377: Ice fishing

Yang Qi had actually seen what kind of fish was under the water long ago. Looking at the ice fishing rod in Bai Xue's hand, which was less than a meter long, he said,

"This kind of ice fishing rod is too soft. You have to go slow and follow the fish's strength. Don't rush."

"Mm, I know!"

Bai Xue steadied her strength and slowly reeled in the line. The fish under the ice struggled, and occasionally, a silvery-bright fin could be seen flashing by.

After struggling for a good while, the head of a Silver Carp weighing over two catties was pulled out of the ice hole. Yang Qi, quick-witted and fast-acting on the side, grabbed a small hook and snagged the fish's head, pulling it out of the water and tossing it onto the ground. The Silver Carp's tail was still flapping incessantly, splashing fine droplets of water.

"It's a Silver Carp! This is too small, isn't it? It's not even three catties. What should we do?"

Bai Xue looked at Yang Qi and asked.

"I'll go ask if we should take this little Silver Carp or throw it back."

Yang Qi said a word to Bai Xue, then left the tent and walked toward Wang Xudong's side.

"A Silver Carp around three catties? Take it home! This fish is delicious when stewed with tofu!"

Wang Xudong said with a smile,

"The wild fish here in our Northeast taste very good. Although they can't compare to the sea fish where you're from, they're still tastier than freshwater fish from other places. It's edible, definitely edible."

Yang Qi nodded and returned to his tent. He picked up the fish with a smile, wiped its body clean with a towel, and put it into the insulated fish box.

"Uncle said the wild fish here in the Northeast are delicious. We'll keep it to stew with tofu at home."

With the first battle won, the group suddenly felt energized. Yang Qi guarded another ice hole, his eyes not even blinking.

Time flew by, and before even half an hour had passed, there was a reaction on his side.

The short float suddenly sank, then dipped several times in succession, but quickly returned to its original state.

Just then, something unexpected happened. The float was actually dragged into the water as if by a force, diving straight down and disappearing! It was a 'black float' strike.

This sudden scene took Yang Qi by surprise, but being experienced, he immediately realized a big fish might be on the hook.

So, he unhesitatingly raised the fishing rod in his hand, wanting to 'pluck' this cunning fish out of the water.

However, to his complete surprise, the force transmitted through the rod this time was much greater than any previous time.

So much so that the tip of the entire rod was forcibly pulled below the water's surface. It looked like it was about to break under such immense tension!

Yang Qi turned the reel and let out some line:

"Xiao Xue, this fish is not small! It's got some strength!"

Bai Xue helped steady the rod while reaching out with a metal hook, ready to snag the fish. When the fish was pulled out of the ice hole, the two saw that it was actually a Carp weighing over three catties. Its scales shimmered with a golden-red luster, looking exceptionally spirited.

"Not bad, not bad. This Carp's appearance is really beautiful."

Yang Qi watched as Bai Xue hooked the Carp's gills and carefully dragged the fish out of the ice hole.

The Carp was so large that it actually got stuck in the hole for a moment.

Now it was a situation. Bai Xue didn't let go of the hook and used her other hand to grab the fish's head to pull it out.

She kept shifting its position, cautiously and slowly squeezing the Carp out of the ice hole.

In the other tent, Yang Limin set up a fine hook and line, baited it with Bloodworms, and not long after putting it into the ice hole, the float began to twitch frequently. With a light flick of his wrist, a palm-length Minnow was hooked.

The Minnow was slender and silvery-white. It was caught without much effort, and in a short while, he had caught five or six. Yang Limin looked at them with curiosity:

"These little fish don't look like much, but they'll definitely be delicious deep-fried!"

Wang Xudong helped unhook the Minnows and put them into a small bamboo basket, his face full of smiles.

"That's right. These fish are great deep-fried or braised. They're a famous cold-water fish of the Northeast!"

The sun gradually rose, dispersing the morning mist. Sunlight spilled onto the ice, reflecting a dazzling light.

At this moment, the surrounding anglers began to make catches one after another. Bursts of cheers echoed through the sky, never-ending!

Some lucky ones successfully caught Large Crucian Carp, while others joyfully claimed plump Catfish as their trophies.

Not every angler chose to set up a tent for shelter. In fact, quite a few preferred to stand or sit directly on the bone-chilling ice, enjoying the pure pleasure of ice fishing.

They maintained a certain distance from each other but weren't too isolated, with someone every few steps.

Occasionally, they could be heard calling out to one another, sharing their unique insights and valuable experiences regarding the best fishing spots and ideal bait.

Beside Wang Xudong's tent, the insulated fish box was already more than half full of Silver Carp, Carp, and Minnows.

Satisfied smiles were on their faces. Though the cold wind howled and it remained bone-chillingly cold even inside the tent, their hearts were warm.

Yang Qi was already calculating how he would stew and fry the fish when they got back, planning a feast to taste the flavor of the Northeast's cold-water fish.

"Xiao Qi, let's go, let's go. That's enough! Don't want you guys to freeze."

Wang Xudong said, coming over to Yang Qi's tent.

"Alright, Uncle, we'll start packing up right away."

Yang Qi nodded, acknowledging him.

The two quickly began packing their things and then dismantling the tent. The two tents plus some other items were moved back to the car in turns. Finally, it was the fish box that was half-full of fish.

They soon arrived home, where Zhang Li and the others came out to greet them.

"Did you catch any fish?"

"Hehehe, Auntie, we caught quite a lot of fish. We're waiting for you to stew them for us!"

Bai Xue said, pointing to the fish box Yang Qi had brought in.

"Alright, you guys go inside first. Leave the fish to me. I'll make a fish stew for you tonight."

Zhang Li hurried to usher them into the house.

That evening at the dinner table, a large basin of stewed mixed fish was indeed served, containing Crucian carp, Carp, Silver Carp, and Catfish. There was also a large basin of deep-fried Minnows.

These were all wild fish that Yang Qi and the others had worked hard for most of the day to catch.

"Huh? It's so cold in the Northeast, how are there still Crawfish? But this..."

Yang Qi pointed at the Crawfish next to the stewed mixed fish. He found it a bit strange; when they ate Crawfish in the summer before, it was either spicy or five-spice flavored.

However, the way these Crawfish were prepared today was something he had never seen before. It was actually stewed with tofu in a clear broth—yes, Crawfish stewed with tofu.

"Is this edible? Won't it be fishy?"

Just as Yang Qi was secretly complaining, Zhang Li spoke up:

"Giggle, Xiao Qi! These aren't Crawfish. Although they look similar, this is a species unique to our Northeast called Lagu."

"These Lagu aren't like the Crawfish that live in sewage. They have very high requirements for water quality and live in clear mountain streams year-round. They are cold-water shrimp."

"Lagu stewed with tofu is a famous dish in our Northeast. Come and taste it; it's exceptionally delicious!"