Cannon Fodder in the 1970s: With a Sign-In System – CH237

Chapter 237: The Big One

“Oh my, Ye Chu, how did you fish like that? You’ve already caught a whole bucket of fish, and I haven’t caught even one!”

Ning Xiyue squatted beside Chen Ye Chu’s bucket, curiously staring at the fish swimming inside. Judging by their silvery backs and wild coloring, these crucian carp clearly weren’t farm-raised—they were wild river fish.

To be honest, she hadn’t been focusing much on fishing at all. She’d been busy gossiping, tossing her rod to her second brother to watch, and hadn’t even looked back at it since.

“There’s really no trick,” Chen Ye Chu said with a soft smile, her eyes fixed on the float ahead. “I just sit here watching it. Every time it moves, I lift the rod, and there’s always a fish. Not one’s gotten away.”

Following her gaze, Ning Xiyue looked toward the float in the ice hole. Just then, she saw it plunge downward sharply. She jumped up in excitement—more agitated than Chen Ye Chu herself—trying to keep her voice down so as not to startle the fish, but her excitement couldn’t be hidden.

“Ah! Ye Chu, your float went under! You’ve got a bite! I can’t even see the float anymore—Ye Chu!”

In the blink of an eye, Chen Ye Chu saw her float dragged beneath the surface. She swiftly lifted the fishing rod and immediately felt a powerful resistance from below. Even when she pulled with all her strength, something below was tugging fiercely back.

Knowing that whatever was hooked must be huge, excitement lit up her face. “It’s a big one! Xiyue, come help me pull!”

“Coming!”
Ning Xiyue, who had been itching to help for ages, sprang to her side and gripped the rod with her.

“Whoa, it’s strong! Definitely a big fish—we can’t let it get away!”

Feeling the pull, Ning Xiyue braced her stance and even drew on her tai chi moves for balance.

With two people working together, reeling it in became much easier. Following Chen Ye Chu’s guidance on how to “play” the fish, they skillfully tired it out.

Before long, they had maneuvered it to the surface beneath the ice hole, where they could glimpse flashes of pale blue-white scales below.

“I see it! I see it—it’s a grass carp!” Chen Ye Chu said excitedly. Then she glanced at the net beside her, an idea flashing in her eyes. “Xiyue, can you hold the line yourself? I want to scoop it with the net.”

“I’ve got it—go ahead!” Ning Xiyue assured her, steadying the rod. The arc of the rod was so deep it looked like a drawn bow. If she weren’t worried about snapping the line, the hook, or even the rod, she’d have hauled it up already.

But reeling it in slowly was actually kind of fun—it gave her a real thrill.

“Xiyue, lift a bit more—yeah, a little to the side!” Chen Ye Chu called, dipping the net into the ice hole while giving directions.

Ning Xiyue adjusted her movements accordingly. The fish seemed to tire, no longer thrashing wildly. Perhaps it had resigned itself to fate, allowing her to pull it closer, the resistance much weaker now.

With their coordination, Chen Ye Chu easily scooped it up into the net, and together they hauled it out of the water—a massive grass carp bursting through the ice hole!

Ning Xiyue’s eyes widened. “This fish is huge! At least ten jin (about five kilograms)!”

It was the biggest fish she’d ever seen caught. Even though it was technically Chen Ye Chu’s catch, helping pull it up made her just as thrilled. She could brag about this for the rest of her life—how she once helped catch a ten-jin grass carp.

“It really is big,” Chen Ye Chu said, smiling so wide her eyes curved. “This one’s worth a whole bucket by itself. Think it’d taste good as spicy fish fillet?”

Her joy was contagious. The weight of the fish was deforming the rim of her net, so she quickly set it down on the ice.

“Of course! It looks plump and tender—perfect for all kinds of dishes!” Ning Xiyue agreed, already thinking she should head back soon to see if her second brother had caught anything. She couldn’t show up empty-handed—otherwise their ‘whole fish feast’ would be a fantasy.

Chen Ye Chu beamed. “Then I’ll use the head and bones for soup, and braise or slice the body for cooking.”

Just then, the carp began thrashing violently on the ice, flopping with fierce energy.

The two girls laughed and scrambled—one set down the rod, the other pressed the fish still. Ning Xiyue crouched down to remove the hook but frowned when she couldn’t find it—neither in the mouth nor the gills.

Tugging the line, she felt where it was and exclaimed, “Whoa, it swallowed the hook! No wonder it couldn’t escape.”

“Must’ve gulped it down when it bit,” said Chen Ye Chu, poking a thin stick into the fish’s mouth. It wouldn’t budge. “Looks like I’ll have to cut it open back home to get the hook out.”

Saying that, she began packing up her things. “Xiyue, why don’t you fish here instead? There are plenty of fish in this spot. I’ll head back first.”

“You’re done fishing? I’ve got a small knife—you can cut it open here.”

“No need,” Chen Ye Chu said cheerfully. “This is more than enough. I’ll go cook lunch. We’ve got to eat this big fish today!”

She poured out the bucket water, gathered her gear, and started off. Halfway, she turned back. “Oh, right—use that dough I gave you. The fish really seem to love it.”

“Got it! Be careful, yeah? You’ve got a lot to carry—want me to help you up to shore?”

“No need. Go catch your fish. Come back early for lunch!” Chen Ye Chu waved with a smile and walked away, wobbling slightly under the bucket’s weight but steady enough.

Halfway across the ice, Yu Zhiyu and Liu Yao hurried up to meet her. After a few words, Yu Zhiyu’s worried face brightened into a grin as he helped her carry the heavy bucket.

Seeing she had company, Ning Xiyue finally relaxed and turned back toward her brother. She washed her hands in the snowmelt and walked briskly over—time to try that miracle bait.

Thinking of Chen Ye Chu’s bucket full of fish, Ning Xiyue stared at the dough in her palm with high hopes. So this is the secret, huh? Let’s see if it works for me.

She quickened her pace, took out the small lump of dough from her pocket, and muttered to herself, “Whether I get to eat that full fish feast today… it’s all up to you.”

“Little sis, you’re back! Come see—I caught quite a few!” Ning Qingyuan (her second brother) called proudly, showing off two fish baskets. “Crucian carp, carp, and even a three-jin snakehead!”

“Let me see—wow, that’s a lot! You’re amazing, bro!”

She gave him a big thumbs-up—these were definitely skill-earned, not luck.

Each crucian carp was about the size of her palm, roughly half a jin each. Six of them made three jin, plus a one-jin carp and a long, dark snakehead—about seven jin total.

Her brother really was impressive.

If he used Chen Ye Chu’s bait, they’d catch even more. Ning Xiyue eagerly tore off half of her dough and handed it to him.

“Here, let’s switch to this bait! Ye Chu caught a huge fish with it—a ten-jin grass carp! We’ll definitely catch more with this.”

“Alright, let’s do it.” Ning Qingyuan nodded, replacing the bait on both rods.

Ning Xiyue took her rod, brimming with anticipation. She was convinced Chen Ye Chu’s bait was a fish magnet.

Sure enough, after just ten minutes, her float began to tremble.

Ning Xiyue gripped the rod tightly, eyes glued to the float as it bobbed up and down. She even tapped her brother’s arm silently, not daring to make a sound for fear of scaring the fish away.

The excitement of seeing her own rod move made her even more nervous than when she’d helped reel in Chen Ye Chu’s big catch.

When the float finally dipped down again, Ning Qingyuan murmured a quiet reminder—

“Quick, lift the rod!”

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