After finishing their tofu pudding, while Huai Zi paid, Juhua and the other girls went over to Huzi's stall to look at his fish.
A large wooden basin, half-filled with clear water, held all sorts of local fish: long, thin loaches; black and yellow sand gourds; flat, smooth-skinned fish; and silvery baitfish, along with some crucian carp. They were all leaping about energetically as the young Huzi bent over, scooping the crucian carp out and placing them into a separate basin.
Seeing such lively fish was enough to make one think of the cool, clear waters of the Little Qing River and the black-canopied boats drifting lazily upon it!
Seeing the girls staring at his basin, Huzi smiled a little shyly and asked, "What kind of fish are you looking for? These little ones were just caught, so they're very fresh. I've already taken out the dead ones and set them aside. The crucian carp are big, too. See? They're all a few taels each!"
