"Yan girl, you’re here!" Old man Ding, who was drinking water on the shore, hurriedly greeted Mo Yan as he saw her.
"Old man Ding, hard work! Here, have so water. It’s pumped from the well and nice and cool!" Mo Yan replied with a smile, carrying the bucket of water over to him.
Old man Ding was not shy and scooped up a bowl of water, gulping it down noisily. After wiping his mouth, he laughed loudly, "The water Yan girl brings is both cool and sweet, with not a hint of a muddy sll."
Mo Yan laughed without responding and quickly beckoned others to co and drink. It was extrely hot that day, and there was no breeze in the hollow; if they didn’t replenish fluids frequently, they were prone to heatstroke.
Hearing this, the others also ca ashore, dumping the wild grass in their carrying baskets onto the ridge. The sun would kill the grass, and later, when thrown into the paddy fields, it would serve as a decent fertilizer.
After drinking water to cool off, Mo Yan suggested they take a break before they continued with the clearing. No one refused her kind offer, sitting under the peach tree by the pond to enjoy the shade.
The peach trees by the pond were planted last year, encircling it. Now, the sparse peaches on the trees had grown to the size of a child’s fist and would be ripe for picking in another month.
After sitting for a while, Old man Ding suddenly said, "Yan girl, the other day when it rained heavily, I ca over to fix the embanknt and saw that the fish in the pond were coming up for air, so as long as a foot! Growing so fast shows the pond is suitable for raising fish, and the other fish should be about the sa size by now. I think you should find so ti to net the fish. Then restock with new fry, and by next fall, you could harvest them again."
The fry in the pond were also released last spring, brought in from the Xiaoqing River, a variety of types, and having grown to a foot in just over a year was thanks to the Spirit Spring Water.
"A foot long? They’ve grown that big!" Mo Yan exclaid in surprise. She hadn’t attended to the fish since releasing the fry and didn’t expect them to grow so quickly, "Alright, I’ll buy a fishing net in the next couple of days, and then, Old man Ding, you can get so people to net the fish."
"Sure thing, leave it to . I’ll make sure it’s done properly," Old man Ding promised readily.
No sooner had he spoken than the others began to shout, "Old man Ding, don’t forget about when the ti cos. Back in my hotown, I was the best at catching fish by hand. No one in the village could beat ."
"All of us ca from the South, who doesn’t know how to catch fish? Just listen to you showing off."
"You don’t agree? Then let’s have a contest right now. How about we see who can catch a fish in the water first?"
"Hmph, I’ll compete. Who’s afraid of you?"
"..."
Old man Ding, irritated by the bickering, said impatiently, "Stop arguing. The pond is deep and quite large, not sothing one or two people can fish from. When the ti cos, you all should join in. If anyone dares not to show up, beware I’ll spank you with my shoe."
Upon hearing this, everyone laughed joyfully, saying, "That’s great, Old man Ding, just don’t leave out on the day we net the fish."
Listening to the clamorous voices, Mo Yan smiled without interjecting. Such simple and peaceful days, she could live a lifeti without growing tired of them.
...
Mo Yan, carrying an empty wooden bucket, went around the herb fields and orchard, seeing that the herbs and fruit trees were all in good condition, and then headed ho, reassured. Halfway there, she unexpectedly encountered Liu Tinglan, who had been brought there by Xin Er in search of her.
"Why are you here?" Mo Yan asked in surprise.
Ever since there had been a formal engagent between the Liushen and their family a few days earlier, she had been increasingly confined by her family, only allowed out when necessary, lest any complications arise before the wedding.
Liu Tinglan walked up and took her good friend’s arm, chuckling, "I ca because I missed you!"
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