At eighteen years old, I stood at 175 cm—not short by any means.
However, years of malnutrition had left me with a lean frame, my ribs painfully visible beneath my skin.
Still, I was thankful that at least I didn''t have the bloated belly that would become common in later generations.
Determined to change my fate, I knew I had to take care of myself in this life.
The bamboo basket could only hold a few large fish, so instead, I threaded their cheeks with straw poles and carried them by hand. Back and forth, Li Long and I made six trips, hauling baskets filled with small fish and over twenty large ones, each weighing more than a pound.
That wasn''t all.
Determined not to leave empty-handed, we also scooped up an entire basket of loaches from the muddy bottom of the river.
By noon, after clearing the dam to prevent the canal from clogging, we finished our work and returned home for lunch.
Wang Yulan was busy gutting the fish, while the fourth and fifth brothers laid them out in the grass to dry.
Li Mei had already set the table, placing a bowl of porridge in front of everyone.
The aroma of fish soup filled the air.
Frying or braising would have been a luxury—oil was too precious to waste.
Eels, loaches, and hairy crabs were kept alive in basins.
If all went well, I planned to sell them in the county town the next day.
The government''s control over trade had loosened somewhat, and a black market had emerged near the south gate.
Having studied in the county town for years, I was familiar with the place.
It was impossible to store fresh fish for long in this heat.
With no refrigeration, no oxygen tanks, and no transport, they would rot before reaching the county town.
Drying the fish was the safest option. Under the scorching sun, turning them over a few times would be enough to harden them by the afternoon.
"Sister, I''ll go to the county town with Third Brother tomorrow. We''ll sell fresh loaches, eels, and dried fish. Can you make some pancakes for us? We''ll leave at night," I said to Li Mei, the de facto head of the household.
Li Mei glanced at me curiously.
Ever since I returned home after my college entrance exams, I had become more energetic and responsible.
Before, I buried myself in books, rarely concerning myself with family matters.
Occasionally, I would go to the river to catch shrimp and fish, but this was the first time I''d ever taken the initiative to contribute to the family''s income.
In the afternoon, I helped the fourth child with his homework before heading back to the river with the third child.
By evening, we had caught more than twenty kilograms of eels and loaches.
After dinner, the summer air remained stifling.
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I went down to the river.
The moment I neared the water, a wave of refreshing coolness enveloped me.
As a boy, I didn''t have to worry about modesty.
I simply stripped down to my shorts and plunged in with a loud splash.
During the day, the heat was suffocating, waves of hot air radiating from the ground.
Only when the night wind began to stir did the oppressive heat gradually subside.
Once everything was in order, I washed my feet and sent Li Long to bed. Then, I lay down as well.
In those days, there was no electricity, no telephones, no television, no Wi-Fi.
Other than the interactions between husband and wife, there were few forms of entertainment.
No wonder people had so many children.
When the rooster crowed for the second time, I quickly urged Li Long to get up.
We needed to leave before the neighbors noticed.
Even though trade regulations had loosened over the past two years, it was still best to be cautious.
As we passed through the village, the occasional bark of dogs and the murmurs of early risers filled the air.
Worried the eels would suffocate, I stopped at the river every half hour to soak the snakeskin bag, keeping it heavy and damp.
The two of us were exhausted, panting as we trudged along.
The journey to the county town was nearly twenty miles.
By the time we arrived, the sky was still dark, the light faint and hazy.
Vendors who had come early had already set up their stalls, but none dared to shout about their wares—it was still an era of speculation and underground dealings.
Every morning, the contrast between the city and the countryside became starkly apparent.
I quickly found a spot, then handed Li Long some dry biscuits from my pocket.
Across the street, a teahouse had lit its stove.
I went over to ask for hot water, and we both took a few sips.
As dawn broke, the streets filled with pedestrians, and the market grew livelier.
Nearby, I noticed a pork stall. I asked about the price, forming an idea in my mind.
These days, pork was the only real meat—oily and filling.
No matter how nutritious eels and loaches were, they would never be valued higher than pork. Such was the mindset of the era.
At last, a middle-aged woman stopped by our stall.
If I didn''t start selling now, when would I?
"Big Sister, let me catch a few for you. They''re great for strengthening the body and treating rheumatism," I said, my voice hoarse from eating too much coarse corn in recent days.
"How much?" she asked.
"Forty cents per pound. If you have food coupons, you can trade one pound of meat coupons for a pound of fish."
Food coupons were essential.
Without them, even if you had money, the supply and marketing cooperative wouldn''t sell you a thing.
As the saying went, "With coupons, you can travel the world; without them, you can''t take a single step."
Farmers didn''t receive food coupons.
Instead, they were allocated "grain rations" based on the work points they earned through collective labor.
If that wasn''t enough to eat, they had to find other ways—like bartering eggs and vegetables with city dwellers.
"That''s too expensive. Thirty-five cents. I''ll take five pounds," the woman bargained.
I sighed inwardly.
People always haggled over a few cents.
"Big Sister, I''m here to do business, not to overcharge you. Let''s make this deal smooth." I weighed the fish carefully, making sure she got slightly more than what she paid for.
"You''re quite fair with your words, young man."
She glanced at the eels, handed over the money, and quickly left.
Plastic bags weren''t common, so shoppers had to bring their own baskets.
To prevent the eels from slipping away, I threaded dogtail grass through their gills, securing them like skewered fish—a necessary precaution.
As I looked at the meager banknotes in my hand, I felt no excitement.
I tossed them to Li Long. "You keep them."
I needed to think bigger.
If a real opportunity came along, I wanted to go to the capital.
Even if all I did was build a few toilets within the Second Ring Road, that alone would guarantee a lifetime of wealth.
These small profits didn''t interest me.
Li Long, however, was ecstatic that I had entrusted him with the money.
Throughout the morning, customers trickled in, mostly buying small amounts.
I let Li Long handle the sales, stepping in only when the crowd grew.
Loaches sold for thirty cents per pound, eels for forty, and the dried fish fetched a little over a penny each.
As soon as we finished selling, we didn''t linger.
We packed up quickly and hurried home, not daring to count our earnings in public.
Halfway back, exhausted and parched, we collapsed under a tree for a break.
Li Long, who had been clutching the money tightly, finally loosened his grip.
He carefully unfolded the notes and counted them—five or six times, just to be sure.
"Brother! Guess how much we made?" he asked, beaming.
"Twenty yuan?" I guessed absentmindedly.
"Thirty-one yuan and thirty-five cents! Plus five pounds of meat coupons and nine pounds of grain coupons! Brother, we''re rich!" Li Long whispered excitedly, fearing others might overhear.
I pushed him away.
"Get off me, it''s too hot."
Still, I couldn''t blame him.
In a family like ours, two yuan was a fortune.