Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 417 Everyone joins in, winter fishing operation begins

When Shen Yu saw them coming, he stopped eating his pancakes, put down his bowl and chopsticks, and asked, "Lord Wang, I want to ask you, who among you knows how to fish?"

"How else can you catch fish in the canal in winter, except by sailing a boat and casting a net?"

When Wang Dazhuang was asked this question, he didn't have time to reply.

A small man who came with him rushed to say: "Miss Shen, our villages are not near the river, we only know how to grow crops."

"But I know there's one man among us who can fish."

"Wait, I'll call him over."

Having said that, without waiting for Shen Yu to reply, he ran away like a gust of wind.

Wang Dazhuang was puzzled and asked, "Why did Miss Shen think of asking this? The weather is cold now, and there is ice on the waterside."

"If there is another north wind at this time, the river will freeze over."

Shen Yu talked about what he thought after selling the rabbit skins today.

Wang Dazhuang said in surprise: "The girl is indeed a restaurant owner, her ideas are different from those of us farmers."

"We occasionally catch wild rabbits and birds on weekdays, and at most we think of adding meat dishes to our meals today, but the girl wants to exchange them for money."

Shen Yu smiled and said, "I was thinking, if we can catch some fish along the canal, wouldn't it be more money than the money you earn from chopping wood every day? So I wanted to ask if there is any way."

As the two were talking, the short man brought a sturdy man over.

There were several people following behind because they were curious and wanted to hear what was going on.

The short man introduced Shen Yu, "This is Yu Sanlang. He, Wang Dazhuang, and I are from the same village."

"But his grandfather's village is just up the canal."

"When he was little, he often went fishing with his grandfather. He knows the most about fishing among us."

The man called Yu Sanlang bowed to Shen Yu and said, "I heard that the young lady wanted to ask about fishing?"

"My grandfather's surname is Liu, and the villagers nicknamed him 'Liu Man Kuang'. If you have any questions, just ask."

"A basket full of willows?" Shen Yu repeated in confusion.

Yu Sanlang grinned and explained with some pride: "Every time my grandfather went to the river to fish, he never came back with an empty basket. He always caught a full basket of fish, so he got this reputation."

Shen Yu nodded and praised: "This title is really interesting, it shows that he is very experienced in fishing."

Then he got back to the point and asked him how he could catch fish without sailing a boat and casting a net by the canal.

Yu Sanlang thought for a moment and said, "My grandfather taught me that I can set traps near the river."

"It's a special reed cage with a small mouth and a big belly. There's a movable latch inside. Once the fish get in, they can't get out."

Yu Sanlang scratched his head and said with some embarrassment: "Even in winter, the fish stay at the bottom of the river and are not willing to float up easily."

"If we want to cast the trap, we have to go deeper into the river. I'm afraid we have to sail a boat."

Wang Dazhuang suggested, "This is easy. As long as we have a longer rope and put a stone in the trap, we can throw it quite far."

"Besides, the canal is different from an ordinary river. Not far from the bank, the water is very deep."

Although Shen Yu didn't understand, it sounded feasible, so he nodded and asked with a smile: "Where can I buy this trap?"

Yu Sanlang smiled and said, "This thing is not for sale. I made it up when I was bored."

"No one can use it except those who fish for a living."

"What's more, it breaks down after a while and needs to be re-programmed."

Shen Yu was a little disappointed, but then he heard Yu Sanlang continue: "But this thing is very easy to make. If you want it, I will make two for you when I go back."

"We have some reed strips at home. We can weave two in half an hour. In previous years, my grandfather would weave them on the spot, and I learned from him."

Wang Dazhuang said hurriedly: "That's great, Yu Sanlang, why don't you work hard tonight and weave a few traps for us."

"Miss Shen said that if we can catch some fish, we can exchange them for some money, which is more than what we earn from chopping wood, and our food might even be better."

When Yu Sanlang heard that the food could be better, his eyes lit up and he blurted out, "Miss Shen, is what Wang Dazhuang said true?"

He had just finished a whole bowl of meat dishes and was still savoring the taste. When he heard that he would have meat dishes to eat in the future, he suddenly became motivated.

After getting Shen Yu's affirmative answer, he said readily: "No problem, I will go back tonight and weave two large ground traps for the girl and bring them over tomorrow morning."

"If I can catch any fish, I'll make up a few more."

Wang Dazhuang said quickly, "I have some reed strips left over from weaving baskets. How about I send them home to you tonight and let you learn how to weave them? It will be faster if we weave together."

The little guy next to him also said actively: "I can help too."

The fishing trap was thus decided.

Early the next morning, when Shen Yu arrived at the construction site, he saw two reed cages more than two feet tall, with small mouths and big bellies, placed next to the firewood pile in front of the guardhouse. There were cleverly made bayonets at the entrances.

Shen Yu pressed it with his hand. It looked light, but it was quite strong and could be used for some time.

When everyone saw Shen Yu coming, Wang Dazhuang took Yu Sanlang and asked for leave from the yamen runners and ran over to ask Shen Yu what he thought of the trap.

Shen Yu laughed and said, "This question really stumps me. I only know how to cook fish, but I don't know how to catch fish."

"Let's go find some ropes, put a rock in the cage and throw it in to see what happens."

A trace of surprise flashed across Yu Sanlang's face. Seeing that Shen Yu really didn't understand, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and said, "Tell the girl that this trap can't be thrown down empty like this."

"If you want the fish to enter the cage, you need bait."

Shen Yu was also fooled by his own stupidity, and hurriedly said with a smile: "Yes, yes, fishing also requires bait, so this is definitely needed as well. I wonder what kind of bait is needed?"

Seeing that Shen Yu was not angry, Yu Sanlang looked relaxed and asked, "Miss, are there any leftover cakes or steamed buns in the kitchen?"

"It would be even better if there were some meat mixed in with these."

"For example, raw bloody chicken bones, duck bones, etc. Fish like the smell and will come when they smell it."

Shen Yu said awkwardly: "If I had known this, I would have brought some from the restaurant."

"We have chicken bones and other things that we need to make fried chicken nuggets in our restaurant every day, but here we really don't have any."

Qixi said, "It's not that easy. We have to deliver firewood later. Then we can go to the restaurant and ask the lady for some chicken bones, duck bones, etc."

Yu Sanlang nodded and said, "Brother, that's right. Smash these into pieces, mix them with steamed buns and cakes, and then knead them into balls. That will be the bait."