Overwhelmed with joy, Ruan Meng rushed to the door, then turned back and said to her second brother and Ji Qing:
"Second Brother, Jiqing, can you help me sell firecrackers?"
"We need to buy a lot, enough to make the noise echo all the way up the mountain from the village entrance!"
Ji Qing realized, "Because the beast that drove Granny Liu to her death is dead?"
With his elder brother and sister-in-law absent, Jiqing had no means of restraint.
The second and third brothers suddenly realized.
The second brother turned to leave, and Ruan Meng slipped a few taels of silver to her second brother, saying, "When you come back, please help me buy some tofu, soy sauce, salt, and sugar."
Ji Qing quickly followed him out.
When the eldest brother and sister-in-law heard that the second son was going to the city, and that Jiqing was going with him, they came in and asked Ruan Meng:
"Little sister, what are you going to do with the firecrackers? Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Why don't we travel together when we see Manager Du and his party off?"
Ruan Meng couldn't suppress her smile, so the third brother explained on her behalf:
"Brother, sister-in-law, Jiqing just told me that Granny Liu's nephew died in prison. I'm so happy!"
The sister-in-law was somewhat surprised, "How could that be?"
The third brother relayed the message from Ji Qing: "They said he offended someone in the prison, got beaten up a few times, and suffered internal injuries..."
The eldest sister-in-law was so surprised that she couldn't speak, her expression somewhat complicated.
Ruan Meng secretly observed her older brother's expression, received a warning look, and secretly stuck out her tongue, unable to hide her satisfaction.
He deliberately looked away and gazed at the beachcombing catch that the villagers had brought him that morning, picking out the dragonfish.
It was seeing this that prompted Ruan Meng to ask her second brother to buy tofu.
The third brother, out of curiosity and also to help Ruan Meng avoid trouble, asked her:
"Little sister, what's this? It looks so fierce!"
The third brother was not only relieved that his second brother wasn't there, but also worried that he would be startled if he saw it.
Ruan Meng pointed to the dragonhead fish's head and explained, "This is called a dragonhead fish because its head resembles a fierce dragon." (Image of a dragonhead fish from the internet) The third brother continued, "Is it delicious?"
Ruan Meng: "The taste is very delicious. Apart from the main bone, the other bones are as thin as hair, and the meat is soft and tender, like tofu."
"Therefore, in some places, fishermen call it snot fish or tofu fish, which shows its taste."
Upon hearing this, the third brother subconsciously swallowed, becoming even more curious.
The third brother looked away, drawn to several almost transparent fish in the wooden basin.
Ruan Meng picked one up and introduced it:
"This is called an amphioxus, it doesn't have a brain..." Amphioxus, picture from the internet. The eldest brother, sister-in-law, and third brother were shocked to hear this.
Ruan Meng explained, "It means exactly what it says. It has no head, so it has no brain. It has no bones, only two ends, front and back, and its body is supported by its spine."
The third brother approached, took it from Ruan Meng's hand, examined it carefully, and couldn't help but exclaim in amazement:
"That's amazing!"
"If it doesn't have a head, does that mean it doesn't have eyes and ears?"
Ruan Meng nodded, "So, it can neither see, hear, nor smell."
The third brother's face was filled with surprise. How could someone survive like this?
The elder brother suddenly asked, "Little sister, is the name of this fish related to the God of Literature, Wenchang?"
Ruan Meng's eyes widened in amazement. He really was the eldest brother!
She explained, "It is said that these fish appear in large numbers around the time of the birthday of the God of Literature, Wenchang."
"Now, although the time has not yet come, they still appear occasionally, but the number and size are not the most or the largest."
Ruan Qian nodded, and the third brother Ruan Zheng nodded, suddenly feeling a sense of regret.
If my second brother were here, he would definitely love such interesting knowledge.
It was as if I could hear the third brother's inner thoughts. When the third brother, who was carrying a brick, was almost frightened by the two "ugly things" in the wooden bucket...
Ruan Meng spoke first, "I'll introduce it when Second Brother comes back. He'll definitely be very interested!"
Ruan Qian smiled and turned around to continue entertaining guests with his wife.
The third brother swiftly chopped up the chicken, duck, and goose, while Ruan Meng prepared the clams, razor clams, lizardfish, and other small fish.
After the third brother finished his work, he noticed that Ruan Meng had placed the lancelet she had just caught aside and asked curiously:
"Little sister, can't we eat amphioxus?"
Ruan Meng hissed. In her previous life, the amphioxus was a living fossil and a Class II protected animal. Ruan Meng had never tasted it.
But lancelets are small and have little meat, so what's the point of eating them?
But it has a short lifespan. What if someone discovers its unique taste and it is subjected to devastating fishing? Wouldn't that be terrible?
Ruan Meng made up a story off the top of her head: "What good can something without a brain do?"
The third brother believed it without a doubt.
Sichuan pepper chicken is ready, roast goose is ready, Peking duck is ready, even pan-fried small fish, stir-fried razor clams with scallions, and steamed clams are ready. The second son is finally back.
Hearing the noise, the third brother quickly pulled the second brother inside.
Pointing to the "ugly thing" in the wooden bucket, he asked Ruan Meng:
"Little sister, can you tell me now? What is this thing?"
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