“This creature is a water rat, officially known as a muskrat,” Li Long explained. “It’s also called a Qinggen mink, and its fur is worth quite a bit—each pelt can sell for at least five yuan!”

“Five yuan?” Hearing that one pelt could go for five yuan, Li Jianguo and Tao Daqiang’s eyes lit up.

At that time, a day’s work in the production team earned about eight cents. Some better-off teams with side jobs might make twelve cents, but that was the highest. Five yuan was a small fortune, requiring many days of hard labor to earn.

In these times, although northern farmland produced enough grain to feed people, making money was tough. Meat usually came from home-raised pigs, and cash income was almost unheard of. Li Long remembered that last year, at the end of the production team’s accounting, Li Jianguo’s entire family had saved only twelve yuan and eight cents, making them relatively well-off. Nearly half the households in the team were actually in debt to the production team.

With work points being so undervalued, earning money was difficult. In summer, side work involved gathering wild herbs like fritillary and codonopsis in the mountains, but it required skill. Ordinary people could barely gather enough in a day to justify the effort, even though the work points for it were slightly higher than regular labor.

“Daqiang, hurry, see if there are more!” Li Jianguo urged.

Realizing the opportunity, Tao Daqiang bent down to fish in the hole again. To cover as much area as possible, he stretched his arm and made a half-circle sweep with the net under the ice before lifting it.

The net was heavy, and as he pulled it up, icy water splashed onto his clothes. This time, he brought up seven or eight fish, weighing nearly twenty kilograms in total—but no more water rats.

If he’d seen all this fish earlier, he would’ve been thrilled, but now he felt disappointed. Reluctantly, he emptied the net and tried again, only catching two small fish on the next scoop.

“Daqiang, come up here. I’ll try the other ice hole,” Li Jianguo said eagerly. “Come warm yourself by the fire—your clothes are soaked!”

The water rat had boosted their enthusiasm even further. In times like these, life without money was tough.

However, Li Long didn’t get his hopes up too much. Catching a water rat in an ice hole was largely a stroke of luck. Unlike fish, these creatures dig tunnels with multiple exits and often have dens hidden among shoreline reeds. Most likely, this one had been drawn in by the moving fish and happened to end up in their net.

Sure enough, at the other ice hole, Li Jianguo pulled up seven or eight more fish in two scoops, but no sign of any more water rats.

“Big Brother, Daqiang, we don’t need to rush. When the ice melts in spring, water rats come out in groups. It’ll be much easier to catch them then.”

Li Jianguo was a little disappointed but knew it was best to wait.

The three of them took turns with the net at the ice hole until the sun started to set. Just before heading back, Li Long covered the hole with snow.

“Aren’t we going to use it again in a couple of days?” Tao Daqiang asked, puzzled.

“If we leave it uncovered, water will start seeping up and freeze over, making it hard to break open again. Covering it with snow will keep the ice from getting too thick, and we can just scrape off the snow next time.”

Tao Daqiang nodded, agreeing that it made sense.

Their sacks were more than half full now, making them quite heavy. To save effort, they put the bags on the shovel and used it as a sled to pull the load back. The chill from handling the fish had crept into their bones, making them feel icy all over. They hurried back as the sun dipped, just managing to reach the Li family home before dark.

Inside, Liang Yuemei had already made fish soup with a large silver carp. The three of them each drank a bowl as soon as they got in, immediately warming up.

“Brother Jianguo, Brother Long, I’ll head home now,” Tao Daqiang said after finishing his soup.

“Why not stay a bit longer to dry your clothes? Your father will probably give you an earful if you go home wet,” Li Jianguo suggested.

“He won’t scold me,” Tao Daqiang replied seriously. “I’ll take some fish home, and he’ll be happy!”

“Still, dry off. I’m heading out early tomorrow, and if you want to come along, you’ll need to wear warmer clothes.”

Li Long persuaded Tao Daqiang to drink another bowl of fish soup, and then he went back with the fish.

Li Long had intended for Tao Daqiang to take the water rat since he’d caught it in the net, but Tao Daqiang adamantly refused, saying it was only fair that it stayed with the Li family, as they’d used their net. Grateful for the fish he was taking, he was happy enough.

Originally, Li Long had planned to split the catch into three equal parts of around ten kilograms each, but Tao simply took five fish strung on some reeds and headed home.

“Daqiang’s a smart guy,” Li Jianguo commented as he watched him leave.

Li Long knew this about Tao Daqiang already, even if others assumed he was simple-minded. Even his own family saw him that way.

Setting the fish aside, the Li family gathered to enjoy the fish soup. Liang Yuemei had used a three-kilogram carp and simmered it until the meat practically dissolved into the broth. Each person had a bowl, dipping steamed cornbread into the soup—it tasted unbelievably good.

Li Long thought to himself, “If only we had some fresh green onions or cilantro, this would be perfect!”

Li Juan sipped her soup happily, her eyes crinkling with joy. Just yesterday, they hadn’t even had meat, but within a day, they’d enjoyed sparrow, guagua chicken, and now, plenty of fish, with dozens more fish stored in the kitchen. Life felt truly good!

Li Qiang, holding a big bowl, carefully picked out pieces of fish with his chopsticks, occasionally wiping his nose. Every so often, he glanced at Li Long, thinking about how he could ask his uncle to let him come along on the next fishing trip.

“Brother, I’ll take a couple of fish to Captain Xu’s house and see if I can borrow his cart,” Li Long said after finishing his soup, feeling warm and satisfied.

“Only two? Isn’t that a bit stingy?” Li Jianguo hesitated.

“Two good-sized carp, weighing about two kilos each, is plenty,” Li Long replied. “It’s unlikely he’ll lend us his cart for free just because of a couple of fish, so there is no need for us to take more.”

A small gesture goes a long way; two fish were enough for now. If they offered too much, they might set unrealistic expectations. What if they couldn’t bring fish next time they needed the cart? And if they overpaid, it could cause issues when others tried to borrow it.

Li Long had never considered such things before. But after his older brother’s death in his previous life, his sister-in-law’s family had turned on him, leaving him to fend for himself. He’d ended up scraping by with a widow and learned many hard lessons. Those difficult years made him realize how much he’d taken his family for granted.

Now, he cherished his life and family all the more.

Choosing two even-sized fish, Li Long tied them together with some reeds and headed out. In those days, wild carp were especially beautiful with red heads, red tails, two long whiskers, and shiny scales—a sight that cheered anyone who saw them.

Just a short distance from home, Li Long ran into Gu Ermao.

With a grin, Gu Ermao approached and said, “Hey, Li Long, caught some fish? How about giving me one?”

Li Long couldn’t help but laugh at this freeloader’s audacity.