boyutpedia Chapter 1 Rebirth in 1984
Chapter 1 Rebirth in 1984
The Jiangnan water towns, a land of a thousand lakes.
The vast expanse of blue water is covered with endless reeds.
Qingshui County, Baiyang Lake.
To the southeast of the lake area lies a shallow bay.
The water here is calm and only a few feet deep, with crisscrossing underwater channels, making it a perfect hiding place for large fish to hunt for food.
It was summer, and the lake was dotted with duckweed and water chestnut vines formed a green carpet.
As the fishing boats passed by, their hulls brushed against the water plants, making a soft rustling sound.
In the Jiangnan region, this is called "Guaqing".
Today, the sounds of boats paddling and splashing can be heard throughout this bay.
"Raise the net!"
"Reel in the rope!"
The shouts of fishermen rose and fell.
The sounds of large fish breaking the water came one after another.
"Splash—splash—"
In Repulse Bay.
A large bluefish weighing over 40 kilograms had a head like an iron hammer, a mouth like a shovel, and a back that split the water like the keel of a small boat.
The fish tail swung wildly with terrifying force.
In the blink of an eye, it pulled a young man who was dragging the net on its left side off the ground.
The young man was pulled along by the blue fish, and like a kite, he flew several meters away.
"thump!"
The man slammed heavily onto the water, creating a white wave.
"Let go!"
"Watch out—"
On the lake.
Two small fishing boats flanked them from both sides.
The fishermen on the boat shouted urgently, and two young men, one tall and one short, frantically pulled in the net ropes.
The tall young man gripped the gunwale tightly with his legs, leaned back sharply, and clung desperately to the net with both hands, his face turning a deep purplish-red.
The net caught the grass carp in its path, and its head crashed into the mesh of the three-layered net, becoming tightly entangled. In pain, the grass carp thrashed its head and plunged into the deeper water.
The short young man then rowed closer.
He rowed with incredible speed, and the small boat darted past like an arrow.
He shifted his body to the side and reached out to grab his companion who had been dragged into the water.
"Gotcha!" The short young man grabbed his companion by the collar and pulled him forcefully toward the boat.
"...Splash!"
The grass carp, in pain, became even more frenzied, no longer caring about diving into deeper water, and suddenly turned its head around.
The fish, weighing over forty pounds, thrashed violently, pulling the tall man and the boat sideways. The fishing boat spun sideways, rocking violently, and the tall young man sat down heavily in the cabin, nearly losing his grip on the net.
The bluefish slapped its tail wildly across the water, splashing water everywhere. Its eyes were fixed on the boat in front of it, and then it rammed its head against the hull.
The short young man plunged the oar into the water and pushed hard, skillfully dodging the aggressive charge of the grass carp and leading the frenzied fish into the center of the net.
The bluefish missed its target, then flicked its tail and gave chase, relentlessly pursuing the small boat.
On the other boat, the tall man recovered and rowed over from the side, grabbing the scoop from the bow and aiming for the fish head.
The large fish in the lake spend their days foraging for food in the mud at the bottom of the water. The scales on their backs are worn hard as iron plates, and ordinary fishing nets cannot easily tear them.
But neither of them reached for the fish's back.
Scoop up the fish by the head and scoop up the tail; these are the fish's weakest points. Especially the gills; once they get tangled in the net, there's no escape.
At that very moment, just a dozen meters away.
The young man floated on his back on the water, his limbs outstretched, like a piece of duckweed.
At that moment, he felt dizzy and lightheaded, as if all his strength had been drained from his body.
"I...I wasn't dragged into the water by the fish and drowned?"
The young man barely managed to open his eyes a crack.
Before I could see clearly, I heard the gentle whistling of the lake wind and the calls of wild ducks in the reeds.
Immediately afterwards, a figure rushed out from the reeds.
"Ah Zheng—hey! Floating around?"
Upon hearing this, the young man turned his head sharply, his eyes instantly lighting up.
"Nation-building?!"
Looking in the direction of the sound, a sturdy figure rushed out of the reeds, holding a long bamboo pole in his hand.
This young man was broad-shouldered and burly, standing at 1.75 meters tall. His skin was tanned dark and shiny, and water droplets clung to his bare arms, glistening in the sun.
The bamboo pole in his hand was about three meters long, with a three-pronged steel fork tied to the top. The fork tip was polished to a shine, gleaming coldly.
"You idiot! I told you to wait for me, but you wouldn't!"
He was cursing as he rushed over, but his gaze was fixed on the big bluefish, and he didn't even glance at Chen Zheng.
As soon as the hothead approached, Shui Sheng on the boat gave a hand signal, and the two small boats rowed in unison to the sides.
With a flick of its tail, the big blue carp changed direction and charged towards Zhang Jianguo.
Chen Zheng floated on the water, his heart skipped a beat.
Zhang Jianguo has been a bit of a simpleton since he was a child.
When Chen Zheng was seven years old, the village children bullied him. Without saying a word, Zhang Jianguo picked up half a brick and smashed it over his head, cracking it open.
For this, his father beat him so badly that he couldn't get out of bed for three days.
One summer when they were ten years old, the two went to bathe in the river. Chen Zheng lost his footing and fell into the deep water. Zhang Jianguo jumped in to save him without thinking, almost losing his own life in the process.
That's just how this kid is; once he's made up his mind, nothing can change it.
But now, he's facing a giant bluefish that's almost a meter and a half long!
Chen Zheng's mind was in complete chaos, and countless images flashed before his eyes.
That was half a month ago, when the two of them were squatting by the lake smoking.
Zhang Jianguo said, "Azheng, let's go get a big one, so your dad and my dad can see that we're not just sitting around doing nothing."
Chen Zheng laughed at him at the time, saying, "You're only eighteen, what big are you talking about? Wait until you grow up in two more years."
Zhang Jianguo retorted, unconvinced: "So what if you're nineteen? You've never caught a big fish since you were nineteen!"
The two argued back and forth, neither willing to back down, and finally agreed to sneak off to the lake that day.
Chen Zheng never expected that this simpleton would actually do it.
He never expected that he would suddenly recall these old stories at this critical juncture.
"Could I be dreaming? Otherwise, how could I be reliving all the terrible things that happened in my life?"
The thought popped into Chen Zheng's head, but he immediately found it absurd.
Lost in thought, he wanted to see how Zhang Jianguo was doing.
He was stunned by that one glance.
Zhang Jianguo did not rush forward.
He stopped there, three or four meters away from the big bluefish, just floating on the water, motionless.
The big blue carp also stopped, its tail swaying gently, as if sizing up this person who didn't play by the rules.
The man and the fish stood facing each other like that.
The sunlight shone on the lake, making it sparkle, and the reeds rustled in the wind.
Then Chen Zheng heard Zhang Jianguo speak.
He spoke to the large bluefish, as if chatting with someone:
"How many years have you lived in the water, being so big?"
"I'm eighteen this year, and this is my first time going down to the lake."
"It's fate that we've met today. Don't rush to bump into me, and I won't rush to stab you."
"Shall we... chat for ten dollars?"
Before Chen Zheng could react, the big bluefish suddenly swam half a circle to the side, then stopped and stared at Zhang Jianguo.
Zhang Jianguo scratched his head, turned to Chen Zheng and shouted, "Zheng, can it... understand human speech?"
At this moment, Chen Zheng had only one thought in his mind.
This kid is still the same hothead he always was!
Exactly the same as in my past life!
Chen Zheng floated on the water, his mind a complete mess.
I was reborn.
She has truly been reborn.
On the 8th day of the fifth lunar month in 1984, at Baiyang Lake and Repulse Bay.
He, along with the hotheaded Zhang Jianguo, the short Shui Sheng, and the tall Liu Jiawang, a total of four people, secretly went down to the lake without telling their families, hoping to catch a big fish to show off.
The results of it?
As a result, that giant bluefish in his past life almost cost him his life.
Chen Zheng remembered clearly that on this day in his previous life, he was dragged into the water by a bluefish and nearly choked to death.
Zhang Jianguo, that foolish young man, rushed up to spear the fish, but was hit on the head by the fish's tail. He floated on the water, dizzy for a full half minute, and it was Liu Jiawang and Shuisheng who risked their lives to drag him ashore.
In the end, they didn't get the fish, and the four of them almost lost their lives.
After returning home, his father, Chen Laosan, swung a carrying pole and beat him so badly that he couldn't get out of bed for three days.
Zhang Jianguo fared even worse. His father, Zhang Laohan, tied him to the door frame and whipped him with a rope soaked in water, making Zhang Jianguo scream so loudly that the whole village could hear him.
Shuisheng's mother didn't hit anyone, but she sat on the doorstep and cried for the entire afternoon, making Shuisheng kneel on the ground and kowtow repeatedly.
Shui Sheng knelt there, not saying a word, just kowtowing until his forehead turned blue.
Liu Jiawang wasn't much better off. His father, Baldy Liu, didn't lift a finger, but he made him carry all the manure from their two acres of land before he could eat.
Liu Jiawang spent the whole day picking, and the next day he couldn't even lift his arms. His eyes were crossed, and he looked at people even more crookedly.
But the boy kept muttering, "As the ancients said, 'When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it first tests their will and strengthens their body...'"
This incident later became a laughing stock in the village.
Every summer, there are always some cheeky people who make fun of them about this.
Zhang Jianguo, that simple-minded kid, would always chuckle and say, "That's because you lack experience. Try again, and you'll definitely be able to solve it!"
One more time...
Chen Zheng looked at Zhang Jianguo not far away, and at the big blue carp confronting him, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up.
It's just another round, isn't it?
Chen Zheng took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
Having lived for decades in my past life, what strange things haven't I seen?
Back in the 1980s, someone in the village won 500 yuan in the lottery and was so excited that he fainted on the spot.
Back in the 1990s, someone went south to work and came back to build a two-story house. Later, he did odd jobs in the city and saw even more things, but they were all true.
Now I...
Chen Zheng didn't have time to think it through; his gaze fell on Zhang Jianguo.
That clueless kid was still confronting the big bluefish.
Shui Sheng and Liu Jiawang rowed their fancy boat, one on the left and one on the right, slowly approaching this side.
Shui Sheng rowed the boat silently, his eyes fixed steadily on the fish.
Liu Jiawang stared intently, tracing lines as he muttered to himself:
"This fish must have been cultivating for decades, right? The Classic of Mountains and Seas says..."
Not far away, Chen Zheng took a deep breath, exerted force with all four limbs, and swam towards the fish.
After swimming for more than ten meters, he suddenly realized that something was wrong.
Just now, I was dragged half to death by the fish, feeling completely exhausted.
Now, the arms that are paddling and the legs that are kicking seem to have inexhaustible strength.
Moreover, that strength wasn't something you forced out; it came naturally, as if your body was always like that.
Maybe it recovered from the time it was floating in the water?
Chen Zheng didn't have time to think it through and had already swum to the shallow water area where his feet could touch the bottom.
He stood up; the water was just over his waist.
Only then did he realize that the distance between Zhang Jianguo and the big bluefish was only three or four meters.
The fish floated on the surface of the water, its tail swaying gently, its body slightly turned to the side, and one eye fixed on Zhang Jianguo.
The fish's eyes were the size of eggs, pitch black, and they were creepy when they stared at people.
Zhang Jianguo really did just float there, completely still.
Chen Zheng took two steps forward, and the water receded to his knees.
He saw Zhang Jianguo holding a three-meter-long bamboo pole with a steel fork tied to the end, the fork tip pointing towards the fish's head, but he didn't push it forward.
Just then, the big bluefish swam half a circle to the side, then stopped and continued to stare at Zhang Jianguo.
Zhang Jianguo also turned around, always facing the fish head directly.
Chen Zheng recalled something he had heard from someone in his previous life.
To catch a big fish, you have to look at its eyes. When a fish lunges forward, its eyes are straight and don't bend.
If you face it head-on, when it charges at you, just dodge to the side and it will pass you.
But if you run with your back to it, it can catch up and drag you down in one bite.
Zhang Jianguo is now facing the fish head-on. But he's neither attacking nor running away.
Just then, as Zhang Jianguo was about to continue chatting, the big blue carp suddenly flicked its tail, splashing water, and sank its entire body, rushing towards Zhang Jianguo.
"Build a nation!"
Chen Zheng shouted and swam forward.
Zhang Jianguo, seeing the fish rushing towards him, didn't panic.
Holding the bamboo pole with both hands, I thrust it into the water, the pole tip pointing downwards, the fork tip facing the direction from which the fish's head was coming.
This is an old method of spearfishing. When the fish lunges forward, you point the tip of your spear at it, and it will crash into you. The stronger the fish, the deeper you can spear it.
But Zhang Jianguo forgot one thing.
Where he stood, the water was only up to his chest, and his feet were in mud.
When the big blue carp charged, its head hit the tip of the fork, and its body jerked forward. The force of the impact was transmitted through the bamboo pole to Zhang Jianguo's hand.
Zhang Jianguo's feet slipped in the mud, and he fell backward.
thump!
He fell into the water.
The bamboo pole slipped from his hand and floated on the water.
"broken!"
In his past life, Zhang Jianguo was knocked unconscious by a fish tail hitting his head at this time.
This time, however, the fish's head hit the tip of the fork, and the fork pierced the fish's head. The fish went berserk in pain, thrashing its tail wildly, completely oblivious to the people around it.
Zhang Jianguo fell into the water, choked on some water, rolled over and got up, wiped his face, and looked up.
The big blue carp was dragging a bamboo pole into the deep water.
The bamboo pole, three meters long, is tied to the fish's head, with a section protruding above the water's surface, swaying like a flagpole as it drifts away into the distance.
"My fork!"
Zhang Jianguo shouted and was about to chase after him.
Chen Zheng grabbed his arm: "Why are you chasing us! You can still fight even if you lose your fork, but what are you going to fight with if you lose your man?"
Zhang Jianguo turned to look at him, his eyes wide with surprise: "A-Zheng? You're alright?"
Chen Zheng ignored him and turned to shout to Shui Sheng and Liu Jiawang, "Row over here! Move this way!"
Shui Sheng and Liu Jiawang snapped out of their daze, their oars flying, and the two small boats darted over.
Chen Zheng pulled Zhang Jianguo towards the boat, keeping an eye on the bamboo pole floating on the water as they swam.
The bamboo pole continued moving further away, but its speed slowed down.
That fish must be tired too.
Without a second thought, Chen Zheng swam to the side of the boat, grabbed the gunwale with both hands, and flipped himself onto the boat.
At this moment, the two boats are moored side by side.
Chen Zheng grabbed the trolley from the bow of the boat and said to Zhang Jianguo, "You go onto Jiawang's boat, take your fork, and go around to the left."
Zhang Jianguo climbed onto the boat next to him and asked, "And you?"
Chen Zheng ignored the hothead and said to Shui Sheng, "Let's go from the right. You row the boat, and I'll carry you over the boat."
Shui Sheng nodded, put the oars into the water, and the small boat darted forward nimbly.
Chen Zheng squatted at the bow of the boat, holding a scoop in his hand, his eyes fixed on the bamboo pole floating on the water.
The bamboo pole stopped moving.
The big blue carp was resting on the water's surface a dozen meters away, head down, tail sticking out of the water, gently swaying.
Chen Zheng recalled what the old master had told him when he worked in the city in his previous life.
Fish are strong, but they're not smart.
If it blindly dives into deep water, there's nothing you can do about it.
But if it stops, it's because it's tired and wants to rest. That's the perfect time to take it.
"Shuisheng, slow down, don't startle it."
Shui Sheng slowed down his rowing speed, and the small boat glided gently forward.
On the other side, Zhang Jianguo and Liu Jiawang's boats also circled around from the left, and the two boats were only seven or eight meters away from the fish.
Liu Jiawang was still muttering to himself, "This fish is truly enormous..."
Zhang Jianguo glared at him: "Shut up!"
Just then, the big blue carp seemed to sense something, its tail swayed more violently, and its body sank down.
At the same time, Chen Zheng slapped the side of the ship and leaped up from the bow.
He gripped the scoop with both hands and scooped it towards the fish head.
The fish trap is made of bamboo strips, with a wide opening and shallow bottom, and is usually used to catch small fish in the hold of a boat.
But at this moment, Chen Zheng didn't care about any of that.
The fish was scooped up and plunged into the water, its head caught in the net.
The fish head was larger than the fish head used for fishing, so it couldn't be scooped up, but the edge of the bamboo strips got stuck on the fish's gills.
The fish, in pain, jerked its head away, trying to break free.
Chen Zheng gripped the fishing rod tightly with both hands, his whole body being dragged forward by the fish.
thump!
He fell into the water again.
But Chen Zheng didn't let up.
The fish dragged him around in circles in the water, and Chen Zheng felt as if his arm was about to be torn off, but he just wouldn't let go.
"Ah Zheng!"
Zhang Jianguo shouted, grabbed the bamboo pole on the boat, stuck it into the water, aimed the tip at the fish's body, and pushed hard.
The fork struck the fish's spine.
The fish's back scales were thick, and the fork tip didn't penetrate very deep, but the fish arched its body in pain and thrashed its tail wildly, splashing water everywhere.
Taking advantage of this momentum, Chen Zheng used both hands to lift the sea upwards.
He lifted half of the fish's head out of the water.
The fish's gills were stuck in the sea, its mouth opening and closing, its gill covers twitching, revealing the bright red gill filaments inside.
"Jiawang!"
Chen Zheng called out.
Liu Jiawang's boat had already come close, and he grabbed another scoop from the bow and started scooping it up towards the tail of the fish.
The fish's tail was thinner than its head, so I caught it perfectly in the scoop.
Liu Jiawang flipped his hands over, attached the fishing rod to the gunwale, leaned back, and managed to lift the fish's tail out of the water.
He kept repeating to himself, "As Sun Tzu's Art of War says, 'When besieging an army, leave an opening...'"
The big bluefish, its head and tail caught in the scoop, was hanging on the surface of the water, still struggling desperately.
With a flick of its tail, it made Liu Jiawang's boat rock violently.
No matter how hard it struggled, it couldn't break free.
Shui Sheng rowed his fancy boat over, grabbed Chen Zheng by the collar, and dragged him onto the boat.
Chen Zheng lay on the gunwale, panting heavily, his arms trembling violently.
He looked up.
The big bluefish was still struggling; it was about 1.3 to 1.4 meters long and weighed at least 40 kilograms.
The fish scales shimmered with a bluish-green light in the sunlight, its eyes were wide open, and its gill covers opened and closed.
Chen Zheng was stunned.
That's it... done?
In their past lives, the four of them almost lost their lives. They didn't get the fish and even got beaten up.
Is this how you've won in this lifetime?
Before he could think it through, he heard Zhang Jianguo shouting from the other end, "Azheng! Azheng! We got it! We really got it!"
The hothead stood on the boat, holding a bamboo pole with fish scales stuck in the tip, grinning like a fool.
Chen Zheng looked at him, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up.
Yes, I got it.
What I couldn't get in my past life, I got in this life.
He took a deep breath, sat up, and said to Shuisheng, "Paddle to the shore. Don't stay here, or people will gossip."
Shui Sheng nodded, put the oars into the water, and the small boat moved closer to the shore.
Liu Jiawang's boat followed behind, while the big bluefish was still stuck between the two boats, its tail occasionally flicking, but with much less force.
The boat docked, and the four men hurriedly carried the fish ashore.
Only when the fish was placed on the grass did you realize how big it was.
From head to tail, it's not much shorter than Zhang Jianguo's.
The thickest part of the fish's body is even thicker than the waist of an aquatic animal.
The fish scales were the size of copper coins, a bluish-green color that shimmered in the sunlight.
Zhang Jianguo squatted down beside the fish, reached out and touched its spine, then turned to Chen Zheng and smiled, "Zheng, the scales on this fish's spine are really hard. I couldn't even get my fork through."
Chen Zheng nodded: "Fish live in the water for a long time, and their backs are worn into shape by constantly burrowing into the mud."
As he spoke, he looked at Shui Sheng and Liu Jiawang.
Shuisheng squatted to one side, not saying a word, but touching the fish's belly with his hand, his lips curled up, revealing two small tiger teeth.
Liu Jiawang stood there, hands behind his back, shaking his head and saying, "This fish is really rare. The four of us are incredibly lucky to have caught one today!"
Chen Zheng smiled and said, "Let's discuss how to divide this fish."
Upon hearing this, Shui Sheng glanced at Chen Zheng, then lowered his head and said softly, "My mother said that to catch fish, you have to follow the right person. If you follow the right person, you'll catch fish."
The words were spoken out of the blue, but Chen Zheng understood them.
Shui Sheng's mother was praising herself.
Liu Jiawang coughed and said seriously, "Logically speaking, A-Zheng, you put in the most effort, and you came up with the idea, so you have the final say. As the ancients said, rewards should be given according to merit..."
Chen Zheng waved his hand to interrupt him: "Don't bring up the ancients, let's talk about our own things."
"Jianguo, take this fish back with you. Hasn't your mother been coughing these past few days? This fish is big; make soup with it to help her recover. Send half of it to your mother."
As Chen Zheng spoke, he recalled his past life.
At that time, Zhang Jianguo's mother was still fine, but two years later, she fell ill, and after three years, she passed away.
During those years, Zhang Jianguo seemed to have lost his soul.
Chen Zheng wasn't sure if the fish could cure Zhang Jianguo's mother's illness.
But he thought to himself, in this life, he should do what he can.
Zhang Jianguo blinked and grinned, "Ah Zheng, how did you know my mother had been coughing these past few days?"
Chen Zheng didn't reply, but looked at Shui Sheng and said, "Shui Sheng, your mother is also in poor health. Take a piece of fish back with you."
Shui Sheng opened his mouth as if to say something, but Chen Zheng stopped him.
"Don't push me away. If it weren't for you rowing the boat today, I wouldn't have been able to catch any fish heads in the sea."
Shui Sheng lowered his head, then raised his eyes again and nodded gently.
Chen Zheng turned to Liu Jiawang: "Jiawang, take a piece of fish back with you. Your dad's back always hurts, doesn't it? You can make soup from the fish bones to cure his back pain."
Liu Jiawang's eyes lit up, but he was a little embarrassed, rubbing his hands and saying, "This...this is too much trouble. I just tugged at the tail, I didn't do much..."
Chen Zheng laughed: "If you hold the fish's tail firmly, it won't get away. Besides, the way you keep nagging is making the fish dizzy."
Liu Jiawang was taken aback, then grinned and said, "That's true. When I was talking about it, the fish's tail did wag slower."
Zhang Jianguo slapped his thigh and laughed, "Jiawang, you've just annoyed the fish with all your nagging!"
Shui Sheng also smiled with his head down, his shoulders shrugging.
Chen Zheng looked at the three of them, feeling a warmth in his heart.
In the Jiangnan region, people rely on the water for their livelihood. Fishing and crabbing are called "doing water work" by the locals.
Water-related activities are categorized by size.
Small-scale fishing involves using fish traps and nets to catch crucian carp, whitebait, crabs, and river shrimp.
"Big water activity" refers to the encirclement and catching of ferocious aquatic creatures such as grass carp, mandarin fish, and snakehead.
What they were doing today was the real deal – a real, high-level water-related job.
But this kind of high-water work requires keen eyesight, courage, and teamwork; you can't do it without any of them.
The four of them, the oldest Chen Zheng is nineteen and the youngest Shui Sheng is only seventeen. No one would believe that they were able to catch this big bluefish weighing over forty pounds today.
"Quickly, load them onto the boat and take them home."
Chen Zheng gave a shout, and the four of them quickly and efficiently loaded the fish onto the boat.
Two small boats, one after the other, cut through the blue waves and headed towards the village.
The sunlight shone on the lake, making it sparkle.
The reeds rustled in the wind.
In the distance, a fisherman was singing. His voice drifted over, and although I couldn't make out what he was singing, I thought it sounded nice.
Chen Zheng sat at the bow of the boat, watching the village getting closer and closer, and took a deep breath.
In his past life, he let down too many people.
His eldest sister, his two younger brothers, and all those who had helped him.
This life, I'll start over.
One fish is nothing.
There's still a long way to go.