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"This Dragon Head Fish isn't worth much. We can't finish it, so we might as well throw it away," Old Ma said, feeling a bit awkward. If it were any other fish, he could just accept a few coins, but how could he bring himself to charge for this one?
Seeing that he was an honest man and not unreasonable, Qing Luan smiled and said, "Since it's not worth much, why don't you sell it to me? I'll give you two copper coins. How does that sound?" Having given him silver earlier, she felt comfortable eating the fish.
Old Ma thought for a moment and realized that he had caught quite a lot of fish today. Two copper coins didn't matter much to him, so he nodded in agreement. "Kid, you can't leave this fish until tomorrow! If you take so much home, it'll spoil!" He still felt a bit concerned and wanted to remind her kindly.
"I know, thank you, Uncle!" Qing Luan replied politely. Then she looked down at the dozens of pounds of fish and shyly asked Old Ma, "Uncle, could you help me carry this fish?" She really couldn't lift it herself.
"Sure, no problem. I'll take it to your house later," Old Ma said generously.
She took two copper coins from her small pouch and handed them to Old Ma before turning to head back home. Qing Luan knew not to flaunt her wealth, so there were only a few coins in her pouch that wouldn't attract anyone's attention.
Not long after Qing Luan returned home, Old Ma arrived carrying a bucket of Dragon Head Fish. After expressing her gratitude, Qing Luan led Qin'er to help clean the fish while Tide and Erwa curiously watched them.
Qin'er fumbled around clumsily as she washed each fish clean, then cut open their bellies before chopping off their heads and tails—only this Dragon Head Fish was different from others; it was soft and slippery, making Qin'er struggle terribly as she complained. Meanwhile, Tide and Erwa were laughing heartily at her predicament, which made Qing Luan chuckle as well.
Under Qing Luan's hands-on guidance, Qin'er finally managed to make the fish presentable. Qing Luan placed the cleaned fish on a tree stump and used a knife to split each one down the middle along the soft bones before cutting each fish into three pieces and placing them on a nearby plate. With two people working together on a bucket of fish, even though they were clumsy and it took quite some time, they finally finished just as lunchtime approached.
Seeing Qing Luan wash the cut fish again and place them in a bamboo basket to drain water before starting to cook without explaining how to prepare the fish, the three of them curiously followed her and asked in confusion, "If we leave the fish like this, won't it spoil?" The weather was still hot and humid; leaving it out for a few hours would ruin it.
"Let's cook first; I'll handle the fish later," Qing Luan said without hiding anything. "Erwa, go bring in some firewood; Qin'er, rinse the rice..." They were all working together as four people; they had to do everything together and couldn't just let them sit back because she knew how.
They had so much to learn.
Qin'er was five years older than Qing Luan, now fifteen years old. Despite her age, she often found herself inexplicably following Qing Luan's words. As she put it, the young lady's gaze compelled her to comply without a second thought.
Erwa, at seven years old (previously, Qing Luan thought he was about the same age as Tide, only to realize later that he looked small because he was too frail), was not shy about doing what needed to be done. As for Tide… well, she honestly didn’t know what to have her do. Occasionally, she let her wash some vegetables to boost her confidence.
Once the meal was ready, they filled a basin with rice, cleaned the pot, and added lard to heat it up. After the oil was hot, they took the previously drained Dragon Head Fish, mixed it with seasonings, rolled it in flour, and finally placed it in the oil. The sizzling sound immediately filled the air, accompanied by an enticing aroma that drew everyone closer, unwilling to leave.
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