Chapter 20: The Growing Group

“This isn’t just any fish—it’s crayfish!” Xu Nuo exclaimed in surprise. “Mother, let’s hurry and call Ziqian over to catch them!” Given Shangguan’s recent success in fishing, Xu Nuo regarded him as quite the capable individual.

Shangguan, called over, looked at the clawing red creature in the water and asked, “Are you sure we can eat those? Their shells are hard.” He recognized them; back in his childhood, he often went sneaking into rivers to catch fish, and he had once caught these too, only to have his hand pinched and bleed from their pincers.

Wang Shi was also skeptical. Although she had seen these creatures often before, nobody ever regarded them as food. Seeing Xu Nuo’s determined expression, however, Shangguan had no choice but to wade into the water to catch the crayfish. Unlike fish, crayfish weren’t large enough for a stick to spear, leading to a rather futile effort. After quite a while, he only managed to catch two, which were still eager to pinch him with their big claws.

Xu Nuo couldn’t help but laugh at Shangguan’s drenched appearance—his head soaked from leaning down. “Hahaha!”

“My lady, I’m only drenched because of you!” Shangguan was aware of how disheveled he looked. Forgetting about catching crayfish, he hurried back to the cart to change into dry clothes.

While he was busy changing, Xu Nuo stared at the crayfish in the water, feeling as if they were taunting her. After thinking for a moment, she dashed to the cart, rummaged through some clothes, and found an old, tattered tablecloth made of mesh material. It would work perfectly as a fishing net! She took a small piece of fish meat and crushed it, placing it in the net, which she then submerged into the water and waited patiently. Sure enough, the crayfish swarmed toward it. With quick reflexes, Xu Nuo pulled up the net, and after several attempts, she managed to catch nearly half a bucket full of crayfish.

Their meal for the day looked wonderfully abundant! Wang Shi had already started boiling fish soup, and Shangguan was preparing to grill fish over a fire. Forgetting to prepare seasonings in advance, Xu Nuo had picked some barbecue spices before they departed, now proving to be quite handy. Shangguan marinated the fish in the seasonings, speared it on sticks, and placed them over the fire. A fragrant aroma from the fish soup mingled with the grilling fish, making Shangguan swallow hard.

“Hey! You guys are having a feast without me! How rude!” A familiar voice interrupted their gathering.

Xu Nuo turned to look. “Oh wow, isn’t this Zhang Yan? What brings you to this remote place?”

Zhang Yan was friendly and didn’t hesitate to approach Wang Shi, “Auntie, that fish soup smells amazing! I bet it tastes great!”

He then sidled up to Shangguan. “Brother, let me help you out; I’ll take over the work from here, and you can take a break.”

If it weren’t for Zhang Yan’s gaze fixating intently on the fish, Shangguan might have believed him. There was no way he would let Zhang Yan take over the food preparations; after all, if he did, they might as well forget about eating any.

“Get lost! Stay wherever it’s cool, and don’t make a mess for me!” Shangguan was not dismissing him out of disdain; he simply knew that the son of a wealthy family wasn’t cut out for this kind of labor. If he got burned while cooking, it would only create more problems.

“Don’t underestimate me!” Zhang Yan retorted, but he knew he wasn’t suited for hard work. However, he had helpers. “Ah Hua, Ah Fei, go grab the wine I’ve brought from the cart; today, we’re going to feast!”

As Zhang Yan led his two attendants toward the barbecue area, Xu Nuo, worried that there wouldn’t be enough food, directed Ah Hua and Ah Fei to gather some wild vegetables and mushrooms from the forest to grill. Meanwhile, she returned to the river to clean the bucket of crayfish. She initially thought they had caught enough, but with three more mouths to feed, she began to doubt whether they’d have ample crayfish. Hence, Wang Shi came over to help catch more.

Xu Nuo meticulously cleaned each crayfish with a small brush, removing the innards and trimming off the gills. Once the oil in the pan was hot, she added scallions, ginger, garlic, dried chili peppers, and a pinch of pepper to release a spicy fragrance. She then tossed in the cleaned crayfish, mixing them well before requesting some wine from Zhang Yan, adding a little water to start simmering, and then finishing with some fresh chili.

The spicy aroma of the crayfish completely overwhelmed the fish soup and grilled fish scents, catching Zhang Yan’s attention as he shifted closer to the pot, forgetting all about the fish soup and grilled fish.

Seeing Zhang Yan’s eagerness, Shangguan felt both amused and exasperated. This guy was clearly focused solely on food. If he had even half that focus when it came to studying, he wouldn’t have to worry about the instructors at the academy. Surely it was one of the academy teachers’ hopes for him to accompany Shangguan, anticipating he might learn something during the journey.

“Alright, let’s eat first! The crayfish need to soak for a while to really absorb the flavor.” Shangguan reminded them not to let the fish soup go cold, as Xu Nuo didn’t want to waste any.

Gathering on the blanket, they dug in, savoring every bite of the delicious meal in front of them. Without speaking, the speed at which their chopsticks moved, and their satisfied expressions revealed just how good the lunch was!

“Hey everyone, good afternoon! I was wondering if you have any leftovers you could sell to us?” Just as they were engrossed in their meal, a voice broke through.

Zhang Yan was instantly irked. How could someone be so oblivious as to interrupt their meal and ask to buy the food when they were happily enjoying it? To him, that felt like someone trying to snatch a piece of meat from his mouth!

Before he could react, Shangguan spoke up first. “Brother, are you here for the exam too? We’re just having simple fare, you sure you want some?”

“Absolutely!” Qi Lian’s eyes sparkled as he stared covetously at the grilled fish; how could he resist? As a full-blown foodie, he couldn’t let this opportunity slip. He quickly had his assistant bring over some silver coins, handing over a tael to Shangguan. “I wonder if this will be enough?”

Shangguan raised an eyebrow at Qi Lian’s eager response. He figured he might be the son of a wealthy family testing out life outside his mansion.

“This is more than enough! You don’t need to bring so much!” Xu Nuo grinned, completely bewildered by such lavish spending, while Zhang Yan felt incensed, as if his status as the rich kid had just been challenged.

“If I may ask your name, and what’s your destination?” Shangguan’s instincts kicked in as he became vigilant; he wouldn’t allow any potential dangers within their group.

Qi Lian quickly realized he hadn’t introduced himself, stood up, and bowed. “My name is Qi Lian. I live in Lianhuan County, and I’m on my way to Quanzhou for the exam. I hope you’ll forgive my earlier rudeness.”

“May I have the honor of traveling with you? I assure you that I’ll cover all the expenses for food.” Qi Lian’s instinct told him that traveling with this group would guarantee he wouldn’t go hungry, possibly enjoying meals like this daily!