GBP Chapter 108 Stealing Fish
Chapter 108 Stealing Fish
Li Mu felt a little embarrassed by Li Chuzi's gaze and touched his nose: "Uncle Chuzi, let's quickly discuss the fishpond matter."
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement, sat down together, and began to discuss it.
Li Mu shared his ideas: "The fishpond has been dug and the rabbits have been caught. Let's divide the work. We'll fish for another month, then fill the fishpond. Once we enter the off-season, we'll focus on raising fish. When the fish are big enough, we'll sell them. That way, we'll have a steady stream of income."
Upon hearing this, everyone agreed, since these fish were their cash cow; the more fish they could raise, the more money they could make.
"What about the rabbit?"
"Rabbits can be raised next to fish ponds, enclosed by fences."
"Rabbits reproduce quickly and have a short breeding cycle, which can bring us a considerable income. In addition, rabbit droppings can be used as fertilizer for fish ponds, thus forming a small-scale ecological cycle."
Li Mu laid out his idea in its entirety, and everyone who listened thought it was a good idea.
So they decided to set aside a piece of land next to the fishpond to raise rabbits.
Without further ado, everyone sprang into action. Some went to prepare materials for building the rabbit hutch, while others went to buy rabbit seedlings and feed. The money came from the profits earned from selling fish yesterday. Everyone was full of energy and wanted to get this small-scale ecological cycle up and running as soon as possible.
Li Mu and Tian Xiaohu were responsible for building the rabbit hutch. It was their first time building a rabbit hutch, but fortunately, with Li Mu's guidance, they worked together while discussing and working, and the process went quite smoothly.
The rabbit hutch was chosen in a sunny spot so that the rabbits could enjoy plenty of sunshine and maintain their health.
They built the main structure of the rabbit hutch using wooden planks and bamboo fences, and then laid soft hay inside to provide the rabbits with a warm and comfortable home.
After building the rabbit hutch, the two then erected a fence to ensure the rabbits wouldn't escape. They used sturdy wire mesh, high enough to prevent the rabbits from jumping out.
Once everything was ready, the six rabbits were put into the rabbit hutch.
"Someone needs to keep watch every night, but who will do that job?"
Li Mu thought for a moment and said, "How about this, we take turns, one person for one day. This way we can ensure the rabbits' safety and not get too tired."
Everyone thought it was a good idea and nodded in agreement. They started to take turns, and each person was assigned the task of guarding the rabbits.
On the first day, Li Mu was in charge of guarding the area.
He sat beside the rabbit hutch, feeling a little sleepy. He rubbed his eyes, forced himself to stay awake, and continued watching over the rabbits.
Just then, he suddenly
He heard a strange noise coming from the rabbit hutch. Li Mu immediately became alert. He stood up, quietly approached the hutch, and peered inside through the gaps in the fence.
A rabbit was seen trying to jump out of the enclosure; its front legs were already on the wire mesh, and its hind legs were kicking hard. Seeing this, Li Mu quickly went over, gently patted the rabbit's back, and herded it back into the rabbit hutch.
It turned out to be a false alarm, and Li Mu breathed a sigh of relief, sitting down again. He checked the time; it was almost midnight. He fought off his sleepiness and continued to stay at his post.
Just then, he suddenly heard another strange sound, this time coming from the fishpond.
Li Mu frowned, wondering if something else was going to happen.
He stood up and walked towards the fishpond. He saw a dark figure moving about by the edge of the pond and shouted, "Who's there?"
The dark figure was startled by Li Mu's shout and quickly took a few steps back.
Li Mu looked up by the moonlight and exclaimed, "Fourth Uncle?!"
Li Siming was so startled that he trembled and dropped what he was holding, making a loud noise.
He looked at Li Mu, his eyes darting around, and said somewhat guiltily, "I couldn't sleep last night, so I came for a walk by the fishpond. I didn't mean to disturb you, nephew."
Li Mu looked at Li Siming and noticed that he seemed flustered and was holding a cloth bag in his hand. He couldn't help but become suspicious: "Fourth Uncle, what are you holding in your hand?"
Li Siming quickly hid the bag behind his back: "No...it's nothing, just some odds and ends."
Li Mu stepped forward, snatched the bag, opened it, and saw that it contained several fish. He immediately understood that Li Siming had come to steal the fish.
"Fourth Uncle, you... sigh."
Li Mu had seen shameless people before, but he had never seen anyone as shameless as Li Siming. The two families had long since fallen out, yet Li Siming still had the nerve to steal fish.
Seeing that his plan had been exposed, Li Siming smiled awkwardly and said, "Nephew, you see, your fourth uncle's family is really in dire straits, so I had to resort to this tactic. Please don't blame your fourth uncle."
Li Mu threw the cloth bag on the ground, looked at Li Siming, and said with a gloomy face, "Fourth Uncle, everyone knows that your family is in trouble, and we have helped you as much as we can. But you can't do such a petty theft!"
Upon hearing this, Li Siming immediately became anxious: "Nephew, you're not right about that. What do you mean I did something like stealing chickens and dogs? I had no other choice! Look at your fourth uncle's family, they're so poor they can't even afford to eat. That's why I thought of taking a few fish back to nourish myself."
"Fourth Uncle, that's a nice way to put it. Taking a few fish to nourish yourself? Are you taking fish or stealing them? Besides, if you want fish, just tell me. Would I refuse you? Why would you need to come and steal them in the middle of the night?"
Li Siming's face turned pale and then dark. Suddenly, he squatted down, covered his face, and started crying.
Li Mu was startled: "Fourth Uncle, what are you doing? Talk it out, stop crying."
"I...I'm so ashamed! I've lived most of my life, and I've done something like this. How can I face anyone now?" Li Siming said, crying.
Looking at Li Siming, Li Mu also felt a little uneasy.
"Fourth Uncle, get up, let's have a good talk." Li Mu said as he reached out to help Li Siming up.
Li Siming stood up with Li Mu's help, wiping away his tears: "Nephew, I...I'm sorry."
Li Mu sighed: "Fourth Uncle, we're all family. There's nothing to apologize for. Just don't do this kind of thing again."
"No, it's about the land. I... I really don't know how to tell you." Li Siming lowered his head, not daring to look Li Mu in the eye.
Li Mu frowned: "The land? Fourth Uncle, what are you talking about?"
Li Siming sighed and explained the whole story.
It turned out that after Tao Qingshan suffered a stroke, Li Siming was completely terrified. He tried to persuade He Yinglian to stop digging the fishpond, but He Yinglian refused to listen and insisted on digging it to the bottom, determined to outdo Li Mu. Li Siming couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he had no choice but to let her do as she pleased.
Unexpectedly, digging up the fishpond led to a major problem: it had encroached on the territory of another village.