Farming for Three Meals a Day [Farming Life] 39

Chapter 39

Li-ge’er returned to the village carrying the fish. The villagers passing by all looked at the two fish in his hands, looking very fresh, their bellies golden yellow, definitely wild autumn fish.

He hadn’t walked far when someone approached and asked, “Li-ge’er, those are good fish, nice and fatty, where did you buy them? Did someone drain their fishpond in our village?”

Some villagers raised fish, but their fish certainly weren’t as good as these, and no one had heard of anyone draining their fishpond and selling fish today.

If someone was selling fish, they would definitely inform the nearby villages so the villagers could come and buy them.

Li-ge’er held the straw rope tied around the fish’s mouths and said loudly with a smile, “My Xi-ge’er’s family caught them with a net in the river. I happened to pass by, and seeing how plump they were, I bought two.”

“Oh, caught from the river? The Ye family has such skills?” As autumn deepened, fish would burrow into the mud, becoming plump but also difficult to catch.

Li-ge’er nodded. “Xi-ge’er’s husband knows how to fish. He got lucky today, cast a net, and caught a whole net full of fish. They were freshly caught when I bought them, the Ye family is still there now.”

Hearing this, the village women and young men gathered around and asked, “Are the Ye family selling them? Do they have more? I also want to buy a few to take home, these fish are delicious when cooked.”

Li-ge’er replied, “There are so many people in the village, I’m afraid there won’t be enough for everyone. There are quite a few, but only twenty or thirty. If you want to buy some, hurry home and get a basin. If you’re quick, the price is cheap, only five wen per catty, isn’t that better than buying them in town?”

Hearing that it was only five wen per catty, the women and young men couldn’t sit still. They usually had to wait for someone to drain their fishpond or go to town to buy fish, and the price was around six or seven wen. Today, these authentic autumn ricefish, plump and delicious, were only five wen. Those who wanted a good deal wouldn’t miss this opportunity. They didn’t even bother talking to Li-ge’er and quickly dispersed.

They all rushed home to get basins, afraid of missing out on the autumn ricefish!

Ye Xi set aside a few fish and said, “I’ll keep these and pickle them, just enough for stir-frying with lettuce leaves in winter, as a treat. Mother, you should also take a few back, it will be difficult to buy fish in winter when the river freezes over.”

Liu Xiufeng refused. “You and your husband should pickle more. We have cured meat at home, we don’t need these fish.” She wanted to leave more for Ye Xi.

Ye Xi smiled. “Father and Brother love fish, if you don’t pickle some, they’ll crave it in winter. If we wait until after Minor Cold to buy fish, it’ll be ten wen per catty. When have you become so rich, willing to spend so much?”

Lin Jiangshan came over and picked a few of the largest fish. “Mother, just take them. I know how to fish, I can catch more later. We won’t go hungry.”

Hearing Lin Jiangshan’s words, Liu Xiufeng happily accepted. She was truly fortunate to have such a filial son-in-law.

Ye Xi picked out two more fish. “I’ll go back and cook fish for lunch, we can have this year’s last autumn ricefish. Braised with chopped chili peppers, the fish will be tender and flavorful, the sauce perfect for mixing with rice, so delicious.”

Ye Shan, hearing this, said happily, “Just hearing about it makes my mouth water! Xi-ge’er’s fish is the best, I’ve been craving it ever since you got married. I’ll provide the wine tonight!”

Father Ye slapped the back of his head. “You must have been secretly drinking the wine under my bed. I was wondering why it was getting less and less, there’s nothing left now.”

Ye Xi and Lin Jiangshan couldn’t help but laugh. Ye Shan had a good habit of enjoying a drink every now and then, but he wasn’t a heavy drinker.

Ye Shan touched the back of his head, not denying it. “That wine was the gift from my brother-in-law when he proposed to Xi-ge’er, good wine from the shop in town, not the same as the strong liquor from the village distillery. That wine is smooth and mellow, so good!”

Liu Xiufeng scolded him playfully, “Is the wine from your brother-in-law not good enough? You’re quite the connoisseur!”

Lin Jiangshan smiled. “Brother, if you like it, I’ll buy you another jar next time I go to town to sell firewood.”

Ye Shan wasn’t one for pretense and laughed heartily. “Then I thank you, brother-in-law! It’s worth all the years I pampered Xi-ge’er, now I can enjoy his husband’s good wine!”

Ye Xi teased, “Brother is about to get married, consider it a wedding gift from my husband and me. I’m looking forward to my sister-in-law coming to visit and chat with me!”

Ye Shan blushed slightly, a rare show of shyness. “Yes, she’s a good person.”

The family chatted and laughed by the riverbank for a while when they saw Mrs. Zhao, a plump, middle-aged woman, hurrying towards them, her body swaying slightly as she walked, looking somewhat like a clay figurine.

Mrs. Zhao, afraid of being late, shouted from a distance, “Ye Shan’s mother, are there any fish left?”

Liu Xiufeng chuckled and waved at her. “Yes, there are, Mrs. Zhao, slow down, don’t rush.”

She finally relaxed, wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, and approached them, panting.

“I heard from Li-ge’er that your son-in-law caught a net full of autumn ricefish in the river and is selling the extra ones, so I hurried over to buy a couple.”

Liu Xiufeng smiled and asked her to choose some. “Freshly caught, only five wen per catty, we can’t finish them all ourselves.”

Mrs. Zhao’s eyes crinkled with a smile, and she quickly squatted down to choose, saying as she picked, “To be honest, my husband loves this kind of fish, he’s always asking me to buy some when I go to the market. But I’ve been busy with the autumn harvest and haven’t been to town for half a month. I was hoping to buy some from a passing peddler or when someone drains their fishpond, but after waiting for over a month, it’s finally thanks to you catching fish today that I have this opportunity.”

Ye Shan smiled. “My brother-in-law is skilled at fishing, these are authentic wild autumn ricefish. Look at their bellies, so plump, they must be full of roe, very delicious.”

Mrs. Zhao picked two of the plumpest fish, checked their bulging bellies, and put them in her basket, handing them to Father Ye to weigh. “Yes, your son-in-law is truly capable. It’s been a long time since anyone in the village has caught these fish. Even the old fisherman in the village has been casting his net in the river next door these days. The fish there aren’t as good as the ones in our river, which feed on loaches, snails, and rice.”

Father Ye weighed the fish. “Nine catties and three taels.”

Ye Xi said, “Since we’re neighbors, let’s round it down to nine catties.”

His generosity made Mrs. Zhao beam with joy, and she quickly took out her money bag, counted out a few dozen copper coins, and said happily, “You’re so kind and generous, Xi-ge’er, everyone in the village praises you. And you found such a capable and caring husband, you’ll have a good life!”

Liu Xiufeng was pleased, took the money, and chatted with Mrs. Zhao for a few more words.

Seeing more people coming with baskets to buy fish, Mrs. Zhao took her basket and left, not wanting to delay others.

After walking a few steps, she ran into some villagers who peered into her basket. “Oh, bought from the Ye family?”

“Yes, very fresh, look at their bellies, so plump!” Having secured her fish, Mrs. Zhao proudly showed them off to others.

Seeing the fish, the others became even more anxious. “They’re good, their scales are yellow, they must have been feeding on rice. We have to hurry and buy some, this is the last time we can eat fish before the river freezes over. My family has been craving fish, it’s been so long since we had any meat.”

“Isn’t that right? The price of pork has increased from twelve wen to fourteen wen, I haven’t been willing to buy any. My two children keep complaining about not having enough oil and meat. These fish are cheap today, I’ll buy a couple to take home as a treat!”

Mrs. Zhao said smugly, “Five wen per catty, it’s affordable. Even those who aren’t well-off can buy a couple of catties. The Ye family even gave me a discount, what a bargain!”

Hearing her words, the others couldn’t wait any longer, stopped chatting, and hurried towards the riverbank.

The crowd grew larger, and Ye Shan and Lin Jiangshan helped the customers choose their fish, Father Ye weighed them, and Liu Xiufeng greeted people and collected the money, the family working together efficiently.

The copper coins clinked in the money bag. They rounded down the prices for the villagers, making them happy, praising the Ye family’s generosity.

Farmers were always frugal, saving every penny, their savings accumulated bit by bit. Saving a penny meant saving a penny for the next meal with meat.

In no time, all the fish were sold out, and there were still people coming with baskets to buy fish.

Ye Xi went forward and said, “Uncles and aunts, we’re sold out of fish today, please come back next time, I’ll save some for you.”

Those who heard his words regretted being late, and could only return home with empty baskets. Those who managed to buy fish went home happily to cook, excited to treat their families to a meaty meal. For people in the mountains, it was all about food. A good meal made life more enjoyable.

Seeing that it was getting late, Father Ye and Ye Shan helped Lin Jiangshan collect the fishing net, and Ye Xi took the few fish they had set aside earlier. “I’ll go home and cook the fish first, so we can have dinner in the courtyard when you come back.”

Liu Xiufeng pocketed the money bag and said happily, “Mother will go back with you and help you count the money, it seems quite heavy.”

Ye Xi agreed, and they went home together.