Chapter 664: Jiang Xia's Talent
Chapter 664: Jiang Xia's Talent
Zhou Mu and Zhou Fu both suffered from rheumatism, and during the damp spring season, they always experienced lower back and leg pain.
Plus, according to Ruan Tang, this thing was also effective for Uncle Dong’s condition.
So, Jiang Xia decided to keep looking for more.
To make medicinal wine, one single find wouldn't be enough!
Thus, the two of them searched even more diligently.
However, this wasn't an easy thing to find. They searched all the way to where Zhao Chenglei and his group were pulling in their nets, but found nothing more.
At that moment, Zhao Chenglei and his group managed to drag a net full of fish onto the dry ground.
Jiang Xia looked at the net, which was brimming with glistening fish, and smiled. "Dad, you had good luck today. This net must weigh over a hundred pounds."
Zhou Fu chuckled, "About that much!"
He knew that with all the dogs having returned home, any net they cast would be bursting with fish.
It had been a long time since he and Jiang Xia had gone out to sea together! If they went out, they could catch even more.
Zhou Fu still missed the days he spent fishing with Jiang Xia.
It was already November, and the autumn fishing season was coming to an end. Winter was approaching, and before long, it would be the New Year. Once the dogs were on holiday, they could head out to sea again.
At that moment, Nurse Li and the others walked over, surprised. "So many fish, and only a hundred pounds?"
"I thought it would be several hundred pounds!"
Jiang Xia explained, "It’s not several hundred pounds. That would be a huge catch. Most of these are small fish that haven’t grown much. They look numerous, but they’re light."
Usually, when they cast their nets, they would catch mostly small fish like mudskippers, yellow croakers, and sandpipers. Of course, there would also be some shrimp, crabs, and squids.
Mudskippers, yellow croakers, and sandpipers didn’t fetch high prices.
However, the shrimp caught today were particularly large. Jiang Xia picked one up and compared it to her hand—it was as long as her palm.
Such large shrimp were meaty, and eating one whole was incredibly satisfying. Jiang Xia loved them.
The blue swimmer crabs caught today were also plump.
Zhou Fu chuckled, "Let’s start removing the fish from the net."
Jiang Xia squatted down and began to remove the fish. She asked Zhou Zhou and Zhou Ying, "Do you want to continue collecting seafood or help us sort the fish?"
Zhou Zhou replied, "I’ll help sort the fish."
Zhou Ying said, "I… I’ll help sort the fish too!"
She actually preferred collecting seafood.
Jiang Xia noticed and smiled, "You’re both so helpful! You know how to share the workload with the adults. Today, Auntie will allow you to play an extra ten minutes on the game machine."
Zhou Ying immediately perked up.
Zhou Zhou quickly calculated the time in her head. If she played for another twenty minutes, it would be two hours. She asked Jiang Xia, "Auntie, can Yingying and I have a competition to see who can sort the most fish? The winner gets to play an extra twenty minutes on the game machine."
"Sure, you’ve been so great today. I’ll make an exception." Jiang Xia had set a rule that Zhou Zhou could only play the game machine for one hour a day to prevent her from becoming too engrossed and neglecting her studies.
But she wasn’t too strict. There was some flexibility. Sometimes, if Zhou Zhou did her homework well, helped with household chores, or improved in her exams, Jiang Xia would reward her. The rewards could be extra game time or other things she wanted.
With frequent rewards, Zhou Zhou had figured out the system and learned to actively seek what she wanted.
Zhou Ying cheered, "Yay!"
No child disliked playing games.
So, the two sisters happily started their competition to sort the fish.
Jiang Xia reminded them, "Before you start, think about it. The fish have many spines, and some are even toxic. Think about how to protect yourselves from getting hurt and how to work efficiently without getting injured."
Jiang Xia believed that the way one approached a task was crucial.
Before doing anything, it's best to think through the steps and organize them in order. This way, you're less likely to make mistakes or forget anything, and you can accomplish tasks more efficiently.
She hoped to instill this habit in the two children.
The sisters started brainstorming, discussing back and forth with enthusiasm.
Ruan Tang and a few others also came to help with the fish.
Ruan Tang glanced at the two sisters, who were engaged in a close discussion, and smiled. "Xia, you really know how to teach children."
As a pediatrician, she had seen many parents in the hospital. Most of the time, they would simply order their children to do something without explaining or guiding them. If the children made a mistake, they would immediately scold or even hit them.
While that method wasn't entirely ineffective, Ruan Tang believed Jiang Xia's approach was better.
She had noticed this through various details over time.
Sometimes, when Jiang Xia asked the children to do something, both boys and girls would happily comply.
But when the eldest sister of the Zhou family asked the children to do something, they were often reluctant. This would lead to arguments, and things would usually end in chaos.
From this, it was clear that the Zhou children preferred and listened to Jiang Xia more.
Jiang Xia was taken aback and shook her head. "I'm not really good at teaching children. I'm just feeling my way through, afraid of making mistakes."
"You're doing a great job."
Getting children to listen is one thing, but getting them to do so happily is a true skill.
Jiang Xia possessed this skill.
When she asked the children to do something, they would do it with enthusiasm.
Even being around Jiang Xia made her feel comfortable.
Ruan Tang thought that when she had children, she would teach them the same way.
At that moment, several villagers approached.
"Yongfu, what luck! You caught over a hundred pounds of fish with just one cast!"
"Zhou Yongfu, you're in luck again! So many fish!"
Zhou Fu laughed and said, "Just average luck! They're all small, cheap fish."
Zhou Fu picked out a few large sea bass and put them in a bucket to keep them alive.
He planned to give one to each of Ruan Tang and her companions when they left, along with some fish and shrimp.
Ruan Tang and her two companions had brought a lot of fruit and health supplements as gifts. In return, Zhou Fu took advantage of the high tide to cast a net and give them some fresh fish and shrimp.
If there wasn't enough, he could always buy more from the dock.
"Small, cheap fish? There are several large sea bass and plenty of big shrimp! You could sell them for a good price!"
"I wish I had cast a net too! But it's too dark, and I didn't want the trouble!"
Zhou Fu said, "You're just lucky. Why would you need to do it?"
"You're the lucky one. All your sons have built big houses and married wives! I still have a daughter and sons who haven't married yet!"
...
Zhou Fu chatted with the villagers casually.
Jiang Xia and Ruan Tang continued to divide the fish while talking.
When Ruan Tang grabbed a long-tailed squid from the net, she wasn't careful and got a face full of ink!
Her eyes were so irritated she couldn't open them!
She quickly raised her hand to wipe her face with her sleeve, but her sleeve was dirty and wet.
Jiang Xia felt in her pocket and realized she had forgotten to bring a handkerchief.
Zhou Chensen saw this and handed Ruan Tang a clean handkerchief. "Dr. Ruan, use this to wipe your face."
Ruan Tang, with one eye still open, reached out to take the handkerchief and wiped her face.
A few of the village women saw this and couldn't help but glance at Ruan Tang.
(End of Chapter)
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