The 246th being furious
The entire Mo family, young and old, mobilized and spent several days digging out quite a few loaches.
Xuexue dried them all, and there were several large buckets. Madam Xie's heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled down. They had a supply of loaches for the restaurant, and that made her feel at ease.
The villagers, knowing that they had dug up so many loaches, were all asking around. Madam Xie just smiled and didn't answer. Xuexue had advised her that they should wait a while longer, until they had earned enough silver and had no worries about food and clothing before they shared the news.
Madam Xie thought so, too. The loaches were becoming fewer and fewer, and in a few days, as spring approached, the rains would become more frequent, leaving them with even fewer opportunities to dig, so she agreed.