80s Transmigration: The Young Widow's Hustle to Riches-Chapter 198 - 194: Distributing the Fish

Not long after they got home, Zhao Dehai arrived at Lin Lan’s house carrying three soft-shell turtles. He beamed at them and said, "These are nice and fat, aren’t they? I had Xiang Hua help me catch them."

Yang Liying stepped forward and lifted one by the grass rope tying it. "Each one’s over a pound."

Lin Lan smiled. "You should all come over for dinner tonight. We’ll have an all-fish feast!"

Yang Liying grinned at Lin Lan. "We can eat here, but on one condition. If we eat at your place today, then everyone has to come to my place tomorrow! And remember to invite Xiangyang!"

She had always wanted to treat Li Xiangyang to a meal to thank him for his help, but she’d never found the right opportunity.

Lin Lan nodded. "I’ll tell him!"

Zhao Dehai placed the turtles in a bucket. "Liying, are you two all set? If so, we’ll head home for a bit. I heard from Xiang Hua that they’re about to distribute the fish." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"All set!" Yang Liying nodded, said goodbye to Lin Lan, and left with Zhao Dehai.

A little after eleven, the high-volume loudspeaker on the tractor path crackled to life. Liu Guozhi’s voice boomed from it, "Comrades and members of the First Team, come to the threshing ground! We’re distributing the fish! Members of the First Team..."

"Little Lan, they’re distributing the fish!" Wu Shufen called out to Lin Lan in the kitchen.

"Coming!" Lin Lan emerged carrying two buckets and said to Wu Shufen, "Mom, go tell Great-Aunt. I’ll bring her share back for her."

"Okay!" Wu Shufen agreed and headed out.

Lin Lan hung the buckets on the back of her bicycle and rode toward the threshing ground. Along the way, she saw commune members in twos and threes, also carrying buckets and heading in the same direction.

When she reached the threshing ground, it was already bustling with a noisy, jostling crowd. Everyone was gathered around the large baskets of fish, pointing at the biggest one. "That one’s big enough to feed seven or eight people," someone said.

Liu Jiang said proudly, "I caught that one. It’s the biggest of the lot. A fish this size is perfect for making fish with pickled greens!"

"I don’t like them too big," one person commented. "The meat on the big ones is too coarse!"

"But the big ones are fatty, so you save oil when you make fish with pickled greens!" another countered. "And you don’t have to worry about all the tiny bones!"

Lin Lan scanned the crowd but didn’t see Yang Liying. She did, however, spot Zhao Dehai standing off to the side, bucket in hand, talking with some men from the Zhao family.

Liu Guozhi came out holding a large steelyard scale. He called over a few strong young men, and together they began weighing the fish, basket by basket.

He Xianghua stood to the side, counting and calling out the weights. As the baskets were lifted, the fish inside thrashed about so wildly that the scale arm kept bouncing.

Accountant Jin recorded the weight of each basket. He calculated the grand total, divided it by the number of people in the team to determine each person’s share in pounds, and then started writing numbers on slips of paper to be drawn as lots.

With this method of distribution, the commune members who drew a lot for a better pile of fish were ecstatic, while those who ended up with a less desirable pile, though displeased, couldn’t complain.

Following the amounts called out by Accountant Jin, He Xianghua and Liu Guozhi began dividing the fish into piles on the ground, one for each household.

Some of the fish piled on the ground were still struggling. SLAP! A carp flew out of one pile and flopped a good distance away. With lightning-fast reflexes, Liu Jiang snatched it up and tossed it back.

In the end, that huge fish was chopped into several pieces and added to the piles that seemed a little light.

Lin Lan watched, thinking, ’This seems like a pretty fair way to divide the fish.’

Once the fish were all divided, Accountant Jin finished preparing the lots. He placed the folded slips of paper into a basket and said, "Brigade Leader, they’re ready to be drawn."

Liu Guozhi looked out at the commune members waiting eagerly and bellowed, "Time to draw lots for the fish...!"

No one rushed forward. Instead, each household sent one representative up to draw a lot.

Lin Lan drew a lot for her family and another for Grandma Yang. He Xianghua then led her to the corresponding pile to collect her fish.

Lin Lan’s family ended up with about ten pounds of fish, while Grandma Yang’s household got five or six pounds. The catch included bighead carp, grass carp, and common carp—not the absolute best, but a well-balanced assortment.

She exchanged a greeting with Zhao Dehai, who was still waiting his turn, and pushed her bike out from the crowd. Just then, she saw Little Kai and Little Douzi standing on their tiptoes, peering toward the threshing ground.

"Douzi, Little Kai, are you out of school?"

The two boys ran up to her. Little Douzi peered into a bucket and exclaimed, "Whoa! Look at those big fish!"

Little Kai looked at Lin Lan. "Auntie, is my dad still at the threshing ground?"

Lin Lan smiled and nodded. "Yep! He has to stay until all the fish are distributed. Your grandma’s over there!"

"I’m not going with you guys, then. I’m going to find my grandma," Little Kai said before darting into the crowd.

Lin Lan had Little Douzi sit on the bike’s crossbar and rode home. She left the fish by the door, telling Little Douzi to have Lin Yuezhen take them inside and put them in water to keep them alive. Then, she got back on her bike to deliver the other share to Grandma Yang’s house.

When she arrived at Grandma Yang’s house, the back door was open. A large black dog, Da Hei, was lying outside. He glanced at her once before flopping back down listlessly.

Lin Lan parked her bike, poked her head inside, and called out, "Great-Aunt, I brought the fish!"

"Come on in!" Grandma Yang emerged from behind the stove, a wide grin on her face. "Xiangyang and Ah Yong are here. They want me to be the matchmaker for Ah Yong and Yuezhen!"

Lin Lan carried the fish over to the large water vat. "Oh! I thought they weren’t coming until later!"

"They just arrived. They’re in the main room talking with Ding Bang!" Grandma Yang said as she scooped the fish into a wooden basin. "These are some pretty nice fish!"

"Mhm." Lin Lan ladled a few scoops of water into her bucket to rinse it out.

Grandma Yang looked at her and chuckled. "Ah Yong is a good man, and Yuezhen is a good girl. They should get married and have a baby as soon as possible."

"Mhm! My mom says the same thing." ’All older people think this way,’ Lin Lan mused.

Grandma Yang leaned in, a grin on her face, and whispered, "Ding Bang’s girlfriend is here, too. You two should meet."

Lin Lan smiled and nodded. "Okay!"

The two of them went to the main room together. Lin Lan saw a female police officer sitting next to Yang Dingbang. She was quite attractive, with a sharp, capable air about her. ’She must be his girlfriend,’ Lin Lan thought.

Seeing Lin Lan, Yang Dingbang stood up and said to Yang Xiaoman with a smile, "Little Man, this is Lin Lan. She’s also Xiangyang’s girlfriend."

"Hello, Lin Lan!" Yang Xiaoman smiled and extended her hand. "I’m Yang Xiaoman!"

"Hello, Little Man!" Seeing the genuine warmth in her eyes, Lin Lan immediately took a liking to this frank and friendly young woman.

Grandma Yang watched them, beaming so broadly she couldn’t seem to close her mouth. "Sit, Little Man! Everyone, sit down!" ’I really like this granddaughter-in-law,’ she thought. ’She doesn’t put on airs like a city dweller, nor is she delicate and spoiled like some city girls.’

As they sat down, Li Xiangyang smiled at Lin Lan and said, "I dropped by your house with some pork intestines, but Auntie said you’d gone to get the fish."

Lin Lan nodded. "The threshing ground was packed. Sister He’s husband did me a favor and let me get my fish first. Otherwise, I’d probably still be there." Turning to Yang Dingbang, she added, "Bring Little Man over to my place for a simple dinner tonight!"

Yang Dingbang glanced at Yang Xiaoman, then smiled and nodded. "We’ll definitely be there!"

After a moment’s thought, Grandma Yang asked, "Lin Lan, since Yuezhen’s parents are no longer around, should we come to your house or to Shilian’s for the matchmaking and proposal?"

Lin Lan considered Yuezhen’s situation for a moment. "My house will be fine," she said.

"Good!" Grandma Yang then turned to Brother Yong. "We’ll head over this afternoon!"

Brother Yong thanked her gratefully. "Thank you for all your trouble, Grandma Yang!"

Grandma Yang waved her hands dismissively. "It’s no trouble at all! This is a happy occasion!"