Having never traveled far from home, Lu Qingyan had no idea how vast the world was, nor how far apart the capitals of Lu and Jin were.
Sima Xing squatted childishly by the lake, picked up a pebble and tossed it into the lake, creating ripples on the surface.
He smiled gently when he heard Lu Qingyan's question.
"Ayan, once you go to Dadu, you'll likely never have another chance to come out. Can't you take your time, enjoy the scenery, and walk around more along the way?"
Lu Qingyan looked up and saw the afterglow of the setting sun. The willow branches by the lake were dancing in the wind, and the water was sparkling. It was indeed a beautiful scene.
“We’ve been sleeping outdoors most of the time these past few days, so staying here tonight is quite nice,” Lu Qingyan said playfully, taking off her shoes and socks and stepping into the water. The fish that had been leisurely swimming disappeared as soon as they saw a stranger.
Under the still-sweltering sky, the water was slightly hot, only becoming exceptionally cool in the evening. Lu Qingyan scooped up a handful of water and spread it out, then reached into the water to try and catch fish, but after a long while, she caught nothing.
Sima Xing watched from the shore for a long time before extending his slightly calloused right hand: "Ayan, come on up!"
Lu Qingyan smiled slightly and let him pull her ashore.
Lu Qingyan then realized that there was actually a lively fish jumping around on the grass.
Sima Xing smiled and said, "I'm tired of eating pheasants and rabbits these days, so it's good to change things up. The fish in this lake are quite good, I'll grill them for you to try."
Lu Qingyan shook her head and refused, which was unusual for her: "You've worked so hard these past few days, leave today's food to me. Although my cooking skills are not as good as yours, I will definitely make sure you can't eat it."
Sima Xing raised an eyebrow and said, "Hearing you say that, I'm not entirely comfortable entrusting this to you." But despite saying that, he still obediently cleaned the fish and handed it to Lu Qingyan.
Actually, Lu Qingyan was being a bit modest in this regard; her skills were much better than Sima Xing's.
Soon, the aroma of grilled fish, mixed with the scent of fruit, grew stronger. Sima Xing took a piece of grilled fish from Lu Qingyan, tore off a small bite, and slowly chewed and savored it. He nodded and praised, "It's not as bad as you said. It tastes pretty good. Do you grill fish often?"
Lu Qingyan nodded and recalled, "In the past, my brother Jiyan and I would sneak out of the palace to play in the back mountain. There were many fish in the lake there."
Lu Qingyan took a deep breath to suppress the bitterness in her heart: "When I was little, I especially loved to eat fish. Back then, my mother's small kitchen would have a small portion of fish soup or other food every day. After my mother passed away, I rarely had the chance to eat it. Actually, I had many opportunities back then, but it was because Brother Jiyan would always grill fish for me when I went to play in the back mountain."
Lu Qingyan smiled and said, "I remember that my father raised a kind of Showa Sanshoku koi in the palace. I thought the fish were quite beautiful and that the meat must be especially delicious, so I planned to sneakily catch one. But I was unlucky and my father caught me. He gave me a scolding, and that was the end of it."
As Lu Qingyan spoke, she felt that the sweet-tasting fish meat had turned bitter.
After finishing her meal, Lu Qingyan lay in the grass, gazing at the dark sky. Actually, the sky wasn't truly dark, as stars twinkled there. She couldn't help but ask, "Sima Xing, have you ever been to Northern Qi?"
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