Chapter 35 – 32 Stir-Fried Dishes and Plans
In the Lu Family’s kitchen,
Lu Qing was tending to the fire, a brand-new iron pot perched atop the stove.
He had originally planned to carry the pot back home discreetly once night fell.
But then he pondered, everyone was from the same village, how low-profile could he get?
Even if he managed to sneak the pot home, the secret would come out as soon as he started cooking.
After all, the aroma of stir-frying is far different from that of steaming or boiling, and he couldn’t just block off the kitchen to prevent the smell from spreading.
So, he decided to just carry the pot back openly and uprightly.
This naturally caused a small commotion in the village.
An iron pot, for them, was certainly a luxury item.
Even now, some households in the village couldn’t afford an iron pot.
That Lu Qing shouldered such a large pot back home was bound to attract everyone’s attention.
Regarding this, Lu Qing simply claimed that the pot was a gift from Old Doctor Chen, which once again made the villagers envious and jealous.
They were also amazed at the elder doctor’s generosity.
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An iron pot could be worth several silver taels, yet Elder Chen gave it away so readily, showing great kindness to Lu Qing.
This also convinced everyone that Elder Chen truly regarded Lu Qing as his disciple, and a highly valued one at that.
Otherwise, why would he give such a large iron pot to Lu Qing?
It was always said that disciples should honor their teacher, not the other way around with the teacher giving such valuable gifts to their disciple.
Unless, of course, the teacher held immense affection for the disciple.
Especially when they later saw that the iron pot had already been seasoned, everyone became even more sure of their speculations.
Thinking back on the villagers’ onlooking, Lu Qing felt a bit fortunate.
Fortunately, he had the foresight to leave the silver taels with Elder Chen, only carrying a couple of pieces of broken silver back home with him.
Otherwise, that big bundle of silver would definitely not escape the villagers’ eyes.
If someone, out of curiosity, opened his bag when he was not paying attention, that would be troublesome.
The fire had started, and soon the pot began to smoke.
Lu Qing grabbed the oil jar and scooped out a large spoonful of lard into it.
Watching the lard melt in the pot, his heart welled up with a sense of satisfaction.
He had money now, no longer needing to scrimp and scrape on oil.
In the past, each time he cooked, he had to figure out how to use the least amount of oil to make dishes that weren’t too bad, which was quite difficult for him.
With his heart filled with happiness, Lu Qing quickly prepared two dishes and one soup.
Pan-fried Green Armored Fish, a fish soup, and a serving of stir-fried greens.
Even with limited seasonings, these three dishes still seemed simple.
But when Lu Qing tasted the first bite of the greens, he was so moved that he almost wanted to cry.
It was not easy. This taste was the one he had dreamed of for so long.
“Brother, the dishes cooked in the big iron pot are so delicious!”
On the other side, Little Yan also ate with great relish.
Even she, who usually didn’t like greens much, now found them extraordinarily tasty.
“Of course, this big iron pot is a great asset for cooking. Otherwise, why do you think your brother has always wanted one?”
“The big iron pot is so nice~”
That meal, the siblings ate with exceptional sweetness.
All the food was polished off, not a trace of soup left.
After eating their fill, Little Yan rubbed her slightly swollen belly, her face brimming with contentment.
“Brother, shall we cook with the big iron pot from now on?”
“Yes.”
Lu Qing nodded without hesitation.
The reason he insisted on buying the pot was just this.
However, there was no need to eat stir-fried dishes every meal, for even the tastiest food can grow tiresome over time.
Trying other styles of cuisine occasionally wouldn’t be a bad idea either.
After dinner, Lu Qing looked at his books for a while.
As the sky began to darken, he put his books away.
He moved the old recliner out into the yard, reclining on it and gazing at the sunset on the distant horizon.
Though he seemed lost in thought, he was actually considering something.
He was pondering over what Brother Da An had mentioned before, about the fair.
The oil at home, after his squandering tonight, was truly next to nothing. A replenishment was indeed necessary.
There were also a few items he rather not have Old Doctor Chen buy for him, which he hoped to purchase himself.
And there was the matter of returning things he had borrowed from the villagers; it was time to settle these debts.
Thus, his attendance at the big market was imperative.
“Let’s go tomorrow then. Brother Da An said there are some rules to follow when going to the big market. It’s a good opportunity to ask him tomorrow.”
Lu Qing made up his mind quickly.
“Brother, will the little beast come to our house tonight?”
At this moment, Little Yan suddenly asked.
“It should, I guess,” Lu Qing wasn’t sure.
“Then Little Yan will wait for it tonight.”
The little one was extremely curious about the little beast her brother mentioned and was eager to know what it actually looked like.
“Alright, but if it’s late and it doesn’t come, you’ll have to go to bed obediently,” Lu Qing said.
“Okay~”
With her mind made up, Little Yan decided to stay alert tonight and was determined to wait for the little beast’s arrival.
Unfortunately, the willpower of a child isn’t so strong.
Accustomed to going to bed early, Little Yan’s eyelids grew heavy as the night wore on.
Also, the presence of the Green Armored Fish Stone played its part; ultimately, the little one held out for a while but not for long before she fell asleep.
Not long after Little Yan had fallen asleep, Lu Qing heard the familiar scratching at the door.
He was taken aback.
Could it be that this little thing really waited for Little Yan to fall asleep before it showed up?
Carrying the fish he had prepared in advance, Lu Qing opened the door of the house.
And there it was, the shadow of the black little beast.
This time, the little thing retreated to the middle of the courtyard, but its demeanor was much more relaxed.
It no longer appeared as wary as before.
Lu Qing even thought he saw a glint of expectation in the little creature’s eyes when it saw him come out – or was that just his imagination?
Could this fellow truly be turning into a spirit?
Lu Qing muttered to himself, placed the fish on the ground, and then stepped back toward the doorway.
As soon as he reached the entrance, the black little beast immediately moved forward, snatched up a fish, and ran off.
Alright then, although a tad less cautious, it was only a tad.
Watching the black little beast repeat last night’s pattern – eating a fish and then running off, going back and forth – Lu Qing couldn’t help but smile.
He didn’t bother with the creature anymore, closed the door, yawned, and headed back to his room.
He had a lot to do tomorrow and certainly didn’t have time to entertain this little beast.
A night went by without incident.
When Lu Qing got up the next morning, he saw the wooden basin was once again completely empty.
Who knew how this little thing digested; it seemed so small, yet its appetite was startling.
Two or three pounds of fish were devoured casually, eating more than an adult.
“Brother, did the little beast come last night?”
Little Yan woke up and immediately ran out of her room to ask.
“It did. See, the fish in the basin are all gone.”
Lu Qing pointed at the wooden basin.
“Ah! Brother, why didn’t you wake Little Yan up?” The little one was quite vexed.
“I said, if you fell asleep, I wouldn’t wake you.”
“Brother, Little Yan has decided; I won’t sleep tonight, and I will wait for the little beast!” Little Yan said seriously.
“Okay, give it your best shot,” said Lu Qing nonchalantly.
By now, he was convinced that the Green Armor Fish Stone was indeed miraculous.
With it around, even if Little Yan wanted to stay up late, she wouldn’t be able to.
When the time came, she would unavoidably feel sleepy and obediently fall asleep.
Quite a relief for him, it saved him a lot of trouble.
“Little Yan, how about you go play at Grandpa Zhang’s house today? Brother has to step out for a bit.”
“Where are you going, brother?”
“You’ll know when I get back.”
After entrusting Grandpa Zhang next door to watch over Little Yan, Lu Qing pocketed a piece of silver and headed to Da An’s house.