Siheyuan: A Very Happy Era

Chapter 75: Rare Carp
"Quick, quickly unhook the head fish and weigh it to see how heavy it is."

Following Xu Guangfu's loud urging, Xu Guanglu hurried forward, quickly untied the big carp from the fishing net, then took a scale handed over by someone next to him and started weighing the fish directly by its gills.

Soon, he weighed the first fish and immediately roared with joy on his face.

"Enough, 16 jins!"

"it is good!"

Hearing this auspicious number, the villagers were delighted and cheered loudly.

Xu Guangfu urged, "Quick, take a ruler and measure your body length."

When everyone heard this, they suddenly became quiet, and then watched Xu Guanglu's actions with bated breath, their eyes revealing a hint of hope.

Xu Guanglu did not dare to delay and quickly placed the big carp on the ice and measured it carefully with a ruler.

After a while, a look of surprise appeared on his face, and then he suddenly raised his head and shouted excitedly, "It's 88 centimeters long!"

When everyone heard this more auspicious number, they were instantly excited.

"88 centimeters? This means our village will be prosperous next year!"

"It's 88 centimeters long and weighs 16 jin. I'm afraid this fish is a gift from God to us, right?"

"What a good sign! This is really a good sign!"

"If I can win this big carp later, I will probably wake up laughing in my dreams!"

"Tsk, with your miserable appearance, do you think you deserve to win this big carp? I think you should raise your pillow higher when you sleep at night, you are wishful thinking!"

"Hey! Xu Laosan, I haven't offended you these days, have I? Why are you talking so harshly? What do you mean I am wishful thinking? What if I really win the lottery?"

"If you really win the lottery, I will kowtow to you in person to share your good fortune!"

"Okay, then it's settled. I really don't believe it today. I've been drawing for so many years, even if it's a round-robin, it should be my turn to win the first fish!"

"Oh! Then I'll wait and see!"

After Xu Laosan finished speaking, he turned his head to look at the big carp, and a fiery look flashed in his eyes.

The winter fishing activity has been going on in their village for at least a hundred years, but they have never heard of the first fish caught in a certain year looking so auspicious, or even a carp, which itself symbolizes good luck.

If you could catch this big carp and then put it on the table on the kang on New Year's Eve, it would definitely be something you could brag about for the rest of your life.

Thinking of this, his eyes instantly revealed a look of determination to win.

At the same time, almost all the villagers present had the same idea as Xu Laosan.

This is because this big carp is so rare that it can be regarded as a good omen that only appears once in a century.

In addition, in their northern region, there is a saying that "no carp, no feast", and there is also the legend of "carp leaping over the dragon gate", which shows the status of carp in their hearts.

Soon, stimulated by this rare big carp, everyone burst out with great enthusiasm for work. Even Old Sun, who usually doted on his donkey, took the whip and hit the donkey hard.

After more than half an hour, the two large fishing nets were successfully pulled up, and the fishing nets were filled with various fish of all sizes, including silver carp, bighead carp, carp, crucian carp, grass carp, whitefish, bream and bream, as well as a small amount of croaker, catfish, anchovy, rib fish, perch and silverfish, etc. Various fish were mixed together and densely distributed on the entire fishing net, which made people feel the joy of a good harvest.

Afterwards, everyone came forward with baskets and wood chips, untied the fish from the fishing net, and roughly classified them.

Medium and large fish such as silver carp, bighead carp, carp, crucian carp, grass carp, bream, bream, catfish, and perch make up the bulk of the fishing tasks and are also the New Year fish that every villager wants.

Small fish such as whitebait, croaker, anchovy, mullet and silverfish are unwanted targets.

After all, these small fish basically have little meat and many bones, and are difficult to eat unless they are fried.

But these days, every household is short of oil, where can we get so much oil to fry fish?
Therefore, every year when the fish are distributed, these small fish will be given to the villagers as a gift. They can take them home to eat themselves or feed them to their dogs. In short, no one wants them.

At this time, Li Guoqiang and Shang Xiuzhen were busy collecting fish, washing them, sorting them, putting them into baskets, weighing them, etc.

Before long, he was so tired and out of breath that he had to sit on the sled to rest.

When Shang Xiuzhen and the others saw Li Guoqiang like this, they all showed strange expressions, including contempt, dissatisfaction, teasing, and a hint of concern.

Li Guoqiang didn't say anything about this. After taking a short rest and receiving the reward from Father Jin for his hard work, he regained his spirits and continued to devote himself to his heavy work.

Even though the fish have been caught, the ice is slippery and the fish may resist, so it is easy for people to fall. If they are not careful, the fish's tail may even hit them in the face. It is very tiring.

Not long after, Li Guoqiang accidentally lost his balance and fell on his back. He grimaced in pain and all the fish in the basket fell to the ground.

Shang Xiuzhen saw this and hurried over to pull Li Guoqiang up, then asked with concern, "Are you okay?"

"fine!"

Li Guoqiang shook his head, laughed and said, "It was just an accidental fall. It will be fine after a while."

"Ok!"

Shang Xiuzhen nodded, and then said seriously: "Li Guoqiang, I think someone like you can't play a leading role at all, and you might even make people laugh at you."

"For your own good and for the good of all of us, I think it would be best if you give up your position as team leader."

"If you are willing to give up your position to me, I can teach you the Xingyiquan that is passed down in my family, which includes the Three-body Stance Pole Exercise, the Five Elements Boxing, and the Twelve Forms Boxing. If you practice it slowly for three to five years, you should be able to strengthen your body."

"Xingyiquan? A family tradition?"

Upon hearing this, Li Guoqiang couldn't help but feel surprised.

Previously on the train, Shang Xiuzhen said that she could teach him a martial art called standing meditation. He thought she was joking at the time, but he didn’t expect that she actually had a family-inherited Xingyiquan. No wonder she dared to follow him all the time!
"Yup!"

Shang Xiuzhen nodded, a hint of pride on her face, "Have you heard of the name Shang Yunxiang? He is my great uncle!"

Li Guoqiang: “.”

To be honest, he had been an ordinary person in his previous life and had never heard of this name. However, seeing Shang Xiuzhen so proud, he felt a little embarrassed to say that he didn't know her famous great uncle.

Then, in order to avoid embarrassment, he hurriedly asked: "Well, if I agree to give you the position of team leader, how can you ensure that others will have no objections?"

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(End of this chapter)