Chapter 18: Spectating

In the end, the villagers failed to catch up with Lu Qing and his two companions.

With Wang Da'an's help, they weren't walking too slowly, and the village of Heli was not far away. Therefore, by the time the villagers were still packing up their things by the river, Lu Qing and the others had already returned to the village.

When they arrived, the effect they caused was nothing short of a sensation.

There was no helping it; the large fish on Wang Da'an's back was simply too eye-catching. To make matters worse, the fellow loved to show off. As soon as he entered the village, he would thrust the fish toward anyone he saw.

People weren't blind; how could they not see the fish on his back? Consequently, seeing such massive fish, how could they not cry out in surprise?

"Brother Da'an caught a big fish! What a huge fish!"

As soon as that voice rang out, it naturally drew the rest of the crowd out to watch the excitement. When they looked, they saw that it was indeed a massive fish—the kind of size that was almost frightening.

Suddenly, the place became lively.

"Well done, Da'an! You actually caught such a big fish! Quick, tell us how you caught it!"

"Good heavens, this fish must weigh over twenty catties! You've got skills, Da'an!"

"Brother Da'an is so amazing, to be able to catch such a big fish!"

...

A crowd of villagers surrounded Da'an, reaching out to touch the fish while marveling at it. The children were even more excited, jumping and shouting.

Lu Qing watched with amusement as Wang Da'an displayed the armored catfish to everyone. This scene reminded him of the anglers in his previous life; whenever they caught a big fish, they would show off just like this. It was as if they felt they hadn't done justice to the hardship of waiting by the river if they didn't brag loudly.

Once Wang Da'an had finished his boasting, Lu Qing called out somewhat helplessly, "Alright, Brother Da'an, let's head back."

Having had his fill of showing off, Wang Da'an squeezed through the crowd and ran to Lu Qing's side.

"I forgot to tell you guys, I didn't catch this big fish—Lu Qing did!"

"Lu Qing caught it?"

Everyone turned their gaze toward Lu Qing.

Xiao Yan immediately tilted her head back with pride. "That's right! My brother put in a lot of effort to catch this big fish. We have an even more beautiful big fish in our bucket!"

"Lu Qing really caught it?!"

"There's another big fish in the bucket?!"

Hearing this, the crowd rushed forward to peer into the bucket Lu Qing was carrying. Upon looking, everyone was stunned.

There was no other reason; the appearance of the Red Moon Carp was simply too breathtaking. That brilliant fiery red was like a ball of flame burning in the water, making it clear at a glance that this was no ordinary fish.

"What kind of fish is this? It's too beautiful!"

"I've never seen a fiery red fish before."

"Such a beautiful fish—Lu Qing, where did you catch it?"

"Lu Qing, do you know what kind of fish this is?"

The people asked in succession, filled with wonder.

"I don't know what kind of fish it is either," Lu Qing said, shaking his head. "I plan to take it to Grandpa Chen tomorrow to see if he recognizes it."

"Yes, yes, yes! Old Doctor Chen is very knowledgeable; he'll surely recognize this fish."

If one were to ask who was most respected in the village, it was undoubtedly Old Doctor Chen. This was not only because almost everyone had sought medical treatment from him at some point, but also because he was widely recognized as the most knowledgeable person in the village. He frequently traveled to the city, and his experience was far beyond that of these rural folk.

The crowd surrounded them, discussing and critiquing the two large fish for a long time. Only after they had satisfied their curiosity did they finally disperse.

Lu Qing actually invited everyone to his home, saying he would slaughter the fish and treat them to a meal. However, everyone in the village knew his family's situation, so they all declined. Even those few who were tempted to taste the big fish were pulled away by others before they could even speak.

*How tactless! Trying to take advantage of two penniless orphans—aren't they afraid of being gossiped about!*

Once everyone had dispersed, Lu Qing picked up the bucket and returned to his courtyard with Xiao Yan and Wang Da'an.

"Lu Qing, I'm heading back now."

As soon as they reached the courtyard, Wang Da'an set the fish down and prepared to leave.

Lu Qing quickly called out to him, "Don't go, Brother Da'an. I promised to treat you to fish."

"You actually took me seriously? I was joking before. Given your family's situation, if I actually stayed to eat, my old man would chase me home with a stick!"

"But you can't let me break my word."

"In any case, I don't dare stay for a meal."

"..."

The two argued for a bit, but neither could convince the other.

"Brother Da'an, you know that the two of us siblings can't finish such a large fish all at once. The weather is getting warmer now, so the fish meat won't keep for long. Take two pieces back; consider it helping me lighten the load," Lu Qing said sincerely.

"Then... alright." Seeing that Lu Qing had put it that way, Wang Da'an hesitated before finally agreeing.

Seeing that he had relented, Lu Qing immediately went into the kitchen to get a knife to prepare the fish.

It had to be said that the armored catfish lived up to its name; its scales were quite tough. It took a great deal of effort from Lu Qing, and with Wang Da'an helping on the side, they managed to laboriously scrape off the scales and gut the fish.

After opening the fish, Lu Qing planned to throw away everything except the air bladder—the intestines, liver, and other organs were to be discarded. Although the organs of a large fish like the armored catfish could be a delicacy if prepared well, and Lu Qing had quite liked eating fish intestines in his previous life, his family's current situation meant they didn't even have many seasonings. They lacked the conditions to cook such highly "fishy" items, so Lu Qing could only reluctantly give them up.

After removing the organs, Lu Qing's first priority was to chop out two large pieces of fish meat, wrap them in banana leaves, and hand them to Wang Da'an.

"This much?!" Wang Da'an exclaimed in surprise as he looked at the two large pieces of meat. They must have weighed at least several catties.

"It's not much. Brother Da'an, look, there is still so much meat left; Xiao Yan and I can't possibly finish it all." Lu Qing forced the meat into Wang Da'an's hands.

Wang Da'an glanced at the wooden chopping board and saw there was indeed a large amount of meat left, so he stopped declining.

"Lu Qing, I think your family is the only one in the whole village with the 'trouble' of having too much fish to eat," Wang Da'an joked after taking the meat.

Having witnessed Lu Qing's achievements today, Wang Da'an realized that Lu Qing's family likely wouldn't lack fish to eat in the future.

"Fish can't be eaten as a meal replacement," Lu Qing said helplessly. "People still need to eat grain. It's a pity our fields are fallow, and it's not yet the season for planting."

"That is indeed a problem," Wang Da'an nodded. He knew that the recent upheaval in the Lu family had caused Lu Qing to miss the planting season. There were still several months until the next planting period.

He thought for a moment, and suddenly, his eyes lit up.

"Lu Qing, you are so good at fishing! In the future, when you catch fish, you can take them to the market to sell! Once you have money, you can buy grain!"

"Sell fish?" Lu Qing asked, somewhat confused. "But I remember that entering the city requires an entry fee, and I don't have any money right now."

"I'm not talking about the city, but the large market near our village!"

"The large market?" Lu Qing blinked.