Chapter 7: Eating One's Fill, Thinking About the Path Ahead

Seeing that the grease had heated up, Lu Qing began to place the small fish onto the stone slab one by one, frying them slowly.

Actually, it would have been better to put a little salt in the oil before frying; that way, the fish wouldn't stick to the bottom as easily.

But Lu Qing had checked earlier, and the salt brought over by that uncle was quite coarse-grained, making it unsuitable for frying the fish directly.

Carefully controlling the heat, Lu Qing slowly fried the fish.

The wafting aroma attracted Xiao Yan, who had already finished her flatbread, to sit over as well, staring intently at the fish on the stone slab.

Seeing her like this, Lu Qing felt a sudden pang of heartache.

He ruffled the little one's hair.

"Xiao Yan, wait a little longer, it will be ready to eat soon."

"Mm!" Xiao Yan nodded obediently. "Brother, the fish smells so good."

"If it smells good, eat a bit more later. Brother caught so many fish today, enough for Xiao Yan to be full."

When the rice in the clay pot was cooked, Lu Qing had also basically finished frying the fish.

He lifted the fish out and placed them in a bowl.

He then boiled a little salt water and drizzled it over them.

Just like that, a simple dish of salt-water fried fish was ready.

Lu Qing served two bowls of rice and placed them on the table.

"Xiao Yan, time to eat."

"I'm here, Brother."

The little one had been waiting at the table for a while.

Lu Qing added a small stool to her chair and helped Xiao Yan up so she wouldn't have trouble reaching her bowl.

Then, he picked out a few small fish with few bones and placed them on her rice.

"Eat up, you little glutton. Remember to spit out the bones; don't get poked."

"I know, Brother."

The little one had been craving it for a long time; she immediately picked up a small fried fish, put it in her mouth, and chewed quickly like a hamster.

It was fortunate that Lu Qing had given her the fish with few bones, otherwise, she would surely have been poked.

After swallowing the first small fish, the little one's eyes widened.

"Brother, this fish is so delicious, even better than what Mother used to make!"

Hearing this, Lu Qing didn't feel happy; instead, he felt a sense of sorrow.

This fish only had a little oil and salt water; to save resources, he hadn't even dared to use much oil while frying.

How good could such fried fish really be?

People only find everything delicious when they are starving.

It was easy to imagine how much hunger Xiao Yan had endured during this time to think that a dish as simple as salt-water fried fish was supreme delicacy.

However, Lu Qing didn't show it, only smiling and saying, "As long as it's good, Xiao Yan should eat more."

"Mm-hmm!"

The little one took a large mouthful of rice, her cheeks bulging so much she couldn't even speak, only nodding.

Lu Qing smiled and picked up a fish to eat as well.

After swallowing a fish, he raised an eyebrow.

The fish wasn't as bad as he had imagined.

Perhaps because the environment in this ancient world hadn't been polluted, the river fish grew very well.

So, even though the seasoning was lacking, the fish meat was fresh and delicious, possessing a unique flavor of its own.

Both siblings had been hungry for a long time, so their eating speed was bound to be fast.

Soon, the rice in the clay pot and the bowl of fried fish were both finished by the two of them.

Of course, most of it ended up in Lu Qing's stomach.

No matter how hungry Xiao Yan was, she was only a six or seven-year-old child with a limited appetite.

Moreover, Lu Qing had deliberately controlled her intake to prevent her from eating too much at once and upsetting her stomach.

"Brother, Xiao Yan is full!"

The little one put down her bowl and rubbed her belly, looking satisfied.

It had been a long time since Xiao Yan had felt this full!

"If you're full, rest for a bit. Don't run around; Brother is going to wash the dishes."

Lu Qing gave a word of caution and began to tidy up the bowls and chopsticks.

"Xiao Yan will help Brother too."

The little one jumped off the stool.

"No need, just sit there and rest," Lu Qing refused.

So Xiao Yan could only sit obediently on the stool, watching Lu Qing work.

Children are prone to sleepiness. By the time Lu Qing had finished cleaning up and came out, the little one's head was already bobbing as she dozed off.

Lu Qing smiled, gently picked up the little one, and walked toward the room.

"Brother, Xiao Yan wants to go fishing with you next time, the fishy-fishy is yummy."

Just as he laid Xiao Yan on the bed, the little one mumbled in her sleep.

"Alright, next time I go fishing, Brother will take you along."

Lu Qing tucked the patched quilt around the little one with pity and said softly.

Seemingly hearing her brother's promise, Xiao Yan didn't speak again and fell into a deep sleep.

Confirming that the little one was asleep, Lu Qing quietly walked out of the room and sat on a simple recliner in the hall, feeling a sense of relief.

He had been quite busy today, and his body, which had just recovered, was still very weak.

Yet he had to endure hunger to do so much work, from fishing to cooking.

It would be a lie to say he wasn't exhausted.

Only now, lying on the recliner, did he feel much more comfortable.

He even felt a wave of sleepiness rising.

But he couldn't sleep yet.

There were still some things he needed to think about.

After the day's activities, his contact with the villagers, and the memories in his mind, Lu Qing had basically deduced what kind of environment he was in.

First, there was no doubt that he was in a world similar to ancient China.

And it was an era with relatively low productivity.

This could be seen from the fact that a single iron pot was considered a rare item.

However, that was as far as it went.

Lu Qing still couldn't be certain about more information.

For example, he didn't know the social structure of this world, the distribution of power, or who the rulers were.

He only knew that this world didn't seem to have political departments like an imperial court or government offices.

At least in the original owner's memories, such concepts didn't exist.

Of course, this wasn't absolute.

After all, the original owner was just an ignorant, ordinary village boy who had never left the village in his life.

He had never even thought about how big the outside world was, so how could he have those concepts?

However, although he wasn't sure about the existence of an imperial court or government offices, it was certain that towns and the like did exist.

When the villagers needed certain daily necessities, they would go to the market in a nearby town to buy them.

Things like salt and iron could generally only be bought in town.

And in these towns, the person with the most power seemed to be called the "City Lord."

Unfortunately, although the original owner was fifteen, he had never been to the city, leaving Lu Qing unable to know what the towns were actually like.

"It seems that if I have the chance, I must go to the town," Lu Qing whispered to himself.

Only by understanding this world well enough could he decide which path to take in the future.

Of course, thinking about these things now was still a bit premature.

The most urgent task was to find a way to support himself and Xiao Yan.

After all, he owed the villagers quite a few favors today, and these would all need to be repaid.

And his greatest reliance at the moment was undoubtedly the ability he possessed.

What could his ability do?

Lu Qing pondered quietly.

Suddenly, a person's name surfaced in his mind.