Chapter 18: Spectators
Chapter 18: Spectators
The villagers never caught up to Lu Qing and his group.
With Wang Da'an's help, they didn't travel too slowly, and the river wasn't far from the village anyway.
By the time they were still packing up by the river, Lu Qing and the others had already returned to the village.
And when they did, they caused quite a stir.
There was no helping it—the huge fish Wang Da'an was carrying on his back was just too eye-catching.
And this guy loved to show off. As soon as he entered the village, he'd spot someone and make a beeline for them, fish in tow.
Of course, the others weren't blind; how could they not see the massive fish on his back?
And so, upon seeing such a large fish, how could they not cry out in surprise?
"Brother Da'an caught a big one! Look at the size of that fish!"
This shout naturally drew the rest of the villagers out to see what the fuss was about.
And when they saw the fish, they were indeed astonished by its size.
Things quickly livened up.
"Well done, Da'an! How did you manage to catch such a big one?"
"That's a monster! Must be over 20 pounds! Good job, Da'an!"
"Brother Da'an is amazing! To catch such a huge fish!"
...
A crowd gathered around Da'an, reaching out to touch the fish as they marveled.
The children were especially excited, jumping and shouting with glee.
Lu Qing watched with amusement as Wang Da'an proudly displayed the green-armor fish to the villagers.
This scene reminded him of his fishing buddies from his past life, who would also flaunt their rare catches with equal exuberance.
It was as if they owed it to themselves to boast after enduring the long, arduous wait by the river.
Only after Wang Da'an had shown off sufficiently did Lu Qing call out with a hint of exasperation, "Alright, Brother Da'an, let's head back now."
Having satisfied his craving for attention, Wang Da'an finally extricated himself from the crowd and joined Lu Qing.
"Forgot to mention, I didn't catch this big one; Lu Qing did!"
"Lu Qing caught it?"
All eyes turned to Lu Qing.
Xiaoyan proudly tilted her head back. "That's right! My brother worked really hard to catch this beauty, and we've got an even prettier one in the bucket!"
"Lu Qing caught it for real?!"
"There's another one in the bucket?!"
At this revelation, the villagers rushed forward, eager to see what was in the bucket Lu Qing was carrying.
And when they saw the red moon carp, they were left utterly speechless.
It wasn't just any fish; its appearance was breathtaking.
The dazzling fire-red color was like a burning flame in the water, clearly indicating that this was no ordinary fish.
"What kind of fish is that? It's so beautiful!"
"I've never seen a fire-red fish before."
"Such a stunning fish, Lu Qing, where did you catch it?"
"Lu Qing, do you know what kind of fish this is?"
The villagers asked in awe.
"I don't know either," Lu Qing shook his head. "I plan to take it to Grandpa Chen tomorrow and see if he recognizes it."
"Yes, Grandpa Chen is well-traveled and knowledgeable; he'll surely know."
If there was one person in the village who commanded the utmost respect, it was Grandpa Chen, the village doctor.
Not only had he treated most of the villagers at one time or another, but he was also known for his vast knowledge and frequent trips to the city, setting him apart from the rest of the rural folk.
The villagers gathered around, discussing and admiring the two large fish for quite some time before finally dispersing, content and satisfied.
Lu Qing invited everyone to his home to help clean and cook the fish, but the villagers, well aware of his family's situation, politely declined.
Chapter 18: Spectators, Part 2
"Even if a few people wanted a taste of the big fish, before they could speak up, they were pulled away by others.
They really have no sense. Trying to take advantage of two orphans who have nothing—aren't they afraid of being called out for it?!"
It wasn't until everyone had dispersed that Lu Qing picked up the bucket and headed back to his courtyard with Xiaoyan and Wang Da'an.
"Lu Qing, I'm heading back now," Wang Da'an said as he set the fish down in the courtyard.
Lu Qing quickly called out to him, "Don't go yet, Brother Da'an. I invited you to share the fish."
"You actually took me seriously? With your family's situation, if I really stayed for dinner, my dad would chase me out with a stick when I got home!"
"Then you can't let me go back on my word."
"Anyway, I really can't stay for dinner."
"...'
The two argued, but neither could convince the other.
"Brother Da'an, you know that with such a big fish, my sister and I can't finish it all at once," Lu Qing said earnestly. "Now that the weather is warmer, the fish meat won't keep for long. Take a couple of pieces back with you to help lighten my burden."
"Then... alright." Seeing Lu Qing's insistence, Wang Da'an hesitated for a moment before finally agreeing.
Seeing that he had conceded, Lu Qing immediately went into the kitchen to get a knife to clean the fish.
Indeed, the green-armor fish lived up to its name, with scales that were exceptionally tough.
Lu Qing exerted a lot of strength, and with Wang Da'an's help, he managed to scrape off the scales with difficulty before gutting the fish.
After opening up the fish, he intended to discard all the internal organs except for the fish air bladder.
Although the entrails of a large fish like the green-armor fish could be quite a delicacy if prepared well,
Lu Qing had particularly enjoyed eating fish entrails in his past life.
However, given his family's current circumstances, they lacked even basic seasonings, let alone the means to cook such strong-flavored ingredients properly. Reluctantly, Lu Qing had to let them go.
As soon as he removed the entrails, Lu Qing immediately cut out two large chunks of fish meat, wrapped them in banana leaves, and handed them to Wang Da'an.
"This is too much!" Wang Da'an exclaimed, surprised by the generous portions.
These two pieces of fish meat probably weighed several pounds altogether.
"It's not that much, Brother Da'an," Lu Qing assured him. "Look, there's still a lot of fish meat left on the chopping board. Xiaoyan and I can't possibly finish all of it."
Lu Qing insisted on pushing the fish meat into Wang Da'an's hands.
Seeing the large amount of fish meat remaining on the chopping board, Wang Da'an stopped refusing.
"Lu Qing, I think your family is the only one in the whole village that has the problem of having too much fish to eat," Wang Da'an said with a laugh after witnessing Lu Qing's impressive haul.
He realized that Lu Qing's family probably wouldn't have to worry about a shortage of fish from now on.
"Fish can't be eaten as a meal," Lu Qing said helplessly. "People still need to eat rice, but unfortunately, our fields are lying fallow, and it's not the season for planting crops yet."
"That's a problem," Wang Da'an nodded.
He understood that due to the recent tragedy in Lu Qing's family, they had missed the window for planting crops.
It would be several months before the next planting season.
He thought for a moment, and then his eyes lit up.
"Lu Qing, you're so good at fishing. In the future, you can sell the fish you catch at the market outside the village and use the money to buy grain!" Wang Da'an suggested.
"Sell fish?" Lu Qing frowned, confused. "But I thought you needed to pay an entrance fee to go into the city, and I don't have any money right now."
"I'm not talking about the city. I meant the large market not far from our village!"
"The market?" Lu Qing blinked.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
