There is a saying, "A man remains a boy until death."
This saying rings true.
It is in a man's nature to seek enjoyment; what some boys loved to play with in their youth, they still enjoy as adults, and even in old age, they cannot shake that habit.
That is exactly what these few are like!
“Let’s go, let’s go! While it’s still not completely dark, gather the others,” Ye Mu said, with Lin Xiuqing not really caring about him.
After all, he has been working diligently at home.
Once that’s done, if he still has energy left, what does it matter what he does?
Catching loach and eel beats going out for drinks and cards.
“Don’t lose the traps.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t.”
These traps would be his lifeline for some time, so he dared not lose them.
Ye Yaodong and A Guang each took a trap and headed out.
They didn’t bother to wash up since they would just get dirty again upon returning.
They went around calling on some friends, as this kind of activity is surely more fun with a crowd.
No one likes to do it alone.
Upon hearing that they were going to set traps in the river, everyone rushed out excitedly.
Some were still halfway through their meals, stuffing their mouths and running off, not even worried about choking, while those back home were cursing at them.
A Zheng asked while walking, “What made you suddenly want to set traps in the ditch? Who came up with this bright idea?”
“A Guang suggested it. He saw I just made a few traps and were lying around, so he said let’s take them to the ditch and see if we can catch some fish, shrimp, or loach. Just to test the waters.”
Having some crayfish would be even better—how could summer be without them?
A plump guy chimed in excitedly, “Let’s set more traps to catch more goods! I’ll cook for everyone later.”
“Why set so many? Who knows how much we can actually catch? Let’s just try with two first and see how it goes. We can always come back for more.”
“Should we go to Dongqiao Village or further down to Xishan Village? There’s a river at Xishan as well.”
“Let’s go to Dongqiao Village. The ditch there is wider, so we’re sure to catch something.”
“Everything is about Dongqiao Village. At this rate, we’ll strip the place clean!”
“How can we strip it clean? We’re just controlling the population! Too many of these things can disrupt the ecology.”
“Stop rambling! You almost got me believing that…”
As Ye Yaodong listened to their banter, the corners of his mouth turned up. “Hurry up, stop talking nonsense, or it will get dark on us. We’ll be groping in the dark soon.”
“Don’t worry, I brought a flashlight!” A Wei said, pulling out a flashlight from his pocket.
“I got one too,” Xiao Xiao added.
A Zheng grinned widely, “Looks like we’re well-prepared. We’re really going to have a blast tonight, right?”
“Let’s just set down the traps before we start talking about anything else!”
A group of them chatted and laughed as they walked straight to Dongqiao Village.
By this time, the sky had already darkened, mostly because gathering everyone took too long.
Those enjoying the evening breeze by the roadside looked at the group of youngsters with curiosity, but due to the darkness, they couldn’t see what they were carrying.
Typically, those who set traps in the river often own a boat to catch seafood; who would be foolish enough to set traps in the river and feast on things that are hardly worth anything? Honestly, it was just them who were overindulging!
They found the widest river in the village, with rice fields on both sides, and not many houses around.
“I’ll turn on the flashlight. You guys go ahead and set the traps.”
“This river is quite wide and long. We should definitely bring more traps.”
“Why bring so many? We won’t be able to eat all of it anyway. Plus, it’s so close by, we can come whenever.”
“Later on, Dongzi will put the traps in the sea. Who will bother setting traps in the ditch like this?”
“True, that makes sense.”
Everyone was chatting away.
Ye Yaodong while setting traps said, “You guys go grab a big rock; we have no place to tie the ropes. If we want to do this, let’s bring one or two more next time. But right now, I only have five traps. That's not enough even for the sea.”
These guys were just looking for fun; they didn’t have a strong fondness for the things in the river.
“Let’s make sure to come back before we set them in the sea next time.”
“Let’s put these down first before discussing anything else.”
“When are we coming back to collect them?”
“Tomorrow? If we leave them too long, and someone sees them while working in the fields, they might just take them. Dongzi would be devastated.”
Ye Yaodong was also worried about losing the traps. “Let’s come early tomorrow to collect them, how about 6:30? I need to get to work later, and if it’s too late and we lose the traps, my wife will be furious.”
“Isn’t that too early?” the plump one frowned.
“If you can’t get up, you don’t have to come. Just come directly to my place for them.”
“Okay, how about we check after two hours?”
A Guang looked at A Zheng in disbelief, “So we’ll be sitting here attracting mosquitoes for two hours?”
Ye Yaodong replied in annoyance, “Then you can stay here and be the mosquito feast; I’ll pass!”
The plump guy chimed in, “Count me out too!”
“If we’re going to check after two hours, why not just throw a net? That would be much easier and we wouldn’t have to come out at night.”
A Zheng scratched his head, “That’s true…”
A Guang rolled his eyes, “You want to throw nets here during the day and attract attention? At least at night, no one will see us.”
“Or we could catch cicadas? I brought a flashlight, so we can catch some for a while, and before we return, we can check what we’ve caught.”
“That works; since we’re free anyway.”
“Looks like you’re determined to attract mosquitoes at night, huh? Alright, let’s go and catch some to take home and fry.”
The group chattered away, quickly settling on what they were going to do.
Ye Yaodong went along with the flow; the night was still young, and it was too early for him to be sleeping.
Tomorrow he wouldn’t be going out to sea, or else he wouldn’t dare to run away tonight.
On the road from Baisha Village to Dongqiao Village, one side was a mountain with woods.
No matter what kind of trees, it was best if it was a place where the cicadas can be heard in the daytime, indicating that there were larvae underground.
Usually, when it gets dark, the larvae start making their way up.
They walked a short distance along the main road and saw a path leading up the mountain, so they headed up without hesitation.
However, once they reached the slope, Xiao Xiao was the first to realize, stopping in her tracks. “Wait, we don’t have anything to put the catches in!”
“Right, we don’t have anything to put them in!”
“Let’s take off our clothes and tie the hems and sleeves up, leaving an opening at the neck to use as a bag?”
“Huh?”
“Are you stupid!” Ye Yaodong scolded, and then took out a sack from his pocket and shook it.
“Wow, you brought a sack?” Everyone was surprised.
“Who knew when you’d need to gather your harvest? When I saw the sack lying in the corner while making the traps, I grabbed it and put it in my pocket, just in case.”
“That’s a good habit!”
“Mmm,” he agreed, a habit he picked up upon returning to life. “Let’s go.”
(End of Chapter)