Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 913: Revenge on the Unfamiliar Visitor (3)

Chapter 913: Chapter 913: Revenge on the Unfamiliar Visitor (3)

"There should be, this net is heavy!"

"Two hundred pounds in one go, and after fishing a dozen more times, wouldn’t that be two thousand pounds?"

"How could this one-acre pond have that much? But the fish do grow fast; in just over a year, they’ve grown to two or three pounds each."

"Hmm, that’s really quick. Probably because the water is good and there’s plenty of food washing down from the mountains and fields, fattening them up."

"..."

Watching the silver fish leap out of the water, the villagers chatted excitedly. Under Old Man Ding’s instructions, they quickened the pace of pulling the nets and soon all six fishing nets were hauled onto the shore.

In the blazing sunshine, one after another plump fish wriggled their tails nonstop, attempting to escape the net and return to the water, but to no avail; the nets were too sturdy, not even their tails could slip through.

The other villagers carried over large wooden tubs full of clean water and started retrieving fish from the nets to throw them in.

Seeing a few fish with very swollen bellies, clearly females ready to spawn, Mo Yan quickly said, "Let the big-bellied fish go. If we leave them, there’s no need to be troubled fishing for hatchlings in the river."

"That makes sense!" Hearing this, the villagers tossed the roe-laden fish back into the water and also released some smaller fish.

When the nets were completely cleared of fish, the big wooden tubs were full. Concerned that the fish might die off in the high temperature, Old Man Ding hurriedly had people carry the fish back and pour them into the nets in the Xiaoqing River.

While nobody was paying attention, Mo Yan added a few drops of Spirit Spring Water from the Water Sack into each wooden tub.

Truthfully, these fish could easily be raised at home. It was just that their growth over a little more than a year was surprisingly big. If they had survived a hot summer day and night, still lively and jumping, it would have raised suspicion.

After several rounds of fishing, not counting the released female and small fish, each round brought in nearly two hundred pounds of fish. After a few rounds, they had caught around nine hundred pounds in total.

As noon approached and the day grew hotter, even standing by the water, everyone started to feel the strain.

Worried about heatstroke, Mo Yan then said, "Let’s stop here for today. We can finish the rest after selling these fish."

Old Man Ding, being the oldest and least heat-tolerant, echoed Mo Yan’s suggestion, calling to the others, "Let’s head back for now then, and come back in a few days to finish up. We should be able to clear the rest in two goes."

No one objected, and they all started heading back to the village, carrying the fishing nets and wooden tubs.

At the Mo Family house, Mo Yan let each of the dozen or so villagers who had helped with the fishing pick two fish each as a thank you. Two fish were worth considerably more than ten or twenty wen of wages. If they didn’t eat them, they could sell them to other villagers or at the market.

Old Man Ding and the others were very pleased, thanked Mo Yan, and took their big fish home.

Mo Yan kept two fish, planning to make boiled fish slices and fish balls for lunch. The remaining dozens of pounds of fish were carried off by Lixiu’s nephew to be dumped into the Xiaoqing River.

At the Xiaoqing River, with two big, fierce local dogs watching, no one dared to try to steal the fish.

There were only six people at home, and with two fish weighing nearly five pounds together, it was enough for Mo Yan and her family to enjoy a feast. As soon as the fiery boiled fish slices and the round, tender fish balls were served, everyone’s mouths watered; they were just too delicious!

The fish, naturally savory, gained an extra touch of flavor from being raised in a pond with Spirit Spring Water, which made the flesh even more tender, smooth, and mildly fishy. Even those who didn’t generally like fish would fall in love with it.

There’s no need to mention the fish balls; once served, they were quickly snatched up. The boiled fish slices were even tastier, but they were so spicy that everyone could only eat them slowly. Halfway through, everyone was sweating profusely with their clothes soaked through.