Chapter 9: Weaving the Crab Trap

The bravery shown by his mother left Lin Yu deeply shocked.

When he smashed the bowl and held it to his second aunt’s neck, he had only meant to scare her. He could tell, however, that his mother was truly prepared to risk everything.

In all the years he had grown up, this was the first time he had seen his mother like this. Although she was a strong-willed woman, she was also a reasonable one; for the sake of him and his younger sister, she had chosen to endure many things. Now, she had finally stood her ground.

"Mom, that’s exactly how you should be. With scoundrels like them, reasoning is useless. This time, they definitely won't dare to cause any more trouble and will obediently return the land," Lin Yu said as he cleaned up the broken shards.

Wang Yufen recovered her composure, though she looked at Lin Yu with great irritation. "You child, since when did you get such a temper? You scared me to death. If you act so impulsively again, don't blame me for spanking you."

Lin Yu laughed. "I was just bluffing; I didn't actually intend to cut their necks."

"But Mom, you were the one who was serious this time. You scared the second aunt so much she kept shrinking her neck."

"I had no choice. Having reached this point, if I, as a mother, didn't show some backbone, wouldn't we just be bullied to death by them?" Wang Yufen sighed, then turned her gaze to Lin Yao and pulled her into a tight embrace, fearing the child might still be frightened. "Yao-yao, were you scared?"

"No. They hit Mom, they are bad people. Mom did the right thing. Yao-yao isn't scared," Lin Yao said in her sweet, childish voice, nestled in Wang Yufen's arms. Though young, the little girl was remarkably sensible.

People often say that children of the poor become adults early; that was likely what this meant.

"Dachun, you’re the one who brought the village chief, right? Thank you this time. Otherwise, I don't know what kind of chaos would have ensued," his mother said with a smile while coaxing Lin Yao.

Wang Dachun scratched his head bashfully. "Mistress, what are you saying? Isn't this just what I should do?"

"Oh, right. When Lin Yu went to borrow the cart this morning, I told him to bring back this bag of corn grits. He didn't take them, so since I was coming back early today, I brought them over myself. Mistress, try to eat less of these in the future; they aren't very filling. These grits will last you a while, but when you're running low, just tell me. Don't be shy. Since Master is gone, it is my duty as his apprentice to look after your family."

Wang Yufen felt a warmth spread through her heart.

Wang Dachun had lost his parents at a young age and was raised by his grandmother. Seeing how pitiful he was, Lin Yu’s father took him as an apprentice, bringing him out to fish on the boat and teaching him all his fishing skills.

This made Wang Yufen feel that the decision to take him on as an apprentice had been well worth it.

"Dachun, you should take this rice back. Little Yu just went to town this morning to buy rice and white flour. Your own family is living hand-to-mouth as well; you don't need to keep thinking about us." Having said this, Wang Yufen urged Lin Yu to bring out the steamed buns. "Quick, get the buns and bring two more bowls so your Brother Dachun can have two as well."

Lin Yu brought the buns back out. After all the commotion, they had lost their warmth, but they still smelled delicious.

Wang Dachun was stunned.

He had assumed that Lin Yu was just too embarrassed to take his corn grits and had lied to him, but he hadn't expected them to have actually bought white flour. He couldn't help but swallow his saliva; those white flour buns were incredibly tempting.

"Brother Dachun, don't be a stranger. Once you're here, consider it your own home," Lin Yu said, picking up a bun and handing it to him.

Back when Wang Dachun used to go out to sea with his father, he often ate at their house. Wang Dachun laughed sheepishly. "Mistress, then I won't stand on ceremony. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a steamed bun."

"You silly boy, why would you stand on ceremony? Hurry, sit on the kang and eat. Lin Yu, go get another bowl of soup for your brother."

Wang Yufen looked at Wang Dachun as if he were half a son. In the past, whenever the family had something good to eat, they never forgot him. Even though things were harder now, she was still willing to spare a few buns.

And so, the family set aside their earlier troubles and enjoyed the buns in a cozy atmosphere.

Three days later.

Lin Yu went to the river where the stinking willow branches were soaking. He carefully selected the thickest-looking one, bending it into a semi-arc with his hands. The weather was still hot and the water temperature was high, so in three days, the branches had achieved the necessary flexibility to be used for weaving crab traps.

After carrying the branches home, Lin Yu began the work of weaving the traps.

Time was money; he had to hurry.

Over the past three days, he had walked back and forth along the coastline several times, identifying the best spots for the traps, waiting only for them to be finished so he could set them.

At this moment, Lin Yu looked like a seasoned old fisherman. He first selected tree bark that was tough and of moderate thickness. These strips, having been soaked in the river, were sturdy and resilient, making them perfect for the frame and ribs of the crab traps.

He skillfully wound a strip of bark around a custom-made wooden spindle several times, fixed the end, and began weaving the base of the trap. His hands moved nimbly, weaving a perfect hexagonal frame, carefully tightening and securing each corner to ensure the structure was sturdy and uniform.

Next, he wove the net-like bottom around the hexagonal frame, circle by circle. Every knot was tied evenly and tightly, as if he were completing a precise ritual. The cord moved like a living thread in his hands; as it crisscrossed, the mesh base gradually took shape, with the density of the holes just right—small enough to prevent the crabs from escaping, yet not so tight as to block the flow of seawater.

Once the base was complete, he began to construct the sides of the trap.

He pulled several strips of bark vertically from the frame to serve as the supporting skeleton for the sides, connecting them tightly to the base with shorter strips. Then, using these ribs as a foundation, he began to weave the side netting. The technique was slightly different from the base, using a diagonal interlacing pattern that gave the sides a unique texture. As he wove, he frequently used a small tool to press the knots down, making the sides even more secure.

As the sides grew taller, Lin Yu began to reserve space for the trap's entrance at the appropriate position. Using a specialized weaving technique, he finished the edges of the entrance so they were smooth and seamless, while cleverly installing a simple mechanism at the opening. This mechanism consisted of a few curved wooden splinters and strings; when a crab crawled into the trap following the scent of the bait, a slight touch of the splinters would trigger the entrance to close automatically, trapping the crab inside.

The top of the trap was also a critical part.

Lin Yu wove a hexagonal lid slightly smaller than the base, with a mesh that was relatively looser to allow for the insertion of bait. On the edges of the lid, he tied several sturdy metal rings, then threaded a thicker strip of bark through them to connect the lid to the main body. This strip acted as a "handle," making it easy for him to lower the trap into the sea or pull it back up.

Just like that, a highly exquisite crab trap was completed.

Finally, Lin Yu carefully inspected the entire trap, reinforcing knots that weren't tight enough and patching any potential gaps. Under the sunlight, the brand-new trap exuded a rustic and practical air, as if it couldn't wait to be cast into the sea to begin its crabbing journey.

"Absolutely perfect!" Looking at his masterpiece, even Lin Yu couldn't help but praise himself.

"The crab trap looks like a big lantern. Brother is amazing!" Little Lin Yao, who had been playing nearby, couldn't help but clap in approval at the sight of her brother's work, which also caught the attention of their mother, Wang Yufen, who turned to look.

She was immediately astonished.

Lin Yu’s weaving was truly excellent, even better than his father’s.

What she found strange, however, was that his father had never taught him these things. Had he learned by watching from the sidelines when his father used to weave them?

"Little Yu, how many do you plan to weave? Have you found the spots to place them?" Wang Yufen asked.

"Five. I’ve already found the spots. Once I finish weaving today, I'll go set them tomorrow. But whether or not we catch any crabs depends on the bait. Mom, where can I get chicken or duck livers, or small dried fish?" Lin Yu asked.

"Oh, chicken and duck livers are hard to come by. Brother Dachun might have some small dried fish; why don't you go ask him?" his mother suggested.

Lin Yu nodded.

The bait for the traps was the most important thing. No matter how well the trap was woven, it was useless if the crabs didn't enter. To lure them in, the secret lay in the bait.

Usually, fishermen used fish entrails because they were easy to obtain and could be found anywhere in the fishing village. However, fish entrails didn't actually hold that much attraction for crabs.

After all, crabs in the sea often encountered those anyway.

According to what Lin Yu knew, the best bait was animal organs, such as chicken or duck liver. Animal organs naturally carried a pungent, fishy scent that was highly attractive to crabs.

But in the village, getting chicken or duck livers was incredibly difficult.

The chickens kept in the village were for laying eggs, and on the rare occasion someone slaughtered a chicken, they wouldn't dream of throwing away the liver—they would eat it themselves. With a sigh, Lin Yu decided not to dwell on the bait for now and focused on finishing the traps first.

It took him a full day to finish weaving the five traps, though they varied in size; the size of the trap mattered depending on where it was placed, so Lin Yu had prepared accordingly.

By now, it was already dark, and his mother had begun cooking dinner. Lin Yu glanced at the sky and stepped out of the courtyard.

"Little Yu, it's so late, where are you going? Dinner will be ready soon."

"Mom, I'm going to Brother Dachun's house. You and Yao-yao go ahead and eat when it's ready," Lin Yu replied, heading straight for Wang Dachun’s house.