Chapter 9

Li Dong hung up the phone and dealt with the fathead fish that had attacked him. It was strange, in just a few days, the strength in Li Dong's hands had completely changed. Indeed, hard work really does build a person.

Now, Li Dong had a bronze complexion. There was no way around it; it was the result of being in the sun. If he hadn't looked in a mirror these past few days, he would have been shocked. He looked at least ten years younger. If not for the sunburn, he would have been a fair-skinned young man.

No, a fresh-faced young man. Li Dong held the fathead fish in one hand and a bucket with two turtles in the other, fortunately, they hadn't escaped. These wild turtles weighed over a pound each, at least 210 yuan. "Good stuff, I'll stew it and send it to my daughter later."

Li Dong's daughter, Li Jingyi, was named by her mother. She was eleven years old and in fifth grade. She was closer to her mother, and after the divorce, she stayed with her mom. On weekends, she would call Li Dong, but usually, it was Li Dong who called or went to the city to see her.

There was no way around it; the girl had her mother's personality, very strong-willed. She had signed up for all sorts of tutoring and interest classes, spending most of her weekends in tutoring. Even Li Dong, a high school teacher, felt a bit sorry for her, but the girl seemed to enjoy it.

Others thought the child was sensible, but Li Dong smiled bitterly. The girl was too strong-willed. What would happen in the future if she followed her mother's path?

Back home, Li Dong changed into a different set of clothes and neatly folded the patched ones, putting them in the cabinet. "I wonder if Xiaojuan would cry if she found out I left?"

Thinking of Xiaojuan, Li Dong felt a bit heartache. The child had experienced too much misfortune.

"At least I should go back once."

Li Dong thought he should bring some food and necessities to Xiaojuan. While taking a shower, he remembered this. "Right, I should call Han Weijun and ask him to come over and cook tomorrow."

"Han Weijun and Han Weiguo are from the same generation. In 1978, he should be in his twenties, right? Ha, should I call him 'little brother' or...?"

"Uncle Weijun, we have guests for lunch tomorrow, can you come over early?"

Han Weijun was a well-known chef in the area. In the mid-1980s, he learned from a master who cooked large pots of dishes and had been a chef for decades. Whenever there was a wedding or funeral in the area, people would think of him first.

In recent years, people preferred to go to hotels for events, and Han Weijun was getting older. His children didn't want him to work so hard. But after a lifetime of cooking, he couldn't just stop. Living in the city with his children made him uncomfortable, and being idle was even worse.

So, he returned to the countryside. Li Dong, who was running a farm, initially planned to hire a permanent chef, but with so few guests, it wasn't cost-effective. So, he called Han Weijun to help out when there were guests, paying him 50 yuan per time.

Han Weijun didn't care about the money; he just itched to cook. He agreed, and his children, though reluctant, understood that the old man was happy. They had also heard about Li Dong's farm business.

There were rarely any guests, maybe one table every few days, but it was a good way for the old man to satisfy his cooking passion without overworking himself. They agreed, and it turned out that Han Weijun's skills were excellent. A regular customer, Mr. Tian, liked his cooking and often brought friends over.

"Is it Tian Bo again?"

"Indeed, Uncle Weijun, come over early tomorrow. I caught a fathead fish weighing over ten pounds from the reservoir, and Mr. Tian has booked it."

"A wild fathead fish that big is quite rare. Alright, I'll come over early tomorrow."

Li Dong hung up the phone, tidied up, and glanced at the screen. "Hmm, there are still 70?"

70:25:51

200

1978.8.21

"Really, I can go back? Li Dong paused. That means if I get another 30 hours of sun, I can go back to 1978. Of course, Li Dong was a bit hesitant about going back, as working was quite tiring.

"First, I'll get some sun, and I can take care of the vegetable garden while I'm at it."

Usually, Li Dong hired people to do the work, but he had gotten used to it over the past few days. Physical labor didn't seem so bad anymore.

On the way, he met a few villagers who had just returned from the city. They called out to him from a distance.

"Mr. Li, are you busy?"

"Cleaning up the vegetable garden. Are you back to see your parents?"

"Yes, you're busy."

They walked away, chatting quietly. "Why would a good teacher leave to run a farm here? Does he really think he can make it? What was he thinking?"

"Indeed, there are at least eight or ten reservoirs like ours in the entire Lishan district, not to mention the dozens of fishing farms around the city. It was profitable in the early years, but now it's a struggle to break even."

"True, he must be a bookworm, reading himself silly."

"Exactly, being a teacher is so much better. With all the benefits and holidays, students bring gifts that he can't even finish. His salary is all left over, and he has extra income. I heard some teachers make 200,000 to 300,000 a year."

"Indeed."

"Really can't understand why he would come to this remote place."

"Ah, you don't know. Mr. Li's wife found someone else and left him."

"Really? No wonder he quit his job. He must be embarrassed."

Li Dong didn't know what people were saying behind his back. He cleared the weeds in the vegetable garden and picked some vegetables for the next day. This afternoon, he gained five more points, bringing the total to 75.

Around 8:00 AM the next day, Tian Liang arrived with friends, three cars, and six or seven people.

"Mr. Tian."

Tian Liang was already familiar with the place and greeted his friends with a smile. "Mr. Li, you said you have something good. Our Director Liu is a true gourmet, don't let me lose face."

"Mr. Tian, you flatter me. I just like good food."

Director Liu was around the same age as Li Dong, in his thirties. Tian Liang and his friends treated him with respect, suggesting he was either a leader in a supervisory company or a city official.

"Mr. Tian, with Director Liu here, I wouldn't dare to fool you." Li Dong, though not skilled in socializing, wasn't stupid. Director Liu was clearly the main guest today.

Li Dong brought out the fish tank, a special device for keeping fish alive. Otherwise, such a large fish would die and go bad in the heat.

"Wow, that's not small."

Liu Mingdong looked at the fathead fish in the tank. Although Tian Liang and his friends often fished, it was mostly for socializing and eating, and they didn't really know the difference between wild and farmed fish.

"Good stuff."

Liu Mingdong, who was knowledgeable, pointed out, "Look, this fish is slender and has a flat belly. If it were farmed, the belly would be much larger. The color is also deeper, which is rare. Such a large wild fathead fish is hard to find around here."

"Learning something new. I often hear these bosses talk about wild and farmed fish, but I can't tell the difference. I must have been cheated many times." Tian Liang laughed, and Li Dong quickly waved his hands.

"Mr. Tian, don't say that. Everything here is genuine."

"Alright, alright, stew the fish. We'll have fish head congee for lunch. Director Liu, this place may be small, but the cooking is excellent."

"Really? I'll have to try it."

They arranged to go fishing at the reservoir. Li Dong brought water over, and the kitchen was left to Han Weijun. Such a large wild fathead fish was rare, and Han Weijun hadn't cooked one in years. After confirming the number of guests, he started cooking.

The fish could be prepared in four or five different ways. The fish head alone could be cooked in two ways: fish head stew with tofu and congee, and spicy fish head. There was also braised fish tail and fish balls.

In the morning, Li Dong weeded the vegetable garden and got some sun, occasionally bringing water to the reservoir. There weren't many fish or shrimp, but a few were caught, making it a good way to pass the time.

Han Weijun finished cooking, and Li Feng called everyone for lunch.

"Director Liu, let's go eat."

"I'll clean up."

"Shall we have a drink at lunch?"

"Driving, so no."

The dishes were ready, with a few small red clay stoves simmering the fish head stew, the aroma filling the air. There was also cured meat, a roasted chicken, and vegetables from the garden, making a total of about ten dishes.

"Smells great."

They laughed and went to wash their hands. Tian Liang accompanied Liu Mingdong, who glanced at the fish tank. "There are turtles too."

Tian Liang looked and saw the turtles. "Mr. Li, why didn't you cook these turtles?"

Li Dong, hearing about the turtles, quickly came over. "Mr. Tian, these two wild turtles took me a lot of effort. I just brought them over, planning to take them to the city for my daughter on the weekend. She needs the nutrients for her studies."

"Wild turtles?"

Liu Mingdong was surprised, unsure if Li Dong was joking. "Mr. Li, such large wild turtles are rare."

Liu Mingdong examined the turtles closely, surprised.

"Really wild?"

Tian Liang was also surprised. He often ate at farms but rarely saw wild turtles, mostly farmed ones.

Liu Mingdong smiled. "Look at these turtles. Their backs are smooth, and their edges are thick. Farmed turtles have rough backs and thin edges. Also, the claws of these turtles are yellow, while farmed ones are white."

"Can I see them, Mr. Li?"

"Of course."

Li Dong brought out the turtles, and Liu Mingdong pointed to their bellies. "See, the bellies of wild turtles are dark, while farmed ones are white and red. Mr. Li, if you have more of these wild turtles, please save some for me. My mother is not well."

"Sure, sure."

"Let's eat, Director Liu."

Tian Liang, with a twinkle in his eye, called Liu Mingdong to eat. Halfway through the meal, Tian Liang pulled Li Dong aside. "Brother, you didn't mention these good things earlier. How about this, you must save these two turtles for me. Money is no issue."

"This, I don't know..."

"Brother, please help."

Tian Liang pulled out 2,000 yuan and gave it to Li Dong. The meal cost at most 700 to 800 yuan, and the two turtles were worth over 1,000 yuan.

Li Dong saw that Tian Liang intended to give the turtles to Liu Mingdong, indicating his important position, even if not in a supervisory company, he must have some authority over Tian Liang. "Alright, but it's hard to find these."

"Brother, thanks. I'll get you some good wine later."

Tian Liang bowed, and Li Dong, after a moment's hesitation, agreed. "Mr. Tian, since you put it that way, I'll ask my friend if he has more. It's not easy to find such large wild turtles these days."

"Brother, I know. You can count on me to bring more guests here."

After the meal, Li Dong packed the turtles and handed them to Tian Liang, who placed them in Liu Mingdong's car. Liu Mingdong accepted them after some polite refusal.

Tian Liang bowed to Li Dong and drove away. Li Dong was quite excited. He sold the turtles for 600 yuan each, and the others were grateful. He realized that 1978 wasn't all bad, with wild fish, shrimp, and turtles.

Even chickens, ducks, and geese grew up eating insects, and the taste was excellent. There were also free-range eggs and organic vegetables. The more he thought about it, the more he realized these were all valuable. The two turtles cost him nothing.

Thinking about it, he could catch a few turtles every week. Li Dong was thrilled. Han Weijun, hearing about the wild turtles, remarked, "These things were common forty years ago, but now they're rare."

Li Dong thought, "They're rare now, but not forty years ago. Ha, I need to get more sun, so I can go back and catch more turtles."