Chapter 4: Learning to Recognize Characters and Stewing Grass Carp Soup

"Hmm." Cui Jian didn't say much, just nodded in response.

Aunt Huayi, on the other hand, seemed very happy and waved to him when she saw him return.

“Your brother Cui and I went to the county town early this morning to look around. It’s not easy to find work in the county town.”

Zhu Mingyue nodded in agreement. He had spent half a day wandering around the county town and could say he understood the meaning of this statement.

"But luckily, Brother Cui is knowledgeable and handsome, so it won't be difficult for him to find work anywhere."

Zhu Mingyue: ...

He understood the logic; his brother Cui was indeed outstanding. But what kind of mother would praise her own child so blatantly in public? Now he was even more certain that this was a fake mother-son relationship.

He turned his head to look at Cui Jian, who was now looking at a book he had pulled out from somewhere, seemingly oblivious to everyone else. Only the red tips of his ears betrayed his true feelings.

It turns out that even someone as serious as Cui Jian can get shy when praised.

He tried to suppress his laughter, and while the others were fawning over Aunt Huayi, he quickly walked over to Cui Jian and sat down next to him.

Cui Jian ignored him and continued reading, but Cui Jian also peeked at his book.

"Have you been to school?"

Zhu Mingyue shook his head honestly. To be honest, he had just skimmed through it and it was no different from a blind man reading a book; he couldn't understand a single word.

Even though he was already at the level of a high school sophomore, he could only consider himself illiterate after transmigrating here.

Cui Jian almost laughed at him, probably because he found his behavior so adorable. He put down the book in his hand, picked up a piece of charcoal, and gestured with it on the ground.

"This character is pronounced 'zhu,' the 'zhu' in 'zhu mingyue' (祝明悦)."

Zhu Mingyue realized that this was to teach him to recognize characters, so she quickly perked up and used her finger to trace the strokes of the characters on the ground.

Seventeen is the perfect age to quickly acquire knowledge; in no time, he could write his own surname with his eyes closed.

"I can write it now, Brother Cui!" Zhu Mingyue's eyes lit up as she stared eagerly at Cui Jian, urging him to quickly teach her the remaining characters.

His eyes were like those of a little puppy begging for food, so bright and clear that it seemed impossible to refuse any of his requests.

Seeing his itchy hands, Cui Jian finally managed to suppress them with his strong self-control, picked up the charcoal again, and wrote the words "Ming Yue" after "Zhu".

Seeing this, Zhu Mingyue followed suit and practiced more than ten times. "I can write my name now."

"Yes, very smart." Cui Jian was generous with his praise.

Zhu Mingyue waved his hand modestly, "I'm not that smart!" After all, he had received higher education before he came here.

————

For dinner, we had stewed fish. To make it easier to stew the fish, everyone lit a separate bonfire, and the temple was filled with the bubbling sound of boiling fish soup and the aroma of fish.

Zhu Mingyue and the others were starving. After the stew was cooked, they served a bowl to Aunt Huayi and Cui Jian one by one, and finally picked up their own bowl and carefully sipped a mouthful.

So fresh!

The umami flavor spread to the back of her tongue, and finally lingered in her stomach, prompting Zhu Mingyue to immediately speed up her eating.

He didn't add too much water to the pot when he stewed the fish. The fish, which weighed about eight ounces, was neither small nor large. If too much water was added, the soup wouldn't be fragrant enough. So, each person only got one and a half bowls of soup and fish.

After finishing the last half bowl of soup, Zhu Mingyue scooped out the fish meat from the bottom of the bowl and ate it. She was amazed as soon as she tasted it. It was amazing that the dead fish, which had been frozen for who knows how long, could still retain its tender and delicate texture.

It's delicious even when stewed directly. If you have the ingredients, add a piece of soft tofu, and sprinkle some scallions and pepper on top when it's done. It will definitely win over the taste buds of many people.

Zhu Mingyue turned the bowl around and looked up to find that even Cui Jian looked like he hadn't had enough, which made her even more convinced of her idea.

"This fish is really good. I heard you picked it up from the water? It looks just like a fresh fish," Aunt Huayi exclaimed, wiping the soup from the corner of her mouth.

"But the main reason is that Xiao Zhu is a good cook. Their soup is different from ours." She looked at the other people's pots and bowls, where the soup was as clear as water. Could it taste good?

Of course it's different. Zhu Mingyue scratched his cheek. Before stewing the soup, he used a small amount of oil and salt to slowly pan-fry the fish on both sides until golden brown before adding a little water to the pot.

The others followed the usual method of ordinary people: first, put a pot of water in, and once the water boiled, put the fish into the pot. Some people had agreed beforehand to share a bowl of soup with the person who helped gather firewood, so they naturally couldn't bear to add too little water. As a result, the fish soup, which was originally very good, became bland and tasteless, making it unappetizing.

After eating and drinking their fill, Aunt Huayi volunteered to go wash the pots and pans with her fellow women who had come from different backgrounds. Zhu Mingyue couldn't refuse and was left by the still-burning firewood to chat with Cui Jian.

Cui Jian asked him about his future plans, and Zhu Mingyue told him that she had found a job. After pondering for a moment, Cui Jian said, "As far as I know, the river channel will be repaired next spring, so it won't be long."

"Things will work themselves out. Let's wait and see. Maybe I'll be able to find a good long-term job by then," Zhu Mingyue said with a smile.

He had considered this matter. Even if the repairs weren't finished by spring, he wouldn't stay there to cook for a long time. Firstly, the daily wage was unstable, and secondly, the low salary was barely enough to make ends meet. It was fine as a temporary measure, but there was no hope for the future if he continued like this.

"So, you've made up your mind to settle down here?" Cui Jian suddenly asked.

Zhu Mingyue was stunned by the question he posed. What did this mean? It seemed they hadn't brought him here, so why were they asking him such a question?

The other party noticed his confusion and explained, "Along the way, we stop for a few days at each place we arrive at, and we stay wherever we want to settle down."

"Oh," Zhu Mingyue said awkwardly. He had only just arrived, and no one had told him any of this!

His mind was racing, but the other party clearly didn't give him a chance to process his thoughts.

"Would you like to come up north with us and take a look? Perhaps you'll encounter better opportunities."

Zhu Mingyue was shamefully tempted, not because he coveted the so-called opportunity, but because Cui Jian and his mother clearly gave him a greater sense of security than settling down here alone.

He had thought they would all be together, but he had been too naive; they had no intention of settling down there at all.

Since that's the case, he might as well follow Cui Jian.

He was about to agree, but before he could finish speaking, he was stopped.

“That’s enough.” Cui Jian frowned, a hint of struggle flashing across his face. After a long while, he sighed and said, “You’d better not come with us. Kangyang County is quite prosperous. It’s better for you to settle down here than to continue toiling away.”

Well, he wanted to come along, but they didn't want to take him. What could he say but nod in agreement?

Moreover, judging from the other person's expression, it seemed that they had something difficult to say, so I shouldn't drag them down.

"When are you setting off north?" Zhu Mingyue asked.

"In the next couple of days, or soon the heavy snow will block the roads and make travel much more difficult."

"Brother Cui, how about you leave the day after tomorrow?" Zhu Mingyue looked down at the hemp clothes she was wearing and frowned. "I can go to work on the river tomorrow. I'll go to the county town to buy clothes after I get my wages, and I'll return these clothes to you when I come back."

Cui Jian was at a loss for words. Should he say that the boy in front of him was too naive or too foolish? Twenty coins of wages could only support his daily food and clothing. As for anything else, he didn't need to think about it. Ordinary people were already struggling to make ends meet, let alone Zhu Mingyue, who was now penniless and homeless.

He did want to take the boy with him, at least with his help he wouldn't have to suffer from hunger and cold, but he would also face many unknown dangers on this trip, and might even lose his life, so it was better to just survive here.

The campfire flickered in the wind, casting a dim light that made it difficult for him to see the other person's face clearly. Only a pair of clear, innocent eyes shone brightly as always, softening his heart.

Cui Jian curled his lips in self-deprecation. He used to live a life of high office and arrogance, never paying attention to others. Now, he had fallen on hard times and become a homeless dog, yet he had encountered someone he inexplicably wanted to protect. It was truly laughable.

"No need, you can keep these clothes and wear them. There's no need to return them to me."

Cui Jian took out a crescent-shaped piece of jade from his pocket and handed it to Zhu Mingyue, indicating that he should accept it.

"Brother Cui, is this a jade pendant?" Zhu Mingyue rubbed it repeatedly with his fingertips; the texture was warm and smooth.

"I carved this myself when I had nothing else to do. Keep it safe, you might need it in the future."

“Alright,” Zhu Mingyue carefully put the jade pendant into her bosom. “Once Brother Cui has made a name for himself, I will bring this jade pendant with me and come to your residence.”

These words were not a joke. He knew in his heart that Cui Jian was no ordinary person, and that giving him this jade pendant was not just a simple gift, but must have other uses.

As the two were talking, people came in one after another. The two tacitly stopped talking, extinguished the campfire, spread out straw blankets, and went to sleep early.

The next day, Zhu Mingyue was awakened by the sound of noisy footsteps.

It was pitch black outside, and someone lit a fire inside to cook a pot of soup. Whether or not one could finish reading, at least it would warm their stomach before setting off.

Zhu Mingyue's tip yesterday allowed others to eat fish, so today they were also given a bowl of dried wild vegetable soup.

Cui Jian was still asleep, and since he didn't need to go to work, they didn't wake him.

After Zhu Mingyue had eaten her fill, she tucked Cui Jian in and made sure there was no draft before leaving with the rest of the group.

He was so cold on the way that he almost questioned his existence, his legs trembling several times, but he gritted his teeth and persevered until he finally reached his destination.

Everyone else went to do the work of dredging the riverbed and hauling silt, but Zhu Mingyue went to the shed in the open space behind the house. He didn't arrive early, but the other four people had all arrived as well.

Their task was to grind the millet piled up like small mountains into flour, add a small amount of sweet potato, cook it, and provide it to the people who were building the canals.

Zhu Mingyue then realized that this job didn't require any cooking skills at all; all she had to do was keep going around the millstone. Anyone could do it with any donkey, but donkeys were never cheap. A donkey cost several taels of silver, and the five of them would only earn a maximum of one hundred coins a day.

The thought of arriving in this place and being worth less than a beast of burden made him rub his frozen nose and want to cry again, but he immediately held back the tears before they could well up. The reason was simple: it was freezing cold, and having two strings of ice crystals hanging from the corners of his eyes wouldn't look good.

Zhu Mingyue silently ground millet for half an hour, then handed over her work to someone else, picked up a cleaver, and chopped up sweet potatoes, pouring them into a large pot.

Once the millet has been ground into powder, pour it in along with the bran and boil it over high heat.

When he was tending the fire, he only needed to use a clean wooden stick to stir the paste from time to time to prevent the bottom of the pot from burning. The process was effortless.

It was only at times like this that Zhu Mingyue could appreciate the benefits of this job, since it was truly rare to have a free fire to warm her up in this kind of weather.