Chapter 728: Fleeing Famine 33

Chapter 728: Chapter 728: Fleeing Famine 33

In the center of the square, there was a large wooden basin used for slaughtering pigs, filled to the brim with fish, and the team leader was directing people to weigh them.

Half an hour later, all the fish were weighed.

The villagers hurriedly crowded in front of the basin to line up.

The team leader shouted through a loudspeaker, "Folks, don’t push, every family will get their share. We distribute fish according to the headcount—one pound per person, not first come, first served. Please don’t crowd."

Someone said, "Team leader, I have many relatives, and lots of guests for New Year, one pound per person isn’t enough."

"Then you can buy more, it’s thirty cents per pound."

The team leader picked up the loudspeaker and shouted, "If you don’t have enough, you can buy more. Big fish are thirty cents per pound, small fish and shrimp are ten cents per pound. The money will be used by the team to buy more pigs next spring."

"Team leader, those small fish and shrimp are tiny and fishy, not easy to cook. I wouldn’t eat them even if you gave them to me for free, and you want to sell them for ten cents per pound? Who would buy them?"

"Exactly, Team leader, how about selling them for one cent per pound, half selling and half giving us as a community?"

The team leader angrily blew his beard and glared, "Radishes are two cents per pound, and you want fish for one cent? These small fish and shrimp are at least meat dishes."

"I’d rather gnaw on radishes than eat small fish and shrimp. That stuff is hard to handle and smells awful."

Yuan Chun, who was at the end of the line, heard the elder ladies of the village. Her mind was filled with thoughts of deep-fried small fish, shrimp paste, fish sauce...

Just then, Geng Dalin and his wife arrived. Yuan Chun called Geng Dalin to queue while she went to the team leader to buy twenty pounds of small fish and shrimp.

The team leader: "Mrs. Dalin, you don’t have any relatives visiting for the New Year, buying so much of small fish and shrimp is just wasting money if you can’t finish them."

Yuan Chun said with a smile, "I can finish them, I want to dry some small fish and shrimp for snacks when I’m tired from work."

If there weren’t so few small fish and shrimp, Yuan Chun would have bought another twenty pounds.

The team leader looked up at the cold, sunless weather and wondered where she could find sunshine to dry fish.

The team leader was about to persuade her further when the assistant leader chuckled, "Aunt Geng, you’re the first one to buy small fish and shrimp. You can choose whichever you want."

Wow, what a nice deal.

Yuan Chun used a gourd scoop to ladle several scoops from where the shrimp were abundant.

These small river shrimps are delicious, stir-fried with spring onions, peanuts, and garlic sprouts.

It’s a pity people from this era don’t appreciate them, thinking small river shrimps have no meat, only shells, and aren’t tasty.

They have no idea about the aroma of small river shrimp.

Yuan Chun swallowed her saliva, scooping two more gourds of small shrimp, and the assistant leader weighed them—twenty-six pounds.

Yuan Chun immediately pulled out two yuan and sixty cents and handed it to the accountant sitting there.

"Gou Shengzi, weigh ten big fish for Auntie." Yuan Chun smiled, pointing at the basin of wild black fish, grass carp, catfish... "I want three black fish, five grass carp, two carps, and eight small crucian carp."

"Aunt, small crucian carp are at the same price as small fish and shrimp."

"Then give me five pounds."

"Alright, Auntie, wait a moment, I’ll weigh them for you."

After the assistant leader weighed them, Yuan Chun handed over two big bills to the accountant, and before the accountant could give her change, someone shouted, "Something’s wrong, something’s wrong, someone fell into the pond at the village entrance!"

"What?"

The team leader panicked, running toward the village entrance while yelling, "The pond was just fished, the ice isn’t solid yet. Who went on it?"