Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The fish were caught, but going back dripping wet was definitely not an option.

Shen Banyue had come prepared. She told Zhao Xuehai and Shen Wendong to gather firewood nearby while she quickly dug a cooking pit near the shallow water. Before long, the two boys returned with a pile of pine needles and dry branches. Shen Banyue used a few thicker sticks to build a simple rack and soon had a fire going.

Zhao Xuehai asked excitedly, "Are we going to grill the fish? Will they cook through? Will they taste good?"

Shen Banyue had kept the fish in the shallow water. Some were already lively again, while others were still dazed.

She pulled out a ragged cloth pouch from her coat pocket—Lin Xiaohui had sewn it for her after noticing she used an enamel basin from the state-run canteen to store odds and ends. Inside were various little treasures she had collected.

Among them was a broken piece of a blade she had found at the wheat-drying ground. She washed it in the water, then held it over the fire with a stick to sterilize it. Using this short piece of metal, she began dressing the fish.

Lin Mian covered Xiao Dizi's eyes and took her to see the trussed-up crab on the other side. Shen Wendong and Zhao Xuehai squatted curiously beside Shen Banyue, watching her skillfully handle the fish.

Despite being just a small fragment, the blade seemed more effective than a proper fish-cleaning knife from a supermarket in Shen Banyue's hands. A fish was quickly and thoroughly dealt with, scales scraped clean without a trace.

The fish were quite large. Shen Banyue cleaned three at once, sparing the remaining five and returning them to the water.

The children's eyes grew wider and wider as they watched. After cleaning the fish, she took out a few wild onions wrapped in edible weed leaves from her pouch, tore them up, and stuffed them into the fish cavities. Then she pulled out a paper packet, rubbed the salt from it onto the fish, and placed them on the rack over the fire. She sighed with slight regret, "What a shame we don't have any oil. Brushing on some oil would make them even more fragrant."

Zhao Xuehai asked blankly, "Xiao Yue the Hero, how come you brought so many things?"

Shen Banyue replied matter-of-factly, "Since we came to catch fish, of course we had to have a grilled fish feast!"

Zhao Xuehai almost asked what they would have done if they hadn't caught any, but after glancing at the fish splashing in the shallow water, he realized his worry was unnecessary.

This was Xiao Yue the Hero. How could she possibly fail to catch fish?

She was even more impressive than his father. Although his father was the Militia Captain, he had never caught a kidnapper or received a commendation as a Great Hero. His father sometimes hunted small game in the mountains, but he never managed to catch pheasants or fish on command like she did.

At that moment, the little boy's idol completely shifted from his gun-toting, bad-guy-fighting father to Xiao Yue the Hero.

Unaware of the kid's thoughts, Shen Banyue only knew the grilled fish were becoming more and more aromatic.

Seeing the fish looked about done, she took them off the rack, sliced them with the blade, and gave each person half a fish.

The children eagerly began eating.

"So fragrant! Wow, it's hot! Wow, delicious! How is this fish so tasty?"

"It's even better than the fish my mom makes. Hiss, it is a bit hot."

"Sister Yue, can you teach me how to grill fish next time?"

"Ah! Lin Mian, you're so clever! I want to learn too! I want to learn how to grill fish!"

...

Shen Banyue nodded casually as she tore off the boneless belly meat for Xiao Dizi.

—

Since they hadn't dared to say they were going fishing when they left, they naturally hadn't brought buckets or other containers. They could only toss the fish into a basket and hurry back as fast as possible.

Shen Banyue, carrying Xiao Dizi with one hand and the basket with the other, still ran swiftly ahead. The other three, having followed her around all day, had built up some stamina and managed to keep up, albeit lagging behind.

Passing by the bamboo grove, Shen Banyue didn't stop but called out, "Zhuzi! We caught fish! No eels though! Finish digging and head back soon!"

A faint reply came from the bamboo grove. Shen Banyue kept running and was soon blocked at the spot where she had last met Auntie Xie.

A group of teenagers stood huddled together, completely blocking the path. Shen Banyue wasn't sure what they were doing and was about to ask them to move when a familiar, arrogant voice rang out from ahead.

"You are bad elements among the masses and deserve criticism from us Red Guards! What's wrong with smashing your pot? I haven't even smashed your bourgeois house yet!"

Zhao Jinshun.

She had heard that after his father beat him last time, his mother took him to stay at her parents' place for a few days. She didn't know which brigade his grandmother was from, but in just a few days, he had picked up such corrupt habits.

The person he was "criticizing" remained silent.

But he wasn't ready to stop. He shouted, "Brothers, let's go! Let's smash these bourgeois, sinful houses together!"

What an idiot.

Shen Banyue tapped the boy blocking her path on the shoulder. The boy turned around impatiently, shouting, "Who is it?" His expression changed immediately upon seeing her. "X-Xiao Yue the Hero!"

The others instantly looked down, then quickly parted to both sides, clearing a path.

Shen Banyue, holding a child in one arm and a basket in the other, her unique appearance did nothing to diminish her imposing, leisurely aura. She forced Zhao Jinshun, who had turned to look, to take half a step back.

"Did you leave your brain at home? They have problematic backgrounds and were sent down to our brigade for labor reform. That's the government giving them a chance to turn over a new leaf. By hindering their labor reform, you're hindering the government's work."

Shen Banyue clicked her tongue. "Even a kid under ten like me knows this logic. Look at you, all that height for nothing, completely clueless."

Zhao Jinshun's already limited brain cells were spinning from her talk of government and reform. Remembering what his cousin at his grandmother's place had said, he puffed out his chest and blustered, "What do you, a kid, know? We are Red Guards! Revolution is not a crime, rebellion is justified!"

Shen Banyue gave a mocking smile. "Revolution may not be a crime, but you still need a brain to carry it out. Rebellion may be justified, but you especially need a brain for that."

She pointed at the cowshed. "Is that a bourgeois house? That's clearly the brigade's cowshed, built through the hard work of the brigade leader and the uncles! And their pot—is that a bourgeois pot? That's clearly a pot the brigade lent them, the common property of the commune members!"

"You're destroying brigade property!"

She tilted her chin toward Shen Wendong, who had caught up. "Quick, go get your uncle! Someone is destroying brigade property here!"

Shen Wendong blinked, then turned and ran.

The teenagers standing there were already somewhat intimidated by Shen Banyue. Now, hearing that Zhao Jinshun was destroying brigade property and that Shen Wendong was going to fetch the brigade leader, their faces paled with fear.

After exchanging furtive glances, someone made an excuse—"My mom told me to dig some bamboo shoots," "My sister wants bamboo fungus, I need to find some bamboo shoots"—and quietly made themselves scarce.

Where there was a first, there was a second. This loosely formed group was far from unbreakable. The temporary gang quickly fell apart, with more than half leaving. The three who remained exchanged uneasy looks, their expressions clearly saying that if not for their life-and-death friendship with Zhao Jinshun, they would have run too.

Zhao Jinshun was clearly also flustered but still tried to wave his banner of criticism. "The brigade leader can't control me! I'm a Red Guard..."

Shen Banyue, having read history in her previous life, recalled the timeline of the Red Guards and shook her head, interrupting him. "That's outdated. Red Guards have gone up to the mountains and down to the countryside to contribute to national construction through practical action. If you really want to make revolution, you should do more labor every day."

Zhao Jinshun was completely out-argued. As for fighting, he had already tried that and clearly couldn't win either. With his pent-up anger finding no outlet, he suddenly picked up a stick from the ground and charged toward the three middle-aged men and women standing silently by the stream with their heads bowed.

"I will criticize them! Not only will I criticize them, I'll beat them too!"

The three adults panicked, not daring to dodge or resist. The two men instinctively stepped forward, trying to at least shield the woman from the blows.

"Stop—!" Shen Zhenxing shouted from a distance as he hurried over.

At the same time, Shen Banyue turned, handed Xiao Dizi and the basket to Lin Mian, then pushed off with her foot, leaped up, and kicked Zhao Jinshun squarely in the backside.

Zhao Jinshun stumbled forward and plunged headfirst into the nearby bushes.

Shen Zhenxing choked on his words and simply stopped shouting, dashing over in a few quick steps. For the sake of his long-time colleague Zhao Youliang, he reached out and hauled Zhao Jinshun up from the bushes.

The three who hadn't managed to slip away yet quietly shifted their feet, backing further away from Shen Banyue.

"I denounce you! I'm a Red Guard…"

Zhao Jinshun was acting like he was possessed. He barely got up before stumbling forward again. This time, Shen Zhenxing cuffed him on the head and roared, "So, you want to be the brigade leader? Should I just hand this position over to you?"

Yelled at from up close, Zhao Jinshun finally seemed to snap out of it. He didn't dare charge forward anymore, nor did he mention being a Red Guard. His face crumpled, and he burst into loud, wailing sobs. "Uncle, she kicked me! Xiao Yue kicked me!"

Shen Zhenxing: "…"

Damn, how did Zhao Youliang end up with such a treasure?

A few minutes later, Shen Zhenxing hauled Zhao Jinshun away. The three teenagers had also sneaked off at some point. The three people by the stream exchanged glances, and Auntie Xie stepped forward. "You're called Xiao Yue, right? Thank you so much today, Xiao Yue."

Shen Banyue waved a hand. "Auntie Xie, no need to be polite. I just happened to be passing by."

She glanced at the pot in the other woman's hands. She didn't know how that brainless Zhao Jinshun had managed it, but he'd really smashed a huge hole in it. After a moment's thought, she rummaged in her bamboo basket for her little treasure pouch, reached inside, and pulled out a palm-sized piece of iron.

"I just happened to find this piece of iron on the mountain. You can take it and go find…"

Shen Banyue paused, turning to look at Zhao Xuehai. Zhao Xuehai understood and picked up the thread. "Go to Grandpa Liu's place, the third courtyard past the big camphor tree. He can fix pots."

Shen Banyue: "Mm, take this to him for repairs. It should be usable then."

Auntie Xie looked back at the other two. One man had a slightly longer face and a somewhat stern appearance; the other was pale and clean-shaven, wearing glasses and looking more scholarly. The bespectacled man smiled and said, "Given our current situation, there's no point clinging to empty pride anymore. Little girl, we really do need this. We won't stand on ceremony. I still have half a *jin* of sugar ration coupons. Trading them for this piece of iron would be a bit unfair to you. We'll find a way to make up the difference later, alright?"

Shen Banyue stuffed the iron piece into Auntie Xie's hand. "I just picked it up for fun; it's no use to me. You take it. No need to trade."

Don't be fooled—steel was precious in this era, but whether in the village or up in the mountains, you could still find some scrap metal. Shen Banyue, accustomed to hoarding supplies, would pick up whatever she saw. In her spare time, she'd tinker with it to purify it or change its properties. She'd already accumulated several pieces.

The others were hidden away; this one was freshly "refined" today.

Useless? Of course not. The main point was that, for her, this stuff could be reproduced anytime. There was no need to take what little survival supplies others had left.

After speaking, Shen Banyue took Xiao Dizi and the basket back from Lin Mian, said another "goodbye," and then took off running on her little legs.

Lin Mian hurriedly chased after her.

Zhao Xuehai slapped his forehead, suddenly remembering. "Ahhh! The fish are going to die!"