After buying the umbrella, Chen Xiaobei went to buy a fishing net.
After thinking about it, Chen Xiaobei went to the butcher shop and bought two catties of bones.
He happily made a pot of bone broth, and the remaining bones were excellent bait.
After finishing these, the most crucial problem was how to get the fish alive to the county town.
In this era, there were no plastic bags, so the only way to get the fish alive was to use a suitable container.
This was also why live fish were more expensive.
Chen Xiaobei strolled around the county town for half a day, looking at dozens of shops. The pottery at this time was quite cumbersome.
Let alone carrying fish, just carrying such an item to the county town would be exhausting.
As he wandered around, he saw something. A shop in front was selling water bags.
At this time, most water bags were sewn from cow or sheep leather, but they were generally small, only holding about two catties of water.
If he made a large water bag and put the fish in it, would it work?
With this thought, he walked into the workshop. Sudan Fiction Network
The shopkeeper looked at Chen Xiaobei's tattered clothes and frowned, but he still managed to nod at him.
"Boy, are you here to buy a water bag?"
There was a tone of disdain in his words.
Chen Xiaobei originally wanted to turn around and leave, but then he thought that there were few handicraft workshops in this era. If he couldn't find another one, he would have to come back, which would be even more awkward. It was better to endure it for now.
Lin Xiaobei shook his head, "Alas, I'd like to buy two water bags, but your water bags are too small. Can you make a bigger one for me?"
"This," the shopkeeper looked at him hesitantly.
"Boy, how big do you want it?"
Chen Xiaobei gestured with his hands, "At least a foot and a half long, and about a foot wide. Oh, and preferably two."
The shopkeeper looked Chen Xiaobei up and down and said hesitantly, "A water bag this big won't be cheap. You..."
Chen Xiaobei understood, of course. With his current attire, it wasn't worth a copper coin. The other party naturally had reason to suspect that he was joking.
"Don't worry, my master is a very generous customer. Just tell me the price." Chen Xiaobei said with certainty, patting his chest.
His explanation was also convincing.
After all, not all masters were benevolent. It was normal for the master to be well-fed and the servant to be skin and bones.
The shopkeeper held up one finger.
"If it's as big as you say, one water bag will be at least ten wen. If you want two, that's twenty wen."
As he spoke, the shopkeeper held up another finger.
Chen Xiaobei smiled faintly, reached into his懷, and took out ten large coins, arranging them one by one on the counter.
"These ten are a deposit. I'll pay the rest when I come to pick them up."
The shopkeeper's eyes widened like copper bells, and he looked at Chen Xiaobei in disbelief.
After a moment of stunned silence, a fawning smile appeared on his face, "No problem, no problem, young master. Don't worry, I'll have it done in three days."
Damn, people's hearts are like intestines. Money is indeed a good thing.
After the ten large coins were laid out, his address changed from "boy" to "young master."
"Alright, then I'll come back in three days. Remember, if it leaks, I'll tear down your signboard."
Carrying fish to the city in a skin bag filled with water might seem a bit comical, but what else could he do now?
A donkey would cost four or five taels of silver, and adding a cart would be a considerable sum.
Carrying the fishing net, the umbrella, and the bones, Chen Xiaobei returned home fully laden.
Seeing that he had bought bones, Chen Qiao'er was overjoyed, as she could have a good meal again. However, Cui Hongyu frowned.
Chen Xiaobei had taken fifty copper coins when he left, and only a dozen or so remained when he returned. This trip had been expensive!
If he continued to make such a fuss, even if she brought a fortune in dowry, it would probably be spent.
Chen Xiaobei had no idea what Cui Hongyu was thinking. He washed the bones, added water, and instructed Chen Qiao'er to light the fire, as he was about to get busy.
Chen Xiaobei took out the flower-patterned umbrella, and with a few rips and tears, he removed the umbrella fabric and spread out the fishing net to start sewing.
This scene chilled Cui Hongyu to the bone.
He knew the price of an umbrella, at least four or five copper coins.
But he didn't expect Chen Xiaobei to tear off the umbrella fabric so easily.
She couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. Her fate was so bitter. Why did she end up with such a man? Not only was he extravagant with money, but he was also making such a mess, tearing up a perfectly good umbrella so casually.
Alas, it seemed she would have to work desperately in the future, or she wouldn't be able to support this man's recklessness.
Chen Xiaobei couldn't afford to worry about all that.
After toiling for over an hour, he finally finished the umbrella net.
Chen Qiao'er circled the net, "Brother, what have you made?"
"I'm going to catch fish, and I'll make you fish soup tonight."
As soon as she heard that there would be fish, Chen Qiao'er became excited again, clapping her hands and cheering. She ran to Cui Hongyu and took her hand, "Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, we can eat fish tonight."
Cui Hongyu looked at Chen Xiaobei, wanting to say something but stopping.
She had seen people fishing with nets. They would cast the net on the water and then pull it back.
In ten attempts, they might catch a fish once or twice, but she had never seen anyone use a net the size of an umbrella to catch fish.
From the look in Cui Hongyu's eyes, Chen Xiaobei understood that the beautiful Cui did not believe he could catch fish with this contraption.
"Hongyu, don't worry. I'll definitely let you have fish soup tonight."
After saying that, he took two pieces of bone and, carrying the umbrella net, left the house.
Seeing him go to catch fish, Chen Qiao'er became even more excited and followed behind, jumping and skipping.
Watching the two of them leave, Cui Hongyu didn't stand idle. She picked up a broom and cleaned the house, then went inside to get out her embroidery supplies.
When it came to embroidery, Cui Hongyu was a master in the surrounding villages. When she got married, she naturally brought her sewing kit with her.
By this time, Chen Xiaobei had brought his sister Chen Qiao'er to the river. He secretly observed and chose a place with calm water. He slowly submerged the umbrella net.
Then he tied the extending thin line to a nearby reed.
Tying the net to the reed was his experience. He had made the net opening quite large, and a half-foot-long fish could get in without any problem.
However, such a long fish had great strength. If it thrashed around inside the net, it could easily break the umbrella frame.
Therefore, if a large fish was caught, the net had to be retrieved as soon as possible.
Chen Qiao'er saw the net submerged and then nothing happened. She blinked her eyes, "Brother, will the fish just swim into it like this?"
Chen Xiaobei nodded, "Don't worry, I'll definitely let you have fish soup tonight."
He waited and waited. After about two sticks of incense, Chen Qiao'er couldn't wait any longer.
"Brother, why don't we pull up the net and see if any fish have gone in."
Chen Xiaobei looked at the reed, which was motionless. He knew that even if there were fish, they would be small ones.
"Don't be anxious. Once the net moves, the fish at the opening will run away again."