Chapter 86 - Luring Fish (1/2)
Oh right! She knew another method of making pickled fish, which only needed ordinary small fish. There was a pond behind their house, which had an abundance of resources that she could take advantage of!
She remembered that Qian Wu and Little Shitou had caught many palm-sized crucian carps and sharpbelly last time and brought them back to make soup. The little crucian carps and sharpbelly had a lot of small bones, but the bones would become soft when made into pickled fish. So the bones could be chewed and eaten together with the meat. Yes! That was it!
“But… is there any way to catch a large number of small fish?” Yu Xiaocao couldn’t help but worry again.
Suddenly, Little Shitou’s joyful screams sounded beside her ears, “Quickly look! There’s a wild bird drinking water from our water tank!”
Xiaocao looked up and saw a snow-white bird with slender, long legs. It stood on the edge of the water vat and leaned forward to drink water in the vat. In early spring, the weather was gradually becoming warmer. These past few days, there had been unknown birds visiting their home to borrow water from the vat to drink.
The little divine stone had once proudly told her that the wild birds were attracted to the spiritual energy in the bathing water inside the water tank. Regardless of whether it was an animal or plant, spiritual energy was a good nourishment for them. However, if the concentration of energy was too high and the organism was too young, it would be overpowered by the energy and explode…
Yu Xiaocao’s eyes suddenly lit up at that thought——Didn’t that mean that if she used the little divine stone as bait, she would be able to lure a school of little fish?
[Stinky Master, bad Master! You’re going to use me as a bait again. I won’t let you off!] Out of nowhere, a little golden kitten suddenly jumped onto her shoulder and fiercely snarled at her.
After it acknowledged its master, Xiaocao and the little divine stone’s minds had become interlinked. So, the little fellow could immediately sense all her thoughts.
[Alright, alright! I won’t use you as bait anymore!] Xiaocao hastily pacified the angry kitten, [But, Little Glutinous Dumpling, you’ll have to help me think of a way to lure the small fish into the trap.]
The little divine stone snorted proudly and said, [There’s no need for me, this celestial stone, to personally do anything. Isn’t my bathing water the best bait? As for how to use it, do you really need me to answer such a stupid question?]
After hearing its words, Yu Xiaocao immediately stuffed the two hundred copper coins into her purse and told Madam Liu to put it away safely. The remaining money was left as pocket money for family expenses. After that, she pulled Little Shitou into the kitchen and filled a jar with mystic-stone water. She went to Yu Hai and asked, “Father, do we have a fishing net at home?”
“Fishing net? No! What do you need it for?” Yu Hai soaked the pig head in the water from the vat. The water from the vat had the spiritual energy from the little divine stone, which enhanced the taste of the braised pig’s head.
Xiaocao smiled mysteriously and said, “Of course I’ll have a use for it! I just thought of another way to make money again. Just wait and see!”
Yu Hai stretched out his hand, which he had touched the pig’s head with, and wanted to pinch her nose, but Xiaocao nimbly dodged him. He smiled and said, “What kind of net do you want? I can just make it for you right now!”
Yu Hai didn’t have much to do, so he would often help the villagers weave some fishing nets at home. Thus, their family naturally didn’t lack nets. Xiaocao instructed him heat a bamboo strip until it turned into a circular shape and fasten it onto a bamboo pole. After that, attach a fishing net onto the round bamboo strip to form a pocket—a simple net was formed.
“Are you two going netting? It’s quite hard to catch the big fish in the pond behind the house, so be careful and don’t fall in… Do you want Father to come with you guys?” Yu Hai saw the kids going out of the backyard and worriedly cautioned.
“No, we’re just experimenting first. If we succeed, then we’ll ask for Father’s help…” Xiaocao’s voice sounded from behind the house, while Little Shitou also made an elated cry.
When the sister-brother pair arrived at the pond, Qian Wu, who was tending the ducks by the river, saw them and swiftly rushed over. He asked, “Xiaocao, Xiaocao! How come you have time to play by the river today?”
Little Shitou acted like a little adult and said, “Go, go, go! Do you think we’re like you, who only cares about playing! We’re here for serious business. Go away! Don’t delay us from catching fish!”
“Catching fish? I’m really good at that! Let me help you!” Qian Wu immediately forgot about his task of tending the ducks and shamelessly insisted on helping.
Xiaocao was worried about other people discovering the secret in her jar, so she smiled and refused, “Xiaowu, if Auntie Qian sees you leaving the ducks aside and playing by yourself, your ears will definitely suffer some pain. You should just go back to tend the ducks!”
Qian Wu touched his ears, pouted, and sat on the shore, feeling aggrieved. He smacked the water with the bamboo pole in his hands to vent his anger, which scared the ducks to flee in all directions. Madam Mao saw this scene and shrieked, “Stinky brat, I told you to tend the ducks, not to send the ducks away! If the ducks are too scared to lay eggs, you can anticipate being spanked!”
Qian Wu touched his butt, and then reluctantly looked at the siblings who had walked far away. He sighed heavily and resigned to his fate of tending the ducks.
Xiaocao chose a hidden area, put the crock into the water, and anxiously looked at the surface of the water. This jar was the place where Little Divine Stone often ‘bathed’. Thus, it had accumulated a large amount of spiritual energy over time.