With the first net, Li Long scooped up seven or eight fish, including carp, crucian carp, and his favorite pike, along with a black bass weighing about three or four kilograms in total.

He tossed the fish onto the ice, turned, and tried his net in a different spot.

This time, he only got four fish, the biggest of which was a carp weighing under a kilogram.

“Let me try a turn!” Tao Daqiang eagerly asked.

“Sure, go ahead!” Li Long handed him the net and climbed back up onto the ice.

The fish he’d thrown out had already started freezing solid.

Tao Daqiang took the net excitedly and went over to another hole, stepping in carefully.

“Be careful with your footing, Daqiang. The water’s deep here—two or three meters. If you fall in, we won’t be able to get you out,” Li Long warned.

“I got it,” Tao Daqiang replied, testing his footing before bending down to dip the net into the water.

Li Long held his hands close to the fire, watching Daqiang carefully. His chest was warm from the fire, but his back was chilled by the wind.

Despite the cold, Li Long’s attention was fixed on Daqiang’s work, so he hardly felt the discomfort. Once his hands were warm, he took a reed, started threading it through the gills of the fish to keep them together, stringing them like beads.

“Splash!”

Daqiang pulled the net up quickly, tossing his catch onto the ice.

Along with some small chunks of ice, there were five or six fish wriggling about. They flopped a few times but quickly lost energy as they froze solid on the ice.

Li Long repeated his threading process, stringing up the new fish with the reed.

Among the latest catch was another black bass, the biggest one yet at almost three kilograms. Black bass are aggressive predators, known for their meaty, flavorful texture when cooked.

Li Long chuckled, recalling how, years later, the lake had been so polluted that black bass and pike disappeared entirely. It wasn’t until just before he passed that these fish made a comeback.

Thrilled with the catch, he told Daqiang, “That’s a good one, Daqiang! This black bass alone could fetch two yuan at the county market!”

“Really?” Daqiang was surprised, his net just going into the water. “Is it really worth that much?”

“Yes,” Li Long replied with a smile. “It’s almost the New Year, and city folks are willing to pay extra for fresh fish.”

“Then let’s sell them in the county! We could make a good profit!” Daqiang said, visibly excited.

“It’s a hard trip,” Li Long shook his head. “It’s below -30°C, and without a vehicle, these fish would be frozen stiff by the time we get there. Selling them could take hours; you’d freeze before making much money.”

“I’m not afraid!” Daqiang replied, determined. “It’s having no money that’s the real problem.”

Seeing the resolve in Daqiang’s eyes, Li Long thought for a moment and said, “I’ll be heading into the mountains for firewood tomorrow. Let’s talk more once I’m back.”

If Daqiang wanted to catch and sell fish, he’d have to manage on his own since nets were a rare commodity in the village.

Li Long’s own net was a makeshift one, created by his brother Li Jianguo out of some scrap netting during a fishing job at a reservoir. In this time of scarcity, even simple things like nets were hard to come by.

“You’re going to the mountains for firewood? By yourself?” Daqiang asked.

“Yeah, alone.”

“Let me come with you!” Daqiang’s eyes lit up. “I’ve never been outside our village. The village group wouldn’t even let me join their summer trips into the mountains, said I was too clumsy…”

“Alright, but dress warmly,” Li Long agreed. He figured that Daqiang coming along would be fine. While he preferred not to take his brother, Li Jianguo, as he didn’t want him involved in any extra plans, having Daqiang along wouldn’t be a problem.

Besides, if they couldn’t haul enough wood on this trip, he could always go back again.

Feeling satisfied with his plan, Li Long felt even more optimistic. He and Daqiang continued fishing at different holes, eventually bringing in over a dozen kilograms of fish. When Li Long began feeling exhausted, he turned to Daqiang and said, “Let’s head back for some food.”

“Just a few more scoops, please,” Daqiang pleaded. “We’re getting fish every time, and there could be even bigger ones!”

It was no wonder people said that catching fish could make you forget the cold. Li Long could see how true it was with Daqiang—he clearly didn’t feel the chill.

“No, we have to go now,” Li Long said firmly. “Look at yourself; your clothes are soaked. Stay out here any longer, and you’ll catch pneumonia!”

Hearing Li Long’s tone, Daqiang reluctantly put down the net and climbed up onto the ice.

“My ears are about to fall off!” he shouted, only now realizing how cold he was. He held his hands over his ears, hopping in place. “I can barely feel my feet!”

“Earlier you were refusing to get out, huh?”
Li Long packed up their gear and fish. “Let’s hurry to my place and warm up by the fire. Rub some snow on your ears on the way, or they’ll get frostbitten.”

Rubbing snow on frozen skin was a known remedy. In these conditions, it was their best option to prevent further damage.

“It’s fine,” Daqiang replied, covering his ears for warmth. Then he picked up the fish, around ten kilograms in total, and trudged ahead through the snow, with Li Long following, carrying the tools.

Li Long appreciated Daqiang’s gesture of taking the heavier load as a way of showing gratitude.

The sun was at its highest, and though there was a slight warmth, the air still felt brutally cold.

By the time they returned to Li’s house, about forty minutes later, both were thoroughly chilled.

“Hurry inside!” Li Jianguo called from the doorway when he saw the two, both covered in a crust of ice. “Leave everything here, go warm up and change clothes! There’s a fire going in the east room; head there.”

Li Long and Daqiang quickly went inside, removed their frozen coats, and set them by the wall before taking off their boots, which had ice crusting on them and left their feet numb.

The stove held a basin of water that was too warm, so Li Long scooped some snow into it to cool it down. Once the temperature was comfortable, he brought the basin down and told Daqiang, “Soak your feet. Otherwise, you’ll end up with frostbite.”

Two men sharing a foot basin wasn’t ideal, but comfort came first.

After a few minutes, their feet started to feel better. Li Long dried off, changed into cloth shoes, and stretched. “Alright, let’s stay here for lunch. After we eat and rest, we can go back out. There should be even more fish later.”

“Sounds good,” Daqiang replied, eager to continue. Without tools or connections, all he had was his strength. If Li Long was willing to show him the ropes, he was more than willing to learn.