Stingy Carter did not give up: “We can sell the scrap iron! I’ll give you one fifth of the money… no, one fourth.”

How many sandbags are piled on the chicken coop? By the ton! David Sullivan could only deflect: “Let’s talk about it later.”

Looking at the sandbags piled like a small hill by the river, Stingy Carter looked heartbroken, as if he couldn’t bear to part with them, but he wasn’t in a hurry to leave either. He tossed the silver carp into the grass nest under the shade, sat on the triangular dam, and said nothing.

No one knew if he was watching the fishing or bidding farewell to the chicken coop.

David Sullivan cast the net two more times. One net caught a few crucian carp and whitebait, the other brought up two catfish, one big and one small—the big one was close to three jin.

There were fewer leeches, so he kept tossing them under the sun to dry.

The sun was scorching, and David Sullivan was sweating all over.

The rumbling sound of a motorcycle came from the north, extremely loud. With the river embankment’s ups and downs, you could hear the noise but not see the people.

“Who’s that?” Stingy Carter stood up and looked north. “Doesn’t even bother to fix the muffler—you can hear it from three miles away.”

David Sullivan gazed north and saw dust flying. After casting another net and pulling up an empty one, he finally saw a motorcycle with a trailer attached.

The rider was bold, driving along the riverbank, though the mixed soil road was not easy to navigate.

As it got closer, the noise was deafening. It was an orange Jialing CJ50, a common sight in the countryside. With a self-welded trailer attached, it could run, haul, and was tough.

The rider was a middle-aged woman, with the tanned complexion typical of rural women. On the back seat sat a girl of about ten, her little face sunburned bright red.

The middle-aged woman saw the fishing net in David Sullivan’s hand and stopped the motorcycle.

Stingy Carter covered his ears: “Sis, this bike needs fixing!”

“Planning to get a new one!” The woman turned off the engine, her smile hearty. “Won’t need it much longer.”

David Sullivan glanced at the trailer. Inside was a large water tank with fish swimming around.

The woman got off and helped the little girl down, then asked David Sullivan, “Brother, did you catch any fish?”

David Sullivan gestured to the rope tied to the water bag. “A few.”

Stingy Carter, who worked at a fish farm, immediately asked, “Are you buying fish?”

The woman replied, “Only catfish and snakehead, nothing else.”

“Why?” Stingy Carter didn’t understand.

“It’s too hot, other fish die easily, and dead fish aren’t worth much.” The woman was telling the truth. “These two are easy to keep alive, they rarely die.”

David Sullivan needed money: “I have catfish.”

“Big girl, don’t be naughty!” The woman scolded the child first, then said to David Sullivan, “Brother, can I take a look first?”

David Sullivan pulled up the water bag, untied the rope, and brought it to the woman. “They’re all here.”

There were three catfish in total, two big and one small. The woman weighed them in her hand and asked, “How much?”

Before David Sullivan could answer, Stingy Carter reminded him, “At the market, it’s three yuan per jin.”

Catfish were popular in the Quannan area. Even in those days when good jobs in the provincial capital paid seven or eight hundred yuan a month, retail prices during Mid-Autumn Festival or New Year could reach five or six yuan per jin.

Later, for various reasons, catfish lost their popularity.

The woman glanced at Stingy Carter: “That’s the market price.”

David Sullivan asked her, “The fish are here, you name your price. If it’s not suitable, I’ll put them back.”

“Five yuan for the big ones, three for the small.” The woman was straightforward. “I’m not lying, I buy all my fish at this price. When the reservoir releases water, prices drop. I’m out here in this heat, I need to make a little profit.”

David Sullivan didn’t know the market, so he looked at Uncle Carter. Seeing him nod, he said, “The fish are yours.”

The woman put the fish into the trailer, counted out three five-yuan notes, but David Sullivan shook his head: “I don’t have change.”

His pockets were even emptier than his face—personal savings: zero!

The woman searched her pockets, found three red one-yuan notes, and together with two five-yuan notes, handed them to David Sullivan.

As he took the money, for some reason, David Sullivan felt its weight.

The next moment, David Sullivan understood: aside from the money for headcount, this was the first money he had earned through his own labor since turning eighteen!

The woman got back on the motorcycle and said, “Brother, if you have more, I’ll buy again.”

Stingy Carter, worried that David Sullivan might get taken advantage of, asked, “Which village are you from?”

“Diaojiacun,” the woman replied.

David Sullivan knew: “Near University Town?”

The woman answered, “Lots of fish there. If you bring them to Diaojiacun, it’s only ten li away. Ask for Julia Dean, she can give you a better price.”

David Sullivan tossed the water bag back into the river. “Got it.”

Julia Dean kicked the Jialing motorcycle into gear. The harsh noise made David Sullivan cover his ears. He suddenly remembered something, quickly moved the leeches out of the sun, and reminded her, “There’s a turn ahead. Go down and pass through the village. Further ahead is the sluice gate—you can’t get through.”

“Thanks.” The woman revved up and left.

Stingy Carter picked up the silver carp, waved to David Sullivan, and left as well.

David Sullivan put the money away, pressing it hard into his pocket, afraid it might fall out of his shorts.

This was the first fund to start his brand-new life after returning—an impressive 13 yuan!

Now he had the bus fare to go check out the situation in the city.

Of course, he could also ride a bicycle to Quannan City, but after more than twenty years of earth-shaking changes, David Sullivan needed to get familiar with the roads first.

Because of the University Town, the area from Qingzhao County to Quannan City had changed dramatically, with old faces and new looks everywhere.