Chapter 1335: Chapter 1336: The Young Widow of the Courtyard 63 Today, she was in a great mood. Taking advantage of a less busy day, she made an early lunch, quickly finished eating, and headed to the riverside to fish. Originally, she wanted to go to her usual spot, but after some thought, decided to fish elsewhere. The original spot was quite famous, with too many people fishing there. Following the river downstream, she casually picked a spot, sat down, and began fishing. Old White casually found a familiar figure along the way and laughed, “You changed your spot today?” “Elder Bai.” Zhang Yu was also quite surprised, not expecting to meet him here today. “Do you have extra bait today?” Elder Bai hadn’t been out fishing lately, not knowing that the fishing spot had become crowded with people. “I do.” Zhang Yu looked and kept enough bait for herself, giving the rest to Elder Bai. Elder Bai pulled out a few tickets from his pocket, “All Cotton Tickets.” Elder Bai recalled Zhang Yu mentioning before, hoping to get some cotton before winter to make cotton-padded clothes for the children. Cotton Tickets? Zhang Yu was pleasantly surprised. Since moving, she had taken inventory of her supplies and noted what the household lacked. Cotton was something she definitely needed to prepare, otherwise, traveling in winter would be difficult. She was thankful she listened to advice and installed a heated bed during renovations, otherwise, getting through winter would be problematic. She previously worried about how to resolve the firewood issue. Depending solely on coal briquettes wasn’t realistic, but luckily, firewood could be bought at a reasonable price. Zhang Yu knew some people collected firewood from surrounding mountains to save money, but she preferred to buy it directly. Now with Cotton Tickets, her travel needs were at least assured, giving Zhang Yu a sigh of relief. Old White recalled a rumor, “Sorry, I didn’t expect…” At the time, Old White’s tickets, like bicycle ones, were slightly more valuable and he gave them to Zhang Yu without much thought. He didn’t expect things to turn out this way, causing a lot of trouble for Zhang Yu. “Elder, I actually should thank you, really, otherwise I would never have gotten those bicycle tickets.” Though it caused a bit of trouble, it also solved many problems. “I’m currently raising two kids alone with not much income. I started fishing to improve our meals, then found it rewarding and thought I could further improve things by bartering fish.” “Neighbors think my fish are basically free, so I should share with them. If the fish spoil, it’s a waste, which would be a shame.” “After swapping a bicycle ticket that time, they all kept quiet.” Zhang Yu thought this was pretty good. Even if it caused some trouble, at least anyone looking to take advantage had to think twice now. No matter if Zhang Yu’s words were sincere or meant to comfort him, Elder Bai seemed to have taken them to heart. With a large half-bucket of fish and a few Cotton Tickets in her pocket, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but feel delighted. Once home, she quickly started processing the fish to make fish floss. Zhao Hong, knowing they were making fish floss today, was so excited she didn’t want to go out to play. Instead, she nestled beside Zhang Yu, watching her make it. When Zhao Lei got home from school and didn’t see Zhao Hong, he wondered where she was, only to find her with Zhang Yu in the small room. Upon entering, he saw a lunchbox half-filled with something that resembled pork floss. “Fish floss?” Zhao Lei knew Zhang Yu had eaten lunch early to go fishing today. Recently, everyone was inspired by the news that Zhang Yu caught a big black fish and hoped for similar opportunities. Such luck isn’t something everyone encounters. So far, Zhao Lei hadn’t heard anyone mention it, but there were still many people fishing, meaning fewer fish for everyone. “I fished in a different spot today.” Zhang Yu was quite annoyed by those folks, “I just don’t understand their persistence, despite no gain.” Zhang Yu really thought those people lacked practical sense. Although earning opportunities were limited, one could still find many ways to improve meals by observing their surroundings. “The day after tomorrow, I’m going to Houhai.” Today, Zhang Yu listened to Elder Bai, who mentioned that place had more fish. Hearing about the plentiful fish there, Zhang Yu immediately took note. Although it was a bit farther from the recycling station, it wasn’t that much further. “I’ll play guerrilla fishing from now on.” Fishing in one place made trading convenient, as both parties could consider each other acquaintances. Changing locations made trading a bit trickier. But this way, no one would know her catch, and realizing this, Zhang Yu was delighted. “Brother, have some.” Zhao Hong gave him a pinch of fish floss. After thanking his sister, Zhang Lei savored the fish floss, “Delicious.” “This stuff is good with either porridge or buns.” Zhang Yu nodded, “Yes, it’s definitely tasty.” “This fish floss took over ten pounds of fish.” Zhang Yu realized turning fish into floss shrank it significantly, not expecting it to shrink this much. Over ten pounds of fish for this little floss? “These are about over a pound?” Zhao Lei roughly estimated. “Yes, no wonder pork floss is expensive since the raw materials cost, plus the labor.” Zhang Yu had been stuck in the small room, and it was hot. More importantly, it took a lot of time. “I’m so tired, I helped mom make it,” Zhao Hong raised her small hand. “Right, today sister did very well.” Zhang Yu patted Zhao Hong’s head, thinking her child was quite good. “Next time, wait till after I’m home from school.” Zhao Lei noticed Zhang Yu’s arms seemed to have put on a bit of weight. “Yes, wait for you to do it.” Zhang Yu initially thought she’d give it a try herself but found it extremely exhausting. Now, Zhang Yu wouldn’t dare overextend herself, “Summer vacation is coming soon. Any plans?” Plans for the summer? Zhao Lei didn’t understand why Zhang Yu asked, “It’ll be the same as always.” The rightful source is Nove1Fire.net “Mom, during summer vacation, I want to go fishing.” Although unsure of the catch, it was better than lazing around at home. Guerrilla fishing, eh? Elder Bai estimated that the chances of bumping into Zhang Yu in the future weren’t high, given there were many fishing spots nearby, and who knew where Zhang Yu would go fishing. Zhang Yu looked at the time, knowing it was almost time, and gave Elder Bai the biggest fish caught today because he gave her a good suggestion. Elder Bai provided an address, “If you have a good catch next time, bring it to my house.” Zhang Yu responded and Elder Bai added, “It doesn’t always have to be a big catch.” “I know a lot of people.” Zhang Yu understood, “Sure, I’ll come by then.” Having a somewhat steady sales channel was also a good thing for Zhang Yu.