Chapter 26 Grilled Fish

After her nine-day wedding leave ended, Lin Lanting resumed her work at the Jinwuwei government office.

Huiyi increasingly felt that her method was excellent.

Not only could the marriage between the two families continue, but she and Lin Er could also live much more freely and happily.

Besides, if one day the two of them really can't stay together and have a falling out, they can always ask their grandfather for a divorce decree.

The more she thought about it, the clearer it became. Ever since they discussed this matter that night, Huiyi's appetite had been better than before.

Lin Er left early and returned late, so the two had fewer opportunities to meet. He also became more tactful and stopped saying anything to annoy her.

He seemed to have become less talkative, and his expression often turned cold, making him difficult to get along with.

However, Huiyi didn't care; she only cared about living her own life well.

Huiyi still had a smile on her face when she returned from the main courtyard, clearly in a very good mood.

Today I had my mother-in-law's homemade cold noodles with locust leaves, and the taste was absolutely amazing. She was quite full afterward.

I've decided to skip dinner altogether; if I get hungry at night, I'll just have a late-night snack.

Looking at the still bright sky outside, I remembered the fishpond I had just passed and an idea came to mind.

So much sweetness made her almost forget the joy of fishing.

Before it got dark, Huiyi took her fishing rod and bait and headed to the fishpond.

De'an had a large parasol set up for her, with a rattan chair placed underneath and a small table beside her, on which were her favorite tofu skin cakes and rose-flavored drinks.

Huiyi sat down comfortably, put fish food on the hook, found a decent-looking body of water, and cast the hook into the water.

The calm water surface was rippled in circles, like mayflies jumping one after another.

Huiyi held the fishing rod with great anticipation for a while, hoping the fish would be sensible and come to bite the hook quickly.

If it works out, her midnight snack tonight will be fish soup.

But this was just wishful thinking; even as her hands grew tired, not a single fish came.

Huiyi simply set up her fishing rod, enjoyed the gentle breeze blowing across the water, and took a sip of her chilled drink.

Two quarters of an hour passed without anyone noticing, and the water surface remained completely still.

"What's going on? Are all the fish in the Lin family so smart that they won't even eat such delicious bait?"

This is fish food specially prepared by her, comparable to a feast. Which fish in any pond wouldn't be bewildered by it?

But the fish in the Lin family's fishpond didn't cooperate.

She's so angry!

As I rested my chin on my hand and looked at the water, a hint of purple appeared in the lush greenery.

It was Lin Lanting who had returned from her job.

In fact, as the General of the Imperial Guard, Lin Lanting had relatively free time in taking office, and his attendance at court depended only on whether it was a day for court attendance.

A fifth-rank official like him only worked on the 3rd, 5th, and 9th of each month, and the Jinwu Left Guard Office also operated on a two-day work week followed by a one-day rest week.

As the son of a prime minister and a young general favored by the emperor, no one would criticize Lin Lanting even if he wasn't very diligent, but he didn't seem to be that kind of lazy person.

According to his mother-in-law, Guo, whenever he had nothing else to do, Lin Er would go to the government office to work, such as handling official documents, managing subordinates, inspecting weapons and equipment, and supervising soldiers' training.

Or they might handle temporary or confidential tasks, such as delivering orders, conducting inspections, or providing temporary reinforcements.

However, relatively speaking, it was still much more free and flexible than those regular officials who had to attend court every day.

I finished most of my work early today, so I got home early as well.

Huiyi glanced at it only once and went back to waiting for her fish.

She and Lin Er are not a loving couple anymore; they often don't even eat together, and he goes back to eat his own meals.

However, Lin Er seemed to be quite interested in fishing as well, and walked towards them from a distance.

Huiyi was getting tired. Although fishing could calm her mind, it was too boring to catch any fish for a long time.

Biqing massaged her shoulders, and Huiyi became even more sleepy.

"Oh, the princess is fishing, what a refined hobby."

After the agreement was reached, Huiyi saw that Lin Er was no longer so displeased and kindly replied, "That's right, I was thinking of catching one to make fish soup for a late-night snack, but the fish in this pond are too hard to catch. I haven't seen a single one bite the hook in half a day."

She slumped into the rattan chair, even wrapping her legs around it, and muttered with a worried expression.

The usual confrontation was gone, and the conversation was now casual and amicable, which made Lin Lanting feel somewhat uneasy.

The thought of what this was obtained in exchange made Lin Lanting feel even more ironic.

Lin Lanting's gaze fell on the small ball in the rattan chair. He walked closer, stood under the umbrella, and said lazily, "Perhaps these fish know that they are going to be made into fish soup as soon as they come up, so they all avoid your bait."

Huiyi didn't want to listen to his nonsense and started to shoo him away, saying, "What nonsense are you spouting? Go back to your meal and don't bother me while I'm fishing."

Huiyi decided to wait a little longer, hoping that a plump fish might take the bait.

However, Lin Lanting was a rebellious person, and when he heard that Huiyi wanted to send him away, he refused to leave.

"If the princess continues like this, she probably won't catch any fish all night."

His confident words were especially hurtful to Ren. Huiyi was unconvinced. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with anger, and said, "How can you be so sure? How come I couldn't catch any fish all night?"

As the sun set, the sky cast a golden glow upon the earth, making her already radiant face even more beautiful.

It was even more dazzling than the sunset glow.

Lin Lanting was momentarily lost in thought, then quietly looked away and picked up a piece of translucent rice cake from the glass cup.

"The princess bait wasn't used correctly."

He shook the beautifully colored, white and pink pastry and said with a light laugh.

Huiyi first solidified the translucent glutinous rice cake, then looked at Lin Er and asked in confusion, "This is the best bait, how could it be wrong?"

"Besides, I miscalculated the bait, so why are you using the translucent rice cake?"

Lin Lanting smiled but said nothing, tearing the translucent rice cake into several pieces, making it completely unappealing.

Then, after soaking Huiyi's fishing rod in the water for a long time, he picked it up, replaced the bait with a sticky rice cake, and cast the hook down and lifted it up several times in succession, finally letting it sink into the pond.

What exactly are you doing?

Huiyi was completely confused by Lin Lanting's series of actions and couldn't help but lean over to ask.

As the sun set, the heat dissipated considerably, and the sunlight was no longer glaring.

But what followed was an increasingly blurry and obscure environment.

Huiyi got up from the rattan chair and stood with Lin Lanting, looking at his smiling profile with curiosity in her eyes.

As dusk fell, Lin Lanting turned her head and looked over. Her eyes gleamed with a faint, shimmering light that made one want to sink into them.

"Fishing, of course."

The boy smiled, his eyes crinkling, his tone light and relaxed, with a confident certainty.

Huiyi frowned, muttering with a hint of disbelief, "I've never seen anyone use a little effort to fish. You're not kidding me, are you?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Lanting scoffed and said confidently, "Whether it's a bluff or not, the princess can see for herself."

Huiyi had just clicked her tongue and hadn't said a word when she saw movement on the water's surface; the fishing line began to tremble.

"The fish are here! The fish are here!"

She shouted faster and louder than Lin Lanting, the fisherman, which made Lin Lanting look at Huiyi with amusement.

"I know, I know, you can't run away anyway."

As he spoke, Lin Lanting began to skillfully reel in the line, and in a few swift movements, he pulled the fish up.

The fish was quite large, longer than Huiyi's palm, and it was a very plump crucian carp.

Huiyi was envious, her eyes fixed on the still-throwing fat fish, and she couldn't help but move closer.

But Lin Er dodged it with a swift movement, and not only that, he also took the fish.

"This is the fish I caught. Surely the princess wouldn't try to take even a fish from me?"

Now that things have come to this point, even if Huiyi is unwilling, she still has her pride.

Why would she fight with Lin Er for a mere fish?

So Huiyi crossed her arms and snorted, "How could that be? It's just a worthless fish. Why would this princess care about it? I just wanted to see if this fish was stupid enough to be lured by a dessert."

Lin Lanting didn't expose her, and said smoothly, "That's good. Since the fish has been caught, I won't disturb the princess's enjoyment any longer."

As he spoke, he grabbed the fat fish by the mouth with one hand and carried it away without looking back. His arrogant manner made Huiyi snort a few times.

"So what if you caught a big fish!"

"I can do it too!"

Huiyi muttered to herself, her eyes shining as she picked up a piece of translucent rice cake to use as bait. She imitated Lin Er's earlier actions and tossed it back and forth a few times, creating ripples on the water's surface.

Finally, he let the fishing line down, a smile on his face, muttering to himself, "Who cares? I can fish myself."

"Watch me catch one even bigger than him!"

Having uttered this bold statement, Huiyi simply sat on the rock and waited.

Lin Er fished so quickly just now, the fish should be coming soon, she should be ready at any time.

Lin Lanting hadn't gone far when she turned back at a certain moment, taking in the entire scene before leaving with a faint smile on her lips.

At the pond, Huiyi soon received her fish.

With a face full of excitement, Huiyi pulled the fish up. Seeing that it was a fat fish, she immediately smiled.

"This method really works!"

"I just wonder if this stupid fishman will become stupid after eating it."

He happily lifted the fish up, muttering to himself, his face beaming with joy.

"Congratulations, Princess! Congratulations, Princess!"

De'an and the others offered their congratulations from the sidelines, which made Huiyi laugh uncontrollably.

It just feels like this fish isn't as big as the one Lin Er caught.

Huiyi looked at the fish again and again, but still decided against it.

"Quick, take this fish to the kitchen and make fish soup. I want to eat it tonight."

The clever young eunuch took the fish and nimbly carried it to the kitchen.

Bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, Huiyi leisurely returned to the East Courtyard.

Huiyi walked slowly, and even picked a few lotus flowers in the pond along the way, which is why she returned a little late.

As soon as you enter the courtyard, you can see Lin Lanting roasting something in front of the stove, with oil sizzling and dripping.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that it was the same fat fish that Lin Er had caught.

Along with the smoke, there was also a strong, overpowering aroma.

Huiyi unconsciously drooled, and her stomach began to pound.

No, the fish that Lin Er grilled smelled amazing!

"The princess is back! Look at her relaxed face, she must have caught some fish too, right?"

Huiyi shifted her gaze from the golden-brown, tempting fish, raised her chin, and said arrogantly, "Of course, why ask such a pointless question."

Lin Lanting flipped the fish over and chuckled, "Princess, you are indeed skilled. Unlike me, I can only use some minor tricks to catch fish."

Some people are so ruthless that they even criticize themselves, so Huiyi naturally couldn't admit that she copied his methods.

Otherwise, where would her reputation be?

Fearing he would press her further, Huiyi changed the subject, saying, "I didn't expect you could grill fish. It looks edible."

Huiyi would never admit that the fish this guy grilled looked delicious; she even looked around selectively when she said that.

Lin Lanting took in the little schemes of the willful princess but did not expose them. He just smiled and said, "When you are on a military campaign, you will inevitably hunt some wild game to have a good meal when you encounter desolate mountains and wilderness. You will learn it after a few times."

Huiyi nodded in agreement, then asked curiously, "What kind of game can you hunt?"

Every autumn hunt, Huiyi would go to Lishan with her father and brothers. What she saw were nothing more than pheasants, rabbits, deer, wolves, and the like. She was curious about what new things were out there.

When asked these questions, Lin Lanting had plenty to say.

While rubbing pepper, sugar and salt on the fish, he talked on and on: "There are many kinds of animals, including not only pheasants, rabbits, deer and wolves, but also wild boars, badgers, minks and foxes. Occasionally, you can even hunt bison and bears. The most dangerous one is the tiger. In all my years of hunting, I have only hunted tigers a handful of times."

Lin Lanting spoke with great enthusiasm, and Huiyi listened attentively, nodding from time to time. When she mentioned tigers, she even exclaimed in surprise.

She had only ever seen a tiger skin before, which was given to her by her grandfather last year. However, she was frightened when she saw the colorful tiger skin and did not want it.

I can't imagine how terrifying it would be if a real tiger were in front of me.

I remember Grandpa saying that the tiger skin was hunted by Lin Er and presented to the emperor after his triumphant return.

Huiyi suddenly changed her opinion of Lin Er because she was surprised that he had hunted such a ferocious beast.

Lin Lanting didn't miss Huiyi's expression as he spoke. Noticing the amazement and admiration on the willful princess's face, he felt a surge of pride and said in a nonchalant tone, "Look at the princess, is she captivated by my charm?"

Huiyi realized what was happening and immediately composed herself, coldly snorting, "What arrogance! What elegance do you have? You're just a brute!"

After saying that, Huiyi forced herself to stop looking at the fragrant grilled fish in Lin Ershou's mouth and went into the house.

However, her appetite had already been whetted, so Huiyi changed her mind and had the kitchen prepare food.

The food arrived, and Lin Er also brought in grilled fish.

Huiyi watched as Lin Er ate the incredibly delicious grilled fish with great relish right in front of her.

Even though Huiyi was extremely hungry, she couldn't bring herself to ask Lin Er for food.

The fish soup tonight has no flavor at all.

Huiyi angrily withdrew her gaze, thinking that she would ask the kitchen to grill a fish for her tomorrow after Lin Er started his job.

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Author's Note: Update complete! [heart emoji]

I have something to tell you all: I'm out of ideas, I've started working as a laborer, so I can't guarantee daily updates anymore, but I should be able to guarantee one update every two days.

I'll try my best to update daily, though; writing longer chapters for a flop will only make it flop more [crying emoji].

So now it's updated every other day [emoji]