Chapter 19: Deliciousness

Lu Qing blinked, searching through his memories for a while.

Only then did he gradually recall the memories regarding this large market.

To put it simply, this large market was actually a trading fair spontaneously formed by several nearby large villages.

After all, the towns were far away, and one had to pay entry fees to go in and out; many villagers and mountain dwellers were unwilling to spend that money unless it was absolutely necessary.

Therefore, no one knew when it started or who organized it.

Regardless, over time, a large market had gradually formed nearby. Every five days, the villagers from the surrounding villages would head to the market to buy and sell goods.

The original owner of this body had gone to a market once with his parents when he was a child, but ever since Xiao Yan was born, he had taken on the responsibility of looking after his younger sister and had never gone to the market again.

His memories of the market had gradually faded.

It wasn't until Wang Da'an mentioned it just now that Lu Qing regained some impressions.

Wang Da'an said, "People from various villages go to the market, and even the mountain dwellers from deep within the mountains come out occasionally to buy things. The fish you caught are so large; if you take them to the market to sell, as long as they aren't too expensive, someone will definitely want them."

In Wang Da'an's view, Lu Qing had more fish than he could ever eat, and keeping them was a waste.

It would be better to sell them cheaply at the market; at least he could exchange them for some money.

Lu Qing thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "I'll see. If I can catch big fish again next time, I'll take them to the market to see if I can sell them."

"They'll definitely sell," Wang Da'an said happily. "Although I've seen people selling fish at the market, their fish are nowhere near as large as the one you caught today."

Lu Qing smiled slightly. "Big fish like this aren't something you can catch every time."

"Regardless of whether you can catch them, Lu Qing, if you want to go to the market, remember to come to my house and let me know. There are certain rules to follow when attending the market," Wang Da'an cautioned.

"Alright, if I want to go to the market, I'll definitely tell you, Brother Da'an."

"Just remember that. Well, I'll be going now."

After Wang Da'an left, Lu Qing fell into deep thought.

He had overlooked the information about the large market.

Perhaps, if he wanted to learn more about the town, he could start from there.

"Brother, when can we eat the fishy-fish? Xiao Yan is hungry."

Just as Lu Qing was contemplating how to gather information from the market, Xiao Yan called out from beside him.

"Oh, it'll be ready soon. Once I've finished portioning the fish, I'll cook it for you."

Lu Qing snapped out of his thoughts and immediately resumed his busy work with agility.

First, he chopped the remaining fish meat into several pieces, intending to bring them to Grandpa Zhang later.

During the time he was unconscious, it was Grandpa Zhang who had been looking after Xiao Yan; he couldn't forget this kindness.

After portioning the fish, Lu Qing picked out the best piece of meat.

He meticulously removed all the bones and sliced the meat into thin fillets.

Then, he heated water in a pot and began to cook porridge.

As for the rest of the fish meat, he threaded it directly onto bamboo strips and hung it on a bamboo pole under the eaves to dry, intending to make dried fish.

Looking at the long string of fish meat on the bamboo pole, Lu Qing secretly made up his mind to get an iron pot as soon as possible.

Right, and seasonings!

Otherwise, he would have all this culinary skill but no way to exercise it.

It truly pained him to see such good ingredients going to waste.

By the time Lu Qing finished these tasks, the porridge in the clay pot had already come to a boil.

Lu Qing first added some salt, stirred it a few times, and once he was sure the salt had dissolved, he carefully placed the fish slices into the porridge. Once he saw them turn white, he immediately turned off the heat.

Finally, he added a small spoonful of lard to the porridge, and the task was complete.

Lu Qing first scooped a bowl of fish porridge for Xiao Yan. He helped her blow on it with a fan, and once it felt a bit cooler, he placed it in front of her.

"Xiao Yan, wait a little longer, it's still very hot."

"Mhm, Xiao Yan knows!"

Although the little one was so hungry she was practically drooling, she still responded obediently.

However, her eyes remained fixed on the fish porridge.

Seeing this, Lu Qing smiled and scooped a bowl of porridge for himself.

Relying on his thick skin and sturdy constitution, he used a wooden spoon to scoop up a mouthful of porridge with fish slices, blew on it a few times, and put it in his mouth.

As the fish slice entered his mouth, a surge of umami immediately hit the tip of his tongue, and a look of pleasant surprise appeared on his face.

The fish meat was tender, smooth, and fragrant, carrying a faint aroma of fat; it was unexpectedly delicious.

As expected, high-end ingredients often only require the simplest cooking methods.

He had only added a bit of salt and oil to this fish porridge, without even any chopped green onions, yet it was this delicious.

Truly worthy of being a high-level fish that could emit a rich white light!

One mouthful of the porridge gave Lu Qing a sense of profound satisfaction.

"Brother, can Xiao Yan eat now?"

Seeing her brother eating so heartily, Xiao Yan couldn't help but look at him expectantly.

Lu Qing reached out to touch her bowl; feeling that it wasn't very hot, he nodded.

"You can eat now, but you still have to be careful not to burn your tongue."

"Mhm, Xiao Yan will be careful!"

The little one immediately became happy upon hearing she could eat.

She scooped up a spoonful of porridge and, imitating Lu Qing's earlier actions, carefully blew on it a few times. Once she felt it wasn't hot, she put the porridge into her mouth.

Then, after finishing one spoonful, her eyes suddenly widened.

"Brother, Brother! This porridge cooked with the big fishy-fish is so delicious! It's even better than that... that shrimp porridge from this morning!"

The little one gestured wildly with her hands, incredibly happy.

"Of course. Didn't you see how hard your brother worked to catch this big fishy-fish? Naturally, it's delicious," Lu Qing said with a proud expression.

"Brother is the best!"

The little one gave him plenty of face, not hesitating to offer her praise.

"Since it's delicious, eat more. Grandpa Chen said that if you want your hair to be beautiful, you have to eat more food."

"Mhm, mhm! Xiao Yan will try her best to eat. Xiao Yan wants to grow beautiful hair!"

The little one nodded vigorously, looking very serious.

Seeing this, Lu Qing felt a slight ache in his heart.

When the little one went out to play the day before yesterday, some village brats told her that her hair didn't look pretty.

When she came back, she had asked him somewhat aggrievedly how she could grow beautiful hair.

Lu Qing knew, of course, that the main reason Xiao Yan's hair was like this was due to malnutrition.

He had told the little one that if she behaved and ate well from now on to nourish her body, her hair would soon become beautiful.

Therefore, every time Xiao Yan ate now, she was very serious and unwilling to waste a single bit.

Though, they had never truly had the luxury of being able to waste anything.

After the siblings finished their delicious meal of fish porridge, they both slumped comfortably into their chairs.

Even Lu Qing had not expected the meat of this Green-Armored Fish to be so tender and fresh; it was truly an unexpected joy.

He couldn't help but think: if even the Green-Armored Fish tasted this good, what kind of flavor would the Red Moon Carp, which the superpower called the "Ultimate Freshness," possess?

Unfortunately, the Red Moon Carp was a gift he had prepared for Old Doctor Chen and could not be eaten.

After resting for a while, Lu Qing stood up and went to the kitchen.

He still had one more thing to do.

He still needed to process the fish stone of the Green-Armored Fish.

(End of Chapter)