The Koi Carp Banquet

Old Li was responsible for cleaning the ornamental pond at Guanyin Bridge. These past few days, he was swamped. The koi carp in the pond, originally symbols of good fortune, had somehow collectively turned belly-up. Over thirty woven bags were filled with their cold corpses, piled up in a corner by the bridge like swollen gray tumors.

Old Li was an honest man who had been in this line of work for almost twenty years, and had seen his fair share of "accidents." He habitually sighed, feeling that these fish had truly had bad luck. Guanyin Bridge was known as a feng shui hotspot, but these koi carp didn't seem to appreciate it; even in death, they caused a commotion here.

He loaded the woven bags onto the cleaning truck, preparing to haul them to the outskirts to be buried. The sky was overcast, and the wind rustled the tree branches, sounding like ghosts whispering. Old Li suddenly remembered his own goldfish at home, which he'd had for ten years. It was usually sluggish, but at least it was still alive.

The truck drove out of Guanyin Bridge, passing a high-end seafood restaurant. The neon lights at the entrance of the restaurant flickered, and the sign read "Fresh Seafood, Special Today". Old Li glanced over; the fish tanks in the restaurant were full of colorful fish swimming happily. Suddenly, a bizarre thought flashed in his mind: couldn't these dead fish be "recycled"?

He parked the truck behind the restaurant and expertly opened the woven bags, a fishy stench wafting out. A waiter from the restaurant curiously peeked out; Old Li smiled and said, "Boss, these fish were all caught this morning, super fresh."

The waiter sized up the fish, frowning. Old Li quickly added, "These are 'koi carp,' you know? Eating them brings good luck!"

The restaurant owner, a shrewd middle-aged man, circled the woven bags, a greedy smile spreading across his face. "Luck?" he said, stroking his chin. "How much?"

Old Li's palms were sweating as he quoted a price. He felt like a thief, and also like an observer in this absurd story. Finally, they struck a deal for a "reasonable" price. Old Li watched as the koi carp, which should have been buried in the ground, were carried into the restaurant's kitchen, a mix of emotions swirling inside him.

That evening, the restaurant's "specialty dish" – "Golden Jade Koi Carp Sashimi" – became a hit. Diners eagerly took photos and posted them on WeChat, with captions like: Eating this will bring good luck! No one would have guessed that these "lucky" koi carp were originally the abandoned corpses from Guanyin Bridge.

Old Li turned off his phone, lit a cigarette, and looked out at the city lights, taking a deep drag. He saw a news report that said, "The Guanyin Bridge scenic area pond will introduce a new filtration system" to completely solve the problem of fish deaths. Old Li smiled; this world was truly fucking magical.