Chapter 41 Braised Fish Runs Away from Home in the Middle of the Night
Li Jie'er's face was also flushed from the sun. Lu Qiong quickly called her in and poured her a glass of water on the table: "Next time, just come straight into the courtyard. Don't stand there like an idiot."
Perhaps she had waited quite a while, for Li Jie'er took the water and gulped it down. She drank so fast that a drop of water dribbled from her chin and landed on the hem of her dress, staining the fabric.
Seeing that she was giving Lu Xuan meaningful glances several times, Lu Qiong knew that the two had something to say, so she made an excuse: "You two go inside and talk, I'll go to the kitchen to cook."
These words were like an imperial edict; as soon as they were spoken, the two of them ran into the house and closed the door behind them.
However, chatting for a while can make things more relaxed.
The fish basket is still in the kitchen. The fish haven't been in water for a while, and now they're a bit wilted, with only their gills still bulging.
Fearing the fish would die and become stale, Lu Qiong kept it in water. As soon as it touched the water, its tail started to wag.
Is this fish some kind of spirit?
However, it couldn't escape being braised, so let it swim a few more times for now.
There was some cabbage left over from the vegetables Yu Niang gave me yesterday, so I cooked it all together today. We made a braised fish and a boiled vegetable dish, which is a good mix of meat and vegetables.
Having grown accustomed to the stoves in Bianjing, I felt a little out of place when I returned. But after living in the same house for several years, I soon got used to it. The familiar feel of the stove was as if I had never left.
Braised fish is not easy to make. The preparation work is complicated. You have to clean the fish, make a few cuts, sprinkle some salt and ginger slices on it, and finally rub the whole fish with Shaoxing wine.
The rough, grainy texture imprinted on his palm, and the aroma of the wine spread, making Lu Qiong feel dizzy, but also making him even more eager for the taste of the fish.
The oil in the pan was hot, sizzling and popping out a few drops.
While the oil was still hot, Lu Qiong poured the fish in. The side that was in contact with the pan quickly turned golden brown. Finally, she sprinkled on the remaining seasonings, added half a bowl of water, and simmered it until the broth thickened.
Perhaps drawn by the aroma, Lu Xuan ran into the kitchen to see what was going on. She clung to the doorframe, poked her head out, wrinkled her nose, and looked like a greedy little dog: "Sister, it smells so good! How much longer until we can eat?"
Perhaps it was because she was too adorable, but Lu Qiong couldn't help but laugh out loud as soon as she saw her, and removed one piece of firewood from the stove: "Wait a little longer, it will be ready soon."
But where did Sister Li go?
Hearing this, Lu Xuan avoided her gaze and grabbed at the splinter on the door frame: "Li-jie'er has gone home."
Lu Qiong didn't take it seriously, since the two families weren't far apart, and she could just go back in time for lunch.
The braised fish was stewed for a while longer, absorbing a lot of the broth, but it also became more fragrant. She poked a piece of fish with her chopsticks, and the broth flowed into the tender white fish meat, making it look very appetizing.
With plenty of seasoning, Lu Xuan ate more than half a bowl of rice, a grain of rice still clinging to her lips as she spoke: "Sister, let's stay here a few more days."
Lu Qiong picked out a fishbone: "Why are you suddenly bringing this up? Didn't you miss Xue'er just yesterday?"
Lu Xuan was stumped by the question and stammered for a long time before being unable to answer. She just buried her head in eating the fish.
Fearing she might choke on a fish bone, Lu Qiong didn't press her further: "Then stay another day, otherwise this shop will have to change hands."
With the promise granted, Lu Xuan smiled and began to eat her meal in peace.
After dinner, Lu Xuan ran off again. Lu Qiong had nothing to do at home, so she took the bedding to the yard to air it out. She could smell a warm, cozy scent coming from the bedding.
She had been constantly on the move in Bianjing, and now that she had some free time, she felt uncomfortable all over. So she went to visit other people's homes, chatted about everyday things, and even brought back some fruit and a few eggs.
After dinner, Lu Qiong and Lu Xuan strolled around the village entrance. After all, there was no vibrant "nightlife" in Shangyuan Village; as soon as it was time to go to bed, every household turned off their lights and went to rest.
Just as the night was deep and quiet, a commotion came from the Lu family courtyard.
"Sister Ali?"
Lu Xuan carried a basket on her back and embroidered shoes as she walked towards the courtyard. The road was dark, with only the moonlight providing some light.
Li Jie didn't reply, but pulled the person over and said in a low voice, "Keep your voice down, don't wake your sister."
"Have you got everything?"
Lu Xuan nodded: "Everything is ready."
Li Jie'er led the way, saying, "Let's go, I know a shortcut."
...
The sun-dried quilt had a comforting smell. Lu Qiong was snuggled in the quilt, fast asleep, when she suddenly heard a noise.
Knock knock—
"Open the door, isn't Miss Li here?"
Is that Yu Niang's voice?
She groggily opened her eyes. The room was still dark, with only a sliver of light coming through the window. But the knocking on the door continued, so she didn't have time to think about anything else and hurriedly put on her shoes to open the door.
This is the first time I've seen Yu Niang so anxious; I wonder what happened.
"Where is Sister Li?"
Upon seeing Lu Qiong come out, Yu Niang grabbed her hand and was about to rush into the house to look for someone.
Lu Qiong then realized that something was amiss: "Li Jie'er hasn't gone back?"
Although Yu Niang's tone was agitated, her words were still clear: "After going out with Xuan-jie in the afternoon, I didn't return until evening. I've been tired these past few days, so I went to bed early. When I got up in the middle of the night, I was worried that Li-jie might catch a cold, so I went to check on her, but she was nowhere to be found."
After hearing her say that, Lu Qiong also realized that someone was missing from the house. Not only was Li Jie'er missing, but Lu Xuan was also nowhere to be found.
Where can one go in the middle of the night?
What if you accidentally fall into the river in the dark?
The more they thought about it, the more uneasy they felt.
Lu Qiong couldn't sit still either, so she simply dug out the oil lamp in the house. It was made of iron and wasn't expensive. There was still some oil left, which she estimated would last until dawn.
The two split up to search. Yu Niang went to the places where Li Jie'er often went, while Lu Qiong searched along the riverbank.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, they disturbed the woodcutter Zhou. Upon hearing that Lu Xuan was missing, he angrily said a long string of words: "She's always running around aimlessly. One minute she's going to the river to catch fish, and the next she's running away from home. She's a worry for everyone every day."
Lu Qiong, who led the way to fish in the river, remained silent and only dared to stand aside.
Still worried about people, the woodcutter Zhou found a wooden stick, tied a strip of cloth to the thicker end, and smeared some oil on it so that it would burn longer.
They hadn't seen the two of them by dawn.
Now many villagers are also looking for it, but some are simply too busy, as they are already too busy with the autumn harvest.
The village market opens early, so Jiang Su got up and went to buy vegetables. She also bought some meat from an auntie, planning to stir-fry it with other dishes when she got home.
I had just paid when I overheard people chatting: "Did Miss Li run away from home last night?"
"The youngest daughter of the Lu family has also disappeared..."
Jiang Su hadn't heard the rest of what was said before she immediately went back, not even having time to put down the basket of vegetables, and grabbed Liu Pozi's sleeve.
"Could it be because of the hairpin? What if something happens to them?"
Granny Liu spat and glanced at her sideways: "What are you saying? This is none of your business. Mind your own business and hurry up and wash the meat."
Jiang Su was disappointed by her reaction. No matter what Granny Liu said, she rushed into the kitchen, put the bamboo basket on the table, and then ran out again.
"What kind of mess is this...?"
Granny Liu took out the remaining bamboo weaving, and after weaving for a while, she scratched her finger again, right next to the original wound.
However, she only frowned slightly and continued weaving.
I just can't seem to get it right, it's so frustrating.
Granny Liu sighed, put the unfinished bamboo basket aside, and opened the locked wooden cabinet, which was full of seasonings and ingredients.
He scooped out a bowl of rice, two spoonfuls of salt, half a spoonful of lard, and cut a small piece of pork. He put the rest back in the cupboard and locked it.
Granny Liu called out, "Jiang Sheng, after you finish feeding the chickens, sweep up the leaves in the yard. If we're not back, cook some porridge for yourself, add some meat, and I've put all the seasonings on the table."
After tidying everything up, she went out as well.
...
After leaving the Lu family, Li Jie'er and Lu Xuan walked up the mountain along the path to find some herbs, which they would then take to Bianjing to exchange for money.
The mountain wasn't high, just a small hill, and the path was barely visible in the moonlight. When they reached the fork in the road, Li Jie'er wasn't sure which way to go.
Lu Xuan immediately regretted following along, her face contorted in distress: "Are we going to get lost?"
I was so sleepy and tired. If I hadn't come along, I would still be lying in my warm bed right now.
The wind was a bit strong at night, rustling the leaves of the trees around her, which made Lu Xuan shiver and hug her arms to the side.
Li Jie told her not to worry, and Lu Xuan thought there might be some way. Then she saw Li Jie find a stone, throw it into the air, and point the pointed end to the right: "Go this way."
Lu Xuan: "..."
Once you're on that pirate ship, there's no getting off; you can only accept your fate and follow behind.
By sheer coincidence, they found a grove of trees, with several familiar-looking herbs growing around it.
"Atractylodes macrocephala... Angelica sinensis..."
Lu Xuan muttered to herself as she searched for herbs.
Li Jie'er didn't recognize many herbs, so she mainly relied on Lu Xuan; otherwise, she would have come by herself tonight.
Seeing Lu Xuan staring at a particular plant, he nudged her with his elbow: "What's this? It's just some wildflowers..."
“This looks like angelica root,” Lu Xuan interrupted her.
There was more than one nearby. Li Jie'er was so happy she almost jumped for joy. She quickly squatted down and joined in picking them. To save time, the two of them even used sickles to cut the whole plant down.
Lu Xuan felt something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
After they finished cutting the entire area, they were both exhausted. They planned to go back before dawn, but ended up falling asleep under a big tree.
Li Jie'er was the first to wake up, awakened by a blinding ray of sunlight. At first, she didn't quite realize what was happening, but once she took in her surroundings, she nudged Lu Xuan, who was sleeping soundly beside her, and said, "Get up..."
Lu Xuan was still muttering in her sleep: "Sister, I want to eat fish..."
When they were fully awake, they hurriedly went down the mountain, getting covered in mud along the way.
After descending the mountain, the two dared not slow down to rest. They jogged all the way to the country road, where they encountered Granny Liu.
Upon seeing her, Lu Xuan's first reaction was to hide. She grabbed Li Jie'er and tried to run away, but then she heard Granny Liu call out to them loudly.
Both of their hearts trembled.
Standing still in place.
Granny Liu hurried over and saw that the two men's clothes were a little dirty and their faces were flushed, so they seemed to be alright. She breathed a sigh of relief.
Thinking about how she had been looking for them all morning, she felt a surge of anger and raised her voice to scold them: "Where did you go in the middle of the night? I, an old woman, have been looking for you everywhere."
She looks like a wicked mother-in-law, scolding Li Jie'er and her brother like wooden dolls.
Their emotions were already tense, and Liu Pozi's words frightened them so much that tears welled up in their eyes.
Seeing that her eyes immediately welled up with tears, Granny Liu was taken aback and could only feign indignation: "What's there to cry about..."
She kept the rest of her words to herself, because she saw Yu Niang rushing over, and her face didn't look good.
And there was a large group of people following behind them...
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