The Earthen Firecracker (Part Two)

Due to the prohibition on net fishing in recent years, the fish in the reservoir had noticeably increased. After the three earthen firecrackers were thrown into the water, nearly all the fish within a radius of fifty to sixty meters were stunned and floated to the surface. Fatty, even with his eyes shut, effortlessly scooped them up with his net, ensuring not a single catch was missed.

"Woof... Woof woof..."

Just as Fatty was busily wishing for a second pair of hands, the distant village erupted with barking dogs, followed by the beams of flashlights and the sound of voices. Clearly, the relatively muted explosions had still managed to alert the village.

"Fatty, someone's coming! Hurry back; we can leave the remaining fish..." 

Seeing the situation unfold, San Pao quickly lowered his voice and urged, aware that times had changed and getting caught could lead to hefty fines or even years of imprisonment.

"It's fine; they'll take a while to reach us..." 

Fatty replied nonchalantly, continuing to scoop a hefty carp weighing seven or eight pounds onto the boat before paddling toward the shore where Fang Yi and San Pao were waiting.

"Hand it over..." Once the boat reached the shore, Fatty first passed up the fish basket. Judging by his struggle to lift it with both hands, it was clear that the basket was anything but light.

"You glutton! This basket must weigh over a hundred pounds! Are you not worried about whether we can carry it back?" San Pao remarked, as his own strength paled in comparison to Fatty's. The moment he took the basket, he felt a sharp tug, nearly losing his balance.

In the past, when they fished with firecrackers or nets, they would leave their bicycles by the shore, loading the catch onto them for the journey home. However, today, the trio had walked there, and San Pao lacked the strength to haul the fish back.

"I'll handle it; we need to leave quickly..." Fang Yi stepped in, taking the fish basket. Compared to the firewood he chopped daily on the mountain, the weight of the fish was trivial. With a firm grip, he lifted both baskets with ease.

"Yi, you clearly haven't engaged in any petty theft; why worry?" Fatty jumped ashore and glanced toward the lights, saying, "Let's just move a bit further away to avoid them. Don't fret; even if we do get caught, it'll be fine..."

Between the village and the reservoir lay a vast expanse of cornfields, the stalks now towering to waist height. By merely crouching slightly, three people could easily hide among the plants, rendering them inconspicuous.

Leading the way, Fatty skillfully navigated them past the curious onlookers. Within ten minutes, the three of them returned to San Pao's home.

"Hehe, you two sit tight; I'll go prepare a large carp for you to savor my culinary skills..." Upon entering the house, before they could settle down, Fatty pulled the biggest carp from the basket. This fish was rather mature, its scales at the tail end having turned a vibrant red.

"Fatty, wait a moment! You should hide the whole basket of fish first..." San Pao interjected, stopping him.

"Hide it? Why?" Fatty paused, perplexed. "It's getting warm; after we eat, I'll salt the rest. Otherwise, they'll spoil by the day after tomorrow..."

Even if Fang Yi and the others feasted heartily, two hundred pounds of fish would last them a considerable time. Fatty had already planned to keep a few fresh for immediate consumption, while the rest would be salted and dried for preservation, hanging in the house throughout the summer.

"Salted fish, my foot!" San Pao scoffed, exasperated. "Fatty, how about a bet? In less than half an hour, your old man will come knocking..."

"Oh, how could I forget that..." Fatty slapped his forehead, chuckling ruefully. "Alright, I'll treat this basket as an offering for them. Let me hide it to prevent them from taking it..."

"Peng Sanjun, you little rascal, come out!" 

Wei Dahu arrived even sooner than Peng Sanjun had anticipated. Within ten minutes, his voice echoed from outside the courtyard, followed by the sound of the wooden gate being kicked open.

"Uncle Wei, what brings you here at this hour?" As San Pao stepped outside, beams from several flashlights illuminated his face. Shielding his eyes, he recognized one of the figures was in uniform, causing his expression to shift.

"Cut the nonsense! Did you go to the reservoir to blow up fish?" Wei Dahu huffed, pushing past San Pao into the main room.

"Uncle San, I... we weren't blowing up fish; we were... fishing..." San Pao followed him inside, knowing full well the fishy scent in the courtyard would be impossible to conceal.

"Sixth Brother, I almost didn't recognize you in that uniform..." Once inside, San Pao realized that the man in uniform was actually Fatty's cousin, instantly easing his concerns. He grinned and pulled out cigarettes, offering one to both him and Wei Dahu.

"San Pao, you've served in the military; can't you behave a bit better? Don't you know that fishing like this is prohibited?" Sixth Brother grumbled, accepting the cigarette. "If my third uncle reports this to the police station, none of you will escape unscathed..."

"Sixth Brother, we really were just fishing; it might have been someone else who blew up the fish?" Although Wei Dahu's son was one of the culprits, San Pao could not risk his uncle turning against him. Since they hadn't been caught in the act, he was determined to deny it.

"Who else has explosives besides your family? No one else has that stuff!" Sixth Brother slapped San Pao on the back of his head, feeling irked. He was supposed to be on duty today, and if this incident got out, he might lose his position in the neighborhood watch.

"Hua Zi, you better come out here..." Wei Dahu ignored San Pao and shouted into the house. He knew his son's nature; if this incident didn't involve him, he would be surprised. It was quite possible that his son was the mastermind behind it.

"Dad, Brother, Fourth Uncle..." 

Before Wei Dahu could finish, Fatty emerged from the back room. Seeing the familiar faces, he relaxed; aside from his father and cousin, the other person was his own fourth uncle, so he doubted they would send him to the police station.

"You little brat! Instead of doing something respectable, you're off on these shady escapades..." Wei Dahu was fuming upon seeing his son. Though they had fished with explosives in the past, times had changed, and as village chief, he had to set an example.

"Dad, it's just that Fang Yi came down from the mountain, and we wanted to get some fish for him..." 

In the presence of family, Fatty felt at ease, grinning as he continued, "We caught about seventy or eighty pounds; we'll keep one for ourselves, and you can take the rest. To be honest, the fish in the reservoir are getting fatter..."

"Uncle Wei, this..." 

Hearing his name mentioned, Fang Yi felt compelled to step out from hiding, scratching his head as he spoke, "Uncle Wei, I'm sorry for the trouble... how about we consider these fish as our purchase? My master left me a bit of money..."

"Enough of that! Your master probably spent all his money on wine; how much could he possibly leave you?" 

Wei Dahu waved his hand dismissively, but upon seeing Fang Yi, his tone softened. After all, the villagers owed a debt of gratitude to the old Taoist priest, who had never charged for his herbal remedies.

"Uh, he left... over a hundred..." 

Wei Dahu's words made Fang Yi feel increasingly embarrassed. Just as he had said, the old priest was almost always drinking, and whenever he ran out of his favorite monkey wine, he would head down the mountain to buy more, leaving Fang Yi with a little over a hundred yuan.

"Fang Yi, I suggest you focus on doing something meaningful..." 

Wei Dahu sat back in his chair, contemplating before turning to his son. "Here's the plan: I'll call your second uncle when I get home. You three need to head to the city tomorrow and work honestly at your second uncle's construction site. If you dare run away, I'll break your legs..."

In earlier times, fishing with explosives wouldn't have raised an eyebrow, but with the tighter regulations this year, especially after two people were sentenced for diverting water from the reservoir in Liujiacun last year, Wei Dahu was genuinely concerned that these three would continue their reckless behavior and end up in trouble.

"Work at the construction site?" Upon hearing his father's words, Fatty's neck stiffened. He would rather tend to crops at home than engage in that sort of labor.

"Uncle Wei, sure, we'll go. We'll head to the city tomorrow..." Before Fatty could protest, San Pao elbowed him from behind and spoke up, "Uncle Wei, please leave us your number; we'll go find our second uncle first thing in the morning..."

"All of you went to the army, and look how responsible Sanjun is..." Wei Dahu nodded at Peng Sanjun's words, giving his son a light slap on the head before picking up the basket of fish Fatty had just brought out.

"Wow, this is quite heavy! Xiao Liu, come help me..." Although Wei Dahu was in his prime, the basket weighed seventy to eighty pounds. He could lift it with one hand, but it would be impossible to walk with it.

"Uncle Wei, let me carry it to the door for you..." Peng Sanjun, grinning like a sycophant, helped escort Wei Dahu and the others to the courtyard entrance. Once they were out of sight, he closed the gate and returned inside.

"San Pao, you can go to the construction site if you want, but I'm not going..." As soon as Peng Sanjun entered, he caught sight of Fatty's glum expression, which seemed like it could drip water.

"Who said we're going to the construction site?"

"Weren't you just agreeing to it?"

"If I hadn't agreed, would Uncle Wei have let you off the hook?"

San Pao grinned mischievously. "Let's agree for now; once we get to the city, I'll find a way to get us a job that pays well and has some prestige. But let me be clear: I'm out of money, so you'll have to cover the travel expenses..."

"Look at your lack of ambition..." Fatty pointed toward the back room, saying, "There are two old turtles in that basket of fish. When we get to the city, we can sell them; that'll be enough for us to get by for a while..."

Fishing with explosives was different from net fishing; one firecracker could blast several meters of water and mud into the air, making it common to surface a few old turtles from the depths. The two Fatty had caught weighed over three pounds each and could easily fetch one to two thousand yuan in the city.