138: Going turtle fishing

“Oh! Fishing for soft-shell turtles? Sure! Let's go, let's go, let's see if there's any pig liver for sale.”

Uncle immediately became interested.

The two arrived at the farmer's market and bought some pig liver. As for pork, they decided against it! It's the same no matter where you buy it.

They used to be able to buy pork from local farm-raised pigs, but now individuals aren't allowed to raise them anymore. He doesn't know why, it just seems to be to prevent ordinary people from having more income and from eating local farm-raised pork.

They insist that everyone eat the feed-raised pigs from breeding farms. If a farmer wants to raise pigs, he has to do it secretly, and if he's reported, he'll be fined. Oh my goodness!

(Perhaps other places have different policies; this is just how it is in my hometown. You can also consider me talking nonsense, spouting rubbish.)

Some experts say that farm-raised pigs are unsafe because they haven't been quarantined, but ordinary people have been eating them for so many years, and he hasn't heard of anyone having any problems?

That kind of pork has no flavor at all, to the point where he's lost interest in pork.

After leaving the farmer's market, the two drove to a nearby fishing tackle shop and quickly found the ground Insert line sets for catching soft-shell turtles.

The shop had forty of them, twenty straight needles and twenty bent hooks, costing 8 yuan each.

Uncle pretended to haggle, and the shop owner was generous, rounding down to 300 yuan.

Seeing Uncle eagerly scan the QR code, Yang Qi didn't argue with him.

The two drove back home. On the way, Uncle suggested that with 40 ground Insert for soft-shell turtles, they each take half and see who catches more.

Upon returning home, Uncle went to prepare lunch for everyone, while Yang Qi went to cut the pig liver himself.

The fresh pig liver was all cut into strips about five centimeters long and one centimeter thick. It needed to be air-dried until the outside had a slight crust, which was ideal.

Uncle was skilled at cooking and handled the soft-shell turtles with ease. Yang Qi actually didn't know how to kill them, so he stood by him and observed.

Uncle picked up a small bowl and a cleaver, then took a soft-shell turtle, placing it on its back. When a soft-shell turtle tries to flip over, it needs to use all four limbs and its head together.

While it extended its head, he grabbed it and chopped it off with one swift cut. After beheading it, he immediately held the soft-shell turtle upside down so its blood would flow into the bowl. (If a soft-shell turtle doesn't extend its head, you can scald it in 80-degree hot water for four to five minutes, and it will extend its head.)

After draining the soft-shell turtle's blood, he then put it into 80-degree hot water for 2 minutes, using his hand or a steel wool scrubber to rub off the black skin from its back and limbs, focusing on the residue in the folds of the skirt.

Then, he cut along the edge of the carapace to open the shell, keeping the skirt intact. He removed the gallbladder (avoiding puncturing it) and other internal organs like the liver and heart. The main task was to clear the two white fishy lines at the base of the hind legs and the yellow fat layer inside the shell.

He cut the soft-shell turtle into smaller pieces. After washing them, he crushed the gallbladder and mixed it evenly into the soft-shell turtle meat, marinating it for 5 minutes. (This step is the most important for removing the soft-shell turtle's fishy smell.)

Next was to stew it with a free-range chicken, and he could also add some nourishing ingredients like astragalus, angelica, and codonopsis. Afterward, he would add the soft-shell turtle blood to the stew.

As for whether to chop the soft-shell turtle and free-range chicken into pieces, that was entirely a matter of personal preference.

Stewed soft-shell turtle with free-range chicken has the effects of nourishing yin and tonifying yang, enriching and supplementing blood, and beautifying the skin. It has a very good improving effect for those with weak bodies, anemia, and post-operative recovery.

His mother was also preparing the mixed fish stew, and it smelled delicious.

Local yellow beef with steaks was stewing in the pot, and the aroma could be smelled from afar, making Yang Qi's mouth water.

River shrimp were simple; just put them directly into clear water with some shredded ginger and garlic, a pinch of salt, and after the water boiled, wait about half a minute, then they could be scooped out and served. Those who liked stronger flavors could dip them in sauce.

Those who preferred the original fresh sweetness would dip them in vinegar or nothing at all; it would definitely make your tongue tingle with freshness.

Yang Qi and Uncle didn't drink alcohol at noon; they still had to go fishing for soft-shell turtles in the afternoon.

The two still knew the saying, 'Even an immortal finds it hard to catch fish at noon.' After resting for more than two hours, they rode their tricycles to the village reservoir.

Each took twenty ground Insert for soft-shell turtles, setting them separately on the left and right.

Yang Qi used his ability to observe and found that most soft-shell turtles were currently in the deep water, some burrowed into the mud at the bottom, with only their heads exposed.

So he started looking for shallow water areas with water plants or rock structures to set his hooks.

The bent hook for soft-shell turtles is different from a fishing hook; its tip is sharply bent inward, like a large barb. The pig liver is directly hung on the hook, with the tip barely exposed.

This way, when a soft-shell turtle or other fish swallows the pig liver, it gets caught by the bent hook and is less likely to escape.

The most common method for catching soft-shell turtles is using a straight needle, which is like a needle, except it's pointed at both ends. The string is tied in the middle, one end is inserted into the center of the pig liver, and then pushed to one side.

After pushing it all the way, the other end is inserted, so the entire needle is buried inside the pig liver, with both needle tips slightly exposed.

When a soft-shell turtle swallows the pig liver, the straight needle will pierce its neck horizontally, making it impossible to escape.

After Yang Qi finished setting his 20 ground Insert, he went to help Uncle set the rest. Looking at the calm water, Yang Qi secretly anticipated the harvest.

The two found a shady spot under a tree and started chatting about Yang Qi's fishing trips at sea. Yang Qi didn't hide much from Uncle, roughly telling him about the harvest, the every time's catch, and the Ship worker's commission.

Uncle listened, stunned. As an inland person, the sea had always been a place he yearned for.

Yang Qi saw that Uncle was somewhat tempted, so he simply told him that there was still a Ship worker spot available on the harvest.

If he wanted to go, the position would be reserved for him. Initially, the salary and commission would be the same as other crewmen, a base salary of 4,000 yuan plus a 0.5% commission.

“Xiao Qi, I'll think about it first!” Uncle hesitated.

Catching fish and shrimp had always been his hobby, and he also yearned for the sea, but if he left, what would happen to his parents at home? He was a bit conflicted!

Time passed little by little, and the sun gradually set in the west.

Uncle excitedly shouted, “There's movement!” He quickly ran over and carefully pulled up the ground Insert line set. A soft-shell turtle weighing a little over one jin was hooked and struggling fiercely.

Yang Qi was not idle either, his eyes fixed on his own ground Insert. Suddenly, he noticed one of the ground Insert line sets shaking.

He quickly stepped forward, pulled hard, and actually caught a large soft-shell turtle weighing a full two jin. Afterward, he used his ability to continuously find places with soft-shell turtles and set the pig liver there, his harvest growing larger and larger.

Uncle watched from the side, dumbfounded, wondering why Yang Qi was so lucky.

As dusk fell, the two began to reel in their lines. Yang Qi had a full harvest, eighteen soft-shell turtles in total, while Uncle also had eleven.

The two re-baited with pig liver, threw them back into the water, planning to wait overnight and collect the soft-shell turtle hooks the next morning.