booktalesy Chapter 24 Soft-shelled Turtle
Chapter 24 Soft-shelled Turtle
Chen Feng looked down at his bare feet, his toes still covered in mud. He chuckled, tossed his shoes to the ground, and said, "Don't worry about getting pricked, I'm thick-skinned!"
He squatted down, leaned close to the sketch Chen Zheng had drawn, and tilted his head to look at it for a long time:
"Brother, you drew the inlet here and the outlet there, but what's this area in the middle of the fishpond for?"
"Deep water area. Fish are afraid of the cold in winter, so they need a deep water area to hide in."
In summer, when the water gets hot, fish tend to move to deeper water areas.
Just like people, when it's cold you wear a cotton-padded coat, when it's hot you use a fan; you always need a place to stay.
Chen Laosan listened from the side, his lips twitching, but he didn't say anything, only nodding.
Chen Feng gave a vague "oh," then asked, "Now that the fishpond is dug, what kind of fish do you plan to raise?"
"The main types of freshwater fish are grass carp, silver carp, bighead carp, and common carp."
These types of fish are easy to raise, grow quickly, and sell well.
Add some crucian carp, bream, and common carp, and raise them together so they don't compete for food.
"Why not raise snakehead fish? They're expensive!"
"Snakehead fish eat small fish. If you raise a pond full of snakehead fish, they will eat all the other fish."
They must be raised individually in a separate pond.
We only have one pond right now, so we'll raise the four major freshwater fish species first. Later, when we have more ponds, we'll consider raising snakehead fish.
Chen Feng said "oh" and then asked a series of questions, which Chen Zheng answered one by one.
Chen Laosan listened from the side, occasionally interjecting with a comment, always pointing out the key points.
For example, the location of the water inlet should take into account the rise and fall of the lake water, the outlet should have a sluice gate to prevent the fish from escaping, and the pond embankment should be tamped down to prevent leakage.
Chen Zheng kept these words in mind and added several strokes to the sketch.
After measuring the land, the three of them walked back.
The sun was already high in the sky, making everyone sweat profusely.
Old Chen walked ahead, carrying a hoe.
Chen Zheng and Chen Rong walked behind, while Chen Feng ran barefoot along the ridge of the field.
One moment they were chasing butterflies, the next they were picking wildflowers, all while humming a song.
As we passed the old tree at the village entrance, several old men were still squatting there smoking.
Seeing Chen Zheng and his group return from the fields, someone shouted, "Zhengzi, I heard you're going to dig a pond to raise fish?"
The news spread quickly.
Chen Zheng replied, "Yes, at the east end of the village, in that low-lying field near my house, we'll dig a fishpond."
"That land has been abandoned for several years. Nothing grows there, but it's suitable for digging ponds and raising fish."
The old man nodded and took the pipe from his mouth.
"Zhengwa, your dad also thought about digging a pond to raise fish back then, but he didn't manage to do it."
Chen Zheng paused for a moment, then turned to look at Chen Laosan.
Chen Laosan didn't say anything, but carried his hoe and walked forward, his pace quickening compared to before.
Chen Zheng followed and asked in a low voice, "Dad, did you want to dig a pond to raise fish back then?"
"I've thought about it," Chen Laosan said in a low voice without turning around.
"You were just born then. Your family was poor and wanted to dig a pond to earn more money."
Later, your mother's health deteriorated, and I couldn't manage everything by myself, so I couldn't finish the job.
"Dad, I'll do it this time."
Chen Laosan stopped and turned around to look at Chen Zheng.
Sunlight shone on his face, highlighting his dark complexion. His lips moved, as if he were saying something.
But Chen Zheng didn't hear clearly.
When Zhang Cuihua got home, she had already prepared breakfast.
Cornmeal porridge, cornbread, pickled vegetable shreds, and a plate of scrambled eggs.
The eggs were laid by our own old hens; they were bright yellow and sprinkled with chopped green onions.
"Zhengwa, after you finish eating, go find Jianguo and ask him to help you dig the pond. How long would it take if you dug it all by yourself?"
"Mother, I'll be there in a bit."
After finishing his meal, Chen Zheng cleaned up the dishes and went to Zhang Jian's house.
Zhang Jianguo was chopping firewood in the yard, the axe swinging loudly.
The firewood cracked and splintered, sending debris flying everywhere. He saw Chen Zheng enter, slam the axe down on the wood stump, and...
He stood up: "Ah Zheng, digging a pond?"
"Dig. Let's go, let's go check out the field first and decide on a location."
Zhang Jianguo picked up the shovel leaning against the wall and hoisted it onto his shoulder.
He was wearing an old cloth shirt today, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing a section of his dark forearm.
His trousers were rolled up above his knees, and he wore a pair of liberation shoes covered in mud.
"You were all prepared for this long ago?" Chen Zheng laughed.
"Of course! My mother said that if we don't dig out the pond embankment today, I won't eat."
The two walked towards the east end of the village.
Halfway there, they ran into Liu Jiawang squatting by the roadside, engrossed in reading a book.
He heard footsteps, looked up, and stared at you with eyes that seemed to be looking at you, yet also seemed to be looking elsewhere.
"Ah Zheng! Jianguo! Where are you going?"
"We're digging a pond. Are you coming?"
Liu Jiawang closed the book, stuffed it into his pocket, stood up, and patted the dirt off his backside.
"Go! As the ancients said, 'A skilled craftsman must first have the right tools.' I need to go back and get a shovel."
"Go quickly and come back quickly."
Liu Jiawang ran home and returned shortly afterward, carrying a shovel.
He was panting heavily, his forehead covered in sweat, and his glasses were askew. He pushed them up and kept running.
When the three of them arrived at the field, Chen Zheng took out the sketch from his pocket, squatted down, and drew on the soil with a twig:
"Starting from here, follow this line all the way to the other side."
It needs to be two meters wide and one and a half meters high; it must be tamped down firmly, otherwise it will leak.
Zhang Jianguo glanced at the line and nodded. "Okay. Where should we start digging?"
"Start from the inlet. First, dig out the channel at the inlet, then dig the pond embankment."
The three of them rolled up their sleeves and got to work.
Chen Zheng swung his shovel and dug up a large clump of black soil with each shovelful, then threw it onto the edge of the field.
Zhang Jianguo was strong; he could dig up half as much soil as Chen Zheng with a single shovel, and it would whistle through the air when he threw it out.
Liu Jiawang dug slower, but he dug carefully, breaking up the clods of soil before throwing them onto the ridge.
"Jiawang, at this rate, you'll be digging until the New Year," Zhang Jianguo said with a smile.
As Confucius said in the Analects, "Haste makes waste."
"You dug so fast, you didn't even break up the soil. If you water it later, it'll all collapse."
Zhang Jianguo ignored him and continued digging. The shovel went into the soil, click-clack, the rhythm was fast.
Chen Zheng dug for a while, then straightened up and wiped his sweat.
The sun was getting higher and higher, making my forehead feel hot.
The heat rising from the ground is like a steamer.
He glanced at Zhang Jianguo and Liu Jiawang, both of whom were also covered in sweat, their shirts soaked and clinging to their bodies.
"Take a break. Have some water."
Three people squatted on the ground, each holding a water bottle to fill it with water.
The water was freshly drawn from the well; it was cool and refreshing, and drinking it made me feel completely comfortable.
"Ah Zheng, you've finished digging this fishpond. When are you planning to release the fish fry?" Zhang Jianguo asked.
"Once the pond is dug, we'll fill it with water for a few days to leach out the alkali from the soil."
Change the water again, and wait until the water quality stabilizes before releasing the fish fry. If all goes well, it will take a month or two.
"A month or two? When will that be?"
"What's the rush? The fish won't get away. Besides, fish fry aren't available all the time."
We have to wait until spring, around March or April, when the fish fry are plentiful and cheapest.
Zhang Jianguo said "Oh," and then asked, "So what have you been doing all this time?"
"Fishing. We still have to fish until the pond is dug. We can't be idle."
Liu Jiawang chimed in from the side: "Azheng, I heard that soft-shelled turtles have been appearing in Nanwan recently."
Someone saw a turtle the size of a washbasin sunbathing on the shore.
Chen Zheng's eyes lit up: "Really?"
"It's true. My dad said so."
He was fishing in Nanwan the day before yesterday when he saw a turtle lying in the reeds, as big as a washbasin.
He tried to scoop it up with a net, but missed; the turtle darted into the water and escaped.
The turtle was the size of a washbasin and weighed at least ten kilograms.
Back in 1984, soft-shelled turtles were a valuable commodity.
City dwellers value nourishment, and turtle soup is considered a highly nutritious dish. Restaurants buy it and can sell it for two or three yuan per pound.
A turtle weighing about ten pounds would cost twenty or thirty yuan.
"Let's go take a look tomorrow."
Chen Zheng put the lid on the kettle, stood up, and said, "Let's dig out the embankment today, and try our luck at Nanwan tomorrow."
The three of them worked for another hour or so, and by noon, they had dug out a section of the pond embankment.
It's two meters wide and one and a half meters high, and it's been tamped down very solidly.
Chen Zheng stepped on it, but it didn't budge, and he nodded in satisfaction.
"Alright, go back and eat. We'll continue this afternoon."
When he got home, Zhang Cuihua had already set out the meal.
Today we ate multigrain noodles, hand-rolled, wide, chewy and springy.
The topping is braised eggs and tomatoes, which is sweet and sour, and topped with a sprinkle of chopped green onions.
"Zhengwa, wash your hands and eat."
Zhang Cuihua came out of the kitchen with a bowl of noodles and placed it on the table. "Eat more, you still have work to do this afternoon."
Chen Zheng washed his hands, sat down, picked up his bowl, and started slurping his food.
The noodles were chewy, and the braised meat was sweet and sour. After a few bites, most of the hunger in my stomach disappeared.
Chen Feng lay on the opposite side of the table, holding a chopstick in his hand, drawing on the table:
"Brother, are you going to dig a pond again this afternoon?"
"go."
"I'll go too. I'll help you dig."
"Finish your homework first. Then come back."
Chen Feng pouted and reluctantly agreed.
After finishing his meal, Chen Zheng rested for a while before heading back to the fields.
Halfway there, they met Shuisheng returning from the lake, carrying a large carp that weighed at least three pounds.
When he saw Chen Zheng, the corners of his mouth curled up, revealing two small tiger teeth.
"Shuisheng, you've had quite a haul today."
Chen Zheng looked at the carp; its scales shimmered in the sunlight, and its tail was still thrashing about, full of life.
"Yeah. I found this place while browsing the internet in the East Bay area."
Shui Sheng spoke softly, like a little girl, "Ah Zheng, I heard you're going to dig a pond to raise fish?"
"Yes. Are you free this afternoon? Come help me dig a pond."
Shui Sheng nodded: "I have time. I'll take the fish back first, change my clothes, and then come over."
Shuisheng ran off with the fish in his arms, his steps light and quick, as if he were walking on cotton.
When Chen Zheng arrived at the field, Zhang Jianguo and Liu Jiawang were already working.
Zhang Jianguo wielded a shovel to dig the soil, while Liu Jiawang patted the soil from behind; the two worked together quite well.
Chen Zheng picked up a shovel and continued digging.
After working for a while, Shuisheng arrived.
He changed into an old cloth shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, the trouser legs rolled up above his knees, and a pair of straw sandals on his feet.
He squatted down, picked up a shovel, and started digging without saying a word.
He didn't dig fast, but every shovelful went deep.
The clods of earth were dug up neatly and stacked orderly on the ridges of the field.
The four of them worked all afternoon, and by the time the sun was setting, they had dug out more than half of the embankment.
Chen Zheng stood up, looked at the results, and felt much more at ease.
"Alright, that's enough for today. We'll continue tomorrow."
The four men packed up their tools and headed back to the village.
When you get to the old locust tree at the village entrance, you'll see several old men still enjoying the cool shade there.
Seeing them approach, someone called out, "Zhengwa, how's the pond digging going?"
"We've dug most of it. If we work another day tomorrow, we should be able to finish."
"Good job, Zhengwa! You've got guts! You're even better than your dad was back then!"
Chen Laosan was squatting at his doorstep smoking when he heard this. He didn't say anything, but the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
Back home, Chen Zheng washed his face and changed into clean clothes.
Zhang Cuihua was cooking in the kitchen, Chen Feng was tending the fire, and Chen Rong was chopping firewood in the yard.
Chen Zheng took the sketch out of his pocket, looked at it under the kerosene lamp, and pondered how to dig out the rest of the material tomorrow.
"Brother, dinner's ready," Chen Feng called out, poking his head out of the kitchen.
Chen Zheng put the sketch away and went into the kitchen.
The food is already laid out.
Chen Zheng sat down, picked up the bowl, and slurped down a few mouthfuls.
"Zhengwa, are you going to Nanwan again tomorrow?" Chen Laosan asked.
"Let's go. Jiawang said there are soft-shelled turtles over there, I'll go try my luck."
Old Chen nodded, took the pipe from his mouth, and tapped the ash on the table leg.
"Soft-shelled turtles like to bask in the sun on the shore during the day."
Go during the day, look for the reeds, in shallow water, and you'll see it at a glance.
They like to lie prone underwater at night, making them hard to find.
"Dad, did you catch soft-shelled turtles before?"
"I've caught one. When I was young, I caught one that weighed seven or eight pounds in the reeds west of Baiyang Lake."
That guy was fierce; once he bit into the net, he wouldn't let go. I had to tear the net apart to get him out.
How do you catch turtles? With a net or a hook?
"Using a net won't work; turtles have strong teeth and can bite through the net."
You need a hook, a special turtle hook, curved, with a pig's liver on it; once it bites, it can't get off.
Chen Zheng kept these words in mind.
You need to prepare turtle hooks and pig liver.
After finishing his meal, Chen Zheng went to Liu the Bald to borrow a turtle hook.
Baldy Liu was enjoying the cool air in the courtyard, lying on a bamboo chair, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan, with a pot of tea beside him.
He saw Chen Zheng come in and smiled, "Zheng boy, what do you need?"
"Uncle Liu, do you have any turtle hooks? Can I borrow them?"
"A turtle hook? Yes. I haven't used it for years, I'll have to look for it."
Liu the Bald stood up from the bamboo chair and went into the house.
After rummaging through drawers and cabinets for a while, they found a few turtle hooks in a wooden box in the corner.
The hook is made of iron, curved, and unlike ordinary fish hooks, the hook point is very sharp.
A nylon line is attached to the hook shank.
"These are the only ones I have. See if they're usable."
Chen Zheng took the turtle hook and inspected it.
The hooks are a bit rusty and need to be sanded. The nylon line is fine, not broken, and it's quite sturdy when I pull on it.
"It works. Thank you, Uncle Liu."
"No need to thank me. Take it and use it. Just leave me a bowl of soup after you catch the turtle."
Chen Zheng smiled and took the turtle hook home.
He found a piece of sandpaper in the kitchen, squatted in the yard, and polished each of the turtle hooks.
The hook tip is polished to a shine; if you stick it into your fingernail, you can pick out a splinter.
Chen Rong squatted down beside him and asked, "Brother, you're going to Nanwan to catch soft-shelled turtles tomorrow, I'll go too."
"Okay. Let's get up early tomorrow and get to South Bay before sunrise."
Turtles love to bask in the morning sun; that's when they're easiest to catch.
Chen Rong nodded and kept those words in mind.