Font Size:
The children from the village came to catch water buffaloes to satisfy their cravings. Normally, families didn’t buy snacks for their children, so the kids had developed the habit of finding their own delicious treats.
As more people joined in catching water buffaloes, the number of water buffaloes decreased. Mingcheng saw that the bag was enough for a good meal. “Zuo He, let’s roast the water buffaloes at home. After we finish eating, we can go fishing and bring some back to improve Grandma’s meal.”
Back home, Mingyuan eagerly ran to the woodshed to fetch firewood, while Wang Xuan started the fire. Mingcheng roasted the water buffaloes in the hearth. Soon, a tempting aroma filled the air. Zuo He, smelling the delicious scent, couldn’t help but salivate. He eagerly watched the hearth and asked, “Sister Xuan, is it ready?”
Wang Xuan saw that the water buffaloes had turned color and quickly took them out. “It’s ready. Come and taste it, but be careful not to burn yourself.”
The siblings blew on the roasted water buffaloes and then took a bite. Each of them wore an expression of enjoyment on their faces.
“It’s so delicious, Sister Xuan. I want more,” Zuo He said, now knowing the taste of roasted water buffaloes before.
Mingcheng continued to roast the water buffaloes over the fire, and they took turns eating. They had caught enough for a satisfying meal.
After eating the water buffaloes, each of them had a dark ring around their mouths, and they all enjoyed the lingering taste. When they saw the marks on each other’s mouths, they couldn’t help but tease one another. Zuo He patted his stomach, indicating that he couldn’t eat anymore, or he wouldn’t be able to eat lunch.
After washing their hands and faces, they put the remaining water buffaloes back in the bag. They planned to let the adults taste them during lunch, as they were only delicious when freshly roasted.
This time, Mingcheng carried the fishing rod, and Mingyuan carried the bucket as they headed to the reservoir.
From the hill, Wang Zhenli could see clearly that the children from Wang Zhenhe’s family were fishing at the reservoir again. He teased Wang Zhenhe, who was helping weed the orchard, “Zhenhe, your kids are here again. This time, it’s your son’s turn to carry the fishing rod.”
Wang Zhenhe looked down and saw that Zuo He had joined them. Seeing the children’s spirited and confident appearance, he couldn’t help but smile. “These kids love fishing. I don’t know how they got interested in it.”
Wang Zhenli looked on with envy. “Zhenhe, you’re really blessed. Your kids are so well-behaved. Unlike other children who just play all day, your kids have a strong spirit. Take your daughter Qianqian, for example. She comes over with a fishing rod every day. I bet your family has had plenty of fish to eat. This is really incomparable. Even we adults can’t catch big fish when we go fishing, but your kids have the ability. I really envy you.”
Thinking back to the day when the little girl bravely wielded a kitchen knife, even he felt afraid. Such a small child dared to risk her life to protect her mother. It was truly remarkable.
“Zhenhe, you should protect your children more in the future. When your wife was being bullied, I thought your two kids were going to risk their lives. They looked so determined. Now, just thinking about it makes me feel heartbroken. If it weren’t for your family’s actions, it would have been no different from bandits,” Wang Zhenhe said.
Wang Zhenli patted his shoulder. He was a good person, but he didn’t handle family matters well. His wife and children suffered as a result.
Wang Zhenhe’s emotions surged. He hadn’t expected the situation to be so tragic. His two daughters had bravely risked their lives to protect their mother. Without their protection, Zhang Lan’s life might not have been spared. Hatred for his family began to take root in his heart. He wished he didn’t have such a mother and sisters.
Looking down, he saw that the children had caught a sizable fish. “Zhenhe, look, Mingcheng and the others have made a catch.”
As he watched the children below, Wang Zhenhe’s mood changed. These children were his cherished treasures.
The excited children put the fish they caught into a bucket. This time, Mingcheng used earthworms as bait. After the rain, there were many earthworms on the ground, and they were easy to find.
After baiting the hook with an earthworm, Mingcheng let Zuo He have a turn at fishing to let him experience it. There were no fishing spots in the city, so this was a rare opportunity for him.
Zuo He sat on a rock by the reservoir, concentrating on the task at hand, afraid to scare away the fish. Wang Qian felt sorry for the little boy, seeing how serious he was.
“Zuo He, you don’t have to be so careful. If a fish bites the hook, your fishing rod will move, and the fishing line will sink,” Wang Qian reassured him.
Before she could finish, Zuo He shouted, “I’ve got a fish! Help me!”
The siblings rushed to help pull the fishing line. Mingcheng teased the fish to tire it out before pulling it up. However, the fish was heavier than expected, and they struggled to pull it up. “Mingyuan, come and help me. The fish is too heavy,” Mingcheng called out.
Wang Zhenhe, watching from the hill, felt that something was amiss and dropped his hoe before running down the hill.
As Mingcheng and his brother pulled on the fishing line, the fish began to struggle again, causing them to stumble.
“Brother, let go for now. Don’t pull. Let it swim a bit,” Wang Qian suggested, sensing that something was wrong. They had never encountered such a situation while fishing before. Following his sister’s advice, Mingcheng let the fish swim for a while before pulling it in the direction it was heading. By this time, Wang Zhenhe had arrived at the reservoir. “Dad, why are you here?”
The sight of a sweaty Wang Zhenhe running down the hill surprised everyone.
After catching his breath, Wang Zhenhe explained, “I was working in the orchard when I noticed something was wrong here, so I hurried down. Mingcheng, let me try.”
Wang Zhenhe tested the weight of the fishing line and realized why they were struggling. It was indeed very heavy. He kept the fishing line taut, allowing the fish to tire itself out before pulling it up. The siblings also helped, while Zuo He held onto the fishing rod tightly.
As the fish neared the shore, Wang Zhenli, who had run down to the reservoir, couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow, it’s such a big fish! Zhenhe, you have to share some with me today. I’ve never eaten such a big fish before.”
Wang Zhenli jumped into the water to help pull the fish onto the shore. The children were also surprised by the size of the fish, which seemed to weigh over twenty pounds.
“What a big fish,” Zuo He exclaimed, surprised that he had caught such a large one on his first attempt at fishing.
Wang Zhenhe gave Zuo He a thumbs up. “Well done, Zuo He. Your aunt will stew it for you at lunch. Zhenli, you’ve also worked hard. Help me take the fish back, and I’ll give you a share.”
Wang Zhenli was more than happy to help. The two men carried the fish back, taking advantage of the fact that everyone had gone to work, so no one would know about the big catch. They took the fish back and cut two large pieces to take home. The rest was prepared for cooking. “Zuo He, I’ll have some of the fish stewed for your grandfather at lunch. Let Grandpa Zuo see what his grandson is capable of.”
The little guy blushed at the praise. “Uncle, I just got lucky. I never expected to catch such a big fish.”
After preparing the fish, Wang Zhenhe set aside a portion for Grandma Zuo. Since the fish was caught by someone’s grandson, it was only right to share it with the elderly lady. The rest of the fish would be enough for the whole family.
Since he was already home, Wang Zhenhe decided to stay and help the sisters prepare lunch. Zhang Lan had already prepared the dough in the morning, so they made flatbreads for lunch and stewed the fish.
Zhang Lan returned home before the end of the workday. She had come back early to prepare the meal for Zuo He’s visit. To her surprise, her husband had already returned, and the house was filled with a delightful aroma. Wang Xuan took out the roasted water buffalo from the hearth. “Mom, Dad, try this. It’s so delicious.”
The couple smiled at the sight. They had also enjoyed this dish when they were young, and it tasted just as good as they remembered.
“Mom, please have some. We already had some in the morning. This is for you,” Mingcheng quickly explained, seeing the hesitation in his parents’ eyes.
“Auntie, we really did have some in the morning. We caught a lot,” Zuo He added, his explanation had put his aunt and uncle at ease.
Seeing that the children were telling the truth, the couple enjoyed the nostalgic taste of the water buffalo without any worries. The flavor was just as they remembered from their childhood, but the people who used to eat this dish had grown up.
“Zhenhe, what have you been up to today? I can smell something delicious,” Zhang Lan asked.
Wang Zhenhe grinned as he replied, “Zuo He caught a big fish today. It must have weighed over twenty pounds. We stewed it for lunch. The fish belly is full of oil and juice.”