The three of them sat on the ground to rest for a few minutes. Wang Chu'an was the first to get up, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and handing one to each of the Li brothers.
He lit a cigarette, took a drag, and said to them, "Come on, help me carry the fish so we can go sell it quickly, or it won't be worth anything if it dies."
Hearing this, the two brothers quickly scrambled to their feet and patted the dirt off their pants. "Right, we need to hurry. Such a good fish won't fetch a price if it dies!"
With that, one brother grabbed the fish's head and the other cradled its tail, and they headed toward the pier. Wang Chu'an followed behind, carrying a bucket in one hand and a fishing rod in the other, picking up their buckets and rods along the way to bring them along.
Before they even reached the purchasing station at the pier, some people working there saw the two brothers carrying a large fish and shouted, "Holy shit, where did these two brothers manage to catch such a big fish? What kind of fish is that?"
Someone with a sharp eye got a clear look and called out, "That's a Bahaba fish! Judging by the size, it's at least fifty catties!"
"Yeah, those two brothers are so lucky. That fish isn't cheap either—normally they go for five or six yuan a catty, and one this big is probably worth even more."
"Who are you telling? This fish is practically worth half a year's wages. Those two brothers have struck it rich."
No matter the era, precious fish like this never came cheap.
...
Amidst the envious gazes of the onlookers, the brothers held their heads high and carried the fish toward the pier purchasing station. A crowd of people looking for some excitement followed along behind them.
Wang Chu'an watched this from the rear, half-amused and half-exasperated. Sure enough, people could never shake their innate love for gathering around to watch a spectacle.
With the arrival of the crowd, A-Jun, who had been resting in a rocking chair, quickly stood up. When he saw Li Zhengwen and the others walking over with such a massive Bahaba fish, the corners of his mouth curled up involuntarily.
He hurriedly pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed them out to the brothers. "A-Wen, A-Wu, where did you guys catch this fish? You don't see Bahaba fish this big very often!"
The brothers accepted the cigarettes, lit them, took a drag, and said, "Brother Jun, we didn't catch this fish. A'an reeled it in."
"A'an? Which A'an? Is it the one getting married tomorrow?"
Because most people in this era gave their children names wishing them peace and health, names containing the character for peace were quite common. There were several people named A'an, and for a moment A-Jun couldn't remember which one, so he named the one he had the most recent impression of!
"Yeah, that's him! He caught the fish, and we just helped carry it over."
"Oh, so it's his! Where is he, then?"
"He's lagging behind carrying some stuff; he'll be here in a minute."
While they were talking, Wang Chu'an arrived. Seeing a crowd gathered around the entrance of the purchasing station and holding things in his hands, it wasn't convenient to squeeze straight through, so he shouted loudly, "A-Wen, come over and give me a hand, I can't squeeze through!"
Both Li Zhengwen and A-Jun heard the voice, and A-Jun hurriedly shouted to the crowd, "Everyone, make way, let the owner of the fish in! Don't block the path!"
"Alright—"
"Everybody make room—"
"Yeah, let the man through to sell his fish!"
...
The crowd parted a path for Wang Chu'an to walk through. As he walked in, he said, "Sorry to trouble you all—"
Seeing Wang Chu'an approach, A-Jun pulled out a cigarette, handed it to him, and teased, "A'an, you're having incredible luck today. Is it because you're getting married tomorrow, so you've got that festive aura about you?"
Wang Chu'an took the cigarette, smiled, and replied, "Ha, I suppose it's the universe giving me a wedding gift!"
"Alright, you've got thick skin, calling it a gift from the universe. Where'd you get the nerve to say that?"
"Enough of that. Let's weigh the fish and see how heavy it is."
"Right—"
Several of them placed the fish in a bamboo basket and hoisted it onto the scale.
"It's 54.6 catties in total. Take away two catties for the basket, and the fish weighs 52.6 catties." A-Jun looked at the weight on the scale, did the math, and announced the weight of the fish.
"Alright, Brother Jun, how much do you buy this fish for per catty?"
"A'an, I won't lie to you. Normally I buy these for 5 yuan a catty, but since yours is so huge, I'll take it off your hands for 6 yuan a catty. How's that?"
Hearing this price, Wang Chu'an wasn't very satisfied. If he hadn't been afraid the fish would die halfway, taking it to a restaurant in town or a big hotel in the county would have fetched at least 8 yuan a catty.
"Brother Jun, isn't this price a bit too low?"
"A'an, it's not low at all. A fish this big—most people wouldn't even want it. Even at this price, I'm worried I won't be able to sell it and it'll rot on my hands!"
"Brother Jun, stop pulling my leg. How could a fish like this not find buyers if you sent it to a big hotel in the county?"
Seeing that he wasn't so easy to fool, A-Jun was just about to raise the price a little when the roar of a motorcycle cut through the air.
Then several men walked over. One of them walked right up to the Bahaba fish, inspected it, and said, "Brother, have you sold this fish yet? If you haven't, sell it to me. I'll offer 500."
Wang Chu'an recognized this man: Chen Qiang, a notorious smuggler in the town. After making his fortune, he had quit the business, managed to dodge a bullet during the strict crackdown last year, and now ran an appliance specialty store in town.
Seeing that A-Jun said nothing—likely afraid of offending the other man, as none of these smugglers who made their fortunes through illegal trade were simple characters—and feeling that the offered price was quite fair, Wang Chu'an spoke up.
"Sure! Selling to anyone is just selling, after all!"
"Great, straightforward! What's your surname, brother?"
"I have the honor of the surname Wang!"
With that, Chen Qiang pulled a stack of banknotes from his bag, counted out fifty bills, and handed them over. "Brother Wang, count it!"
"Alright!" Wang Chu'an took the money, thumbed through it, and seeing it was correct, said, "Right, the money is correct!"
"Good. You guys, come over and lift the fish onto the motorcycle. Tie it down tight so it doesn't fall off on the way."
After watching his lackeys load the fish onto the motorcycle and secure it, Chen Qiang turned back to Wang Chu'an and said, "Next time you have good goods, you can bring them straight to my shop. My name is Chen Qiang, and I run an appliance specialty store at the west end of town. Just ask around and you'll find it. I'll buy them at a high price then, too."
"Got it, Brother Qiang. Next time I have good goods, I'll bring them straight to you!"
"Alright, Brother Wang, see you around. I've got things to do, so I'm heading out."
"Take care, Brother Qiang!"
With that, the group came and went like the wind, leaving behind only the empty space where the fish had been.
Seeing them leave, A-Jun let out a slight breath of relief. He turned to Wang Chu'an with a stiff tone and said, "A'an, what you just did wasn't very proper, was it? We agreed you'd sell the fish to me, the fish was already weighed, and then you went and sold it to someone else!"
Hearing the tone in A-Jun's voice, Wang Chu'an's face turned livid, and he thought to himself: *I don't rely on you for my livelihood, who do you think you are putting on airs with me? I've lived two lives and I've got a Golden Finger; why should I back down for you?*
So, he snapped right back at him, "Are you blaming me for this? What do you mean 'we agreed you'd buy the fish'? Why didn't you say anything when he was right here? Now that he's gone, you're complaining I'm acting improperly—why don't you mention that your offer was way too low?"
A-Jun hadn't expected him to be so aggressive. He was stunned for a moment before backing down. "I... I was just about to raise the price. Who knew he'd suddenly swoop in?"
"Forget it. The fish is already sold, there's no point talking about it now."
"Fine, I suppose that's all we can do!"
With that, A-Jun shook his head and walked back inside the shop. Seeing him leave, Wang Chu'an said nothing more.