pdf-ebookys Chapter 76 Fishing for Frogs
Chapter 76 Fishing for Frogs
It's been several days since we went to pick wild berries ("hats") on the back mountain. The photography team, after a few days of shooting, was also satisfied and led their group back. Before leaving, they said the place was nice and they'd definitely come if they ever opened a resort there. As for Zhang Niu's photos, he said he'd bring them next time he comes.
As soon as Lao Wang and his group arrived back in the provincial capital, they went into a professional darkroom. Plastic clips were used to attach photos to ropes, which hung there, and Lao Wang and Lao Li examined them.
"Old Wang, how many photos do you think we can select for the competition this time?" he asked with a smile, staring at the photos in front of him.
Old Wang stroked his short beard. After thinking for a moment, he said, "It's a bit hard to say. After all, we can only offer suggestions for film selection. The final approval depends on others."
Old Li nodded. "Yes. But that young man when he left... Didn't they say some photos can't be sent out?"
He adjusted his glasses. "Well, selecting a few photos shouldn't be a problem. They might even thank us later."
Bullshit. It's good enough if I don't get scolded. Old Li thought to himself. It's best to offer as few opinions as possible on this matter.
Old Wang, unaware of Old Li's thoughts, continued walking and looking at the photos, occasionally offering his comments.
Zhang Niu was unaware that Lao Wang had already prepared the materials and photos for the award selection. He had mentioned before leaving that he didn't want outside noise to disturb their little haven. Clearly, that plan had failed.
Although Zhang Niu thought this way, Zhangjia Village had recently seen an increase in visitors. Those driving down were mostly working professionals. It just so happened to be the peak season for peach blossoms and other flowers.
The Xiaobao family, sitting in the car, were preparing to drive down to Zhangjia Village. Trees flashed by outside the car window. In the distance, they could see red peach blossoms and snow-white plum blossoms on the mountains.
"Mommy, are we going to big brother's house today...?" the baby asked with wide eyes, nestled in his mother's arms.
Today is Saturday. The family, a little tired from city life, took advantage of the flowers blooming in the countryside to relax. The baby is still waiting for an answer.
Just as she was about to speak, she remembered that big wild boar from last time. But then she thought about Zhang Niu, that young man, and smiled. "Okay. But baby, you can't be naughty, okay?"
"Thank you, Mom," he said, looking down at the contents of the bag. It was for Zhang Niu's little sister.
The driver was a young man, about 1.75 meters tall, wearing a beige shirt. He was listening to the mother and daughter's conversation, and a smile occasionally appeared on his lips.
Zhang Niu carried his hoe early in the morning and walked through the flower grove. Looking around, he saw Xiao Hei following behind, chasing after the white butterflies. It was quite a lively scene.
Zhang Niu shook his head; the kid was too young. He was still a child. Isn't chasing butterflies something only cats love?
Flowers bloom and fade. The ground is covered with red and white petals. Stepping on them feels like walking on a red carpet.
Zhang Niu has already planted thorny trees in the large orchard near the bamboo house. He also comes over every night to water them with his spatial water. The thorny trees on Maotou Mountain are already taking shape, blooming with small, silvery-white flowers. The fragrance is somewhat like that of wine. I heard that after the flowers bloom, they will bear bean-like fruits.
Zhang Niu, having walked through most of the orchard, finally returned. He sat down to rest in the bamboo pavilion. The lotus flowers on the water had all formed round cattail leaves floating on top, with transparent white water droplets rolling around on them.
The lotus flowers have finally sprouted. I just wonder what color they'll be when they bloom. Looking at the lotus flowers in the water makes me really want to see what they'll look like when they bloom.
As he got up to get out of the house, he saw a car drive in. It stopped in the open space in front of him, and Zhang Niu thought the car looked a bit unfamiliar. Nevertheless, he went over to take a look.
As soon as the car door opened, he heard someone running towards Zhang Niu saying, "Big brother, baby's here!"
My little sister was also there behind the baby. But I still called out, "Baby, come let your big brother hold you."
The baby's mom also came here last year, but I didn't expect it to change a bit this year. Especially that flower grove in the distance. Honey, can we go there and take some pictures for me later?
The baby is young, but he was still captivated by this place. Last time I went home, my wife told me she was startled by a wild boar during the day. I didn't quite believe her then. But seeing this scenery as soon as we got out of the car, I felt we'd come to the right place.
I picked up the baby and gently rubbed her little nose a few times; she seemed quite heavy. "Did you miss your big brother, baby? What brings you here?"
The little hand patted Zhang Niu's face. "Hmm, baby misses big brother. But don't you dare touch baby's nose. Baby will grow up to be a super invincible beauty."
Hearing this, the baby's mother who had just walked over was quite annoyed. She often boasted at home, and she never expected her daughter to pick up the same trick.
"Baby, get down so your big brother can't hold you." The baby just shook his head. "I just like my big brother."
Turning around, he saw a young man standing next to the baby's mother. This must be the baby's father; he's quite young. The two look very well-matched. Zhang Niu could finally see who had married the baby's mother. "Come in. Let's sit down!"
Holding the baby, I led them to the gazebo in the front yard. "Everyone, please sit down. I'll go inside and get some water."
"No, I'm not thirsty. Don't bother me." The baby's father said in a deep voice as he looked at the front yard.
When the baby's father mentioned it, Zhang Niu decided not to go inside. He sat down on the stone slab himself.
The baby's father politely took out a cigarette and handed it to Zhang Niu, saying, "Have one." He then lit one for himself as well.
This time, the baby and the little sister didn't argue like they did last time. They ran hand-in-hand out of the hospital. Zhang Niu wasn't worried; with the little sister there, he felt safe.
The baby's father, puffing out smoke, stood up. "This place really has character. Mountains, water, buildings. Better than the big cities."
"It's nothing. We'll just go for the ride. You guys want to take pictures, right? It's better to go in the morning; the scenery won't be as good if you take pictures in the afternoon."
The mother next to her, upon hearing this, chimed in, "Honey, let's go take some pictures!"
"Okay, let's go take a look! It would be a shame to come all this way and not take any pictures before we go back," the baby's dad said with a smile.
He led the two girls to the peach grove. The two girls who had come out earlier had vanished without a trace.
They took one picture in front of the peach tree, another near the beehive, and the two were having a great time taking pictures. Meanwhile, Zhang Niu, who was nearby, had already slipped away.
As soon as I walked into the front yard, I heard the baby's sweet, childlike voice.
"Come on. Be a good boy and eat the bugs, okay?"
"Wrong, this guy doesn't eat this, he's a lazy guy." It was clearly the younger sister's voice.
"Really? But the book says birds eat insects."
Wrong. This bird doesn't eat insects.
. . . . . .
The two men argued there. Zhang Niu found it interesting; birds are naturally insect-eaters. It's hard to imagine a bird not eating insects. He decided to go in and take a look.
Stepping into the front yard, I saw my little sister and baby squatting by the pond, with a small iron basin in front of them, in which several large green caterpillars were struggling to climb.
I initially thought it was some kind of bird that wouldn't eat insects, but it turned out to be my own cat. The cat was pinned to the ground, purring. My baby was using two small bamboo sticks to pick up a green worm, intending to feed it to the cat.
Ugh. Oh, it's that cat. That guy never eats worms, he just loves other things... Looks like he's in for a world of hurt. Seeing Zhang Niu come in, the cat struggled even harder, trying to run to its owner for protection. It didn't want to eat those nasty green worms anymore.
Before Zhang Niu could even reach her, Bao Bao had already let go of the cat. She ran to Zhang Niu's side and tugged at his clothes. "Big brother, why won't your bird eat worms? I've fed it to you several times, but it won't eat. Is it sick?"
After the baby's little hand grabbed at it, several small handprints appeared on Zhang Niu's clothes. "This is very simple. Baby, if you eat your breakfast and then ask you to eat another bowl, you won't be able to eat anymore, right?"
"Yes. But what does this have to do with birds?"
"This bird is full. Of course it doesn't want to eat anymore. How could it be sick?" he mumbled.
"Big brother, I know. Then I'll feed it again when it's hungry at noon. It must eat all the caterpillars in the little iron basin." He let go and ran to pick the caterpillars that had crawled out back into the basin.
Poor cat. Looks like it can't escape its fate of eating caterpillars at noon. Zhang Niu watched the cat flee back into the house and silently mourned. Isn't the baby afraid of caterpillars too? If so, together with his little sister, they'd really make a pair of little devils. They'd be a real match.
The cat ran back into the house. The two girls went to the pigpen and chased the still-sleeping wild boar piglets out. Looks like it's going to be a day of mischief.
Zhang Niu, carrying a small bamboo pole and a small bucket, ran into the baby's mother and her husband returning hand in hand, looking very happy.
"How did the filming go?" he asked immediately.
"We've taken all the photos. It's rare to be able to take so many pictures at once," the baby's dad said immediately. He looked like he wanted even more.
"Hehe. The last photography team was the same. But luckily they brought a lot." He was talking about the last photography team.
The sharp-eyed mother spotted Zhang Niu carrying a small bucket and a small bamboo pole. "Where are you going?"
Zhang Niu chuckled. "I'm going to go fishing for some frogs by the fields near the village. They'll be for the owl at home to eat."
After hearing this, the baby's father said, "When I came up here just now, weren't there frogs in your pond? Why did you have to go outside the village?"
Zhang Niu hadn't expected to notice such a small thing by the pond. "The frogs in the pond are different from the field frogs," he said, which was a bit puzzling.
The mother was puzzled by this, wondering how frogs and field frogs could be different, so she asked a silly question, "Aren't frogs and field frogs the same?" Even the father nodded in agreement.
After listening, Zhang Niu knew they didn't understand what frogs and field frogs were. He patiently explained, "Frogs and field frogs are two different kinds of frogs. Frogs are the ones that are completely green, you should know that, right?"
"I know about frogs, but what about field frogs?"
"Frogs are much smaller than croaks. The biggest one is only about the size of a thumb, basically a miniature version of a toad. In the village, don't you hear croaking sounds coming from the fields every night in the summer? That's frogs calling." He rattled off the rest of the story in one breath. Zhang Niu also felt a little thirsty.
This was the first time the baby's dad had heard of the difference between frogs and field frogs. He used to think that all the frogs in the fields were frogs, but when he went to restaurants to eat frog porridge or something, there were very few frogs. He never understood why there were so many frogs in the fields but so few in restaurants. Now he finally understood.
"Want to come and see for yourself? It's really interesting," Zhang Niu tempted.
Upon hearing this, the baby's mother also had an idea and said coquettishly, "Honey, why don't we go take a look?"
"Alright then. I was just thinking of going to check it out too. If you don't mind the crowd, let's all go together."
Just as he was about to go out, the two girls came back with the piglets. "Brother, are you going to go fishing for frogs?" the younger sister asked when she saw her brother dressed like that.
"Yes, it's for my cat."
The baby started asking questions again, like a student, "Don't cats eat bugs? Why would they eat frogs? What are frogs?" He looked at Zhang Niu, waiting for an answer.
It seems this baby won't have to worry about studying in the future.
"Brother, is that bamboo pole I used last time still there? I want to go fishing too," she asked anxiously.
"Yes, it's by the kitchen. Go get it." As her older brother, Zhang Niu knew exactly what his little sister was thinking. How could he leave her out of this frog fishing trip? Otherwise, she would definitely cry to their parents when they got home tonight.
My little sister's little bamboo pole is just right for her.
She answered the baby's questions all the way. The baby's father drove back to the village entrance first, saying he would come back later.
Outside the village, many children were already standing by the fields, carrying small buckets and bamboo poles, fishing for frogs.
"Big brother, are they all fishing for frogs?"
"Yes, it's edible. It's just that the portion is too small, only the calf."
"Can I eat this too, baby?" she asked, looking pitiful.
Do all little girls know this killer move? My little sister knows it too, and so does my baby. You guys really have defeated me.
"How about we eat the frogs from the pond next time you come, baby? The frogs from the paddy fields don't taste very good."
"So, will we get to eat frogs next time we come?" the baby asked, tilting his head.
There were quite a few people by the field. Zhang Niu walked onto the large irrigation ditch, right next to the paddy fields. This spot wasn't bad either; it offered a commanding view, making fishing even easier.
After arranging everything, Zhang Niu went barefoot into the paddy field. He caught a small frog in the water and showed it to his wife, saying, "This is a frog, now you know what a frog is, right?"
The baby's mother looked at the wrinkled frog in front of her and thought, "Wow, it's so ugly. Frogs are much prettier."
I slammed the frog hard onto the concrete floor; its little legs kicked a few times. It must have cramped up. I pulled out a small pair of scissors from my pocket.
The baby standing nearby stared wide-eyed, confused as to why his older brother was killing the frog. Was he going to have surgery? Was this some kind of game?
For children living in the city, playing house is a rare treat. Now that they've finally come out, they want to see it more clearly.
The baby's mother wasn't entirely sure either, and shared the same question as the baby.
He took the scissors and cut off two frog legs, each about the thickness of a matchstick. He gave one to his little sister. The baby wasn't too scared of the little bit of blood. "Big brother, what are you going to do with this frog leg?"
"This is frog bait." He took out a bamboo pole and pulled up the line. He tied the fishing line around the frog's leg a few times and tightened it. You can also use a fishhook to fish for frogs, but that's troublesome and inefficient. The villagers prefer to use the fishing line tied to the frog's leg like this.
The baby's mother saw it clearly; the sight of using frog legs to catch frogs was truly an eye-opener for her.
Frogs also inherited the frog's inability to see things up close; to put it bluntly, they're blind. Zhang Niu placed a bamboo pole among the green seedlings, lifting it up and down with each movement. He explained, "Frogs are blind, but if you shake it like this from a distance, they can see you from far away and jump over." As he spoke, his hand trembled continuously.
Standing on top, you can see some gaps in the rice seedlings below. A frog, about the thickness of a thumb, jumps out. Zhang Niu holds the frog's leg up to its face and waves it. Seeing something moving, the frog opens its mouth, springs its legs, and bites the leg. "It's hooked!" He pulls the bamboo pole back and yanks the frog down with his hand, tossing it into the bucket. Frogs usually don't let go once they've bitten something. They look rather silly. That's the difference between fishing for frogs and using a hook.
Watching Zhang Niu easily catch a frog was impressive in the baby's eyes. The little girl next to him also caught a frog that was even bigger than Zhang Niu's.
Seeing the eager baby beside him, he said, "Come here, baby. Big brother will teach you how to catch frogs, okay?"
The baby looked at her mother. "Go!" The baby didn't have many friends in the city. Now someone could play with her. The baby's mother was very happy. She could also learn more. Now that she had this cow, at least she would be able to distinguish between sheep and pigs in the future, as many children in the city didn't know how to tell the difference.
Zhang Niu himself was unaware that the baby's mother needed him to teach the baby some things. The baby snuggled into Zhang Niu's arms, looking at the bamboo pole, unsure how to proceed. He kept glancing at Zhang Niu.
Oops. I forgot the baby is so small and doesn't know how yet; I have to teach him. "Come here, baby. Hold this bamboo stick."
The baby followed Zhang Niu's instructions and held the bamboo pole. Fortunately, the bamboo poles used for catching frogs are very thin and short, so they can be used for close-range fishing.
Zhang Niu held the baby's small hand in his large hand. "Come and do it like this," he said, lifting the fishing rod. He moved it to a gap in the paddy field, shaking it up and down, a few shakes here and there. Then he moved to another spot, explaining as he went.
A few moments later, four frogs came and squatted there. "The frogs are here. Now, baby, you should choose one and dangle it in front of it." Then the baby asked a shocking question, "Can I catch four at once?"
Zhang Niu burst into laughter, squinting his little nose. "Baby's so greedy! But if you're skilled enough, you can bite two at once."
After having had enough of explaining, the baby and the little sister stood together and started fishing for frogs.
"Thank you for teaching me so much," the baby said gratefully.
Zhang Niu, a little embarrassed, said, "It's nothing. The kids in the village have known this for a long time, and my little sister knows it too. It's just to make things lively for the baby. What kind of knowledge is that?"
"What you're saying isn't quite right. Don't you know that kids in the city can't even tell the difference between a sheep and a pig these days?" The mother offered her own perspective on what had just been said.
"What? You can't even tell the difference between a pig and a sheep? That's quite something. Thinking about it, what Baby's mom said is really true. Children in the countryside mature early; they learn to weed the fields and cook at a young age."
"This is also a difference between cities and rural areas. I guess climbing trees to steal bird nests is just a pipe dream now."
"That's why I want to thank you. My baby is still small, but I'll try to bring her down to play whenever I have time. It'll also give your little sister and baby some company."
"That's alright. There are plenty of little kids in the village. They're always making a ruckus, so there's no shortage of people around. Besides, the baby is so adorable."
"What are you talking about that makes you so happy?" Baby's dad walked over from the edge of the field.
"Daddy, look, this is the frog I just caught! Aren't I great?" The baby showed off to his father as soon as he picked up a frog.
The baby's dad also noticed the frog still biting into it. He never expected his own child to be doing the same things as the village kids. Just as they walked past the edge of the paddy field, they saw many little kids fishing with buckets by the field, and he couldn't help but sigh at his own child's lack of understanding.
Before lunch, there were already quite a few frogs in the bucket, and the baby's mother went up to try her hand at it. Eventually, even the baby's father got itchy and tried it too. Looking at the clumsy frogs, the two of them burst into laughter.
Walking along the edge of the field, the baby's dad's shoes were already covered in mud. But he didn't seem to care; it was a rare occasion for him to be so happy. Behind them, the baby and little sister were holding frogs, seemingly torturing them.
In the afternoon, the baby's family drove back, saying they had urgent business to attend to, otherwise they would have liked to stay overnight in Zhang Niu's bamboo house.
After leaving, Zhang Niu also carried the small bucket home. A bucket of frogs would be enough to feed the cat for several days without any problem. That cat really lived up to its name. Owls are naturally fond of eating frogs, but his cat only liked frog legs and wouldn't eat anything else. Moreover, the frog bodies were scattered everywhere. After Zhang Niu severely scolded it and made it hungry for a day, it finally behaved itself.
Early morning. The cheerful chirping of birds outside. A new day has begun.
The cat, starving from just waking up, was already purring at Zhang Niu by the bedside, begging for food. "You little glutton! You're really pushing me," Zhang Niu muttered. He took the cat to the kitchen, lifted the lid, and grabbed four or five pieces. He put them down on the ground in the front yard. "Watch over your breakfast. Don't let it all run away and come back looking for it."
The frogs that had just landed scattered and jumped around. For a cat that often eats frogs, it was easy to wave its big wings and chase them all to the side so it could enjoy them slowly.
After getting rid of the glutton, Zhang Niu had to busy himself with his own breakfast.
This morning, Zhang Niu planned to split some bamboo strips to weave bamboo clips, intending to insert them at the water inlet. Summer is approaching, and heavy rains will become common. The blackfish and other fish in their pond will swim upstream, and it would be troublesome if they escaped. He figured he had some free time to weave some.
Weaving bamboo clips is also a troublesome task. The bamboo strips need to be split into strips over a meter long, and each strip must be uniform in size, neither too thick nor too thin, otherwise the gaps will be uneven.
He was splitting bamboo strips. Wild boar cubs nearby kept coming to cause trouble, biting off the unsplit bamboo strips.
Ugh, all they do is cause trouble instead of study. They only retrieved it after they'd almost finished chopping it up. The piglet ran off somewhere else. This cow is utterly speechless.
He took the hemp rope and braided it three times, alternating between forward and reverse. Zhang Niu himself thought it looked alright. As long as it worked, that was fine.
Seeing the hemp rope in my hand reminded me that it seems to be hemp-peeling season. I wonder if my dad has gone to cut some. This stuff is so useful.
Just as the bamboo clamps were inserted into the inlet of the pond, Shengming from the village came up.
"I'm inserting bamboo tongs," he said with a smile.
Standing by the water, Zhang Niu washed his hands. "Yeah. It's a mess. I had some free time today, so I came here to help."
"Of course it's good news. There's some great news in the village this morning. We just wanted to invite you to come and see it."
"Good news? Did someone in the village get married?" I asked casually, not really knowing what was going on.
Seeing that Zhang Niu hadn't guessed correctly, Shengming felt a surge of pride. "I knew you wouldn't guess," he said. "A fish was found this morning on the sandy bank of the stream."
Zhang Niu didn't pay attention when he heard about the fish. What family hasn't seen fish? Isn't that just a bunch of nonsense?
Shengming also noticed that Zhang Niu thought it was a small fish, so he added, "But it's not a small fish, it's a big fish that's 1.7 meters long, and its head is bigger than our heads." He gestured with his hands.
"What?!" Zhang Niu, who was 1.7 meters tall, was stunned as soon as he heard the words. "Huh? Isn't that about the same length as me?"
Shengming was quite pleased to see Zhang Niu's actions. "Now you know what kind of fish it is! Everyone in the village, young and old, is gathered at the village entrance. They're saying they'll be having a fish feast at the Zhang family's meeting hall tonight."
Zhang Niu had probably never seen a 1.7-meter-tall fish before. He quickly went ashore. "Let's go take a look." Everyone could see the excitement on Man Lian's face.
On the way, Zhang Niu learned that the big fish had probably escaped from the village reservoir after water was released. It had bumped and jostled its way through the village, and by the time it reached Zhangjia Village, it was already dead, buried in the shallow sand. It was only after some local children spotted it that they rushed back to the village to call for help.
Updated to around 6000 words. I didn't feel much for yesterday's chapter, I'm really sorry. I was so dizzy I didn't even know what to write, but I know I can say something. Sorry.