A small plot of land in a mountain village

Chapter 63 Dragon Dance Fishing

The Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is a familiar phrase and a major festival following the first lunar month.

Even before the Lantern Festival (the fifteenth day of the first lunar month), every household in Zhangjia Village hung large red lanterns in front of their doors. These lanterns remained lit from evening until dawn; wealthier families hung several more, while ordinary households typically hung two. Zhang Niu's family did the same, having long ago strung up electrical wires, hung light bulbs, and covered the lanterns with them.

On the night of the Lantern Festival, the strong young men of the village would lift up the dragon-drawn carriage, with gongs and drums beating and firecrackers going off in front, and officially set off for battle.

The dragon dance was led by a large group of villagers who arrived at Dawang Village to perform it in an open space. Two years ago, the dragon dance took place in Zhangjia Village; this year it's Wangjia Village's turn, rotating annually. Although the journey was a bit long, the villagers, who are used to walking, felt it was about the same as usual—not sore or tiring.

Zhang Niu took his little sister's hand and went out. His parents said they were coming with his uncle and aunt and wanted Zhang Niu to go and see them first. Since he was with his uncle and aunt, there was no problem with him going first.

While I was with my little sister, Aunt Wen from next door also brought Wenwen out. She said it would be good for everyone to keep each other company on the road. Along the way, we could see that all the villages were heading towards Wangjia Village. Besides the many villagers on the road, we also saw several cloth dragons being carried by groups of elderly people; the cloth dragons were very light and didn't require much effort.

When we arrived, we chose a spot on the rooftop of an abandoned bungalow next to the assembly hall. We even brought a few cement bricks downstairs to use as stools. The view from there was quite clear.

Not long after Zhang Niu sat down, more and more people filled up the bungalow, and all the seats were quickly taken. He had originally intended to save a seat for his uncle and the others, but now it seemed it was time to say goodbye.

As darkness fell, the village turned on all the electric lights they had installed. They also lit piles of firewood in various spots, creating roaring fires that provided warmth and added to the atmosphere.

This year there are five dragon boats in total, six cloth dragons in total. It looks like it will be a very lively event. The dragon boats need to circle around Wangjia Village before reaching the meeting hall, as is the old custom. The alleys are already packed with people. Every year, the dragon boat dance gets heated because of the young people's tempers, and it often ends in physical altercations. Things like falling into ditches or not being able to keep up with the dragon's speed are quite normal; if something doesn't happen that year, it's a bit unusual.

The first to arrive was the Dongfang Village dragon boat. It had about thirty sections. Zhang Niu, perched on the rooftop, would count them all to see which village's dragon boat was the longest and had the most sections. This year, the Dongfang Village dragon boat was entirely painted yellow, symbolizing a true yellow dragon destined for heaven. Zhang Niu remembered that his own village's dragon boat was something like a nine-clawed divine dragon, also painted gold.

What Zhang Niu found most amusing was that, from some village, the candle in the middle of the cloth dragon wasn't placed properly. It accidentally set the entire dragon ablaze. Everyone had to stop and rush to put out the fire. After the fire was extinguished, only a section of bamboo strip remained.

When the five dragon boats arrived, the entire hall reached a climax. Everyone, young and old, cheered enthusiastically as the dragons gathered. Firecrackers were set off and fireworks were lit in the open space outside the hall.

The little sister sitting next to me clapped her hands and said, "Brother, look! Those fireworks look just like the ones we set off at home a few days ago!"

Sitting there, Zhang Niu chuckled, "You have a good eye. It does look somewhat like it."

After the five dragons gather, the battle to seize the Dragon Ball will begin. One person will hold a wooden stick with a red embroidered ball atop it. The five dragons will circle around the Dragon Ball, and the group of dragon dancers at the top will scramble for it.

The Dragon Ball battle is the only exciting event of the year. Fights happen most often, and verbal arguments are commonplace.

Loudspeakers blared. Drums and gongs resounded. The scene of people scrambling for the Dragon Balls was the most exciting of the year. During the fights, much of the "dragon flesh"—which was just paper—was torn apart. This was one of the few times that after the Dragon Ball scramble, there was an even more important activity—tearing apart the "dragon flesh."

Every year, during the final stage of the dragon dance, villagers would rush forward to tear off pieces of "dragon meat" (paper) and take them home to throw into the pigsty, believing this would bring dragon energy and ensure peace and safety throughout the year.

Zhang Niu, on the rooftop, also saw his mother in the crowd. Judging by her expression, she seemed eager to tear off more dragon meat; with so many people, everyone would end up with just a small piece of dragon meat.

After tearing off the dragon's flesh, only the skeleton of the plate dragon remained. The people from each village dispersed. The dragon ball was then distributed to the next village. Zhang Niu, who had been sitting on the bricks for a long time, stood up; his legs were beginning to go numb.

After the Lantern Festival, life returned to normal, and everyone went back to their usual routines. Zhang Niu returned to his Happy Little Abode and even brought his sow and piglets there.

"King Kong's" litter is quite lively now. Two sows and a litter of piglets. The previously empty pigpen is now packed with them. The wild boar piglets quickly squabbled with the domestic piglets that looked very similar to them, after all, they were born from the same sow father, and the blood relation made them feel familiar.

Zhang Niu shook his head at the sight. With these domestic piglets added to the chaos, the courtyard was practically turned upside down. It seemed he needed to build a pigsty over at Maotou Mountain to raise both domestic and wild piglets there. They could also roam freely on the mountain, so they wouldn't just eat and sleep, then wake up and continue eating.

When Zhang Niu returned, he gave the chicken coop a small red envelope containing 300 yuan, hoping they would continue to manage the coop diligently. He reasoned that to get people to focus, you have to give them a little something in return. Luckily, they were all from the same village.

The people who looked after the chicken coop were surprised to receive a red envelope in the new year. They were all very grateful.

The spring snow was slowly melting. Zhang Niu was busy replanting the fruit trees damaged by the winter frost. He had to call Fatty Qian and ask him to deliver some later. He said on the phone that he would deliver it in a few days. The fruit sapling farm had just started its holiday, so there weren't many workers. Zhang Niu laughed heartily when he heard this. His holiday was longer than most people's.

Five days after the phone call, Fatty Qian and two restaurant owners arrived with a bag of gifts, claiming it was a belated New Year's greeting. Zhang Niu was completely bewildered, wondering what they were up to.

After inviting him inside, tea was served. "I've been so busy during the first month of the lunar year that I haven't had time to come here, please don't mind," Zhang Niu heard Boss Wang's voice as soon as he sat down.

"You guys didn't come here asking for my help, did you? Otherwise, it's rare to see the three of you all together," Zhang Niu chuckled.

"What are you talking about? Why can't I come if there's nothing wrong? But speaking of which, there really is something going on," said Fatty Qian.

"That's right, Fatty Qian has confessed... Why don't you guys come out and say something?" Zhang Niu asked.

"Fatty, really, couldn't you have said it later?"

"This matter is still about your magical ducks. I wonder if we can raise more this year," Boss Wang said.

"Is this all the three of you are doing?" Zhang Niu was very skeptical of their words.

"Yeah, did you think something was wrong? Did you think it was something important that you brought these things here?" Boss Wang retorted.

Zhang Niu felt like he was making wild guesses about people. *Sigh* While Zhang Niu was wondering about this, Fatty Qianqian steered the conversation towards the village. "Little Zhang, do you have any relatives in your village who are officials in the provincial capital?"

Zhang Niu was completely confused. What were they talking about? "No, I do have quite a few relatives in the county town. But I've never heard of anyone having relatives in the provincial capital, let alone officials. Otherwise, the whole village would have been talking about it long ago."

Fatty Qian chuckled and dropped a bombshell: "You know what? Someone I know placed a huge order yesterday. It's even bigger than what you bought from me, and most importantly, it's going to be delivered to your Zhangjia Village."

"You can't be serious," Zhang Niu said, shaking his head.

"Why would I lie to you? If I hadn't said I was buying fruit seedlings in your village, why would I tell you this thankless task?" Fatty Qian seemed a little dissatisfied.

Boss Wang, who had been listening without interrupting, said, "Don't worry, if it's just him, it's not a big deal. But yesterday, a young man at my restaurant was also speaking in a bureaucratic tone."

"We talked for three nights before we finally understood, which is why we rushed over to ask you this morning," Boss Zhou said.

Zhang Niu stroked his chin. "This is a bit strange. I haven't heard of anyone in the village wanting to plant fruit trees, let alone anything like becoming an official. Could it be that someone is targeting us?"

"Since you've said that, it seems someone's planning to settle in this village," Fatty Qian said, giving a general idea.

"What Fatty Qian said is right. At first, I thought you had asked someone to buy some trees again, but after thinking about it carefully, I realized that your mountain is already full of trees. Where did you get any empty space?" Boss Zhou took a sip of boiled water.

Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. What does the village planting trees and raising ducks have to do with me? Why worry so much? Zhang Niu quickly forgot about it. "Let them do what they want, why are you all so anxious? As long as there's business to be done, that's enough."

"You're quite clear-headed. If that bureaucratic young man hadn't let it slip, I would have thought you'd gotten yourself into some trouble," said Boss Wang.

"Then I have to thank you for coming all this way to tell me this." Zhang Niu nodded.

"That's good. Young people should be more open-minded. It's us who were worried." Fatty Qian stood up and patted his thigh. "Sitting is tiring. Let's go fishing at your place."

In early spring, the fish are hard to catch and all stay at the bottom of the pond. After Fatty Qian and the others left, Zhang Niu used a pressure cooker to cook a basket of small sweet potatoes.

He carried a basket of sweet potatoes in his left hand and a short military vehicle with revolvers in his right, arriving at the duck shed. "Here. This is good for fishing. The fish love it right now."

"Cooked sweet potatoes are better than the dough I have here," said Boss Wang, shaking the dough in his hand.

Fatty Qian was scattering millet into the water from a rice bag. He was feeding them first. It would be easier to catch them later, or maybe some big fish would come. Last time, they caught two thousand catties of fish in one net. Zhang Niu estimated there were at least a thousand catties of fish left in the pond.

"Xiao Zhang, is that a military vehicle you're carrying?" Boss Zhou asked, watching Zhang Niu loading sweet potatoes.

Zhang Niu nodded. "Yeah. Military vehicles, you know. They're used for fishing in ponds. But they're not very useful."

The fishing rod is the most common fishing tool in rural villages. It's a bamboo pole, less than a meter long. A small, silver-white, round reel is attached to the handle, with fishing line wound inside. The line is unhooked when needed. The fishing rod is used to fish for carp at the bottom of ponds or large fish that live on the bottom. After hooking a sweet potato, the line is unhooked. The sweet potato is then thrown towards the center of the pond. The fishing line on the ground also comes out with a "plop," and the sweet potato sinks into the water.

They simply stuck the "military vehicle" into the mud, and that was it. There was a string of little bells at the end of the fishing rod. They would ring when a fish was pulled away. I sat on the chair they'd moved in and watched Fatty Qian and the others fishing.

Fatty Qian, who suffered a crushing defeat last time, brought back a jet-black bamboo pole this time. Zhang Niu could tell at a glance it was the homemade kind. Its toughness and overall quality were far superior to the steel pipe type. Zhang Niu himself had several homemade ones. Wild, thin bamboo grew abundantly in the mountains of the village. As long as the thickness was suitable, it could be cut and taken home. It would be smoked over a low fire from head to tail, and then coated with a kind of wild herbal medicine to improve its toughness, preventing it from snapping with a "snap" when lifting fish.

After scattering some millet grains, Fatty Qian cast his bait and sat on a large stool, waiting for a big fish to bite. Looking at Zhang Niu, it was a little funny. Other people fish to relieve their worries and pass the time, but he was struggling with an empty stomach.

The float on the surface sank. Impatient, Fatty Qian, sitting on the stool, pulled up his fishing rod. Zhang Niu and the others burst into laughter. "Old Qian, you're too impatient!"

"I was seeing things and thought they'd been taken away." Fatty Qian quickly came up with an excuse and buried his head in bait.

Above Fatty Qian, Boss Wang had already picked up a crucian carp weighing about half a pound. Zhang Niu took a closer look and saw that it was a Northeast crucian carp. "Old Wang, you're in luck this time. This isn't a local crucian carp; it's a Northeast crucian carp!"

"Is there a difference?" Boss Wang asked, puzzled.

Zhang Niu picked up a crucian carp from the bucket. "Look. The native crucian carp are all white and small. This Northeast crucian carp is all black and bigger than the native ones. They must have mixed in a few when we bought the fry. You're pretty lucky. This fish has fewer bones than the native crucian carp."

"What you're saying sounds pretty much like what you described."

Just as he returned to the military vehicle, he heard the bell ring. "Damn! It's hooked!" Excited, Zhang Niu grabbed the vehicle and cranked the handle beside the wheel, letting the fishing line out so the big fish swam around a few times. Unlike Shengming's pond, which was by the roadside and he was afraid of someone netting it, Zhang Niu had thrown a lot of bamboo poles into the water. Many fishponds outside the village were like that.

The fishing line on the reel was almost all let out; it was time to reel it in. Turning the handle, one stroke in, one stroke out. Holding the reel, I could tell this fish was quite big. Looking at the taut line, I knew it wasn't a small fish.

Zhang Niu slowly cranked the handle, while Boss Zhou stared blankly. Couldn't this guy just reel in the fishing line sooner?

You have to take your time when collecting fish. If you rush, the fish that have just taken the bait might escape, and then all your efforts will be wasted.

As the fish drew closer, Zhang Niu could finally make out what he thought was a carp, but it turned out to be a deep-sea fish. He wondered if it was one of those that had sneaked in before; judging by its size, it must weigh at least ten pounds. "Wow," he thought, "it must have eaten quite a few small fish and shrimp."

As soon as the fish reached the shore, Boss Zhou reached into the water with a net and scooped it up. The fish was still thrashing about on the shore. Its sharp teeth told everyone how this guy grew so big.

"Xiao Zhang, these deep-sea fish must have eaten a lot of fish fry in your pond!" Fatty Qian shouted.

"Yeah. You wouldn't know how much is left if you haven't drained the pond. But it's strange today. Deep-sea fish are carnivorous, it's really odd that they're eating sweet potatoes."

"That's easy. There aren't any small fish to eat," Boss Wang replied.

All morning, Zhang Niu caught a big fish, while Fatty Qian ridiculously caught only a small shrimp. Fatty Qian stared in disbelief.

First update. Another update tonight, please add to your favorites and recommend.