Chapter 299 - 300: Someone Died
After being scolded by Mrs. Liu and Liu Haiguo, Liu Haihua ultimately refrained from mistreating Ge Liang, but now she found Ge Liang to be as terrifying as a demon.
Liu Haihua dreamt of Ge Liang avenging his father by eating her flesh and blood raw; she was so scared that she dared not sleep anymore. As she lifted her foot, wanting to kick Ge Liang off the bed, she nevertheless held back.
However, Liu Haihua’s desire to kill Ge Liang never ceased, but today’s events made her realize that she couldn’t blatantly kill him. Otherwise, her reputation would suffer, making it even harder for her to remarry, and Wang Xueyong would certainly not want to marry her.
So now Liu Haihua laid awake, contemplating how she could kill Ge Liang without lifting a finger.
Tiny Ge Liang curled up in the corner of the bed, far from Liu Haihua. Although he had taken medicine mixed with calming herb, Ge Liang did not sleep soundly. At any small disturbance, his little body would curl up even tighter, hugging himself tightly.
Early the next day, the Guangming Production Team’s big catch in the deep pool spread to the Red Star Production Team. On the first day of the New Year, the Guangming Production Team had meat to eat, whereas the Red Star Production Team did not.
Moreover, the productivity of the Red Star Production Team was falling behind. Although the two teams were close to each other and had similar productivity in the past, now they were leagues apart.
The Guangming Production Team had been exemplary year after year, while the Red Star Production Team now ranked at the bottom each year, causing widespread complaints. If this continued much longer, people were likely to start causing trouble.
To pacify everyone, Liu Haiguo suggested taking them fishing in the deep pool. Hong Xing then said that he had heard from people in the Guangming Production Team that there were a lot of water plants in the deep pool and advised against getting in the water as it could be dangerous.
But Hong Xing’s words did not get through to everyone. They believed the Guangming Production Team did not want anyone else fishing in the deep pool and had made up these claims, and now the people of the Red Star Production Team were seething with envy and jealousy toward Guangming.
Still, Hong Xing cautioned, "Regardless, we should still be careful."
"Lately, you’ve become so cowardly," Liu Haiguo couldn’t help reprimanding Hong Xing.
Cowardly, him? Hong Xing wanted to retort by bringing up the time Liu Haiguo had run away with the gun at the sight of a bear, leaving his brothers behind, but he swallowed his words.
"I value my life more than meat," he said.
At these words, Liu Haiguo grew angry and pointed at Hong Xing, saying, "Then don’t you go."
Someone tried to mediate, "Hong Xing isn’t wrong. It’s always good to be careful. After all, during the New Year, we all hope to safely bring meat back home, right?"
Nods of agreement followed, and despite his unease, Hong Xing joined them.
However, they did not have the same luck as Gao Jiaxing and his group, or more precisely, they did not have the same spring water from Xia Xiao to lure out the big fish.
The Red Star Production Team spent a significant part of the day fishing in the deep pool. While catching one or two fish each was manageable, it did little to satisfy them, especially knowing the Guangming Production Team had snagged a two-hundred-pound monster.
So, some were tempted to dive into the pool to catch fish by hand. Hong Xing suggested they should each tie a rope around their waist for safety.
Liu Haiguo, as team leader, was all for the idea of catching fish by hand. Wanting to ensure his team had meat to eat, he agreed to Hong Xing’s suggestion.
Soon, some people dived in and quickly resurfaced, excitedly proclaiming, "There are so many water plants below, and so many fish!"
"Are there any big fish?" someone asked.
"I did not go too deep and didn’t see any big ones, just smaller ones, half a pound to a couple of pounds."
"That’s good enough; let’s quickly bring out the nets."
The young men of the Red Star Production Team were energized as though injected with adrenaline, rubbing their hands in eagerness to undertake a great endeavor.
Several had already dived in, and indeed, they netted quite a few fish, accumulating several dozen pounds. Suddenly, someone emerged from the water, excitedly exclaiming, "There are big fish, real big fish! I saw them!"
At this, the people of the Red Star Production Team boiled with excitement—big fish, hundred-pound big fish!
Even Liu Haiguo was thrilled. Thinking that if the Guangming Production Team had big fish, they must catch one that weighed over a hundred pounds, preferably larger and heavier than Guangming’s.
Thus, the Red Star Production Team began its hunt for big fish. Hong Xing watched anxiously; with so many people in the water, danger was inevitable.
Besides, they had already netted several dozen pounds of fish; the catch was not insignificant, but they yearned for bigger fish.
However, big fish weren’t so easily caught. Gao Jiaxing and his crew had succeeded because the big fish had swum up and been encircled.
The Red Star Production Team, however, had to dive to catch the big fish as opposed to waiting for them to swim into the nets, which was exceedingly risky.
But at the moment, it was as if everyone was blind to the danger, or perhaps they were too enthralled by the allure of the big fish. Those who could swim grabbed knives and leaped into the deep pool one after another.
Soon after, blood tainted the deep pool, and from the shore it was impossible to see what was happening under the water. As blood spread over the surface, when no one’s head could be seen, panic set in among those standing on the shore.
Moreover, the movement of the ropes indicated intense activity below, but quickly some began to barely stir. Hong Xing felt a sudden lightness on his rope, and with a startled cry, he pulled it up, only to find it empty.
"Where is he?" everyone was shocked.
Then some began to pull on their ropes; some were impossible to move, others came up empty.
Panic seized those on the shore. For a moment, they were all confused, looking at Liu Haiguo, not knowing what to do.
Liu Haiguo hurried to calm them, saying, "Everyone stay calm. The way these ropes are cut clearly isn’t from fish bites; it’s knife slices. They must have cut them for convenience."
Indeed, the crowd settled down a bit, hoping that Liu Haiguo’s explanation was correct. Yet as time passed, nobody resurfaced.
Hong Xing could no longer stay idle. He addressed the others, "I’m going down to check. Who will come with me?"
Now hesitation gripped them all, but still, one person followed Hong Xing into the water. Once underwater, Hong Xing was gripped by fear.
It was a fierce skirmish below, and the big fish was struggling to survive. Six men had gone down, but now only one was left; five had sunk to the bottom.
Immediately, Hong Xing charged forward to rescue the survivor. Forget the big fish—a successful rescue would be a miracle.
Hong Xing and another teammate strained to pull the survivor ashore. Everyone on land was ashen-faced. Some still asked, "What about the fish? The big fish?"
Spitting out water, Hong Xing yelled back furiously at them, "What fish? People are dead—five of them, all sunk to the bottom, gone from sight."
Dead... five men were dead.
Shocked to the core, each person turned pale, and for a moment, they looked at Liu Haiguo, at a loss for action.
And the one who had been rescued cried out, "The water is full of blood; I couldn’t see anything."