Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 126 Catching Fish

Xu Xiaoyan smiled as she looked at Wang Xiao's eager yet hesitant expression. She narrowed her eyes and slowly recalled, "Although I've never done this kind of digging and draining work myself, I've seen others clean ponds, so I understand the general principle." She pointed to the edge of the pond, "The key is to choose a corner of the pond that is obviously low-lying, use tools to dig or pry open an opening, and use the natural law of water flowing downhill to let the pond water flow out on its own."

She paused, then continued to explain, "The most crucial step in the whole process is to set up an effective interceptor at the outlet. In the past, people would use fine fishing nets to block the outlet so that the water could flow away but the fish would be caught. But now, we don't have any fishing nets..." Her tone carried a hint of helplessness.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and her tone became cheerful. "But we can use burlap sacks! Look at these burlap sacks, the fabric is rough, but the weave is quite tight! We can unfold the burlap sacks and find a way to secure them firmly to the outlet. They can filter the water flow, preventing it from rushing down the bank, and also catch any fish or shrimp that try to escape with the current!" The more she talked, the more feasible it seemed.

She pointed to a closed field by the pond that was completely submerged by waist-high weeds, but was clearly at least half a meter lower than the pond. "I see that the field embankment is still quite well preserved. It's enclosed on all sides, like a ready-made 'reservoir.' We can divert the pond water there, which will not only achieve our goal of catching fish, but if we catch any small fish, shrimp, or loach fry that are too small, not very meaty, or not worth eating, we can just throw them into that waterlogged wasteland."

"Once the pond is almost empty, leaving only a shallow layer of muddy water that barely reaches your ankles and large areas of exposed, slippery silt, we can just roll up our pants and wade in to collect them! At that point, the water will be shallow and the mud will be visible, so any slightly larger fish will have nowhere to hide and won't be able to escape! And," she seemed to remember something and added, "I remember in our ponds, we could sometimes find river clams under the silt. Those things make a pretty delicious soup. But looking at the situation in this pond, the water isn't very deep, and the aquatic plants are mainly water chestnuts and water caltrops. I guess the original owner didn't have the habit of specifically stocking the bottom of the pond with river clams, so we probably can't count on that."

Xie Yingtang stood silently to the side. After Xu Xiaoyan finished speaking, he nodded and said, "Xiaoyan's method is worth a try. Let's first collect all the water chestnuts and water caltrops that can be picked directly. Then we'll focus on digging a canal and releasing water. Once the water level is right, we can go down and catch fish and carefully search for the remaining water caltrops."

In the following time, Xu Xiaoyan and Xie Yingtang continued to harvest water chestnuts, while Wang Xiao helped to gather and transport the harvested water chestnuts to the dry ridges next to the pond, piling them into a small heap.

In about half an hour, they had finished clearing all the water chestnuts and water caltrops within their sight that were worth picking. The water chestnuts piled up on the ridges looked like a small white mountain, and the bags of water caltrops were also heavy.

Wang Xiao volunteered to be the "main engineer." He quickly found a relatively sharp and handy flat stone nearby, which he used as a makeshift pickaxe. He squatted down on the edge of the pond near the low-lying field where the soil looked relatively soft, and began to use the stone to dig and pry the mud that had become wet and sticky from being soaked in water for a long time.

Xu Xiaoyan fully unfolded a spare large burlap sack, then found several sturdy branches and a few appropriately sized stones. She squatted at the intended outlet, gesturing to indicate the possible direction and force of the water flow. She used branches to insert and secure the edges of the sack, and firmly pressed the stones against the bottom and sides of the sack, carefully constructing a simple filtering and interception device that could both effectively divert water and act as a trap.

After quickly finishing the last of his water chestnut harvest, Xie Yingtang didn't rest. He uprooted the water chestnut plants that had already been harvested and looked somewhat messy, or scooped them out of the water and threw them forcefully into the wasteland below that was about to become a "reservoir".

As the soil was repeatedly dug away, a narrow, nascent opening was finally painstakingly created! Almost instantly, the accumulated pool water seemed to find an outlet, immediately flowing along the newly opened channel towards the adjacent wasteland.

The water level in the pond dropped slowly at a visible rate. With the rapid shrinking of their living space and the drastic changes in the aquatic environment, the fish that were originally leisurely lurking underwater or hiding among the silt and plant roots were completely brought to the surface!

On the water surfaces that were not yet completely dry, loud splashing sounds rose and fell, the sound of fish tails struggling and hitting the water. In the murky shallow water, silvery-gray or bluish-black backs could be seen flashing by in panic, stirring up clumps of turbid water.

Wang Xiao stared wide-eyed at the sight of the fish swimming wildly, his breathing becoming heavy. He would stretch his neck to look at the clearly visible shadows of the fish struggling in vain in the shallow water, and then turn his head to look at Xu Xiaoyan, who was still carefully controlling the water flow and reinforcing the "defense line" at the outlet. His face clearly showed the words "I want to catch them! I want to catch them right now!"

He was like a chained monkey, scratching his ears and cheeks, restless, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something but couldn't. Xu Xiaoyan was focused on the flowing water and the sack, but a knowing and indulgent smile involuntarily curved her lips. "Alright, stop holding back there. It's making me uncomfortable just watching you. Go catch some fish if you want. I can watch over things here by myself. Nothing will go wrong." She knew Wang Xiao's personality well. Forcing him to stay here and "help" absentmindedly might actually make things worse. It was better to let him do what he wanted most at that moment.

As soon as she finished speaking, Wang Xiao excitedly shouted, "Xiao Yan, you're the best! You're so kind! Don't worry, I'll be right back, and I promise I'll catch the biggest and fattest one for you!" Before he finished speaking, he had already rushed into the center of the pond, which was half mud and half water. The icy muddy water instantly soaked through his trouser legs, but he didn't care at all. His whole body and mind were immersed in the excitement of the "hunt".

Xu Xiaoyan watched his excited, almost dancing figure as he walked away, and shook her head with a helpless smile. Did she really expect Wang Xiao to be so engrossed in catching fish that he would remember to come back and help her watch over the water outlet and regulate the flow? It would be more realistic to just expect the fish in the pond to line up and jump into the burlap sack she had secured.

She used the stones she had prepared to weigh down the sack around its sides and bottom, constantly making fine adjustments. She had to ensure that the sack wouldn't be washed away or deformed by the current, while also controlling the speed of the water flow to prevent the breach in the embankment from being further eroded and widened due to excessive impact, or to give those extremely agile fish a chance to leap out of the water.

Her prediction and meticulous planning were soon validated. As the pond's water level continued to drop steadily, some smaller fish, or those terrified by the chaos, were swept into the burlap sack at the outlet, like a waiting trap, as they tried to escape the drying "cage" with the current.

Soon, a series of clear and powerful impacts, "thump, thump, thump," came from the inside of the sack.

Xu Xiaoyan immediately bent down and carefully put her hand into the murky, fishy-smelling water. Her fingers groped in the water and soon accurately grabbed a crucian carp about the size of her palm that was jumping desperately at the bottom of the bag. The slippery, cool touch invigorated her.

She deftly took it out, without even looking at it, and threw it into the empty burlap sack that had been prepared beforehand on the bank of the pond. Then, she grabbed several small, thin fish, no longer than a finger, from the sack, which was constantly filled with water, and processed them as well. Although these small fish had little meat, they could enhance the flavor of the soup when cooked together.

Not long after, Wang Xiao, covered in mud and looking like a mud monkey, ran back excitedly from the center of the mudflat, holding a crucian carp in each hand, which was still struggling and trying to put up a last stand. His face was beaming with undisguised, childlike pride and sense of accomplishment, eager to show Xu Xiaoyan his spoils.

"Xiao Yan! Look! Look, I caught two more! They're so big!" He held up the two fish that were still thrashing their tails, muddy water flowing down his arm and outlining lines in the twilight.

Xu Xiaoyan was focused intently on the water outlet and the water flow, afraid of making any mistakes. Upon hearing this, she only glanced at it very quickly, without even fully raising her head, and praised him in a tone that was obviously perfunctory but not discouraging, "Yeah, I saw it. Very impressive. Wang Xiao, you're really good. Hurry up and put it in the sack, lest it escape again. We finally caught it." Her mind and gaze were mostly still firmly locked on the more crucial task of controlling the water flow and intercepting any fish that might slip through the net.

Wang Xiao didn't care about her perfunctory attitude at all, or rather, he was completely immersed in the joy of his harvest. Hearing this, he just chuckled, revealing a set of teeth that looked particularly white in the daytime light. He carefully threw the two fish into the burlap sack that was specially used to store the catch, and watched them start to move again in the limited shallow water. The satisfaction in his heart was almost overflowing.

"Then I'll keep going! I have a feeling there's another puddle over there, and there's definitely something bigger hiding in it!" After saying that, as if afraid that Xu Xiaoyan would change her mind or change her mind at the last minute and ask him to stay and help look for the water outlet, he turned around and rushed back to the "battlefield" that was drying up rapidly, his figure quickly swallowed up by the deepening twilight and the muddy background.

On the other side, because the water level had dropped significantly, most of the water chestnut areas that originally required wading to harvest were now exposed and turned into slippery mudflats. This greatly accelerated Xie Yingtang's harvesting speed. He calmly and efficiently cleared the last few clumps of plants laden with dark brown, mature water chestnuts, ensuring that nothing was missed.

Just as he straightened his slightly sore back, before he could even catch his breath, he was dragged into the ranks of the "fishing army" by Wang Xiaolian, who was full of enthusiasm and energy.

"Old Xie! Stop messing with those black lumps! Come help me catch the fish! There are still so many in the water! I can't catch them all by myself!" Wang Xiao shouted urgently, as if missing this moment would mean losing a billion dollars.

Xie Yingtang looked at the pond in front of him, which had become unusually "lively" due to the release of water, with fish darting about. He then glanced at the sack that was already half full of fish, indicating a good harvest, and did not refuse.

He nodded steadily, gave a simple "Okay," and then rolled up his sleeves without hesitation, joining the hunt. His style was very different from Wang Xiao's; he seemed more patient and methodical. He didn't rush to attack, but carefully observed the patterns and directions of the fish's frantic movements in the shallow mudflats, predicted their escape routes, and then struck with lightning speed, steady, accurate, and ruthless. His efficiency was much higher than Wang Xiao's, who relied solely on brute force.

Once almost all the larger fish and shrimp visible to the naked eye in the pond had been caught and brought to justice, the water surface returned to calm, leaving only a few tiny fry swimming in the shallow puddles and large areas of exposed, shimmering silt. Xie Yingtang picked up the burlap sack containing the fish and weighed it in his hand.

Good heavens, it's heavy! I estimate it's more than half a bag full. Although the individual items aren't huge, the total is quite considerable. This harvest far exceeds their initial expectations.

Xu Xiaoyan looked at her two companions, who were almost covered in mud but had satisfied smiles on their faces. She then looked at the bag of lively fish that symbolized a "sumptuous dinner," and then looked up at the sky, which had completely darkened and was only illuminated by the hazy moonlight.

A gentle evening breeze blew by, and she couldn't help but swallow hard; her craving for hot food and meat had become stronger than ever before.

She took a deep breath of the muddy, damp air, suppressing her restlessness. With a hint of barely perceptible anticipation in her voice, she suggested, "After all this commotion, it's been so long since I've had a proper taste of meat. Just thinking about the aroma of grilled fish makes my mouth water."

She pointed to the bag of fish, then to the ridges where water chestnuts and water caltrops were piled up. "How about this, Brother Xie, Wang Xiao, you two take a moment to work hard and take this sack of fish to that sheltered spot we've chosen to start a fire. Wang Xiao, you bragged before that you were really good at grilling fish, so I'll see what you're capable of this time! You two go ahead, I'll take care of the rest of the work here. I need to drain the last bit of water, then check if any fish escaped, and pack up the tools and the remaining sacks. I can handle all these chores by myself."