"There it is," a head erged from the pitch-black river surface, the dark-skinned short man erged from the water, holding between the fingers of his right hand a few crucian carp.
With a bit of effort, the fish in his hand thudded onto the riverbank, eliciting cheers from the onlookers.
In such a big river, there definitely were fish, but fish varied from big to small, deep water to shallow water. This man called Ni Qiu, picking out crucian carp of the right size for grilling from such a river, now that’s real skill.
"Ni Qiu, have you grown dull from raising mudfish, these tiny fish, barely enough to pick our teeth," his companions on the bank joked with him, knowing well that their friend had grown up by the East Sea and was accurate in spotting and catching fish, hence they weren’t worried about his safety. Encouraged by the cheers and awestruck expressions of his fellow stall owners, they egged him on to catch bigger fish.
"Alright, let find a two-pound fish head and make so chopped chili fish head," Ni Qiu dove down again, this ti staying under longer, not resurfacing for quite a while.
The stall owner was already summoned to prepare the earlier caught crucian carp, scaling and gutting them with great effort.
The diners at the stall gradually returned to their tables, while a few custors like Yezi, who had finished eating, gathered by the riverbank, waiting to see what kind of fish Ni Qiu would co up with next.
By the ti the barbeque stand had the fish split open, revealing their pink and white flesh seasoned with chili powder and oil, sizzling and wafting out an irresistible aroma.
There was movent on the river surface again.
"Did you get it?" they asked from the bank.
"Look out," a shiny white fish tail was lifted out of the water.
Yezi observed carefully, a five or six-pound fish, green scales, shiny belly, its head and tail bent like a full bow, a lively and plump fish.
It took Ni Qiu quite a while this trip; the river had been muddy recently from rain, with small fish staying near the shallow surface, easily found. However, bigger five or six-pound fish swam deeper, making them harder to reach, and thus took more ti.
Ni Qiu caught the fish, and there was another round of applause from the bank, Yezi deeply impressed by the man’s skill, and joined in the cheers.
Handling large fish was tougher than the smaller ones; instead of tossing it onto the bank, Ni Qiu held it under his arm, making his way to the shore with steps that deepened and shallened.
Entering the water on an empty stomach during March, still cold, prolonged exposure had weakened him, yet the fish under his arm knew that once this man brought it ashore, there would be no escape.
Desperate, it began thrashing its head and tail, striking Ni Qiu repeatedly, forcing him to use one hand to grasp the fish by its gills to quiet it slightly.
Holding the fish’s gills with one hand, he had only one hand left for swimming. Relying on his swimming skills, Ni Qiu didn’t call for help from those on the bank, seeing he was near the shore.
Just as he was about to return, his companions who had been watching went into the store to order drinks and als. That’s when, suddenly in the water, Ni Qiu let out a cry, "Aiyo," and after his head went under, he sank.
"Sothing wrong?" The alard owner hearing the cry, quickly dropped his spatula and ran out from the stall.
Ni Qiu’s friends’ faces turned pale, and they prepared to dive into the river.
However, there was no one to be seen on the river surface, leaving no direction to search.
(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welco to vote for recomndation tickets, monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian). Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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