Chapter Thirty-Eight: Catching Crabs with Teacher Feng

Ler led Feng Shuyah toward the bank of the Little Sand River. The sun was blistering, so both of them wore bamboo hats. With the hat on, Feng Shuyah looked especially charming in a different way.

Feng Shuyah was an honored guest and couldn’t be slighted. Ler invited her to stay for lunch, but there wasn’t anything special at home. So, he told her he would go to the fields to catch loaches for a dish. Hearing about catching loaches piqued her interest. Raised in the city, she always found countryside matters novel, so she happily followed him.

“Miss Feng, do you dare eat crab?”

“Eat crab? Of course.”

Feng Shuyah walked along the narrow farm path, excitement all over her face. She had eaten plenty of crabs—sea crabs, river crabs, hairy crabs—whether steamed, braised, or spicy, but she’d never tasted crabs from the countryside.

“Then I’ll take you to catch crabs first.”

“Great, where do we catch them?”

She was a clever girl, but still young—only about twenty-two or twenty-three—so such new experiences delighted her.

“Do crabs bite?” she asked, a little afraid. The sight of crabs waving their pincers was intimidating for a city-bred girl like her. Ler smiled.

“If you’re careful, they won’t pinch you. And even if they do, it doesn’t hurt much.”

He didn’t take her to the river; instead, there were more crabs and they were easier to catch in the small stream nearby. They followed the stream upward. Feng Shuyah took off her shoes and held them in her hand, stepping gingerly into the water. Her feet were as fair as jade, but having never gone barefoot outdoors, she cried out as soon as they touched the ground.

“Miss Feng, better stay on the bank. Just watch, all right? Your skin is so delicate, you might scratch your feet.”

“No... It’s so much fun in the water.”

The stream was clear to the bottom and refreshingly cool. She stepped lightly into the water, which was shallow—only reaching her ankles. The mud on the bottom had been washed clean, leaving only round pebbles.

“This is so cool—ah!”

Ler taught her how to catch crabs. These crabs were small, mostly hiding under stones. Lifting a stone would send the crabs scurrying in panic. Ler, an old hand at this, would reach out and grab the biggest ones, tying their legs with rice stalks.

“What adorable little crabs!” Feng Shuyah squealed like a child but didn’t dare to grab one herself. Watching Ler catch a whole string of them with ease and without getting pinched, she grew bolder. With some trepidation, she lifted a stone; a crab the size of a thumb darted out in alarm. Gathering her courage, she caught it.

“Hey... I caught one too! It’s so cute!”

Ler found her startled antics amusing but didn’t dare laugh aloud. Yet, she really did look adorable, as innocent as a sheltered young girl, pure as water.

He took the crab from her hand and strung it onto the rice stalk. Truth be told, these little crabs weren’t much for eating, but he didn’t want to discourage her.

“Ler, who’s that pretty girl with you?”

A group of women had appeared not far away, one of whom was Luo Yinxiang.

“Auntie, she’s one of the teachers from the school.”

“Oh, Miss Feng, such a beauty,” Auntie laughed. “What are you two up to? Catching crabs?”

“Exactly that.” Ler smiled, glancing at Luo Yinxiang, noticing the unfriendly glint in her eyes.

“Don’t go catching Miss Feng’s crabs as well now,” Luo Yinxiang said, and though she was smiling, only Ler could tell she was jealous. The rest of the women burst out laughing.

“Ler, just be careful not to get your hand pinched.”

Luo Yinxiang added, “If you get pinched, don’t come crying to me.”

“Luo Yinxiang, you wretched woman—can’t you speak without being crude?” Ler snapped. “Catching crabs, catching crabs, maybe one day I’ll catch yours.”

The women laughed even harder.

“Yinxiang, Ler says he wants to catch your crab,” Auntie teased, making the others laugh all the more. “But Ler, Yinxiang’s crab is a tough one—be careful it doesn’t break your hand.”

“As if I’m afraid! Come and try!” Luo Yinxiang grew bolder, clutching her belly with laughter. Ler’s face flushed red from embarrassment and anger. He scooped up a handful of mud and flung it at her. It hit her squarely on the left breast—her thin blouse and the bra beneath were both splattered.

“Sha Ler, you blockhead! See if I don’t throw mud at you too!”

Luo Yinxiang tried to grab some mud, but Auntie blocked her, laughing.

“Yinxiang, that’s enough. Ler’s still a greenhorn, and Miss Feng’s here too.”

“Who knows if he’s a greenhorn,” Yinxiang shot Ler a fierce look, but Auntie dragged her away. Feng Shuyah watched their retreating figures with a composed expression. She was clever enough to catch their meaning, even if the country jokes were a bit coarse. Still, she pretended not to understand.

“These crazy women will be the death of me.”

“What were they saying, Ler?”

“Nothing much, just country women being silly.”

Feng Shuyah smiled at that. Country folk were known for their bluntness; it was only natural. They went back to catching crabs.

“Ah... Ler, a crab’s pinched me—it hurts!”

Feng Shuyah suddenly screamed. A little crab had clamped onto her left pinky, and she couldn’t shake it off.

“Don’t move, I’ll get it off.”

Ler quickly broke off the crab’s pincer. Feng Shuyah looked at the red mark on her finger, her eyes filling with tears as she blew on it like a child. Ler wanted to laugh but restrained himself.

“All right, let’s go ashore. We have enough crabs. I’ll go catch some loaches.”

Feng Shuyah smiled, tears still clinging to her lashes. It didn’t really hurt much—she’d just been startled and frightened. She put her shoes on and watched Ler wade into the paddy field to catch loaches.

Ler was an expert at catching loaches, and since the other young men who could do it weren’t home, there were plenty in the fields. He reached into the water and caught one with every sweep of his hand.

“Ler, you’re amazing! Did you raise these loaches yourself?”

“There are loads in the fields. See all those cloudy footprints in the water? There’s a loach in each one.”

“Aren’t loaches supposed to live in the mud? Why are they in the footprints?”

“When it’s hot, loaches like to hide in the footprints in the paddy fields—probably because it’s cooler there.”

Ler worked in the field while Feng Shuyah watched with keen interest from the ridge. In less than half an hour, Ler had nearly a kilo of loaches. The sun was nearly at its zenith, so he climbed out of the field.

“Not catching any more?”

“That’s enough for lunch.”

“Let me see.”

Both the crabs and loaches were in Ler’s small basket at his waist. The loaches spat bubbles, but got along with the crabs just fine.

“That’s a lot! With skills like yours, you could make a living from this.”

“You can’t make much money this way,” Ler replied with a simple smile. “Come on, let’s check the reservoir. If you’re lucky, there might be a real treat.”

“What kind of treat?”

“Turtle,” Ler replied, taking the basket off and rinsing it in the water. “I set out some lines last night. If a turtle’s taken the bait, you’ll have a feast. The turtles here are wild and natural—real green food.”

Hearing Ler say “turtle” so casually, Feng Shuyah blushed a little. But in this place, everyone called soft-shelled turtles by that name, so she couldn’t blame him. She just gave an awkward smile and followed Ler to the reservoir.

The reservoir wasn’t far, nestled in a northern mountain hollow.