Seeing the fat rendered, Lu Qing began to pick up the small fish one by one and slowly fry them.
Actually, it would be better to put a little salt in the oil before frying; that way, the fish wouldn't stick to the bottom easily.
But Lu Qing had just seen that the salt brought by that uncle earlier had coarse grains and was not suitable for direct frying of fish.
Carefully controlling the heat, Lu Qing slowly fried the fish.
The pervasive aroma attracted Xiao Yan, who had already finished her flatbread, to sit down and stare intently at the fish on the stone slab.
When Lu Qing saw her like this, his heart ached.
He ruffled the little one's hair.
"Xiao Yan, wait a little longer, it'll be ready to eat soon."
"Mm!" Xiao Yan nodded obediently, "Brother, the fish smells so good."
"If it smells good, then eat more later. Brother caught so many fish today, enough for Xiao Yan to eat her fill."
When the rice in the clay pot was cooked, Lu Qing had also basically finished frying the fish.
He picked up all the fish and put them in a bowl.
Then he boiled some salted water and poured it over them.
Just like that, a simple dish of salted pan-fried fish was ready.
Lu Qing served two bowls of rice and placed them on the table.
"Xiao Yan, it's time to eat."
"I'm here, Brother."
The little one had already been waiting at the dining table.
Lu Qing added a small stool to the chair and then lifted Xiao Yan onto it, so she wouldn't have trouble reaching her rice bowl.
Then he picked a few small fish with fewer bones onto her rice.
"Eat up, little glutton, remember to spit out the bones, don't get pricked."
"Got it, 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 a good thing Lu Qing picked small fish with fewer bones for her, otherwise, she would have definitely been pricked.
After one small fish went down, the little one's eyes suddenly widened.
"Brother, this fish is so delicious, even better than what Mother used to make!"
Lu Qing heard this and, instead of feeling happy, felt a pang of sadness.
This fish only had a little oil and salted water; he didn't even dare to use much oil when frying to save.
How good could such a fried fish really be, no matter how delicious it was?
Only when people are hungry do they find everything delicious.
It was clear how much hunger Xiao Yan had endured during this period.
Only then would she find a simple, salted pan-fried fish to be a supreme delicacy.
However, Lu Qing didn't show it; he just smiled and said, "It's good if it's delicious, then Xiao Yan eat more."
"Mm-hmm!"
The little one scooped up a big mouthful of rice, her cheeks puffed out, unable to speak, only nodding.
Lu Qing smiled and picked up a fish to eat.
After one fish went down, he raised his eyebrows.
The fish wasn't as bad as he had imagined.
But perhaps it was because the ancient environment hadn't been polluted, which allowed the river fish to grow very well.
So, although this small fried fish lacked seasoning, its meat was fresh and delicious, making it quite unique.
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 a bowl of small fried fish were all eaten 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 still just a six or seven-year-old child with a limited appetite.
Moreover, Lu Qing also intentionally controlled it to prevent her from eating too much at once and getting a stomachache.
"Brother, Xiao Yan is full!"
The little one put down her bowl, rubbed her belly, and looked satisfied.
Xiao Yan hadn't been this full in a long time!
"If you're full, then rest for a bit, don't run around. Brother will go wash the dishes first."
Lu Qing instructed, then began to clear the dishes.
"Xiao Yan will help Brother too."
The little one jumped off the stool.
"No need, just sit here and rest." Lu Qing refused.
So Xiao Yan could only obediently sit on the stool, watching Lu Qing busy himself.
Children are prone to sleepiness; by the time Lu Qing had finished tidying everything and came out, the little one's head was already nodding off.
Lu Qing smiled, gently picked up the little one, and walked towards the room.
"Brother, Xiao Yan wants to go fishing with you next time, the fish is delicious."
Just as he put Xiao Yan down on the bed, the little one mumbled drowsily.
"Okay, next time I go fishing, Brother will take you too."
Lu Qing tenderly covered the little one with the patched quilt and whispered softly.
As if hearing her brother's promise, Xiao Yan stopped speaking and fell into a deep sleep.
After confirming the little one was asleep, Lu Qing quietly left the room and sat on a simple reclining chair in the hall, feeling a sudden sense of comfort.
He had been quite busy today, and his body had just recovered, still very weak.
Yet he had to endure hunger to do so much work, fishing and cooking.
It would be false to say he wasn't tired.
Now, lying on the reclining chair, he felt much more comfortable.
He even felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him.
However, he couldn't sleep yet.
There were still some things he needed to think about.
After more than half a day of activity, contact with the villagers, and the memories in his mind, Lu Qing had basically deduced what kind of environment he was currently in.
First, there was no doubt that he was currently in a world similar to ancient China.
And it was an era with relatively low productivity.
This could be seen from the fact that even an iron pot could be a rarity.
However, that was the extent of it.
Lu Qing couldn't determine 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 seemed to have no political departments like a court or a yamen.
At least in the original owner's memory, such concepts did not exist.
Of course, this was not absolute.
After all, the original owner was just an ignorant, ordinary country boy who had never left the village his entire life.
He had never even thought about how big the outside world was, so how could he have those concepts?
However, although it was uncertain whether there were courts or yamens.
It was certain that there were towns and cities.
Villagers usually went to the market in the nearby town to buy certain daily necessities.
Things like salt and iron could generally only be bought in towns.
And in these towns, the most powerful seemed to be called City Lords.
It was a pity that although the original owner was fifteen, he had never been to the City, which made it impossible for Lu Qing to know what the City was like.
"It seems that if I have the chance, I still need to go to the town." Lu Qing murmured softly.
Only by understanding this world well enough could he decide which path would be best for his future.
Of course, thinking about these things now was still a bit distant.
The most urgent task was to find a way to support himself and Xiao Yan.
After all, today he owed the villagers many favors, and these all needed to be repaid.
And his biggest reliance at the moment was undoubtedly his special ability.
What could his special ability do?
Lu Qing pondered quietly.
Suddenly, a person's name appeared in his mind.