Lu Qing blinked and searched through his memories for a while.
He gradually remembered some details about the trade market.
In simple terms, this market was actually a small-scale trading fair that naturally formed among several large villages nearby.
After all, the town was far away, and entering and exiting required paying a city entry fee. Most villagers and mountain dwellers were reluctant to spend this money unless necessary.
No one knew exactly when it started or who organized it.
Slowly, the area developed its own market. Every five days, villagers from the surrounding villages would gather to buy and sell goods.
As a child, the original Lu Qing had gone to the market once with his parents, but after Little Yan was born, he took on the responsibility of looking after his younger sister and never went to the market again.
*His memories of the market grew increasingly blurry over time.*
It was only now, when Brother Da An brought it up, that Lu Qing started recalling bits and pieces.
Brother Da An said, "At the market, people from all sorts of villages come to trade, even mountain dwellers occasionally show up to buy things. The fish you caught today is so big; if you bring it to the market to sell, as long as it's not priced terribly high, someone will definitely buy it."
In Brother Da An's view, Lu Qing had too much fish to eat anyway—keeping it would just go to waste.
He might as well bring it to the market and sell it off cheaply; at least he'd make some money back.
Lu Qing thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "I'll see; if I can catch another big fish next time, I'll take it to the market and try selling it."
"You'll definitely be able to sell it," Brother Da An said cheerfully, "I've seen people selling fish at the market too, but their fish are nowhere near as big as the one you caught today."
Lu Qing chuckled. "A fish this large isn't something I can catch every time."
"Regardless of whether you catch one or not, Lu Qing, if you plan to go to the market, make sure to come by my house and let me know. There are some rules you need to follow when trading at the market," Brother Da An reminded him.
"Sure. If I decide to go, I'll definitely let you know, Brother Da An."
"Good, just remember that. I'll head out now."
After Brother Da An left, Lu Qing fell into deep thought.
*The market was information he had overlooked.*
*Perhaps it could be a good starting point for gathering some news about the town.*
"Big Brother, when can we eat the fish? Little Yan is hungry,"
Just as Lu Qing was strategizing how to use the market for information, Little Yan called out beside him.
"Oh, very soon. Once I've portioned out the fish meat, I'll cook it for you."
Lu Qing snapped back to reality and quickly resumed his work.
First, he chopped up the remaining fish into several pieces, preparing some to send over to Uncle Zhang later.
*During the period he was unconscious, Uncle Zhang took care of Little Yan the entire time—a debt of gratitude he could never forget.*
After dividing the fish, Lu Qing picked out the best piece of fish meat.
He carefully cleaned away all the bones, then sliced the fish into thin fillets.
Next, he heated up a pot of water and began to prepare a rice porridge.
As for the remaining fish meat, he threaded it onto strips of bamboo and hung it from the bamboo pole beneath the eaves to dry, planning to turn it into fish jerky.
Looking at the long string of fish meat hanging from the pole, Lu Qing quietly made a decision to get himself an iron pot as soon as possible.
Oh, and some seasonings too!
*Otherwise, despite having excellent cooking skills, he'd have no way to properly showcase them.*
*Wasting ingredients this good would be such a shame—it even pained him a little.*
When Lu Qing finished these tasks, the porridge in the earthen pot was bubbling and ready.
First, he added a bit of salt to the pot, stirred a few times to ensure it dissolved.
Then, he carefully placed the fish fillets into the porridge. Watching them turn white, he immediately extinguished the fire.
Finally, he added a small spoonful of pork fat to the porridge, and it was done.
Lu Qing scooped out a bowl of fish porridge for Little Yan first, helped cool it down with a fan, and, feeling it was slightly less hot, placed it in front of her.
"Little Yan, wait a little longer. It's still quite hot."
"Okay, Little Yan understands!"
The little one, though practically drooling with hunger, obediently nodded in agreement.
Her eyes, however, didn't move from the bowl of porridge.
Seeing this, Lu Qing chuckled, and served himself a bowl as well.
Being a bit rougher with himself, he scooped up a spoonful of porridge filled with fish fillet, blew on it a few times, and placed it in his mouth.
As soon as the fish fillet hit his tongue, a wave of flavor washed over him, bringing a surprised look to his face.
This fish meat was tender, silky, and fragrant, with a subtle richness—it was unexpectedly delicious.
Indeed, high-quality ingredients often required only the simplest cooking methods.
This porridge only had a touch of salt and pork fat—there wasn't even scallion—and it was already so tasty.
No wonder it was a high-grade fish that emitted dazzling white light!
*After finishing a single bowl of porridge, Lu Qing felt deeply satisfied.*
"Big Brother, can Little Yan eat now?"
Seeing her brother eating with such gusto, Little Yan couldn't help but stare at him eagerly.
Lu Qing touched her bowl briefly, finding it not too hot, and nodded.
"You can eat now, but be careful not to burn your tongue."
"Okay! Little Yan will be careful!"
The little one, hearing she could eat, immediately lit up with joy.
She scooped up a spoonful of porridge, mimicked her brother's earlier movements, carefully blew on it, and, feeling it wasn't too hot anymore, put the porridge in her mouth.
Upon swallowing the spoonful, her eyes widened in surprise.
"Big Brother, Big Brother, this big fish porridge is so tasty—it's even better than the shrimp porridge from this morning!"
The little one waved her arms excitedly, thrilled and overjoyed.
"Of course. Didn't you see how hard Big Brother worked to catch this big fish? It's definitely delicious." Lu Qing responded, looking smug.
"Big Brother is the best!"
The little one didn't hold back in showering her brother with praise.
"If you think it's tasty, eat more. Grandpa Chen said that for your hair to grow beautifully, you need to eat plenty of food."
"Okay, okay, Little Yan will eat lots! Little Yan wants her hair to grow pretty!"
The little one nodded earnestly, her expression serious.
Seeing this, Lu Qing felt a slight pang in his heart.
*Just a few days ago, while playing outside, the little one had been teased by some village kids for her hair not looking good.*
*When she came home, she looked distressed and asked him how she could grow prettier hair.*
*Lu Qing knew, of course, that Little Yan's hair problems were largely due to malnutrition.*
*So he told her earnestly to eat obediently and take care of her health; her hair would improve soon enough.*
Since then, Little Yan had taken eating quite seriously, never wasting any food.
*Although, truth be told, they couldn't afford to waste anything to begin with.*
After the siblings enjoyed their meal of fish porridge, they both sank comfortably into their chairs.
*Even Lu Qing hadn't anticipated that the Green Armored Fish's meat would be so tender—truly an unexpected delight.*
He couldn't help but wonder: if the Green Armored Fish tasted this good, what kind of exquisite flavor must the Red Moon Carp—which was described as the "ultimate freshness" by his superpower—have?
*Unfortunately, the Red Moon Carp was a special gift for the elder doctor and couldn't be eaten.*
After resting for a while, Lu Qing stood up and headed to the kitchen.
There was still one task left to do.
The Green Armored Fish's Fish Stone still needed processing.