Seeing that it was getting late, everyone walked back dejectedly. Unexpectedly, halfway there, Ah Hu discovered something good!
"Brother Yan! Brother Yan! There are crabs in the ditch ahead!"
Jiang Xiaoman's eyes lit up. Crabs?
Come to think of it, it's already the end of October, isn't this the season when mountain crabs are at their most delicious with lots of roe and meat?
The group followed Ah Hu down a slope and soon came to see a mountain stream about one meter wide.
The Laoshan Aozi area is rainy all year round, and there are many mountain streams like these, all formed by the convergence of mountain spring water.
There are no big fish, only some small fish and shrimp. The most tempting of all are the mountain crabs hiding in the crevices of the rocks.
Since they weren't going to find any mushrooms today and had nothing else to do, a group of young men simply took off their shoes, rolled up their trousers, and jumped into the mountain stream to look for crabs.
Actually, the best time to turn over crabs is at night. After dark, just shine a flashlight into the water, and the crabs will come out on their own without you having to lift a rock.
However, given that there are large carnivorous beasts in the Laoshan Aozi area, no one dares to go into the mountains after nightfall, so they can only catch them during the day.
Fortunately, everyone has been busy picking mushrooms lately, and no one has bothered to look for crabs in this mountain stream. Before long, the group had caught half a basketful.
A type of small crayfish with a green shell was also found on the mountain rocks.
These crayfish don't grow very big; the largest is only about the length of a middle finger. But their meat is sweet and delicious, and Jiang Yu especially loves to eat them. Shan Yan's doting father persona remains unchanged, and every year he goes into the mountains to catch these crayfish for Jiang Yu to enjoy.
When the apprentices saw their master start catching crayfish, they all cheered and rushed to catch crayfish for their "master's wife" to eat.
This filial piety is truly touching!
Chapter 122
That evening, Jiang Yu finally got to eat the long-awaited delicious crayfish.
However, in previous years he would eat it all by himself, but this year he didn't care about eating it himself. Instead, he peeled shrimp for the wild fruits and wild flowers to eat first.
Having a child makes all the difference.
Just as Jiang Xiaoman finished her exclamation, she saw Shan Yan also pick up a few crayfish and put them in his bowl, peeling the shrimp meat and stuffing it into Jiang Yu's mouth...
Sigh~ Having a sworn brother makes all the difference.
A group of single people were forced to eat a huge bowl of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection), and they were too embarrassed to compete with "Master's wife" and the two junior sisters for food, so they could only turn their chopsticks around and try to snatch the braised pork with radish made by Jiang Xiaoman.
...
On Tuesday, Uncle Hua called to say that the boat was ready to be launched.
This is a big deal!
As we all know, fishing is a very risky profession. There is a saying that "those who drown are all good swimmers." Many people in Langshan rely on fishing for a living, and many drown in the river every year. As a result, this profession is even more superstitious than mountain fishing.
Those who travel in the mountains worship the mountain god, while fishermen not only worship the river god, but also the rain god, the thunder god and the lightning goddess, and the local water dragon king... Different gods have different roles, and the launching ceremony of a new boat is also very grand.
Since the safety of the river fish was at stake, even Shan Yan became cautious and personally led his apprentices down the mountain to Maoli Village to carry the boat.
Poor old lady Jiang, who had originally planned to have Jiang Yu marry Shan Guo to her eldest grandson, was nearly scared to death when she saw Shan Yan coming over with a group of apprentices in a menacing manner!
It's clear that she herself knew that having Jiang Yu train Shan Guo to be a housewife and marry her into their family wouldn't be a good thing for Shan Guo, otherwise why would she feel guilty?
Jiang Yu secretly chuckled when he saw his mother not daring to utter a single nonsense to Shan Yan, pretending not to know anything.
Anyway, their family is all about Shan Yan being in charge.
If you want to find a wife for your eldest grandson, you need the bride's father's approval, right?
If you're so capable, why don't you take those words back to the mountain rock and say them again?
However, today is a big day for worshipping the river god and launching the new boat for the first time. Even Grandma Jiang dared not miss the appointed time. She could only watch helplessly as her son and Shan Yan passed by their house without going in, heading straight to Uncle Hua's house to welcome the boat.
Uncle Hua's family has already helped set up the incense table.
Jiang Xiaoman paid for the boat, but Jiang Yu absolutely refused to let him pay for the sacrifices to the gods, righteously declaring that since the sacrifices were for his protection, it was only right that he should pay for them.
After a simple worship ceremony, Shan Yan and several apprentices carried a brand-new awning boat onto a rented small truck and transported it directly to Langshan Village without stopping.
I heard that Jiang Xiaoman and Jiang Yu's boat, which they bought together, is going to be launched today, and many people from the village have come to watch the excitement.
Jiang Yu was prepared. He smiled and carried a bag of candy, grabbing handfuls from everyone he met so that they could share in the joy and say a few auspicious words.
The villagers peeled the candy and ate it, while chanting auspicious phrases such as "smooth sailing" and "safe travels".
Shan Yan and his apprentices pushed the boat to the riverbank. Jiang Yu personally threw a small bag of grains and a string of five-colored rice dumplings into the river. He then lit three incense sticks and waited until they burned to the bottom before picking up the oars, rowing the boat into the river, and solemnly casting the first net.
"Fish are coming in! Fish are coming in!" The villagers on the shore shouted in support.
Jiang Xiaoman couldn't help but feel annoyed.
Are you sure you won't scare the fish away by making such a loud noise?
It turns out the fish in this river might really be stupid.
Despite making such a loud noise, it still foolishly ran headfirst into the river fish's net.
Jiang Yu was really lucky; he caught several big fish on his first net!
Two silver carp, one black carp, one large carp, and a few smaller snakeheads. When we emptied the net, hey! There was even a small dragon!
Jiang Yu quickly gave the snake a break and released it back into the water. Locally, snakes are called "little dragons," and while ordinary people might catch and eat them, those who make a living by fishing dare not eat this ancestor!
With this small boat, Jiang Xiaoman never went to the market to buy fish again.
The main problem is that Jiang Yu has to take care of two children most of the time. She can manage to go fishing in the river a few times when she has some free time, but she can't go to the town market for most of the day.
It's not that it's impossible; children in the mountains aren't that spoiled. The main problem is that Jiang Yu himself isn't comfortable with it.
Moreover, Jiang Xiaoman's courier station has recently started construction. Since they have such a good relationship, Jiang Yu will definitely help out often during times like this. With this in mind, Jiang Yu simply stopped selling fish. He would keep some for his own family to eat each day, and send the rest to Jiang Xiaoman.
His laid-back, Buddhist-like posture had his new followers in stitches.
"It's just like how I was when school started. At the beginning of the semester, I vowed to work hard and strive to be in the top ten of my class! A week later, I thought: Forget it, it's too tiring, I don't want to try anymore."
"He's definitely the most laid-back fishing blogger on the entire internet!"
"My idea of a fishing blogger: Even wind and rain can't stop me from fishing and making money! The reality of a fishing blogger: One net is enough to eat? Great! Time to go home!"
"New fishing boat: Don't I have any dignity?"
"Fishing Net: I never expected that a fleeting glimpse of the fishing tackle shop would be so amazing; it turns out I was wrong about it o(╥﹏╥)o"
"Isn't there too much drama going on upstairs?"
...
Jiang Xiaoman never expected that Jiang Yu, the fishing blogger, would not become popular because of his good looks or his family's fishing skills, but instead quickly gained a group of fans who were originally not interested in fishing at all because of his silly and Buddhist-like personality.
These people also have what's called "masochistic tendencies" in melodramas.
Jiang Yu was originally living a peaceful and carefree life, detached from worldly affairs, and never tried to gain popularity by following those fishing influencer accounts on short video platforms.
Who would have thought that the more he acted this way, the more anxious his fans became!
Some were so stimulated by Jiang Xiaoyu’s laid-back attitude that they wanted to leave comments in his comment section every day, urging him to go fishing and make money.
Some people, seeing that his fishing catch wasn't great, even went out of their way to find many fishing experts on the platform and tag him so that Jiang Yu could learn from them!
After all, fishing, catching fish, and angling have always been popular tags on short video platforms, especially among middle-aged and elderly people, and can be said to attract their own traffic.
Many of Jiang Yu's initial fans followed him from Jiang Xiaoman's blog, knowing that Jiang Yu had adopted three children and faced great financial pressure. They thought they would find an inspirational blogger here.
Unexpectedly, this guy only put in effort for one day, and then gave up the next day?
Fans flooded Jiang Yu's comment section with memes of "an elderly man on the subway looking at his phone with a puzzled expression".
"Hahaha~ Jiang Xiaoyu! Your fans have all come to me, urging you to stop lying around and hurry up and catch fish to support your family!" Jiang Xiaoman shoved her phone in front of Jiang Yu's face, letting him see the consequences of not updating.
"What do you mean 'let me learn so-and-so's fishing techniques'? This is a family heirloom!"
Seeing that someone in the comments section actually questioned whether he was a fishing novice, Jiang Yu suddenly felt the Chinese spirit of "being strong and never admitting defeat" surge within him!
It just so happened that the red mushrooms on the mountain hadn't sprouted yet these past two days, and Shan Yan had gone down the mountain to rest for a couple of days. Jiang Yu simply entrusted the two children to Jiang Xiaoman, who was supervising the work in the village, and took Shan Yan to a fishing spot where he used to play as a child.
This time, he's determined to show off his skills and let these netizens who are just watching the show see his true strength!
When Shan Yan heard Jiang Yu say that he was going to the place where they used to catch fish, he couldn't help but laugh.
That's where he first met Jiang Yu.
The rivers around Langshan are winding and meandering, with many shallows formed by rapids. These places are generally teeming with fish and shrimp.
However, the underwater environment is quite complex, and people who are not skilled enough are prone to capsizing in such places.
However, in Jiang Yu's hands, this small fishing boat was like a tamed big fish, freely navigating the rapids.
Upon arrival, Jiang Yu fixed his phone to the top of the awning of the awning boat, pointing the camera at the bow. He took off his coat, revealing himself wearing only a short-sleeved T-shirt. His thin muscles gleamed in the sunlight, and his slightly long bangs fell across his forehead. As he adjusted the camera, his amber eyes, hidden by his bangs, looked over, and the fans almost held their breath!
This scene later became a famous moment that brought the "Fishing Brother" account to the public's attention.
...
In Z City, Xu Xu was exhausted after an afternoon of presentations to a difficult client. While washing his cup in the break room, he saw the company's cleaning lady engrossed in watching TV on her phone. The drama depicted sophisticated, glamorous urban professionals, their makeup impeccable, and them even going to bars for drinks after work… He couldn't help but scoff, thinking how easy it was for screenwriters to make money these days!
Before writing a script, shouldn't you first take a look at how real urban white-collar workers live?
Going to a bar after get off work?
Pooh!!!
All she wanted to do right now was catch the late bus home, shed her business suit, kick off her high heels, and collapse onto the sofa, refusing to let anyone talk to her!
Sigh, I wonder if Brother Xiaoman will be able to update earlier today.
Since following this short video blogger called "Rural Xiaoman Ge," Xu Xu's greatest joy every day is to open his phone when he's exhausted, listen to Xiaoman Ge's casual ramblings, and watch the leisurely rural life. It's incredibly stress-relieving!
Recently, Xiaoman's video updates have been very frequent, almost one per day. Especially a few days ago, Xiaoman and the handsome young men from the village went into the mountains to pick mushrooms, which made Xu Xu very satisfied. Every now and then, she would hug her pillow and unconsciously show a gratified auntie smile...
The writers of melodramatic soap operas simply don't understand!
These days, who among young people still wants to watch those melodramatic, life-or-death romance dramas? Let alone those family dramas that make you want to be hospitalized after just two episodes—with their cheating husbands, wicked mothers-in-law, and hellish dysfunctional families…
Please! Just surviving is already so hard enough. They're tormented by capitalists during the day, can't they at least watch something light and comforting at night?
Because of this, Xu Xu didn't even buy a TV. Every day on her way home from get off work, she would order takeout and then lie on the sofa to watch short videos of several rural slow-life bloggers. Her favorite among them was Rural Xiaoman.
However, today Brother Xiaoman actually posted an advertisement in the comments section?