Chapter 32: Cooking and Plans

The Lu family, in the kitchen.

Lu Qing was tending the fire, a brand-new iron wok resting upon the stove.

Originally, Lu Qing had intended to carry the wok home more discreetly once darkness fell.

But upon reflection, they all lived in the same village; how much more discreet could he possibly be?

Even if he had sneaked the wok home, he wouldn't have been able to hide it once he started cooking. After all, the aroma of stir-frying was vastly different from the scent of steaming or boiling, and he couldn't exactly block off the kitchen to keep the smell from escaping.

So, he simply decided to carry it home openly.

Naturally, this caused another small sensation in the village.

This was an iron wok, after all—to the villagers, it was nothing short of a luxury item. Even now, some families in the village could not afford one.

For Lu Qing to carry back such a large iron wok, how could it not draw everyone's attention?

In response, Lu Qing simply claimed that the old physician, Master Chen, had given it to him, which left the villagers a whirlwind of envy and jealousy. At the same time, they were astonished by the old physician's generosity.

An iron wok was worth several taels of silver; for the old physician to give it away so readily showed just how well he truly treated Lu Qing.

However, this also convinced everyone that the old physician truly regarded Lu Qing as his disciple, and a highly valued one at that. Otherwise, why would he gift such a large iron wok? One usually only heard of disciples showing filial piety to their masters; it was unheard of for a master to give such a precious item to a disciple. Unless, of course, the master truly doted on them.

When they later saw that the wok had already been seasoned and ready for use, everyone became even more certain of their guess.

Recalling the crowd of onlookers, Lu Qing felt a sense of relief in his heart. Fortunately, he had been foresightful enough to leave his silver with Master Chen for the time being, bringing only two pieces of broken silver with him. Otherwise, a large bag of silver would surely have caught everyone's eye. If some meddlesome person had grown curious and opened the cloth bag while he wasn't looking, it would have been trouble.

The fire caught, and soon, smoke began to rise from the wok.

Lu Qing took the lard jar and scooped a large spoonful of lard into the pot. Watching the lard melt in the wok, a sense of gratification welled up in his heart. Now that he had money, he no longer had to be stingy with the oil. Previously, every time he cooked, he had to figure out how to make food that wasn't terrible using the absolute minimum amount of oil; it had been truly difficult for him.

In high spirits, Lu Qing quickly prepared two dishes and a soup: pan-fried fish, fish soup, and a side of stir-fried greens.

Though limited by his seasonings, the three dishes still appeared simple. But when Lu Qing took his first bite of the stir-fry, he was moved to the verge of tears. It hadn't been easy; this flavor was the taste he had dreamed of for a long time.

"Brother, the food made in the big iron wok is so delicious!"

On the other side, Xiao Yan was also eating happily. Even though she usually didn't care much for vegetables, she now found them exceptionally tasty.

"Of course. This big iron wok is a powerful tool for cooking. Why else would I have been thinking about having one all this time?"

"The big iron wok is wonderful~"

The siblings enjoyed their meal with great relish. Every bit of food was devoured, leaving not even a drop of sauce behind. After eating her fill, Xiao Yan rubbed her slightly bulging belly with a look of pure satisfaction.

"Brother, shall we use the big iron wok for all our cooking from now on?"

"Alright," Lu Qing nodded without hesitation.

Wasn't that exactly why he had insisted on buying the iron wok?

However, they wouldn't need to eat stir-fried food every single meal; no matter how delicious something is, one eventually gets tired of it. Trying other cooking styles occasionally would be good as well.

After finishing the meal, Lu Qing read for a while. He only put his book away once the sky had grown somewhat dark. He carried his old reclining chair out into the courtyard, sat back, and watched the sunset on the distant horizon. He appeared to be daydreaming, but in reality, he was thinking.

He was pondering what Da'an had said earlier regarding the market fair.

After his indulgence tonight, the family's oil supply was truly running low and had to be replenished. There were also some items he felt it was awkward to ask the old physician to buy, which he wanted to procure himself. Additionally, it was time to return the things he had borrowed from the villagers. Therefore, going to the market was a necessity.

"I'll go tomorrow then. Da'an said there are certain rules to follow at the market; I can ask him for guidance tomorrow," Lu Qing decided quickly.

"Brother, will the little beast come to our house tonight?" Xiao Yan suddenly asked.

"It should," Lu Qing said, though he wasn't certain.

"Then Xiao Yan is going to wait for it tonight." The little girl was extremely curious about the little beast her brother had mentioned; she desperately wanted to know what it looked like.

"That's fine, but if it hasn't come by a late hour, you must go to sleep obediently," Lu Qing instructed.

"Okay~" Xiao Yan immediately decided that she would stay alert tonight and wait for the little beast to arrive.

Unfortunately, a child's willpower is somewhat lacking. Xiao Yan, who was accustomed to an early bedtime, felt her eyelids growing heavy as soon as the hour arrived. Combined with the presence of the Green-Armored Fish Stone, the little girl managed to persist for a short while before eventually falling asleep.

Not long after Xiao Yan fell asleep, Lu Qing heard the familiar sound of scratching at the door. He was momentarily stunned. Could this little thing really be waiting specifically until Xiao Yan was asleep to appear?

Carrying the prepared fish, Lu Qing opened the door. Sure enough, he saw the silhouette of the small black beast.

This time, the little creature still retreated to the middle of the courtyard, but its demeanor was noticeably more relaxed. It no longer held that same wary posture. Lu Qing couldn't tell if it was his imagination, but he seemed to see a hint of anticipation in the creature's eyes when it saw him come out.

*Has this fellow actually become a spirit?* Lu Qing wondered to himself. He placed the fish on the ground and stepped back.

As soon as he retreated to the doorway, the black beast immediately rushed forward, snatched a fish in its mouth, and ran off.

*Fine. Its vigilance has decreased a little, but only a little,* Lu Qing thought. Watching the black beast enter its "eat one, run one trip" mode—running back and forth just like last night—Lu Qing couldn't help but chuckle. He didn't bother with the creature further; he closed the door, yawned, and headed toward his room. He had plenty to do tomorrow and no time to play with this little thing.

The night passed quietly.

When Lu Qing woke up the next morning, he saw that the wooden basin was empty once again. He had no idea how that little thing digested everything; it didn't look large, yet its appetite was staggering. It had easily finished two or three pounds of fish—an appetite larger than that of an adult.

"Brother, did the little beast come last night?" Xiao Yan was also awake and immediately ran out of her room to ask.

"It came. Look, the fish in the basin are all gone," Lu Qing pointed to the wooden basin.

"Oh! Brother, why didn't you wake Xiao Yan up!" The little girl was very vexed.

"I told you, if you fall asleep, I won't wake you."

"Brother, Xiao Yan has decided. Tonight, I won't sleep. I will definitely wait for the little beast!" the little girl said with a serious face.

"Alright, good luck," Lu Qing replied, unconcerned.

He was now certain that the Green-Armored Fish Stone was indeed magical. With it around, even if Xiao Yan wanted to stay up late, she wouldn't be able to. As soon as the hour arrived, she would inevitably feel sleepy and go to bed obediently. It certainly saved him a lot of trouble.

"Xiao Yan, why don't you go play at Grandpa Zhang's house today? Brother has to go out for a bit."

"Where is Brother going?"

"You'll know when I get back."

After asking the neighbor, Uncle Zhang, to help look after Xiao Yan, Lu Qing tucked a piece of broken silver into his clothes and headed toward Wang Da'an's house.

(End of Chapter)