Chapter 6 Borrowing Food
After arriving home, facing the eager eyes of the little kids, Lu Qing did not waste any time and started to divide the fish immediately.
He picked two banana leaves from the back of the courtyard and cut them into several pieces.
Each kid was given a handful of fish, not much, probably less than half a pound per person.
Although there were not many fish, the little kids were very excited.
After getting the fish, they all ran home happily, as if they had found some treasure.
When Lu Qing finished dividing the fish, some villagers came forward.
"Lu Qing, how did you catch these fish? How did you catch so many at once?"
"It's just luck." Lu Qing smiled, "Maybe it's because the bait I use is more attractive to fish."
"So what bait did you use?"
“It’s the common earthworm found in the ground.”
Lu Qing did not hide anything and told the truth.
Anyway, even if he didn't say it, the villagers would know it soon.
After all, when he was fishing, there were a group of little kids watching him behind him.
In this case, he might as well say it openly so that others won't say he is stingy.
"Earthworms, can this thing be used for fishing?" The villagers were surprised.
"Of course, and the fish like it very much."
Lu Qing was not surprised that the villagers didn't know that earthworms could be used for fishing.
From the original owner's memory, he roughly guessed that he was now in a world similar to ancient China.
In this ancient and feudal era, transportation was inconvenient and information was blocked.
People are cautious and conservative about new things and will not try them easily.
It is very likely that what is common knowledge in one place may become a rare thing in another place.
No one in the village is good at fishing, so it is normal that everyone doesn’t know that fish like to eat earthworms.
"I didn't expect that fish actually like to eat earthworms. No wonder everyone didn't get anything when fishing before. It turns out that the wrong bait was used." A villager sighed.
"Lu Qing, your father told you this method, right?"
Lu Qing hesitated for a moment and nodded. "I heard my father mention this before and I just took note of it. Xiaoyan kept complaining about being hungry today and there was nothing to eat at home, so I just remembered this method and decided to give it a try. I didn't expect that I would actually catch a fish."
The villager paused when he heard this and looked at Xiaoyan.
The little guy was squatting beside the bucket watching the fish. He felt the villager's gaze, raised his head, and immediately gave him a big smile.
The villager suddenly felt sad. He looked at the thin Lu Qing again and felt a surge of sympathy.
"So what are you going to do next? You can't just eat fish, how will your stomach handle it?"
"I was just thinking about discussing this with my uncles," Lu Qing said earnestly. "My uncles and aunts know that my family is in such a bad situation that we don't even have a grain of rice or food. So I want to borrow some food, oil, and salt from my uncles and aunts. When I find a job in a few days, I will definitely pay you back double."
"What are you talking about? Are you uncles the kind of people who would take advantage of others' misfortune? We are all from the same village, and we should support each other. It's just a little food, Shanbo will bring it to you later!"
The villager was so moved that he immediately spoke loudly.
Since he said so, it was natural for the other villagers to express their opinions.
"Yes, it's just some food. I'll get it for you right away!"
"My family bought too much salt at the market earlier this month, so I can give you some."
"It's just oil. I still have a lot left at home. I'll go dig it up for you later!"
Several villagers patted their chests, looking generous.
Lu Qing was overjoyed: "Thank you so much, uncles!"
"Lu Qing, wait a moment. I'll go home and get you some food."
Shanbo went out immediately, and several other villagers also went home.
Not long after, they all came to Lu Qing's yard again.
"Here, you and Xiaoyan can eat this half bag of rice first. When you're done, ask Shanbo for more!"
"Lu Qing, this half jar of lard should be enough for you to eat for a while, right?"
"Here is a small bamboo tube of salt. You can use it first."
"I have some pancakes that your aunt baked this morning. They can last for quite a while. One piece can keep you full for a long time. Is that enough?"
Looking at the things brought by the villagers, Lu Qing felt inexplicably grateful.
He bowed repeatedly and said, "That's enough, thank you uncles!"
After that, he took out several handfuls of small fish from the bucket and divided them into several portions.
As a result, most of the fish in the barrel were gone in an instant.
"Uncles, take this little bit of fish back and try it."
Shanbo and the others waved their hands, "How can this be possible? You just caught these fish with great effort. Keep them for you and Xiaoyan."
"Xiaoyan and I can't eat so much. The weather is hot now, and fish won't last long. We don't have chickens or ducks at home, so fish will go bad easily. Uncles and aunts, just share the burden with us to avoid waste."
Without saying anything, Lu Qing stuffed several bags of fish wrapped in leaves into the hands of several villagers.
"Well... okay, we won't be polite."
Several villagers had just taken out a lot of surplus food from their homes and were feeling a little painful, but after getting the fish, they felt a lot more relieved.
After seeing off his uncles and aunts, Lu Qing breathed a sigh of relief.
He was somewhat relieved.
Fortunately, the people in the village are relatively simple and honest, otherwise he would not dare to ask to borrow food.
Now, with this little bit of food, he and Xiaoyan won’t have to worry too much about food for the next ten days or half a month.
With this buffer period, he can also try to figure out how to survive in this world.
"Brother, this pancake smells so good!"
Lu Qing was thinking when he suddenly heard Xiaoyan's words.
Looking down, I saw the little guy squatting on the ground, drooling at the pancake that one of the villagers had just brought.
He walked forward, tore off a small piece of cake and put it in Xiaoyan's hand.
"Xiaoyan, be good and eat this cake first. I will go cook now."
"Well, Xiaoyan knows!"
Xiaoyan nodded obediently, took the cake and started to eat it happily.
After comforting the little guy, Lu Qing started to get busy in the kitchen.
First, I washed the rice and steamed it. Then I caught half a pound of small fish, gutted them, and cleaned them.
After cleaning the fish and preparing to fry it, Lu Qing discovered a problem.
There are no pots in the kitchen to cook.
Lu Qing recalled and then remembered.
Originally there was an iron pot in the house, but some time ago, the original owner sold it to buy food.
So now there is only a clay pot for steaming rice at home, but no pot for cooking.
Sighing, Lu Qing could only do the next best thing. He found a relatively flat thin stone slab outside the yard, cleaned it, and then slowly roasted it over the fire.
After the stone slab became hot, Lu Qing carefully scooped out a small spoonful of solidified lard from a clay jar brought by a villager.
When the lard touched the stone slab, there was a crackling sound, and the fat melted quickly, and immediately a fragrant aroma wafted into the air.
(End of this chapter)
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