Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 511 Buying Fishing Nets

Xu Xiaoyan walked towards the main street entrance, wondering where she could buy a fishing net.

District 7 isn't very big, but it's not small either. There are quite a few shops selling daily necessities, but she had never really noticed any shops that specialize in fishing nets.

She usually only cares about ingredients and seasonings; fishing nets have never even crossed her line of sight.

She walked and reminisced.

Suddenly I remembered that when I went to the trading center to purchase supplies last time, I passed through a small alley.

A faded sign hangs at the entrance of the alley, with the words "Fishing Gear and General Merchandise" written on it.

She was a little surprised at the time, wondering why there would be people selling this kind of thing in a commercial center where land is so valuable.

Looking back now, there must have been quite a few anglers here, and given that this place is right next to a big river, it's perfectly normal for people to be selling fishing gear.

She made two turns, went through a narrow alley, and found the alley.

Sure enough, the faded signboard was still hanging at the entrance of the alley. The four characters "Fishing Gear and Sundries" had turned white from sun and rain, but they were still easy to recognize.

The shop is located on the ground floor of an old residential building. The storefront is small, with several rows of fishing lines, hooks, and floats hanging behind the glass window.

As Xu Xiaoyan pushed open the door, a strong smell of rubber and plastic hit her.

The shop was dimly lit, and the shelves were filled with all kinds of fishing gear, from the simplest bamboo poles to complex reels.

Behind the counter sat a man in his fifties, wearing a faded blue work uniform, who was sanding a wooden fishing rod handle with sandpaper.

Hearing the door open, he looked up at Xu Xiaoyan, his gaze lingering on her for two seconds.

He probably thought it was unusual for a young woman to come and buy fishing gear, but he didn't say much, just nodded as a greeting.

"Boss, do you have fishing nets?" Xu Xiaoyan asked directly.

"What kind of net?" The man put down the sandpaper and stood up. "A gillnet, a cast net, a trap, a dip net—which do you want?"

Xu Xiaoyan was stumped. She really knew nothing about fishing nets, only a vague concept in her mind.

She thought about the scene Lan Yue described: the dam releases water, the fish are washed downstream, and they thrash about in the river bend.

In that situation, what's needed isn't a fine fishing net, but something that can quickly scoop up the fish.

"The largest size," she said, "the best one, the one that can catch big fish."

The man glanced at her, his lips twitching as if he wanted to laugh but held it back.

He turned and walked to the back of the shelf, taking down a bundle of green nylon netting from the top.

The mesh is large enough for an adult's fist to pass through, and the rope is sturdy and rough, feeling prickly to the touch.

He then took a long bamboo pole from the side, tied an iron ring to the end of the pole, and fixed the net to the iron ring. He finished setting it up in no time.

"This is a landing net," the man said, handing her the net he had prepared. "It's specially made for catching big fish. The mesh is large, so there's little water resistance and the fish won't easily escape once it's in the net."

"The rod is three meters long and can be used in both shallow and deep water. If you're going downstream to catch fish, this thing is better than anything else."

Xu Xiaoyan took the net, weighed it in her hand, and found it wasn't too heavy; she could hold it steadily with one hand.

She tried swinging it, and the net drew an arc in the air, making a soft whooshing sound.

"How much?"

"Forty-five nets, fifteen poles, sixty in total."

Just as she was about to pay, the fishing tackle shop owner leaned out from behind the counter and called out to her, "Hey, young lady, wait a minute."

Xu Xiaoyan looked up and saw the boss pull a green net bag from the back of the shelf.

It is cylindrical, like a long bag, with one end tied tightly and the other end bound with a ring made of thick iron wire.

He shook it in his hand, and the net unfolded with a rustling sound, revealing a length of over a meter.

"You can't just buy a net," he said, placing the green net bag on the counter.

"Where do you put the fish you catch? On the bank? They'll just jump back into the river. In a bucket? How many buckets can you carry?"

Xu Xiaoyan looked at the green net, not quite understanding: "This is... a fishing net?"

"This is called a fish basket," the shopkeeper corrected her. "It's specially used for raising fish, look."

He picked up the net, pulled the rope at the end of the ring, and the ring stretched open, becoming taut and forming a rigid, round opening.

"Use the net to scoop up the fish, put it in through this opening, and the fish will fall into the net bag. Then you stick the ring into the water near the bank, and the fish will be kept in the river."

The water is alive; fish can stay in it all day without dying. When you're ready to leave, just lift the ring, pull up the bottom, and take the water and fish with you.

He spoke and gestured, his movements were very practiced, and it was clear that he had been dealing with these kinds of things for decades.

Xu Xiaoyan took the fish basket and looked at it. The mesh was neither too big nor too small, a little narrower than the tip of a little finger. The fish's gills couldn't get stuck, and it couldn't get out.

The net rope is made of nylon, and it feels smooth to the touch. It shouldn't break when soaked in water. There is also a long nylon rope tied to the ring, with an iron skewer attached to the end.

The shopkeeper said it was used to secure the fish baskets by inserting them into the mud on the riverbank, so they wouldn't be washed away by the water.

"This thing is better than a fish basket," the shopkeeper said, adding fuel to the fire when he saw her hesitate. "A fish basket can hold fish, but the fish will suffocate if they get too crowded inside."

Dead fish are worthless, didn't you know? If you catch too many, the whole basket of fish will suffocate. You can't eat them all and you can't sell them either. Isn't that a waste of time?

The fish are kept in the water in the fish basket, and the fish are lively and jumping around. When you take them home to kill them, they are still fresh and look good.

Xu Xiaoyan was persuaded. She came to buy fishing nets today hoping to catch big fish, as many as possible. If all the fish she caught suffocated, it would be a real loss.

Her gourmet patrons are very discerning; they can tell the difference between dead and live fish in a single bite.

"How much?"

"The big one is thirty-five, the small one is twenty-five," the shopkeeper said, pulling down another small one from the shelf and placing them together for her to compare.

"Your landing net is a large size, which is suitable for a large fish basket. A small one would only hold a few fish and wouldn't be enough. This large one can hold 60 or 70 pounds. As long as you can catch them, it can hold them all."

Xu Xiaoyan recalled that if the sluice gates were opened as Lan Yue had said, all the fish in the upstream reservoir would be washed down, weighing not just sixty or seventy jin, but possibly hundreds of jin.

Although it can be stored in the space, you can't just stuff fish into the space in front of so many people.

Having a fish basket as cover makes all the difference. You can just stick it into the river and scoop up as much as you want without anyone giving you a second glance.

"Okay, the big one, thirty-five, right?"

"Yes," the boss put the small one back and handed the large one to her.

"Soak the fish basket in water overnight. The nylon rope is a bit stiff when it's new, but it will be easier to use once it's softened. After use, don't expose it to direct sunlight; just let it air dry in the shade, otherwise the rope will become brittle and break easily."

Xu Xiaoyan scanned the QR code to pay with her mobile phone, and the boss then took out a small plastic object from the drawer and threw it into the fish basket.

"Here, take this float. After you put the fish basket in the water, tie this float to the ring."

"If the rope comes loose, the fish basket will float up and you'll see it immediately, so you won't lose it."