Gu Yihan ate her steamed bun while waiting for Uncle Gu and her good-for-nothing father to arrive.
Just after she finished eating, she saw Gu Hao approaching. Gu Yihan ran over, took his hand, and said, “I’ve been waiting for so long. It’s so boring.”
Gu Hao sniffed the air. “Why do I smell meat?”
Gu Yihan pretended to sniff hard as well, saying guiltily, “How come I don’t smell anything? You must be mistaken. All I smell is pig manure.”
At the thought of pig manure, Gu Hao fell silent.
Seeing Gu Hao’s expression, Gu Yihan turned her head to the side, suppressing a laugh.
A short while later, Uncle Gu and that good-for-nothing father of hers arrived. Uncle Gu was the first to ask Gu Yihan worriedly, “Hanhun, were you scared being on the mountain all by yourself?”
Gu Yihan replied in her childish voice, “Uncle, I wasn’t scared.”
She glanced at her good-for-nothing father, whose eyes were fixed solely on the wild boar. He hadn’t even looked at her, probably not even concerned about her safety.
Gu Yihan didn’t care. In any case, she would be good to whoever cared about her, and she wouldn’t bother with those who didn’t.
The three of them quickly worked together to load the wild boar and the dead branches onto the cart.
As they reached the riverbank, Gu Yihan suddenly remembered the fish cages in the river. “Big Brother, let’s go collect the fish cages. We can let Uncle and my dad go back first.”
Gu Hao looked at the river, worried and hesitant to agree. He also didn’t feel at ease letting his cousin go by herself. “Alright, I’ll go pull the fish cages out.”
The two walked to the riverbank. Gu Hao had Gu Yihan stand on the bank while he went down to pull up the cages. They were quite heavy, and it took him a long time to haul them ashore.
When Gu Hao looked inside, he saw they were full of fish. A closer look revealed they were all black fish and catfish, and none of them were small. He quickly put the fish cages back into the water.
He hurried over to Gu Yihan and whispered, “Let’s go home first. We’ll have my dad and Second Uncle come get them tonight. The three cages are too heavy for us to carry back.”
Gu Yihan said in pleasant surprise, “There are that many?”
“Quite a lot,” Gu Hao said. “I didn’t expect fish to be carnivorous.”
Gu Yihan looked at Gu Hao and whispered, “Doesn’t that mean we can catch a lot of fish with the boar’s unwanted organs?”
Gu Hao’s heart was also racing. Without another word, he picked Gu Yihan up and started walking home.
When Grandma Gu saw Gu Hao returning with her little granddaughter in his arms, she rushed forward to check if she was hurt.
Gu Yihan held her grandmother’s rough hand, her heart aching a little as she said, “Grandma, I’m fine, I’m not hurt. I’m just hungry and very sleepy.”
She hadn’t been idle all day, and a child’s stamina was naturally limited.
Grandma Gu quickly brought the specially prepared egg custard and rice congee to Gu Yihan. “Eat first. After you eat, go to sleep.”
After eating, Gu Yihan could barely keep her eyes open. She went back to her room and fell asleep.
After dark, Gu Lao Da and Gu Lao Er butchered the wild boar under the cover of night. Gu Hao told Grandma Gu about how they had caught the fish.
“Lao Da, don’t throw away any of the pig’s organs,” Grandma Gu said urgently.
She turned to Grandpa Gu, who was sitting by the door, and said, “Old man, weave a few more fish cages.”
Without asking why, Grandpa Gu immediately agreed, “Alright, old woman.”
“Lao Da, Lao Er, for the next few days, don’t go to your wives’ family homes to pick up your wives and daughters yet.” Then, Grandma Gu repeated what Gu Hao had told her to the three men.
This time, the men were truly stunned. Gu Hao quickly led his father and Second Uncle to retrieve the fish cages.
Looking at the cages brimming with fish, the three men were too excited to speak. They hurried home under the cover of darkness.
Seeing so many fish, Grandma Gu was so happy she cried. She said that their Hanhun was a lucky star, sent to their family to repay a kindness. She had truly been terrified of starvation.
Hearing this, Gu Aidang felt nothing. This daughter had always been raised by his mother and wasn’t close to him. He didn’t feel any sort of good fortune; his mother was just being superstitious.
Grandma Gu said, “Lao Da, Lao Er, with the pig organs, catch more fish. We’ll make dried fish and pickled fish.”
Gu Lao Da and Gu Lao Er agreed. Over the next few days, they caught a great deal of fish. The river in Gu Jia Village didn’t have that many, so they secretly caught a lot from other villages’ rivers as well.
Looking at the cellar full of provisions, Grandma Gu threatened Gu Lao Da and Gu Lao Er, “You two had better keep your mouths shut. If you tell your wives, I won’t let you off.”