Chapter 1, A Cold Raft Night

Translator: StarReader

 

Winter.

 

The full moon had already risen early, and as it set, dawn was approaching.

 

At this time, Zhou Village, a water village, was still immersed in a dense morning mist, visible only as a vague outline. The riverbank was silent, with the cold wind cutting like a knife.

 

In a nest of dead branches, a crow lay huddled, occasionally letting out a cry that pierced through the night, adding to the somber night.

 

Su Chen propelled himself along on a small bamboo raft, his tiny hands reddened by the cold tightly gripping a ten-foot-long bamboo pole as he drifted and glided toward the center of the river. Behind him on the raft lay a bamboo fishing basket, a reed fishing lamp, and a fishing net.

 

Water occasionally splashed onto the raft, soaking his reed sandals. The icy water seeped in, numbing his skin with its piercing chill. As the cold wind swept over him, his thin and frail body shuddered involuntarily.

 

Su Chen was a child from a poor fishing family in Zhou Village.

 

Life was hard for fishermen; the taxes imposed by Gusu County’s constable were already oppressive, and the constant extortion by the martial groups added further strain. These pressures weighed heavily on the Su family, leaving them barely able to breathe.

 

His parents went out each day to fish on the Great Lake, returning late at night. Their efforts barely provided enough to feed their family of five.

 

At twelve, Su Chen was still a slight boy, yet he had grown remarkably mature and responsible. He planned to head out at dawn, two hours before daybreak, to catch fish and shrimp in the river and sell them for copper coins to help with household expenses.

 

Once in the middle of the river, he drove the bamboo pole deep into the muddy riverbed, securing the raft’s position.

 

Su Chen rubbed his nearly numb little hands together to warm up. He rolled up his hemp sleeves, pulled out a flint and tinder from his coat, struck them repeatedly for over ten tries, and finally managed to ignite a tuft of dry grass.

 

Hurriedly, he used the dry grass to light the oil lamp on the raft. He propped it up with a small stick and placed it at the edge of the raft, close to the water’s surface.

 

The dim glow of the lamp cast a faint light over the still, moonlit river. It was the only source of illumination in the quiet night.

 

Fish and shrimp were naturally drawn to the light.

 

By adding some bait—like crushed leaves from water plants, earthworms, or bits of crumbled bread—you could attract even more fish and shrimp to feed.

 

This method of luring fish with light was a small trick that fishermen used at night, and it happened to be Su Chen’s specialty.

 

After setting up everything, Su Chen hugged his thin hemp jacket tightly, crouching on the bamboo raft drenched in cold river water. He held a net and waited patiently for the fish to arrive, his movements deliberate and steady.

 

The river teemed with small fish and shrimp, but they weren’t worth much.

 

Even if he transported them all the way to Gusu County City’s west gate pier market, a full bamboo basket filled with tiny fish and shrimp would fetch only two or three coppers. It was barely enough to buy a meal for one person—let alone feed a family.

 

The real money came from catching larger fish that weighed over a kilogram.

 

Near Zhou Village, in Lou County, lay a deepwater lake spanning over a hundred miles, known as Firm Mountain Lake. The lake’s surface was often stirred by strong winds and high waves, making it abundant with large carp. A fish weighing a kilogram could fetch five coppers. However, such delicacies were typically reserved for the tables of county town households and esteemed guests at inns.

 

The fishermen from Zhou Village couldn’t bear to eat the large fish themselves; instead, they would transport them to Gusu County City, selling them for copper coins to cover taxes imposed by the county constable. Whatever little copper remained after that would be exchanged for rice, salt, oil, and clothing—just enough to barely sustain their families.

 

Within the lake’s depths lay three extraordinary treasures: the rare Silverback Swordfish, the snow-spotted stonefish, and the red-tailed shrimp. Thinking of these precious fish filled Su Chen with excitement. A mere two hundred-gram Silverback Swordfish could fetch an astonishing five hundred copper coins when sold to the largest inn in Gusu County City, the Heaven Falcon Inn. This price was nearly equivalent to the value of an entire boatload of fish caught by a fisherman.

 

Su Chen often went with the adult fishermen to sell their catch at the Heaven Falcon Inn in town. There, he got to know Ah Chou, who worked as a server at the inn. Over time, the two young boys became close friends, sharing everything and developing a deep understanding of each other. As a result, they knew all about the fish market.

 

However, these rare and precious fish species were extremely difficult to catch. Every day, hundreds of fishing boats went out into the lake, but only one or two might manage to land even a single Silverback Swordfish. Even seasoned fishermen with decades of experience, using enormous nets that stretched for tens of meters, struggled to catch a Silverback Swordfish in the deep parts of large lakes.

 

If a fisherman got lucky and caught one, he would boast about it to all the other fishermen in Zhou Village, eager for everyone to admire and envy his success.

 

Sadly, only adult fishermen dared take small boats out into the deeper parts of the lake to cast large nets for these valuable fish. Su Chen was still a teenager, physically weak, and kept away from such deep waters. Instead, he would only row his little bamboo raft on the calm river, where occasionally he might catch a carp that had swum out of the lake.

 

While he envied those rare and precious fish deeply, he knew better than to try anything risky. His small raft was content staying in the peaceful river, catching whatever it could, including the occasional carp that strayed too far from the lake’s safety.

 

However, the waterway connecting Zhou Village to Gusu County City was a highly active channel.

 

By day, it was bustling with merchant ships numbering in the dozens and fishing boats numbering in the hundreds. The large fish were easily startled by the passing vessels, causing them to retreat as deep as twenty meters below the surface, making them completely out of reach for fishermen.

 

Only during the fleeting hour of dawn would the river calm down, with no large ships moving about. This allowed the fish to venture near the surface, lured by the absence of disturbance and the promise of tiny insects floating near the surface to feed on.

 

This was Su Chen’s only opportunity to catch the large carp he sought.

 

It wasn’t long before small schools of fish began to gather around the bamboo raft, attracted by the dim glow of the fishing lanterns.

 

Su Chen, braving the biting cold, crouched on the bamboo raft and waited patiently. His stomach growled with hunger; from his coat, he pulled out a hard piece of bread, carefully tore it in half, and slowly chewed one portion to ease his hunger. He hesitated to eat the other half, tucking it back into his pocket for later.

 

Suddenly, a silver glow appeared in the river, like a sleek silver thread moving through the water, rising to the surface to take the bait. When the bamboo raft’s oil lamp cast its light over it under the night sky, it shone brilliantly.

 

It was a Silverback Swordfish!

 

For a moment, Su Chen thought he must be seeing things.

 

His sleek, expressive eyes locked onto the silver thread moving so effortlessly in the water. His breathing quickened, and his heart raced as he stared in disbelief.

 

A Silverback Swordfish was an incredibly rare sight even in the depths of large lakes. It must have ventured into the river during winter due to a lack of food in the lake.

 

Looking at this fish… it had to weigh at least half a kilogram. Two hundred grams of Silverback Swordfish could fetch five hundred copper coins. For every additional hundred, one could sell it for an extra hundred copper coins. This single Silverback Swordfish could command a price of seven or eight hundred copper coins—a sum equivalent to all the money he earned from a year’s hard labor.

 

Su Chen’s face flushed, his heart racing with excitement. His family was poverty-stricken, and he well knew how precious such a fish was. If he managed to catch this swordfish and sell it for top price at an inn in Gusu County City, he could afford several large bags of snow-white flour, rations, salt, and new cloth. It was the twelfth month now, and the New Year was just around the corner. This year’s Spring Festival would see them enjoying a feast of tasty shrimp tofu dumplings and steaming-hot white rice, and no longer would they have to chew on those hard breads. He could also buy several yards of fabric for his younger brother and sister, enough to make them two brand-new outfits for the holiday.

 

Even a few extra copper coins could be used to pay the boat tax to the constable of Gusu County, helping ease some of the burden on his parents. His parents would surely be pleased upon learning of his capabilities, patting his head and showering him with praise. With this Silverback Swordfish, they were guaranteed to have a prosperous year ahead.

 

Su Chen quickly held his breath, his clear eyes reflecting the golden light of copper coins. He firmly gripped the fishing net with both small hands, beginning to haul it in at an incredibly slow pace.

 

The Silverback Swordfish, known as a ‘waterborne flying knife,’ lived up to its reputation. It was easily startled, swimming at breakneck speeds through the water like a blade, vanishing in an instant. Catching such a fish tested the skill of even the most seasoned fishermen—it required calmness, focus, precision, and swiftness.

 

Su Chen held his breath and slowly reeled in the net. Just at that moment, a crow perched in a nest on a branch by the riverbank suddenly stirred awake, emitting a piercing caw.

 

“Yikes!”

 

Fully engrossed in concentration, Su Chen was startled, his small hands tightly gripping the net, giving a slight tremor. A light splash appeared on the water’s surface.

 

The Silverback Swordfish in the river was instantly spooked, its tail whipping out, and it darted out three or four yards from the edge of the fish trap before vanishing beneath the surface in an instant.

 

Darn it!

 

The Silverback Swordfish had fled!

 

Su Chen held up an empty trap with only a few tiny shrimp. His body trembled involuntarily, nearly bringing him to tears.

 

[It was all because of that damn crow!]

 

This was a Silverback Swordfish weighing nearly a kilogram, worth 700-800 copper coins!

 

[What a pity, all of it was ruined by that damn crow’s stinky mouth!]

 

[My wish to have a good New Year this year is gone!]

 

Su Chen’s eyes reddened as he glared at the crow’s nest on the riverbank tree.

 

Filled with rage, he guided his bamboo raft over and grabbed his long bamboo pole, thrusting it towards the nest of crows perched atop the branch.

 

“Damn crow, just shut up!”

 

A while later, Su Chen’s arms grew heavy, and he slumped dejectedly onto the bamboo raft. His face, red from the frostbite, showed nothing but discouragement and disappointment.

 

Sigh.

 

Su Chen knew deep down that this old crow didn’t understand anything. It had just been woken up by the cold air in the middle of the night and cried out randomly—not on purpose to harm him.

 

Why bother getting angry with it?

 

Su Chen sighed, feeling a twinge of guilt as he looked up at the nest on the branch.

 

“I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have taken out my frustration on you by poking your nest. It’s freezing out here, and you’re already suffering. These shrimp are my way of apologizing to you.”

 

Su Chen reached into his fishing basket, grabbed a handful of small fish and shrimp, tossed them at the base of the old tree root, and then pushed on with his fishing.

 

Once he was gone, the crow would fly down from the tree to feast. But for now, it grumbled softly, its voice carrying a hint of protest, and curled up in its nest, pretending to be dead.

 

Su Chen worked tirelessly through the night, finally filling his fishing basket with a haul of large fish and shrimp. Though he hadn’t managed to catch that rare Silverback Swordfish, he had reaped other rewards, including a hefty one-kilogram crucian carp.

 

In Zhou Village’s market, such a large carp could be traded for a good bundle of firewood from a lumberjack, providing enough fuel for four or five winter evenings. Five copper coins weren’t much, but with regular fishing, he could gradually contribute to the household expenses. His parents would likely approve.

 

The small fish and shrimp left in his basket wouldn’t fetch much money, but they could be turned into several bowls of soup for his younger siblings. Any leftovers could be exchanged at Zhou Village’s farms for a few leaves of green vegetables.

 

This winter was proving to be particularly harsh, far more difficult than previous years.

 

Su Chen had caught a full basket of fish. His young face lit up with hope as he paddled his bamboo raft homeward. He thought, as the New Year approached, his younger brother and sister would grow a few years older. With two more responsible children helping out with chores, things were bound to improve, bit by bit.