Back to the 70s: My Childhood Sweetheart Spoils Me Rotten-Chapter 87 - 86: Rest and Recuperation

"Dad, you’re smoking again."

As Zhao Gang and Gong Tao finished setting up their tools and returned indoors, Gong Ruini sniffed the air and showed her dissatisfaction.

Zhan Jing immediately turned her gaze toward Zhao Gang upon hearing the smell of smoke.

"You’re smoking again?" Zhan Jing asked calmly.

No way, how is there still a smell? Zhao Gang was almost crying; he specifically stood out in the cold wind on the snowy ground for quite some time, yet there was still a smell. What is going on?

Zhao Gang felt unfairly treated, and Gong Tao was also secretly regretting not stopping Zhao Gang from smoking. Now his own daughter was executing collective punishment, seriously wondering what she was thinking.

"There’s a big snow coming tomorrow, I’m going up on the roof to shovel it." Zhao Gang would rather do some work than stand foolishly in the snow blowing in the wind.

"Go ahead, it’s the perfect time to start preparing things at home. We need to make meatballs, and Mei Na said she can make lion’s head meatballs."

"Then I’d like to whip up some deep-fried meat chunks."

"By the way, if you have time, don’t forget to ask when the village plans to start ice fishing. If it hasn’t started yet, you should catch some fish for us."

"Then we can make fish balls and fish cakes, adding more veggies for the hot pot on New Year’s Eve."

"And remember to let Old Qin know we’ll need some tofu, so we don’t miss out."

"Also, it’s time to grow some bean sprouts."

"Oh right, we still have mung beans at home, let’s sprout mung bean sprouts too." Zhan Jing particularly liked the refreshing taste of mung bean sprouts.

Besides, we have plenty of mung beans at home, perfect for adding some vegetables.

"Plus, the sauerkraut at home is ready to eat; let’s make some sauerkraut fish using fish slices." Having long passed her morning sickness, Zhan Jing actually had a good appetite.

Unfortunately, due to considering the childbirth, she ate very sparingly, worried that gaining weight would make things difficult during labor.

Fish, however, won’t cause weight gain issues, so recently Zhan Jing had been eating fish continuously, and Zhao Gang often went to the river to catch fish.

When someone in the village caught more fish, they’d also bring some to Zhan Jing, but the sauerkraut fish needed to be made with big fish.

"Got it, got it, I’ll deal with the roof snow first, then go fish for you."

"Can’t let our son be wronged." Zhao Gang had adapted to his wife’s endless requests each day.

"Should I catch more fish secretly by casting nets, so you can eat fish whenever you want?" Zhao Gang felt that spending hours sitting on ice during the harsh winter wasn’t easy, and was looking for a shortcut.

Why fish secretly with nets? Gong Ruini was puzzled; could it be that nets weren’t allowed for fishing here?

"No, you can’t." Zhan Jing felt infuriated with her husband, "What if someone sees you?"

"You remember what happened last time when the village head’s nephew was caught using nets for fishing?" Zhan Jing was quite pleased her husband considered things for her sake.

But precisely because of this, she couldn’t allow him to make mistakes, "In a few days, the village should start fishing, no mischief allowed."

"If cold, wear more clothes."

"Got it." Zhan Jing pressed Zhao Gang to promise not to make mistakes.

The four members of the Gong family were stunned; why would using nets for fishing make Zhan Jing so serious? They truly couldn’t understand.

"The village has rules; after snow falls, once it warms up in April, fishing with nets outside of the village’s organized winter fishing event before the Spring Festival is forbidden, allowing fish to rest." Zhan Jing explained why fishing with nets wasn’t allowed.

"In the hardest times, villagers almost depleted the river’s fish for survival, taking years to recover afterward."

"Nearby villages agreed on this protocol back then, and everyone adheres to it today."

Gong Ruini finally understood it was for breeding purposes; otherwise, everyone fishing in the cold winter and selling outside would bring decent prices.

If the news spread, Gong Ruini knew it wouldn’t be long before envious people followed suit, and soon even an abundance of fish wouldn’t suffice for the people from nearby villages.

"What if someone uses nets?" Gong Tao wanted to understand the consequences of doing so.

"Several nearby villages patrol around, apologizing endlessly."

"The next year, everyone’s work points are halved." Zhan Jing knew relying merely on agreements wasn’t enough, so the punishments were strict.

Gong Ruini was shocked at this penalty; if apologizing around the nearby villages was a matter of losing face, then halving work points was a significant loss.

"It’s not just about apologizing; many here have relatives in different villages. Once word spreads, don’t expect good marriages for daughters and sons."

"Even married women would be looked down upon."

While the economic loss is considerable, losing face is an even greater loss, "No good families would introduce their sons and daughters, nor would they wish to associate with them."

Goodness, Gong Ruini was completely dumbfounded, a set of consequences making even those valuing money over reputation abandon the idea.

Cai Meina was more direct, speaking to a shocked Gong Tao, "Remember, no fishing allowed."

"Consider it a test of endurance." Cai Meina hadn’t missed her husband’s complaints about the cold while fishing on ice.

Cai Meina felt a bit sorry for her husband, thinking perhaps they should fish after all. But now, she dared not.

They were subjects of supervision, and once this spread, not only would their good life here end, it would also implicate Zhao Gang’s family.

Even the village head’s nephew got caught red-handed and punished accordingly, so Cai Meina didn’t believe they’d maintain their dignity, wanting to avoid such awkward situations.

"Remember, no fishing allowed." Cai Meina anxiously reminded again.

"I know, I know." Gong Tao was on the verge of tears; he had only complained once, yet his wife firmly remembered, "I absolutely won’t do anything stupid."

"And honestly, do you think I’d succeed in fishing?" Gong Tao felt his wife really overestimated him, admitting that he wasn’t that capable.

"Even if I did successfully fish, do you think I have the strength to haul the fish up?" Despite reluctance to acknowledge his own inadequacies, Gong Tao confessed he wasn’t that competent.

Although Cai Meina disapproved of her husband’s lack of ambition, glancing at his physique, she agreed, he wasn’t exactly capable, "You must exercise more, thinking of farming when spring comes."

With Zhao Gang around, plus her husband’s skills, the village probably wouldn’t assign too heavy tasks, but for their private work on the mountain, they’d need him.

"Got it, I am working hard." Gong Tao stated he wasn’t that feeble, having indeed progressed considerably, "Let’s continue planning our menu for a prosperous year."

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l