Chapter 27
Scale and gut the fish, cut open the belly to remove the internal organs, use the back of the knife to scrape away the black membrane inside the abdomen, then make a cut at the head and tail, find the long, thin white fishy line, and pull it out with a deft motion.
With no oil and no non-stick pan, frying fish was out of the question. After the water boiled, the cleaned crucian carp and yellowhead catfish were poured into the stone pot together, a few slices of ginger were added, and it was left to simmer over a low fire.
Crucian carp had a miraculous effect when stewed. As the low fire cooked the fish meat until it was soft and tender, the clear water in the stone pot gradually began to turn cloudy. In the time it took to take a nap, it had become like a pot of bone broth that had been simmering for a long time, a large pot of milky white fish soup that was fragrant for miles.
The unique, fresh aroma drifted through the camp with the cooking smoke. The tribe members who were cracking pine cones around them all stopped their movements in unison, sniffing the air and looking around for the source of the fragrance.
They all had very keen noses. Just as Hua Shi’an had Mo Huaishan hand him a bamboo tube, the beastmen who had smelled the meat swarmed over, surrounding the stone pot and Hua Shi’an in three layers.
“Heavens, it smells so good!” Ju Qifeng, like a starving ghost reincarnated, stared at the stone pot, his mouth almost drooling. “When can we eat, Lord Priest? Is that really the fish you guys just brought back? It smells too good!”
The aroma of fish lingered in the air. Hong Yunlang squinted his eyes, his face filled with intoxication. “It really smells so good. That fish looked so ugly just now. How can it smell so good when it’s cooked? And this soup, it’s turned white, did you see?”
“What are you so excited about? Who was it that said the fish looked disgusting and they wouldn’t eat it even if they were beaten to death?” Hong Yong leaned on Hong Yunlang’s shoulder and teased him relentlessly.
Hong Yunlang: “Oh, Brother Yong, don’t expose my past!”
“I can’t take it anymore, I can’t take it anymore. Can we eat now, Lord Priest? I’m so hungry.”
“So there really is prey to eat in the river. I thought the big oaf was just bluffing.”
“We can’t catch any prey anyway. Why don’t our hunting team go catch fish in the river tomorrow! We’ll have fish for meat and pine nuts for food. If we get a lot of them during this time, we won’t have to worry about how to get through the winter at all!”
“That’s a great idea! But those fish look so slippery. The big oaf only caught them with that back-basket-like bamboo thing. Do we have to make some bamboo things first too?”
“Lord Priest, Lord Priest, what do you think?”
When they first saw the fish, the tribe members were not very interested. They either complained that the fish were too small and had little meat, or that they were slimy and disgusting, or they were afraid. Now that they saw the steaming hot fish soup, no one complained or was afraid anymore. They had one question after another.
After sprinkling some salt into the pot, Hua Shi’an used chopsticks to scoop the cooked fish into a bamboo tube, then turned to the crowd and answered a few questions, “You don’t necessarily need a fish trap to catch fish. You can also just go into the water and catch them. It’s like hunting in the forest. You get better with practice. Once you’re skilled, you can catch them with your bare hands.”
“The bamboo thing Huaishan used to catch fish is called a fish trap. He can teach you all how to weave it later. It’s indeed not easy to find prey now, but we have the chestnuts we picked before and the pine nuts we just shelled. We’re not that short of food for now. As for whether the hunting team should go catch fish…”
Hua Shi’an raised an eyebrow and smiled. “It’s up to you. If you want to eat, then catch them. If you don’t, then don’t.”
Hearing this, Hong Yunlang licked his lips impatiently. “Don’t tease us, Lord Priest. This is meat, meat! Who wouldn’t want to eat it?”
Ju Ming, who was staring blankly at the stone pot, said, “I want to eat. I want to eat now.”
“I really want to know what it tastes like, Lord Priest…”
Hua Shi’an: “I’m almost done scooping. You can bring your chopsticks over now.”
There weren’t many fish to begin with, and they had been cooked for a little too long, so they had fallen apart, leaving even less meat. After scooping everything out, there were only two bamboo tubes full. It was too little to divide, so Hua Shi’an simply had people bring their chopsticks and take a little from the bamboo tubes to have a taste.
After the last bit of dregs was scooped out, the beastmen with chopsticks hurried back. Like they had been starved for three days and nine meals, they eagerly reached into the bamboo tubes to get some fish.
Knowing that there were many people and not enough meat to go around, everyone was very restrained, taking only one chopstickful each and no more.
Although not as popular as pine nuts, fish meat was still meat. It had been a while since they had tasted meat. With one chopstickful, the camp erupted again.
“Wow, delicious! It smells good, and it tastes even better!”
“Don’t stuff it all in your mouth at once. You have to learn from me and take small bites. The Lord Priest said that fish have bones, so be careful not to get them stuck in your throat.”
“Catch fish, I want to catch fish, I’ll go catch them now!”
“It’s too late. Tomorrow, first thing in the morning!”
“So delicious, I want more.”
…
It wasn’t as delicious as the tribe members said. Hua Shi’an also had a taste. The fish meat was fresh, tender, and smooth, but there were too few seasonings, only ginger and salt, so it was a bit fishy and bland.
If only there were pickled vegetables or chili peppers. Pickled fish, braised fish…
Hua Shi’an’s cravings were stirred.
There wasn’t enough meat to eat, and there wasn’t enough fish soup in the pot to go around. Fortunately, Hua Shi’an had already prepared for this. He had Mo Huaishan bring over a bamboo tube, poured half of the fish soup into another pot, and then… added water to dilute the cooked fish soup, turning one pot of fish soup into two.
The fish soup boiled again, and the freshly washed purslane was added to the pot. It didn’t need to be cooked for long. After a quick dip in the soup, Hua Shi’an turned and shouted, “Time to eat!”
The pine cones they had picked were also almost processed. Hearing the commotion, the tribe members each took their bamboo tubes and chopsticks and gathered around the fire in a busy but orderly manner.
The hard work of serving food didn’t fall to the mobility-impaired Hua Shi’an. By the time the tribe members arrived, he had already retired with his bamboo tube, found a good spot in the open space, and was leisurely enjoying his meal.
After being diluted with water once, the color of the fish soup was noticeably lighter, like a glass of diluted milk. But it was really fragrant. The fresh flavor of the fish and the fresh fragrance of the purslane were fully integrated, making it even more delicious, with a hint of sweetness.
After two mouthfuls of purslane, Hua Shi’an’s dull eyes brightened a lot. Not bad, much better than plain boiled vegetables, and even better than the green iguana stew with vegetables last time.
“Lord Priest.”
A soft call came from ahead. Hua Shi’an looked up to see Yan Zhile, holding up his skirt, running towards him.
The coir skirt was hand-knitted by Hua Shi’an, and its hem was longer than his knees. Seemingly having discovered the correct use of the coir skirt, Yan Zhile used the hem as a container and ran to him with a large bag of things.
Before Hua Shi’an could speak, the sub-beastman knelt on one knee, loosened his grip on the hem of his skirt, and the charcoal-roasted pine nuts fell to the ground like a small shower.
It was a considerable amount, and the pine nut rain lasted for a while before it stopped.
After he was done, Yan Zhile smoothed his skirt, looked up, and grinned at Hua Shi’an. “Lord Priest, the chief said that today is a day of good harvest, and we can eat as many pine nuts as we want. I brought these specially for you.”
“Thank you.” Hua Shi’an was very moved, but looking down at the small hill of pine nuts, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. “Isn’t this a bit too much? I can’t finish it all.”
“Where is it too much? We’re eating together.”
With that, the sub-beastman turned and ran away. In less than half a minute, he returned with a bamboo tube, sat down beside him very familiarly, drank the fish soup, ate the wild vegetables, and naturally treated Hua Shi’an as his meal companion.
Hua Shi’an, who had misunderstood, was a little embarrassed and took a sip of the fish soup to relieve it.
“Lord Priest, you’re so amazing!” After eating the vegetables that had soaked up the soup, Yan Zhile’s cheeks puffed out, his eyes shining as he looked at Hua Shi’an with admiration. “How come the purslane we eat every day becomes so delicious in your hands?”
What a sweet talker. Hua Shi’an smiled. “It’s not my credit, it’s the fish’s. The flavor and nutrients of the fish are all in the soup, so of course the boiled vegetables are delicious.”
“That’s also your credit. You were the one who caught the fish,” Yan Zhile said.
Hua Shi’an: “I was with you all day today, staying in the tribe. Where would I have the time to catch fish? Huaishan was the one who brought the fish back.”
“No way!” Yan Zhile pouted and muttered, “The big oaf said it himself. You were the one who taught him how to weave the fish traps, and you were the one who took him to set them. Without you, how could he have caught any fish?”
He said it himself? Hua Shi’an lowered his head and took a sip of the fish soup, then said unhurriedly, “That doesn’t negate his contribution. I really didn’t go out today, and he was the one who brought the fish back.”
Yan Zhile suddenly stopped chewing and stared at Hua Shi’an without blinking. After a long while, his lips moved, and he asked in a low voice, “Lord Priest, do you like the big oaf? I heard you’re almost of age. You’re not thinking of taking him as your mate, are you?”
“Cough, cough cough—”
The fish soup went down the wrong pipe, and Hua Shi’an covered his mouth and coughed.
Yan Zhile was terrified. He quickly patted his back to help him catch his breath. “Are you okay, Lord Priest? Drink slowly, don’t rush.”
Is this a matter of rushing or not?
Hua Shi’an didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He coughed for a long time, bent over, and finally recovered, looking at the culprit who had said such shocking words with teary eyes. “Alright, cough, I’m fine. Why… why would you think I like him?”
Clearly very interested in this topic, Yan Zhile quickly finished his fish soup and vegetables and gave him a meaningful look. “You treat him differently from others. You’re especially good to him, especially caring for him. And on the night he let the prey escape, I saw you! I saw you sitting on the grass, very close, as if you were about to ki—”
“There’s no such thing,” Hua Shi’an interrupted him, rubbing his temples helplessly.
Putting down the bamboo tube, Yan Zhile rested his chin on his hand and looked at Hua Shi’an, murmuring as if to himself, “I know he saved you, but you’re too good to him, so good that I’m jealous. If only I were a beastman, I’d want to be the Lord Priest’s mate too.”
Hua Shi’an didn’t know how to respond to that and quickly ate some wild vegetables to calm his nerves.
Silence could not end the topic. Yan Zhile became more and more animated as he spoke to himself, “Sigh! It’s a pity I can’t be the Lord Priest’s mate, but I hope even more that the Lord Priest can find a good mate. You are the most capable and smartest sub-beastman. You should find a powerful beastman.”
“How about him?”
Yan Zhile decisively pointed his index finger at Hong Yong, who was shelling pine nuts by the fire. “The captain of the hunting team, the smartest and strongest beastman in the tribe. Even the chief has to listen to him sometimes. He’s a good match for the Lord Priest. And he—”
“Zhile, eat your food.” Hua Shi’an pressed down Yan Zhile’s raised hand and gave him a handful of roasted pine nuts. “Don’t worry about this. I have no plans to find a mate for now.”
Yan Zhile pouted. “Alright, you’re not of age yet, so you’re not in a hurry to find a mate. But if you do find a mate in the future, you should consider Hong Yong and Hong Yunlang first. Just don’t take the big oaf as your mate.”
It was a bountiful harvest today, and the area by the fire was particularly lively. People were shelling pine nuts and drinking soup, and laughter could be heard from a distance.
The tall beastman seemed to have integrated into the group, sitting side by side with his tribe members. No one spoke to him, and no one shared food with him. He ate his pine nuts alone, but when the tribe members laughed, he would also show a slightly silly but very sincere smile.
With a casual glance, a faint smile appeared on Hua Shi’an’s lips. “We’ll see. Who can say what will happen in the future?”
