Chapter 52

Chapter 52

As wisps of cooking smoke rose above the village in the evening, every household was preparing dinner. Shen Banyue strolled out carefree, hands tucked in her pockets.

Xiao Dizi stood beneath the eaves of the corridor, hesitating before calling out, “Big sister,” her expression puzzled and slightly wounded. Accustomed to tagging along, she had just been abruptly told by Shen Banyue to stay put—and instantly wore a face brimming with abandoned unease.

Lin Mian dashed over and took her hand. “Come on—let’s go read inside together.”

At the doorway, Shen Banyue nearly stumbled. Glancing back, she saw Xiao Dizi’s pout deepen into outright grievance. An uncharitable urge to laugh rose within her—but she suppressed it, waving her hand and saying, “Go with Brother Mian. I’ll be back soon.”

Wang Guizhi emerged from the cookhouse, holding an enamel basin. She tossed its contents out by the yard’s corner, muttering, “Xiao Dizi doesn’t eat much—can’t we even bring her along for the meal?” Yet Zhao Hui was the one treating everyone to dinner, after all. In these times, food was precious—even a child couldn’t casually be invited for a free meal.

Guilt-stricken, Shen Banyue pretended not to hear and hurried toward the village entrance. Before long, she “successfully rendezvoused” with Shen Wenyi beneath the massive camphor tree at the gate.

This was the trouble with being a child: even stepping outside required parental permission and a legitimate reason. Unlike Shen Wenyi—who’d slipped two scallion pancakes into his jacket and concocted a flimsy excuse to leave—no matter how late he returned, his family would simply assume he’d gotten so excited about landing the factory job that he’d dashed off to hang out and shoot the breeze with some good-for-nothing friends.

Zhao Hui, of course, wasn’t hosting any dinner at all. He was merely a convenient scapegoat enlisted by Shen Wenyi and Shen Banyue. And both conspirators were confident that, as long as timing was managed well, this small lie could never be exposed—Shen Wenyi’s family wouldn’t come looking for him, and Wang Guizhi, assuming Shen Banyue was with Shen Wenyi, wouldn’t easily seek her out either.

Naturally, Wang Guizhi, like any elder, remained vigilant about the children’s safety—but that vigilance receded when it came to Shen Banyue. This little girl was truly a handful: with her strength, even ordinary male comrades were helpless against her; besides, she was clever and could dart away faster than anyone.

The two conspirators met up. Shen Wenyi pulled a scallion pancake wrapped in a clean cloth bag from inside his jacket and handed it to Shen Banyue. “Eat quickly.”

The pancake was still warm and soft, rich with scallion aroma and a hint of toasted flour fragrance. Drawing on the speed honed during forced marches in her past life, Shen Banyue polished it off in no time.

Shen Wenyi watched, dumbfounded. “Hey—why are you eating so fast? It’s windy. Don’t get a stomachache later.”

Shen Banyue looked up. “Exactly *because* it’s windy that I need to eat fast—otherwise it’ll cool in no time, and cold pancakes aren’t as good.”

Her logic was sound, leaving Shen Wenyi speechless. He muttered, “Even so, your speed is terrifying.” It was the first time he’d seen a child eat that fast.

“Speed is of the essence in warfare, don’t you know? Our time is limited.”

Shen Wenyi pondered it, nodded in agreement—and said nothing more as he followed Shen Banyue at a brisk pace. Only when they turned onto the narrow path behind the cowshed did he remember to ask, “Where’s our accomplice?”

Shen Banyue: “…”

This guy must have skimmed his way through junior high. With vocabulary like that, if Lin Mian were here, he’d surely subject him to a round of “Lin-style low-EQ bombardment.”

She didn’t need to answer. A figure darted out from beside the cowshed.

In the dim evening light, Shen Wenyi’s eyes widened in shock upon seeing who it was. He looked down at the little girl. “Wait—*this* is our accomplice?!”

Shen Banyue stated matter-of-factly, “Yes. He has nylon rope to help me weave a net. I know the location and can take you there. You have the brigade leader as your father, so you can serve as our backer. That’s what we call mutual benefit.”

Cold sweat nearly broke out on Shen Wenyi’s forehead. He lowered his voice. “I mean, Little Miss—if you wanted a fishing net, you could’ve just told me. I’d definitely have gotten one for you. And my dad isn’t our backer—if he finds out we’re colluding with sent-down personnel to exploit Socialism, he’ll beat me to death himself!”

Shen Banyue waved dismissively, looking utterly exasperated. “Relax, relax. Then we’ll rely on ourselves—not the brigade leader.”

This little girl really was utterly fearless.

What else could he do? He was already aboard this shady venture. Fortunately, villagers were all home cooking and eating now—no one would see them. Later, when darkness fell, even fewer would. After giving himself a pep talk, Shen Wenyi offered a stiff smile to the new “accomplice.”

Nie Yuanbai almost smiled at his expression. He lifted the fishing net in his hand and wisely kept quiet. “Shall Comrade Xiao Yue lead the way?”

Shen Banyue nodded, then casually introduced the two. “Brother Shen Wenyi, Teacher Nie Yuanbai.”

The two “temporary accomplices” exchanged an awkward glance.

Of course, Shen Wenyi might not know Nie Yuanbai—but Nie Yuanbai was actually very familiar with Shen Wenyi.

His first strong impression of this young man came from accidentally overhearing his “conspiracy” with Shen Banyue. Such youth, possessing such “childlike innocence,” was truly rare. Recently, Shen Wenyi had also joined the commune towel factory—and his name frequently surfaced in idle chatter among commune members. Even “marginal figures” like Nie Yuanbai occasionally heard it from passing members.

As they walked forward, Shen Banyue casually asked Nie Yuanbai, “Teacher Nie—have you eaten dinner?”

Nie Yuanbai replied offhandedly, “Yes—I’ve eaten.”

They’d deliberately cooked extra at noon and saved it. Seeing that evening was approaching, he’d quickly reheated and eaten it.

Shen Banyue acted as if she hadn’t heard him say “I’ve eaten.” She glanced at Shen Wenyi. “The scallion pancakes Brother Wenyi brought are really delicious.”

Shen Wenyi inexplicably grasped her meaning. He pulled another scallion pancake from his jacket, hesitated a moment—and handed it to Nie Yuanbai. “Um… Teacher Nie—my mom made this. Would you like to try it?” Only then did he realize why Shen Banyue had asked him to bring two pancakes. He’d assumed she feared getting hungry later—but it turned out one was for their “accomplice.”

Nie Yuanbai, perceptive as ever, had long sensed that this youngest son of the brigade leader wasn’t exactly welcoming of his inclusion. Their willingness to climb the mountain together likely rested solely on their mutual trust in the little girl, Xiao Yue.

Nie Yuanbai truly hadn’t expected Shen Wenyi to offer him a pancake. He wanted to refuse—but the cold wind, carrying the rich aroma of scallion and oil, ruthlessly invaded his nostrils, making him involuntarily swallow. His body—severely starved of fat—immediately screamed with intense craving. Nie Yuanbai discarded the useless intellectual矜持 and accepted it readily. “Thank you!”

Shen Wenyi scratched his head, feeling awkward.

The three quickly made their way upstream along the mountain stream under the faint evening light—straight to the pool where Shen Banyue and the other children had once fished. Hidden behind a thicket of brush and trees, even Shen Wenyi, who’d grown up in the village, had never been here before.

“I remember coming up here a few years ago—I didn’t find any pool here!” Shen Wenyi wore an expression of disbelief.

“The path here is poor, and there aren’t many wild vegetables or mushrooms. Villagers usually go to the back mountain—few come this way. Maybe the brush blocked your view—or perhaps no such large pool existed before. Changes in water flow or geology may have formed it recently,” Nie Yuanbai analyzed.

Shen Banyue thought Shen Wenyi was making a fuss. “There are two other pools of similar size further along. Villagers rarely come this way, so they probably didn’t notice.” After all, the pool lay hidden inside, with only a shallow滩 outside—who’d pay attention to a shallow滩?

This time, Shen Wenyi quickly grasped the key point. “You’ve been further ahead? When did you go?”

Shen Banyue: “…”

Careless.

Hadn’t expected this guy to suddenly turn so sharp.

She brushed it off casually. “Just went once before.” It was easy for her—she’d taken advantage of others digging bamboo shoots in the grove.

“Who did you go with? The path is so difficult—further ahead, the brush is even thicker. It’s dangerous…”

Shen Banyue swiftly cut off his nagging. “Hurry up and fish. Grandma Wang might notice something’s off and come looking for us soon.”

Mentioning Wang Guizhi, Shen Wenyi shuddered. He still didn’t know how his formidable, sharp-tongued aunt would deal with him if she found out later. So he stopped overthinking and hurriedly said, “Fish, fish, fish! Where’s the net? Um—Teacher Nie—do you know how to cast a fishing net?”

Nie Yuanbai: “…No, I don’t. I thought *you* did?”

He was a frail scholar. Being able to construct the net based on memory and deduction was impressive enough. The little girl had a plan—he’d assumed she’d summoned this impulsive lad because he possessed the “skills.” Was that not the case?

Shen Wenyi chuckled dryly. “I don’t know either. Um—but it shouldn’t be hard, right? Let’s just try throwing it out with force?”

Shen Banyue shoved her portable “treasure bag” into Shen Wenyi’s hands and said, “I’ll do it.”

The two adults exchanged a look of embarrassment—and could only hand the fishing net to Shen Banyue.

Shen Banyue lifted the net and found it truly crafted by a research expert: floats, lead weights—everything was present. The mesh was perfectly uniform, as if manufactured to strict production standards.

The secret to casting a net lies in using the power of the waist to drive the arm—aiming to cast it in a smooth, even arc, ensuring the net opens fully and sinks rapidly.

This posed no difficulty for Shen Banyue. After all, she was strong enough to effortlessly shake out a net far larger than herself. And the net Nie Yuanbai had painstakingly designed and refined was also exceptionally convenient—sinking almost instantly upon hitting the water.

Then it was time to wait for the fish to enter the net.

Shen Banyue took a broken jar from her "treasure bag." The jar had no lid, so she had made a "cover" for it using a piece of paper and a rubber band. She retrieved the bait made from earthworms and cornmeal inside the jar and casually scattered a bit into the water.

While Shen Banyue was casting the net, Shen Wenyi and Nie Yuanbai had already gathered plenty of firewood nearby and lit a bonfire on the shallow bank.

After about twenty minutes, the three of them pulled the net up together.

Both Shen Wenyi and Nie Yuanbai had been somewhat skeptical about whether there were actually fish in this pool. After all, they had never seen any large fish downstream in the mountain stream, and their net was designed to catch fish weighing over half a pound.

However, as soon as they pulled the net up and felt its weight, they secretly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing they had a catch.

When they dragged the net to the bonfire, both Shen Wenyi and Nie Yuanbai were stunned.

Although they had felt the weight and knew there were fish—and quite a few at that—they hadn't expected so many, and all so large!

This single haul had caught over a dozen fish. The smallest weighed over a pound, and the largest was probably five or six pounds.

"My goodness, this little pool is hiding a treasure trove!" Shen Wenyi exclaimed in amazement.

"Should we keep fishing, or just take these back?" Nie Yuanbai quickly regained his composure and asked.

"Let's haul in a few more nets," Shen Banyue said.

Having taken the risk to come all this way, they wouldn't be satisfied with just one haul. However, they didn't have a bucket, so they needed to find a place to keep the fish alive. They found a shallow spot in the water, surrounded it with stones to create a "small pool," and poured the caught fish into it.

Then Shen Banyue moved to a different spot and cast the net again.

After setting the net, she took a blade from her "treasure bag," selected three slightly smaller fish, deftly scaled and gutted them, skewered them on branches, and propped them over the fire. Next, she pulled out a handful of already washed green onions and a few ginger slices wrapped in paper from her bag, stuffed them into the fish bellies, and then, as if performing magic, produced a small paper packet and two small bottles, sprinkling seasoning onto the roasting fish.

Her skilled movements left Shen Wenyi and Nie Yuanbai staring in astonishment. Shen Wenyi couldn't help but say, "You little rascal, you must sneak food often, huh? You're really well-prepared with all this stuff!"

Shen Banyue waved her hand dismissively, smiling. "Just standard procedure!"

Her fish-roasting skills were excellent, and the aroma soon began to waft through the air.

It was already dark. This spot was shielded by brushwood, so there wasn't much wind. But in the middle of winter, staying by the water was still quite cold. If not for the bonfire, they would have frozen stiff.

Nie Yuanbai's clothes were the thinnest, but Shen Banyue and the others gave him the most sheltered spot from the wind. Wrapped in both his own and Lv Fang's jackets, he felt it was manageable.

Perhaps the earlier scallion pancake had also provided his body with much-needed energy.

Watching the sizzling fish in the firelight, Nie Yuanbai felt, for the first time in who knows how long, that the heavy gloom in his heart had lifted, replaced by a sense of relaxed ease.

While roasting the fish, Shen Banyue discussed with Shen Wenyi how to "handle" the catch.

They would definitely have to take some home. She hadn't mentioned it before leaving because she was afraid Wang Guizhi would stop them. Once back, it wouldn't matter. Shen Banyue stubbornly declared that at worst, she'd just get a scolding.

Shen Wenyi didn't dare take fish directly home. However, he had a resourceful uncle. He planned to drop the fish off at Shen Zhenhua's house and have Shen Zhenhua deliver a few to his own home later.

Nie Yuanbai didn't share their worries. Normally, no one entered the cowshed. They just needed to hide the fish well and be careful when cooking.

But as he listened, Nie Yuanbai realized the two had already moved on from discussing how many fish to take home to debating whether to preserve the remaining fish as salted fish or dried fish, or trade them at the commune for other things.

Nie Yuanbai looked blankly at their makeshift fish pool. These fish should only be enough for them to take back and eat. So, where were these "remaining fish"?

Were they so certain they would catch many more fish later?

Were kids these days—and young men too—all this optimistic?

"Teacher Nie, what about you? For the remaining fish, would you prefer to salt them for later or trade them together at the commune for other things?" Shen Banyue suddenly asked.

The question caught Nie Yuanbai off guard. Even if, for argument's sake, every subsequent net caught fish, and even if there really were fish they couldn't eat immediately that needed "handling," as someone who had been sent down, he couldn't go to the commune to trade, could he?

But the little girl seemed to know what he was thinking. Pointing at Shen Wenyi, she said, "His family has a bicycle. He can get a basket and carry them to the commune. I know someone at the state-run restaurant in the commune. That older sister can help trade the fish for other things. If there's a lot, we can also trade at the towel factory's residential compound."

In that moment, Nie Yuanbai was overwhelmed with complex emotions.

Betrayed by those he trusted most, distanced by friends and family, he had lived a life of displacement and constant fear for a long time. Later, adopting a "what's the worst that can happen" attitude, he had mustered a solitary courage of "I'm not afraid of anything anymore."

On one hand, he trusted this little girl before him; on the other, subconsciously, he felt that even if she wasn't trustworthy, it didn't really matter. He had already prepared himself mentally to face any misfortune.

Who would have thought that in the midst of bone-chilling cold, there could also be a warm flame?

Suppressing the surge of emotions in his heart, Nie Yuanbai considered rationally and said, "Money isn't much use to us either. If we can trade for some food or daily necessities, that would be best."

Shen Banyue nodded and handed him a branch skewered with fish. "The fish is ready."

This time, they were well-prepared, and the seasonings were more complete than last time. The roasted fish was crispy, fragrant, and flavorful.

Even though they had all eaten dinner, in these times, everyone lacked rich food, and lacking rich food made people easily hungry. Each person finished a whole fish cleanly in no time.

Shen Wenyi gave Shen Banyue a thumbs-up. "Xiao Yue, did you learn this fish-roasting skill from the womb? It's so delicious."

Nie Yuanbai savored the rich flavors in his mouth and also nodded. "Even better than what the chefs roast in Beijing's restaurants."

Shen Banyue accepted their lavish praise without a hint of modesty.

Of course, as for her skill being better than Beijing hotel chefs, Shen Banyue actually thought it was probably because Nie Yuanbai hadn't eaten anything good in a long time.

Hearing Nie Yuanbai mention Beijing restaurants, Shen Wenyi couldn't help but curiously ask about the situation in Beijing—how big the city was, how tall the buildings were, whether there were many apartment buildings, if everyone lived well, if he had ever seen the leader, and so on. Nie Yuanbai didn't mind the trivial questions and patiently answered each one. The two actually got along quite well in conversation.

They cast three more nets. Except for the last haul being slightly smaller, the other two were similar to the first. Roughly estimated, they had probably caught nearly two hundred pounds of fish in total.

Shen Banyue and Shen Wenyi hadn't brought anything when they left, as it was easy to be seen on the village paths. Nie Yuanbai, even if he wanted to bring a container, couldn't—there wasn't even a decent bucket in the cowshed; they scooped water directly from the stream with an enamel basin.

In the end, they had to use the fishing net as an oversized net bag, and the three of them carried it back together.

Near the cowshed, Nie Yuanbai went back to get an enamel basin and took a basin of fish with him. The rest, Shen Banyue and Shen Wenyi detoured via a small path outside the village and delivered directly to the Shen family's blue-brick house with tiled roof.

As expected, Wang Guizhi was nearly scared to death by these two reckless fools. While grumbling and scolding, she emptied a broken water vat for them to keep the still-living fish. The dead ones were simply tossed into a bucket left in the yard—in this weather, they wouldn't spoil anyway.

Shen Wenyi borrowed a bucket, grabbed a bucket of fish, and ran off, afraid Wang Guizhi would turn her fire on him.

Wang Guizhi was speechless. She wondered what kind of child was like this—so opinionated, so audacious, and crucially, never failing or making mistakes, never even giving a chance for a lesson and repentance.

After her round of scolding, she fetched Lin Xiaohui's foot-washing enamel basin from Shen Guoqiang's room, pulled a dried mugwort stalk from the corner, cut it up, threw it into the basin, poured in hot water, and had the little girl soak her feet.

"In the middle of winter, at night no less, going to catch fish! You all are something else! The dampness is heavy by the water. Soak your feet properly to drive out the cold, or you'll catch a cold tomorrow morning, and I won't take care of you," Wang Guizhi said with a stern face.

The other children weren't asleep yet. Lin Mian and Xiao Jie gathered around the water vat to look at the fish for a while, exclaiming over how many there were, but couldn't stand the cold and returned to their own room.

Xiao Dizi, however, had been following Shen Banyue closely ever since she entered, not leaving her side for a moment, not even going to see the fish. Hearing Wang Guizhi scold Shen Banyue, the little one pouted pitifully, looked up with a childish, milky voice, and said, "Grandma, don't scold sister. Sister worked hard catching fish. You have to take care of sister."

Wang Guizhi: "..."

Here was another one defending her.

Shen Banyue also put on an ingratiating smile, beaming as she said, "Right, Grandma, don't say you won't take care of me. If you don't, I'll probably just hide under the covers and cry. So pitiful!"

Wang Guizhi was both amused and exasperated, giving each little girl a light poke on the forehead. "Enough of your sass. Once you're done soaking your feet, hurry to bed. Xiao Dizi looks sleepy too—she just wouldn't sleep until she saw you come back."

Xiao Dizi clung to Shen Banyue's side. "I'm not sleepy. I'll sleep with sister."

Seeing the child's eyelids drooping heavily, Shen Banyue couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright, then you get into the quilt first. Remember, don't fall asleep."

The little one was talked into getting into bed and fell asleep in less than a minute.

The next day, Shen Wenyi managed to sweet-talk his father into lending him his "pride and joy."

Normally, it would have been difficult for him to borrow his father's bicycle, but lately, his father had been unusually kind and agreeable. Hearing that Shen Wenyi wanted to go to the factory early to inquire about dormitory arrangements, his father handed over the bicycle key without another word.

They filled two buckets with both live and dead fish, covering them with some leafy greens. With the buckets strapped to the back of the bicycle, Shen Banyue had no choice but to sit on the front crossbar.

The northwest wind bit right through her the whole way. By the time they reached the state-run restaurant, Shen Banyue felt like a human popsicle.

Sister Li led them to a secluded corner behind the restaurant's back door. When she saw the fish in the two buckets, she was quite taken aback. "So many?!"

The little girl had quietly asked if she could help exchange things. Sister Li had assumed it was for some mushrooms she'd foraged or a few little fish, perhaps to trade for candy or snacks, and hadn't thought much of it. But now, seeing this haul, it far exceeded her expectations!

However, working as a waitress at the state-run restaurant, she did have connections, since some of her sisters worked at the supply and marketing cooperative, so she indeed had the means to help.

Shen Banyue adopted a bright, innocent look and said with a smile, "Several households went together in the dark to catch these. I went too! It was so cold, I almost turned into an ice pop. But the catch was really good, aren't these fish huge?"

Sister Li laughed. "You're a tough one, tagging along with the adults to catch fish. I must say, it's been a long time since I've seen fish this big."

"It's too cold in winter, and with New Year's approaching, everyone wants to trade the fish for ration coupons, or maybe cotton, fabric, food, or other useful things. Sister, could you please help us?"

Shen Banyue, putting her acting skills to use, mimicked Xiao Dizi's signature head-tilt. Sister Li was completely disarmed by this display of cuteness and coquettishness. She laughed and said, "Alright, alright, I'll help you out for sure."

She thought it over for a moment. "Our restaurant will probably buy a few of the live fish. That will definitely be paid in cash. It's okay to purchase a small amount from commune members—that's within the rules. For the rest, I'll exchange them for coupons or goods for you. Don't worry, I'm not the unreliable type. I'll make sure you get useful things in exchange."

Despite the large quantity of fish, with the New Year approaching, even more people wanted to buy fish and meat. Sister Li mentally went through her relatives and friends and realized she didn't even need to look elsewhere—her "own people" (her close circle) could easily divide it all up.

But upon careful calculation, each household actually wouldn't get much.

Sister Li, who had just remarked on the abundance of fish, suddenly felt there wasn't enough after all.

This really isn't enough to go around!