Chapter 912: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 912: Revenge and the Arrival of a Stranger (2)
Mo Yan and Xue Tuanzi were in perfect sync. Seeing it still thinking about chasing girls, Mo Yan decided that it should be transformed into a female, otherwise who knew how many more girls it would harm. This wasn’t like her past life where things were more open.
That very night, dozens of birds of all sizes flew from Mo’s house to the capital, spying on the hidden secrets of various noble families. They became the most discreet aerial spies, gathering intelligence on the powerful families.
Collecting information from these mansions would take some time, so Mo Yan relaxed and stayed at home, spending her days either taking a stroll around the orchard and medicinal fields in the morning or evening, or staying inside reading books or doing chores. The heat outside made it unbearable, with no air conditioning or fans, she would sweat just sitting.
On the third day after the birds flew out, Old Master Ding arrived with a group of villagers to get the fishing nets.
In summer, it was typically too hot for fishing. Fish prices were cheaper than in winter, and the fish often spoiled. Winter, on the other hand, was too cold for fishing. The weather was dry now, with shallow water in the pond, making it easy to catch fish. The fish could be put in small nets in a clear river, where they could be raised and sold fresh at the market every morning without worrying about them dying or spoiling.
Besides, the Mo family wasn’t in urgent need of the money from selling fish, so the lower prices didn’t matter. In winter, the cold would freeze the fishers, and they’d end up spending more on medicine than they earned from the fish.
Mo Yan had never seen fishing like this in her past life, so she became curious and decided to watch.
Apart from Tang Xin, Xin'er and the others had never seen it either, and when they saw Mo Yan going, they all put on their hats and followed her.
At the pond, Mo Yan and the others stood under a small peach tree, watching Old Master Ding direct the villagers in setting up the nets.
The pond was about an acre large, and using only one fishing net was too inefficient. Mo Yan had bought six nets, each six feet wide, so when laid side by side, they stretched out to thirty-six feet. These nets were arranged in a line, and the people stood at the other end, pulling on the ropes.
Though it looked simple, it required precision with both the spacing and speed of the nets. If the nets were misaligned, they could easily tangle, requiring people to go into the water to separate them.
Another simpler method was to use a large woven net in the middle of the pond, sitting in a boat and using bamboo poles to herd the fish towards the center, where they would get caught in the net. This method was less labor-intensive but could only catch fish that were the right size, leaving out larger or smaller fish. It was also difficult to catch all the fish in one go, and the fish could easily die, making them unsellable.
The six nets were quickly set up, each one tied to a long rope. Twelve villagers each grabbed a rope and walked to the opposite side. With a signal from Old Master Ding, they began pulling the nets steadily.
"Sis, this looks so fun, I want to try pulling the nets too!" Xin'er said, watching the bubbles rising from the pond as the nets moved through the water.
"Don’t even think about it," Mo Yan replied, not holding back in her criticism. "The nets sink deeply into the water, and with your small frame, you won’t even be able to pull with any strength. You’ll just end up falling in."
Xin'er wasn’t happy with the comment. "Sis, stop underestimating me! I’m going to help now, just watch!" She took off her hat, rolled up her sleeves, and ran over to join in.
Mo Yan didn’t stop her but started thinking about which ointment would be good for sprains.
Before long, all six nets had been pulled to the shore. The nets were still submerged, but fish began to thrash inside them, splashing water and soaking the villagers who were pulling the nets.
"Wow, these fish are huge. All together, they must weigh a couple hundred pounds!"
[End of Chapter]
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