When they arrived at the river, almost everyone in the village was already there. People stood along the banks, creating a bustling, lively atmosphere.
"Bai Jiu is here! Come over here, you can see clearly from this spot," Aunt Peng called out, waving her hand when she saw Bai Jiu approaching.
Bai Jiu carried her child straight to Aunt Peng’s side. "Aunt Peng."
"You’re here for the fish distribution too, right? The fish are plump this year. You should keep an extra couple of them. If you smoke them, they’ll make a good meat dish by the time the autumn harvest rolls around." Aunt Peng lived a very meticulous and thrifty life.
"Mhm." Bai Jiu had eaten smoked fish back in the modern era, but she never expected people in this northern region to make it too. She had assumed it was a specialty exclusive to places like Sichuan, Hunan, and Guizhou.
"I get a share of the fish too, Aunt Peng. Why did you have Aiguo bring two over for me?" Bai Jiu had only just learned that the fish were communal property and everyone was entitled to a portion. Had she known earlier, she wouldn’t have accepted the two fish Aiguo delivered.
"It’s nothing. It’s not like I’ve never eaten anything of yours before. Two fish are no big deal," Aunt Peng said dismissively. She knew very well that even giving Bai Jiu two more fish wouldn’t make up for the things Bai Jiu had given her. When people were close friends, there was no need to keep strict tabs on every little thing—that was exactly why she had asked Aiguo to drop the fish off. Otherwise, she would have had to exchange them for something of equal value.
What else could Bai Jiu say to that?
Just as the two were engrossed in their conversation, loud exclamations erupted from the riverbank.
"Haha, the Fish King! The Fish King is out!"
"Fish King" simply referred to the largest fish caught during the harvest. Typically, a catch like this would be shared among all the villagers. Although a single fish wasn’t enough to feed everyone a full meal, adding some extra ingredients to the pot meant every family could at least get a bowl of it.
"This thing must weigh dozens of pounds!"
An enormous fish, roughly five or six meters long, lay flat on the frozen surface of the river. Right next to it was a massive circular hole about five meters wide, which was undoubtedly where the giant creature had been hauled out from.
"More than that, I’d say! This Fish King is way bigger than the one we caught last year!" The villagers excitedly began to discuss the catch.
This was Bai Jiu’s first time experiencing such a lively spectacle. In her past life in the modern era, she had seen even larger fish, but only on the internet. She had never witnessed anything like this in person. Seeing such a massive fish right in front of her left her feeling quite thrilled.
"Make sure you hold onto the two children tightly. It’s crowded right now, so don’t let them get pushed to the front," Aunt Peng said, looking at the mother and children with concern. She was quite worried about their safety.
Aiguo had put Xiuxiu down as soon as they arrived, rushing to the front to help grab the fish.
"Got it. I’ll keep a tight grip on them." No matter how much Bai Jiu wanted to watch the excitement, she would never neglect her children.
But what Bai Jiu didn’t know was that someone behind her was glaring at her with malicious intent.
Wang Qiuyue stared at Bai Jiu, thinking bitterly that it was unfair for a widow to live a better life than she did. Wang Qiuyue had only recently been let out of the house by her family. If it weren’t for the fact that she had finally gotten pregnant, Gao Tiezhu’s family probably wouldn’t have allowed her to step outside at all. They believed that a woman who didn’t respect her own husband needed to be taught a harsh lesson until she became obedient.
Wang Qiuyue’s gaze toward Bai Jiu grew increasingly venomous. If looks could kill, Bai Jiu would have been reduced to ashes by now.
As if sensing something, Bai Jiu glanced over her shoulder. She didn’t spot anything unusual, but a lingering chill crept over her skin.
The two children, however, were too short to see the commotion at the front. All they knew was that the Fish King had appeared.
"Mom, let’s go watch from over there. It’s higher up," one of them suggested. There were simply too many people by the river, and the children couldn’t see past the crowd at all.
"Zhengyang is right. Come on, let’s go up to that path over there," Aunt Peng agreed wholeheartedly. She had just been jostled by the people next to her and was already getting tired of standing in the thick of the crowd, so she couldn’t have been more in favor of Zhengyang’s suggestion.
"Okay," Bai Jiu replied. She could feel the overwhelming enthusiasm of the surrounding crowd and decided it was best to retreat.
Holding the children’s hands, Bai Jiu and Aunt Peng made their way to where the production brigade captain’s wife was standing. The ground there was flat and elevated, making it a prime vantage point for watching the men work on the river.
"Oh, Bai Jiu is here! Hurry, come over here, you can see clearly from this spot," Mrs. Li called out with extreme enthusiasm the moment she saw Bai Jiu and the children approach. Anyone who didn’t know better would think the two women were the best of friends.
A few older women from the village actually took a few steps back when they saw Bai Jiu coming, as if she smelled bad.
Bai Jiu naturally noticed these subtle little gestures, but she didn’t let it bother her. She wasn’t a shiny hundred-dollar bill; she didn’t expect everyone to like her.
"Thank you, Mrs. Li," Bai Jiu said gratefully to the captain’s wife.
Mrs. Li was only being friendly because she had accepted Bai Jiu’s gifts. After all, the items Bai Jiu had given Weimin were quite valuable. Her family certainly wouldn’t have been able to afford them on their own. They might have been able to scrape together enough for the candy, but the liquor looked incredibly expensive—her family simply didn’t have the means to get their hands on something like that.
As the saying goes, when you accept someone’s gifts, you owe them a favor. Now that they were face-to-face, the least she could do was offer a warm smile. Besides, Bai Jiu knew how to conduct herself gracefully—she had even treated her son to a meal just yesterday. Weimin had come home and reported that Bai Jiu had served plenty of white rice and meat, and the portions had been huge.
"It’s no trouble at all. It’s not like I own this land! You don’t need my permission to come over; I just got here a little earlier than you, that’s all." Mrs. Li’s words were very pleasant to the ear.
"You’re here too, Aunt Peng! I thought you wouldn’t come out today. It’s freezing out here in the dead of winter, so you really need to be careful," Mrs. Li said with a smile to Aunt Peng after pulling Bai Jiu to her side.
Aunt Peng responded to Mrs. Li with a polite expression. Although the captain’s wife could be a bit of a snob at times, she was generally a decent person.
"I have to come out and socialize at least once in a while, otherwise the village might forget someone like me even exists," Aunt Peng remarked pointedly.
Behind her, some of the older women flushed red with embarrassment upon hearing this. They had no one to blame but themselves, as they gossiped constantly on a normal basis. Envious of the things Aunt Peng had received, they had spent plenty of time badmouthing her behind her back.
These incidents were all Old Huangs’ old almanacs, but they hadn’t expected Aunt Peng to still remember them.
"That would never happen. You’re overthinking things, Aunt Peng," Mrs. Li replied. She called her "Aunt Peng" simply out of respect for her seniority in the village hierarchy. In reality, their ages weren’t that far apart; Aunt Peng was only five or six years older than Mrs. Li.
"Everyone in the village knows how wonderful you are. You raised a fine soldier who serves the country, and your husband served the country too. If anyone dares to wag their tongues about you, I’ll be the first to teach them a lesson!" With this, Mrs. Li clearly took a side. She had never stated her stance so explicitly before.
Aunt Peng couldn’t be bothered to play verbal gymnastics with her. As long as the woman didn’t cross her, it was fine.
"Alright, let’s watch the fish."
Mrs. Li was incredibly fake.
Bai Jiu didn’t know what kind of history or bad blood existed between the two women. Regardless, she felt much closer to Aunt Peng.
Xiuxiu and Zhengyang couldn’t understand any of this adult subtext. Their eyes were already fixed on the people they recognized.
"Mom, look! It’s Mr. Weimin!" Zhengyang pointed out. "He and Aiguo are lifting the Fish King together. Goodness, that Fish King is so huge!"
"The big fish are the most delicious ones! That way, everyone gets some meat." For some reason, little Xiuxiu had grown quite the appetite over the past few days. She had completely lost the initial hesitance she used to have about eating good food.