Chapter 137: Fishing (Part 2)
The large yellow dog barked not only at Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian but also at its fellow dogs.
Whatever was communicated among the dogs, Yan Xi Nian and Xia Huo Qu didn’t understand.
But soon enough, the dog pack made room for them.
Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian stepped forward to help the dogs pull in the nets.
Yan Xi Nian stood at the front, Xia Huo Qu positioned behind him, and behind them were several large and small dogs, forming a classic “pulling up the radish” stance.
When Yan Xi Nian turned around and saw this scene, he couldn’t help but laugh.
The laughter made its way to his lips, and he almost lost his grip.
Xia Huo Qu, gritting his teeth behind him, said, “Don’t laugh, just pull the net up!”
“On it.”
Yan Xi Nian quickly refocused, stifling his laughter, and tugged hard on the net.
Whatever was in the net was extremely heavy, and Yan Xi Nian’s hands began to ache from the rough texture of the fishing net. He couldn’t imagine how much effort the dogs had used to hold onto the net.
He shouted, “One, two, three, pull!”
As he pulled, he could feel Xia Huo Qu straining behind him, and the dogs were also putting in their strength.
Slowly, they managed to pull the fishing net up.
Both men and the dogs stepped back as they tugged.
Moments later, the fishing net, filled with fish, was dragged onto the ice.
The fish were gasping, their mouths opening and closing, and the air was thick with the smell of fish.
The dogs became excited instantly, barking non-stop.
Pulling the net had been hard work. Yan Xi Nian, panting, turned to look at Xia Huo Qu.
Xia Huo Qu’s face was full of joy.
They both turned to look at the dog pack behind them.
The dogs were jumping excitedly on the ice. Some even stood on their hind legs, wagging their tails wildly.
“One more net to go, don’t slack off!” Yan Xi Nian called out as he moved toward the second net.
The dogs quickly ran over, joining the ones already holding onto the net, biting down on the ropes and pulling with all their might.
Together, the two men and the dogs managed to drag the second net onto the ice.
This time, even more fish spilled out, jumping all over the ice.
Yan Xi Nian and Xia Huo Qu, utterly exhausted, stood still, catching their breath.
One of the dogs, a dirty gray Samoyed with an extra leg, ran over, pressing its head against Xia Huo Qu’s leg and letting out soft whimpering sounds, begging for attention.
The little guy looked strange with its extra limb, but its eyes sparkled with joy.
Xia Huo Qu hesitated for a moment before gently patting the Samoyed’s head.
The Samoyed became even more excited, hopping around under his hand.
A nearby husky squeezed in, also seeking pets.
Seeing this, the other dogs crowded around, wagging their tails and barking, eager to play with him too.
The dogs’ friendliness was overwhelming, and Xia Huo Qu sighed, petting each one without any concern for their dirtiness.
The dogs got more and more excited, soon surrounding Xia Huo Qu completely.
Yan Xi Nian chuckled at the sight before walking over to untangle the fishing nets.
As soon as he freed the nets, a large number of fish slid out onto the ice.
The dogs, seeing the fish, immediately forgot about playing and rushed over, biting into the fish with their back teeth.
Some dogs struggled to hold onto the slippery fish, having to press them down with their front paws before tearing into them.
Several fish flapped their tails, smacking the dogs’ sensitive noses.
But the dogs didn’t seem to care, focusing instead on devouring their fish.
From the way they were eating ravenously, it was clear they were starving.
The lead yellow dog barked once, glancing at the other dogs and then at Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian, its ears twitching as if waiting for their approval.
Normally, Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian were very protective of their catches. In a situation like this, they’d usually take at least half of the two nets of fish.
But seeing the starving dogs, both men instinctively stepped back, choosing not to compete with the dogs for the fish.
The nets were still there, and they could always catch more fish later.
The large yellow dog, noticing that they weren’t interested in taking the fish, barked to call over the rest of the pack.
Dozens of dogs came charging from the distance, barking excitedly.
As they reached the ice, many of the dogs couldn’t keep their balance and slipped, tumbling in a heap.
But they didn’t seem to mind, each dog panting happily with tongues out.
With more dogs than fish, many ended up sharing a single fish, but they didn’t fight over it.
The large yellow dog, seeing its companions all eating, finally picked out a fish for itself and started to chew.
Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian retreated, eventually making their way back to the truck.
Xia the cat had already spotted what was happening and was watching curiously, its two front paws resting on the windowsill.
When Xia Huo Qu, now smelling strongly of dogs, opened the car door, Xia the cat wrinkled its nose and meowed, avoiding his attempt to pet its head.
Yan Xi Nian laughed and said to Xia the cat, “I didn’t touch any of the dogs, come on, let me pet you.”
Xia the cat shot him a disdainful look and jumped onto Kong Zhi’s lap, curling up.
Kong Zhi asked, “So what now? We wait for the dogs to finish eating?”
“Yeah, let’s wait a bit,” Yan Xi Nian replied, looking out at the ice. “Once they’re done, we can catch more fish and see if we can take them to the Black Gold Base.”
They had everything packed in bamboo tubes, and the truck bed was nearly empty. If they managed to catch enough fish, they could easily transport them.
Since it was cold, the fish would freeze solid during the trip.
So, the three of them and the cat waited in the truck.
The starving dogs quickly finished off the fish.
Still wanting more, they licked their lips and barked excitedly at the truck, as if asking the humans to come down and catch more fish.
The large yellow dog stepped forward, pawing at the truck door.
The other dogs watched from a distance.
“They really see us as their labor now,” Yan Xi Nian grumbled with a smile as he opened the door. “Coming!”
The large yellow dog sat patiently nearby. When Yan Xi Nian got out, it peeked inside the truck and met Xia Huo Qu’s gaze.
Yan Xi Nian, standing nearby, said, “Well, Huo Qu, looks like they’ve gotten attached to you.”
Xia Huo Qu was about to get out of the truck when Kong Zhi suggested, “How about you stay in the truck, Huo Qu, and I’ll go down instead.”
“No need, I’m not that tired,” Xia Huo Qu replied. “You guys stay here and keep an eye on the situation. Don’t let your guard down.”
Just as Xia Huo Qu was about to close the door, Xia the cat darted out, sticking close to his brother’s leg. “Meow.”
The large yellow dog glanced curiously at Xia the cat.
Xia Huo Qu looked down at his restless cat brother and then at the dog beside him, deciding not to send Xia the cat back into the truck.
Xia the cat happily began running around them, his long fur billowing in the wind. Luckily, he had grown much larger in his beast form; otherwise, he would have been buried under the snow.
The large yellow dog watched Xia the cat and barked a few authoritative commands to the dog pack.
The dogs, just as curious about Xia the cat, didn’t dare chase him.
Even though Xia the cat had jumped out of the truck, he remained on guard, ready to run at any moment. Only after seeing the dogs’ reactions did he relax, lowering his arched back and no longer feeling so tense.
By the time Xia Huo Qu and the others approached the riverbank, the dogs were already eagerly dragging the fishing nets over.
Some of the dogs sniffed around on the ice, stopping at certain spots and barking excitedly, wagging their tails furiously to signal Xia Huo Qu and the others.
Xia Huo Qu quickly understood—they had likely found spots where fish were underneath the ice.
These dogs could smell the fish beneath the ice!
