Chapter 45: The Transaction

Liu Chuxue felt that this trade was simply perfect; with this set of equipment, things would be much more convenient in the future.

She prepared the bait, executed a beautiful cast, and—perfect.

Seeing her seamless movements, Old Man Xiao gave her a direct thumbs-up.

He jogged over to fetch his own bucket and happily placed the large snakehead and the smaller carp inside. "I can finally hold my head high today."

His words immediately drew a volley of jeers: "Have you no shame? You're probably planning to take those fish back to brag to your old lady, aren't you?"

"Don't be surprised if we expose you one of these days!"

"Stop making a fuss! It's not like you catch fish every single day."

No matter how much the others teased him, Old Man Xiao only had eyes for the big snakehead and the little carp in his bucket. "Anyway, we're having fish for dinner tonight."

While they were teasing each other, there was movement on Chuxue's side again. Someone made a hand gesture, signaling them to be quiet.

The old men who hadn't believed in her skill were now completely convinced; this young girl truly had a knack for fishing.

Judging by the movement in the water, it went without saying that it was bound to be a big one.

With a reliable fishing rod, Chuxue wasn't afraid of the fish escaping. She worked the rod back and forth to tire the fish out, and only once it had settled down did she, with Old Man Xiao's help, scoop it out of the water.

However, this time, a gasp erupted from the crowd.

It was another snakehead, and it was even larger than Old Man Xiao's.

It must have weighed at least ten catties.

Before anyone could say anything, Old Man Qi stepped forward, clutching his bucket, and whispered, "Girl, do you want money or coupons?"

Perhaps because he was too excited, his voice trembled.

Liu Chuxue was very straightforward: "Coupons. Any kind of coupon will do."

What she lacked most right now were coupons. Her family of three would have to stay in the city for at least two weeks, and without coupons, every step would be difficult.

Old Man Qi was also a straightforward man. "How about this: I'll count this snakehead as twelve catties. Does that work for you?"

Judging by his accent, he was clearly from Henan; even with graying temples, he hadn't lost his hometown dialect. Liu Chuxue was also a decisive person: "Deal."

Old Man Guo, who had been standing in front, also approached and handed over the coupons in his hand. "Girl, take a look. These are the coupons for that grass carp."

Liu Chuxue saw that there were match coupons, cloth coupons, soap coupons, and even a shoe coupon. Not bad, very practical. "That's right, old gentleman. We're even."

She didn't say thank you, as this was a fair exchange of goods for goods; no one owed anyone anything.

However, a situation arose with Old Man Qi. He had been the first to claim the fish in his bucket, but when he reached into his pockets, things got awkward.

He had left in such a hurry today because his wife had asked him to change clothes, that he didn't have a single coupon in his pockets, let alone any. "Quick, quick, quick! Old brothers, whoever has coupons, hurry and pool them together!"

After a round of teasing, everyone contributed a little, and in the end, Old Man Xiao covered the deficit.

Old Man Qi wasn't embarrassed; he happily handed over the collected coupons. "Girl, check if these are correct."

Liu Chuxue took them with a smile, and this time they were even more complete: sugar coupons, oil coupons, cloth coupons, tofu coupons, grain coupons, salt coupons, vermicelli coupons, and even a meat coupon and two industrial coupons. Although none were in large quantities, they were enough to meet their immediate needs.

Look at that—they were even bringing out meat coupons to trade for fish. It wasn't that they lacked food, but rather a lack of enjoyment and sentiment.

Afterward, she caught several more one after another, though none exceeded five catties; most were around two or three catties. Liu Chuxue was already very satisfied.

Seeing that there were about seven or eight fish in the bucket, she stopped. "Gentlemen, it's getting late. I have to head back."

It was true; if she didn't return soon, her mother would worry.

(End of Chapter)