I'll win it all back in one go, principal and interest!"
Wei Donglai shrugged indifferently. "No problem. I'm just afraid someone will lose even the pants off his ass."
"I refuse to believe I can keep losing."
"All right, let's not waste time. Let's each get started."
Faced with the headstrong Li Changfeng, Wei Donglai decided to show him what it meant to be a child of fortune.
After plunging into the mangroves, Wei Donglai continued forward from where he had left off, searching for mud eel burrows.
Only ten minutes had passed since he sealed the tobacco inside, so Wei Donglai wasn't in a hurry to check. With a little time to spare, he wanted to try his luck and see if he could find any more mud eel burrows.
He didn't know if it was good luck, but he soon found another mud eel burrow.
Seeing that it was about time, he hurried back to the first burrow where he had put tobacco.
As he neared the spot, Wei Donglai slowed down and crept quietly toward the first mud eel burrow.
When he was about three or four meters away, Wei Donglai saw a long, slender figure dancing atop the lump of mud.
What else could it be but a mud eel?
He quickly gripped the mud eel fork and slowly approached the burrow.
Seeing that the moment had come, Wei Donglai suddenly thrust the fork forward. Its tip struck the mud eel squarely, pinning it into the mud.
Feeling the mud eel trying to escape, Wei Donglai quickly twisted the fork. When he felt the mud eel catch on it, he pulled hard and yanked the fork out of the mud.
The mud eel was wrapped around the fork, but after a few twists, it slipped off the tip and fell onto the surface of the mud.
You're already out, and you still want to run?
Wei Donglai darted forward and curled two fingers into a claw, quickly pinning the mud eel as though he were catching a swamp eel, then threw it into the bucket.
It wasn't big, probably seven or eight liang, but succeeding in catching a mud eel on his first try still lifted Wei Donglai's spirits.
He then walked toward the second burrow. He didn't know whether the mud eel wasn't inside or the tobacco hadn't smoked it out.
There was nothing unusual about the lump of mud covering the entrance.
Wei Donglai didn't lose heart and continued toward the third mud eel burrow.
From a long way off, he saw movement above the burrow.
This mud eel looked a little bigger than the first.
Using the same method as before, Wei Donglai successfully caught it too.
As time passed, Wei Donglai finished with all four burrows.
Perhaps because he was inexperienced, he failed to hold the mud eel in the fourth burrow steady when he forked it into the mud, and it got away.
The mud there was deep, and after the mud eel escaped, there was no telling where it had burrowed.
Wei Donglai searched for a long time but found no sign of it. Rather than waste more time, he had no choice but to give up.
In the end, he caught only two mud eels, one weighing seven or eight liang and the other over a jin.
The one that got away wasn't small either, probably a little over a jin as well, and Wei Donglai regretted losing it.
At the town's buying price, that one getting away was the same as losing five yuan. How could he not regret it?