Second Uncle and Big Brother were both expert fishermen, so Liu Tiezhu didn't need to direct them at all. The two already knew where to break the ice and how to set the net so the fish wouldn't escape.
Liu Tiezhu pointed to the dam opening above and said, "Gouzi, grab the net. Let's head further up."
The few dozen fish in front of them were just an appetizer. The real hiding spot for the fish was the dam opening.
Before the river froze, all the fish gathered there to eat algae.
Once the river iced over, that place became their den.
The two arrived at the dam opening and saw a dense, dark mass. Er Gouzi's eyes went wide.
Under the transparent ice layer, fish were packed tightly together.
There were bighead carp, crucian carp, and mandarin fish.
These fish were plump and large, hiding silently in the waterweed, motionless.
"Brother Zhu, we've struck it rich."
Snapping out of it, Er Gouzi drooled all over the place.
In all his years, this was the first time he'd seen such a huge school of fish.
"Stop blabbering, hurry up and break the ice to set the net."
Liu Tiezhu called out, then picked up a steel fork and started chipping a hole at the riverbank.
Surrounding this fishing area wasn't easy. Just breaking the ice alone was a labor-intensive task.
The ice layer was about a meter thick, making it tough to crack.
Not only did they have to break through the ice, but they also had to avoid startling the fish, so choosing the right spot to break was crucial.
Besides breaking the ice, setting the net was also a technical job.
Since the river surface was frozen, they had to use a bamboo pole to tie the net head and drag it forward.
After reaching a certain distance, they had to break the ice again to pull the net head up.
Then they repeated the process until the fifty-meter net was fully deployed.
The four split into two groups, taking turns nonstop. They worked for two solid hours before setting both nets.
By then, the four gathered by the river, shivering from the cold.
Second Uncle started a fire and handed out the strong liquor.
Er Gouzi set up some dried meat and began roasting it over the flames.
Second Uncle took a swig of the liquor and said, "If we catch all these fish, we'll have enough meat for the next few months."
He'd glanced at the fish in the dam earlier and had the same reaction as Er Gouzi—eyes wide in shock.
Who would've thought a barren river could hide so many fish?
Liu Tieshan also smiled, agreeing with Second Uncle.
He estimated the fish in the dam weighed at least six or seven hundred jin.
If they caught them all, both families could eat well for months.
Liu Tiezhu remained cautious.
He only remembered that the snow lasted a long time in his past life, but he had no memory of how the village changed afterward.
If the snow disaster dragged on for a year, this food alone wouldn't be enough.
These three days of hunting were critical. He had to lead Big Brother and Second Uncle to catch as much game as possible.
After a few cups of strong liquor and several jin of roasted meat, their frozen bodies began to warm up.
Seeing that time was about right, Second Uncle suggested heading back to the river to pound the ice and drive the fish.
Since the nets had already surrounded the fish, driving them didn't take much effort—just randomly banging on the ice.
As they kept striking the ice, the startled fish started darting around.
An hour later, both nets were packed with fish like firecrackers, densely covered.
Noticing the sky darkening, they didn't get greedy and pulled the nets up.
They worked until the afternoon to finish unloading both nets, but the nets were completely ruined.
Looking at the several sacks of fish loaded onto the tricycle cart, Second Uncle grinned from ear to ear.
He figured those five sacks held at least six hundred jin of fish.
Even dried into fish jerky, it would retain sixty percent of the weight, about three hundred sixty jin.
"Zhu, let's come back tomorrow."
On the way home, Second Uncle suggested again.
Liu Tiezhu said, "Second Uncle, that's about all the fish here."
"Tomorrow, you and Big Brother take some fish to trade for dried vegetables. Gouzi and I will head into the mountains."
Hearing this, Second Uncle and Liu Tieshan were stunned.
Trading fish for dried vegetables was a losing deal.
"Zhu, swapping fish for dried veggies isn't worth it," Second Uncle said.
Liu Tiezhu thought for a moment and replied, "Then let's do a fair trade."
"We'll use a hundred jin of fish for dried vegetables and salt-cure the rest to air-dry."
Once the heavy snow sealed everything off, they wouldn't be able to grow vegetables.
Eating only meat without vitamins wouldn't work.
Second Uncle nodded. "Alright, we'll do as you say."
"Tomorrow, Tieshan and I will make a round in the village."
The group chatted and laughed, arriving home by nightfall.
In the kitchen, Huang Xiumei had already cooked dinner and was waiting for them.
Seeing the cart full of fish, she was both surprised and delighted.
"Let's eat first. After dinner, we'll cut the fish and air-dry them."
Liu Tieshan called out, and everyone gathered around the table, lively and warm.
After dinner, they started cleaning the fish.
Huang Xiumei washed a mandarin fish, hung it on a bamboo pole, and said, "Today, everyone who went into the mountains came back with a good haul."
"Even that lazy Liu Haifei caught dozens of pheasants and a roe deer."
Second Uncle said, "What's going on? Is the snow about to melt, and the animals are coming out to find food?"
Liu Tieshan added, "Could be. The temperature jumped ten degrees today."
"If this keeps up, the snow will melt soon. The animals have been hungry for so long, it's normal for them to come out and eat."
Only Liu Tiezhu knew that the animals sensed the coming snowstorm and were taking advantage of the three-day warm spell to fill their bellies early.
Just as they were guessing winter might be ending, a knock came at the yard door.
"Who is it?"
Liu Tieshan called out, wondering who would visit at this hour.
"It's me, Liu Shan."
Hearing it was Liu Shan, Liu Tieshan's face immediately changed, and his gaze shifted to Liu Tiezhu.
Second Uncle stood up, his expression darkening, and said, "Gouzi, go open the door."
"If that old bastard is here to cause trouble, we won't go easy on him."
Er Gouzi nodded and walked over to open the yard gate.
"Busy, huh?"
Liu Shan wore a sly grin as he strolled in.
Seeing the fish hanging on the bamboo poles, his eyes lit up.
"What do you want?"
Second Uncle stepped in front of Liu Shan, his tone unfriendly.
Liu Shan didn't mind and grinned, "Nothing major. I'm just here to tell you that this year's village feast is happening early."
"Based on household size, your family needs to contribute sixty jin of meat and sixty jin of rice."
Liu Tiezhu flatly refused, "Sorry, our family won't be joining the feast."
Hearing this, Liu Shan's old face immediately hardened.
"Zhu, this is hurting village unity."
"Our Liu Family Village has eighty-six households, and everyone's eager to join. Now it's just your two families left out."
"Saying you won't participate—does that seem right?"
"I think it's perfectly right."
"Anyone who wants to join the feast can, but don't count us in."
Liu Tiezhu nodded firmly.
Dozens of jin of meat and rice—that old fool wasn't going to cheat him.
"Fine, fine, fine. When spring comes, the village fields will be redistributed."
"Don't come crying then."
Liu Shan, furious and humiliated, threw out a threat and stormed off, slamming the door.
"Zhu, this..."
Liu Tiezhu waved off his brother's concern. "Brother, this feast is a scam."
"Liu Shan won't be strutting around for long. Don't worry."
If nothing unexpected happened, after the first snowstorm, Liu Shan would be in trouble.
As for his threat to redistribute the fields, Liu Tiezhu couldn't care less.