Chapter 113 Toad Seedlings
Chapter 113 Toad Seedlings
"Yes, two or three will do." Zhang Wenshan didn't stand on ceremony and made his request directly. "I'll go back and get the equipment ready first."
In fact, toad larvae are best caught on rainy days, followed by nighttime.
But now everyone around the village is catching snails, which has probably scared away the toad seedlings.
With rain seemingly a long way off, we had no choice but to change our plans.
The tools he needed to prepare were not complicated; he simply bent wire into a circle, sewed on cloth, and made a small net.
The scraps I found today will come in handy.
Time flies.
No one expected that such a big event as releasing water into Hama Pond would end so quietly, without even a whisper of it spreading throughout the village. Almost everyone who didn't work in the fields rushed into the water to collect snails, completely ignoring everything else.
Li Dong's reputation soared even higher.
Buying snails for eight cents a pound, accepting all comers, is really too outrageous.
Unnoticed, Zhang Wenshan and Accountant Tian, along with a few others, quietly left the village and headed towards the more distant waters.
As the sun gradually set in the west, it cast long shadows on the group.
Seeing that they were going further and further off course, Tian Dajun couldn't help but ask, "Where are we going? Didn't you say we just needed to find a shady spot?"
"Have you done this research specifically?" Zhang Wenshan asked, glancing sideways.
"Hey, I just asked around. Collective industries are no joke." Tian Dajun said casually, but he couldn't hide his smugness.
He pressed on, "What, did I find out something wrong?"
Zhang Wenshan smiled and shook his head, saying, "Logically speaking, you can find toad larvae in shady waters, shallow water, and even in the mud and grass."
"Why go so far? Can't we stay near the village?"
"There's nowhere quiet around the village now; everyone's out collecting snails."
'
Upon hearing this, Tian Dajun was taken aback, then cursed, "You unreliable idiot, you only cause trouble."
No one dared to respond, but the road became increasingly desolate, and several watersides were deserted. Gradually, the travelers began to complain.
They weren't very polite to Zhang Wenshan either.
"Shanzi, didn't you learn a trade? There's nothing there where you're pointing."
"Yes, we came all this way for nothing, my legs are about to break."
Lang Qiuping turned around abruptly and glared fiercely at the person who had spoken, who glared back defiantly.
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
Tian Dajun frowned: "Shanzi, is something wrong? If we keep walking like this, it'll be dark soon."
"Bad luck." Zhang Wenshan shrugged and walked towards a more secluded body of water.
Even if the location is suitable, there are still many factors that can affect the survival of toad seedlings.
Temperature, natural enemies, being startled—no one can guarantee anything; we can only search slowly.
Lang Qiuping followed closely behind without saying a word.
Let's go!
Upon seeing this, Tian Dajun followed directly over.
Among the group, Zhang Wenshan was the only one who knew what he was doing, so it was impossible for him not to listen.
"Let's go." Tian Dajun took a deep breath and followed.
Of this group, only Zhang Wenshan knows what he's doing. If they don't listen to him, who else can they listen to?
"Don't just stand there, follow me!"
"If you ask me, it's definitely because they haven't mastered the craft."
"Didn't Accountant Tian also say that a shady place would be fine?"
"What's that old saying? A true lesson can be summarized in a single sentence, while false teachings fill countless books. Farming is just digging a hole and burying the soil, isn't it? Let those city folks try it!"
"That's true. When the educated youth came before, I was so stupid that I didn't know how to speak."
The group of people, arguing and bickering, finally reached the bay under the shade of the trees.
"Shut up, all of you, don't make a sound."
Zhang Wenshan noticed their approach and preemptively warned them.
The group was taken aback at first, but once they understood the situation, they nodded hurriedly and pointed at the water with exaggerated gestures.
On the calm water, a large number of things were densely packed and constantly wriggling.
Upon closer inspection, it was clear that there were countless small toads huddled together, their round, bluish-brown bodies and four thin, limp legs clumsily moving around.
Most of them are about the size of a fingernail, some are as small as a mung bean, and the largest are about the size of a coin.
If you don't look closely, you might mistake it for black mud moving at the bottom of the water.
"Go further upstream and use water plants to line the basket."
"Okay."
The two hurriedly grabbed their baskets and slowly backed away, returning in a short while.
"Follow my instructions, be gentle, don't go into the water, and don't stir things up. If this thing gets startled, it will run away."
As Zhang Wenshan spoke, he picked up the net, slowly lowered it along the bottom of the water, gently scooped it up, and then lifted it up.
Water plants and muddy water leaked down through the cloth holes, leaving only lively toad seedlings in the pocket.
"Do you understand?"
The villagers looked at each other, hesitant, but Lang Qiuping remained silent and simply found a place to get to work.
"I'll do it."
Accountant Tian glared at the hesitant men and rolled up his sleeves.
After they successfully caught the froglings, the remaining people became bolder, and one by one they took the nets and began to scoop them up according to the instructions.
Soon, the once empty basket was filled with a thick layer of toad seedlings.
"That's about enough," Zhang Wenshan said, stopping the work and giving instructions, "Go get another layer of damp waterweed and lay it on top, alternating between them—"
Less than an hour.
The four baskets they brought were completely full, heavy, and occasionally made a slight creaking sound.
As the sky gradually darkened, it sounded a bit eerie.
Regardless of Tian Dajun or the other villagers, their faces were beaming with joy. If they weren't so dirty, they would have liked to go up and kiss them.
No need for Zhang Wenshan to give instructions.
They carefully placed the baskets on their shoulders and slowly walked back, their steps extremely light, as if afraid of damaging the things behind them.
"Accountant Tian, we must have tens of thousands of toad seedlings this time."
"How much money did you make if you sold them all in the fall?"
"I think we can release more fish into Hama Pond."
Tian Dajun smiled and turned his head, saying, "Don't ask me, let's hear what the experts have to say."
Whoa!
All eyes turned to Zhang Wenshan, even the usually quiet Lang Qiuping.
As a member of the village, if Hama Pond made money, his mother would also get a share.
"Logically speaking, the pond can hold 80,000 frogs," Zhang Wenshan said after thinking for a moment, giving a conservative estimate.
"What?"
"Eighty thousand?"
"I heard that a female leopard costs five or six cents."
"Wouldn't that sell for forty or fifty thousand? Our village has less than six hundred people—that's seventy or eighty yuan per person!"
The group of people froze on the spot, mouths agape, completely stunned by the calculated answer.
"It's not that simple. Eighty thousand is theoretical; in reality, it would be good if half of them could survive." Zhang Wenshan poured cold water on the idea without hesitation. "Toads are sold by weight, they're worthless—"
He concluded, "Having twenty or thirty would be considered good."
I thought everyone would be disappointed, but to my surprise, a few people cheered.
"That's fine too, it's almost equivalent to a month's salary in town."
"We don't have to spend much money here, just run a couple of errands, isn't it like picking up money off the ground?"
"Hey, can't we just raise the female leopard?"
Someone had a sudden inspiration, and their tone was full of smugness, as if they had found a shortcut.
The group was stunned for a moment, then immediately began to mock them mercilessly.
"Are you stupid?"
"Did he get water in his brain or get kicked by a donkey? —"
Looking at the noisy group of people, Zhang Wenshan couldn't help but smile.
Money is very important in this era, but sometimes it seems not so important.