Chapter 20 – 18: Onlookers
Chapter 20: Chapter 18: Onlookers
The villagers ultimately failed to catch up with Lu Qing and his two companions.
With Brother Da An’s help, they moved quite swiftly, especially since the river was not far from the village.
Thus, by the time they were still packing up by the river, Lu Qing and the others had already returned to the village.
And when they arrived back in the village, it caused quite a sensation.
Inevitably, the giant fish carried on Brother Da An’s back was too eye-catching.
And this guy loved to flaunt it, walking right up to anyone he saw as soon as he entered the village.
The others weren’t blind; how could they not notice the fish he was carrying?
Seeing such a large fish, exclamations were inevitable.
“Brother Da An caught a big fish, such a big fish!”
This shout naturally drew more villagers out to see the spectacle.
And indeed, it was a huge fish, frighteningly huge.
That immediately stirred up excitement.
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“Well, you Da An, catching such a big fish. Quick, tell us how you managed to catch it?”
“Goodness, that fish must be more than twenty pounds, impressive, Da An!”
“Brother Da An is so amazing for catching such a big fish!”
…
A crowd of villagers surrounded Da An, touching the fish while expressing their amazement.
The children were even more excited, jumping and shouting.
Lu Qing watched with amusement as Brother Da An showcased the Green Armored Fish to everyone.
This scene reminded him of his past life’s fellow fishing enthusiasts who, upon occasionally catching a big fish, behaved in exactly the same boasting manner.
It seemed as if they had to show off intensively, or else they’d feel they had wasted the hardship of waiting by the river.
When Brother Da An had bragged enough, Lu Qing finally called out somewhat helplessly, “Alright, Brother Da An, let’s go back.”
After enough showing off, Brother Da An squeezed out of the crowd and ran over to Lu Qing.
“I forgot to tell you guys, I didn’t catch this big fish, it was Lu Qing who did it!”
“Lu Qing caught it?”
Everyone turned their attention to Lu Qing.
Little Yan immediately lifted her head proudly, “Yes, this big fish was caught by my brother after a lot of effort. We have an even prettier big fish in our bucket!”
“It really was Lu Qing who caught it?!”
“There’s another big fish in the bucket?!”
Upon hearing this, everyone hurriedly crowded around to look into the bucket Lu Qing was holding.
Upon seeing the contents, everyone was stunned.
The Red Moon Carp’s appearance was simply too stunning.
The dazzling fiery red color was like a flame burning in the water, making it evident at first sight that this was no ordinary fish.
“What kind of fish is this, it’s so beautiful!”
“A fiery red fish, it’s my first time seeing one.”
“Such a beautiful fish, where did you catch it, Lu Qing?”
“Lu Qing, do you know what kind of fish this is?”
Everyone asked in wonder.
“I don’t know what kind of fish this is either,” Lu Qing shook his head, “Tomorrow I plan to take it to Grandpa Chen to see if he recognizes it.”
“Yes, yes, Elder Chen, with his broad knowledge and experience, will definitely recognize this fish.”
If there was anyone in the village who commanded the villagers’ respect, it was undoubtedly Old Doctor Chen.
Not only because most had been treated by the elder doctor at some point.
But also because the elder doctor was universally recognized as the most knowledgeable person in the village.
Regularly entering the city, his experiences were not something those rural folk could compare to.
Everyone gathered around, fervently discussing the two large fish for a long time; after satisfying their curiosity, they finally dispersed contentedly.
Lu Qing did invite everyone to his house, saying he would cook the fish for them.
But who in the village didn’t know his family’s situation? One by one, they all declined.
Even those few who were tempted to taste the big fish were quickly pulled away by others before they could speak up.
Really blind to propriety, trying to take advantage of two poor orphans, aren’t they afraid of being criticized!
After everyone had left, Lu Qing finally picked up the bucket, and together with Little Yan and Brother Da An, returned to his own yard.
“Lu Qing, I’m heading back now.”
Just as they reached the yard, Brother Da An put down the fish, ready to leave.
Lu Qing hurriedly stopped him, “Don’t go, Brother Da An. I promised to treat you to fish.”
“You actually took it seriously? I was joking before. With your family’s situation, if I really stayed for a meal, I would be chased away with a stick by my old man when I got home!”
“You can’t let me break my word, though.”
“Anyway, I can’t dare to stay for a meal.”
“…”
The two argued, but neither could convince the other.
“Brother Da An, you know, such big fish, my sister and I can’t finish them quickly, and with the weather warming, the fish meat won’t last long. If you take a couple of pieces home, it would also help lighten my load,” Lu Qing earnestly said.
“Well… okay then.” Brother Da An saw Lu Qing put it that way and hesitated a bit, but in the end, he agreed.
Seeing him relent, Lu Qing immediately went to the kitchen to get a knife, ready to butcher the fish.
And truly, the Green Armored Fish, living up to its name, had incredibly tough scales.
Lu Qing exerted a lot of effort, and with the help of Brother Da An, they finally managed to scrape off the scales and then cut open the belly.
After splitting the fish, apart from the swim bladder, he planned to discard the other viscera, like the intestines and liver.
Food prepared from such large fish, like the Green Armored Fish’s viscera, could be delicious.
In his past life, Lu Qing had been quite fond of eating fish intestines.
But given the current situation at home, barely having any condiments, he simply wasn’t able to cook such strongly flavored ingredients properly, forcing Lu Qing to reluctantly give them up.
After removing the viscera, Lu Qing immediately chopped out two large pieces of fish meat, wrapped them in banana leaves, and handed them to Brother Da An.
“All this?!”
Brother Da An looked at the two large pieces of fish meat, astonished.
These two pieces of fish meat weighed at least several pounds.
“Not much, Brother Da An. Look, there’s still so much fish meat here, Little Yan and I couldn’t possibly finish it.”
Lu Qing forcefully stuffed the fish meat into Brother Da An’s hands.
Brother Da An glanced at the chopping board, indeed seeing a large pile of fish meat, and didn’t refuse any further.
“Lu Qing, I think your household is the only one in the village having trouble with too much fish to eat,” Brother Da An said with a laugh after taking the fish meat.
After seeing Lu Qing’s catch today, Brother Da An also realized that Lu Qing’s household would likely not lack fish in the future.
“Fish can’t be eaten as a staple though,” Lu Qing said helplessly. “One still needs to eat proper meals, but it’s a pity our fields are lying fallow, and it’s not yet time to plant crops.”
“That is a problem indeed,” Brother Da An nodded.
He knew that due to the major upheaval the Lu family had experienced, Lu Qing had missed the planting season.
It would still be several months until the next one.
He thought for a moment, then suddenly his eyes lit up.
“Lu Qing, you’re so good at fishing, why not sell the fish you catch at the market? Once you have money, you can buy grains!”
“Sell fish?” Lu Qing was puzzled. “But I remember, there are entry fees required to enter the city, and I currently have no money.”
“I’m not talking about the city, but about going to the big market not far from our village!”
“Big market?” Lu Qing blinked.