Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Octopus Soup
Yu Li was not familiar with Boss Tu.
Although Boss Tu is from Qingshi Village, he left Qingshi Village to serve in the military ten years ago and only returned to the village last year.
The Tu family was originally a group of hunters in the mountains. When Tu Lao Da was young, his father died in the mountains during a hunting trip, leaving behind Tu Lao Da and his mother.
Later, not long after Tu Lao Da was conscripted into the army, his mother followed him.
After Boss Tu returned to Qingshi Village, he became a lonely man and chose to become a hunter.
Because Boss Tu has always lived in the mountains, the villagers are not familiar with him, not to mention young girls like Yu Li, who rarely meet Boss Tu.
However, after Boss Tu came back, he went to recognize the villagers under the guidance of the village chief. He had a good memory and could recognize most of the people he had met.
Seeing that they knew each other, Yu Li handed Xuan Huaiqing, who had a broken leg, over to Boss Tu.
Boss Tu was still a little slow to react. He held Xuan Huaiqing in a daze and asked, "Li Niang, why are you here?"
"I'm going into the mountains to take a look." Yu Li said truthfully. She went into the mountains today to inspect her territory.
Boss Tu looked at her again. Who would go into the mountains empty-handed? They were not afraid of encountering poisonous snakes or ferocious beasts.
This area is far away from the outskirts of the mountains. Normally, villagers rarely come close to it, let alone a young girl like her, who would actually run here.
What was even more unexpected was that she was carrying the injured Xuan Huaiqing on her back.
Although Boss Tu had a lot of questions to ask, Yu Li had already taken the fish from her, said hello to them, and left.
She didn't walk very fast, but she didn't walk slowly either. She walked faster than many girls, not to mention on the uneven mountain road.
But after a while, her figure disappeared in front.
Boss Tu withdrew his gaze and checked Xuan Huaiqing's body first. He found that except for a broken leg, there were no other injuries, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"Master Xuan, why did you go into the mountains by yourself?" He sighed, "If your servant hadn't come to find me, I wouldn't have known you actually went into the mountains."
This mountain is not easy to enter. If you are not familiar with it, it is easy to get lost in the mountains.
Xuan Huaiqing's face was a little cold. "I came here to chase the spies from Nanzhao. It was too dark last night, and I didn't expect to lose the person..."
Instead, he was unlucky enough to fall into the mountains at night.
Boss Tu understood.
He was a soldier under General Xuan Lao, and returned home to recuperate last year due to injury.
As Xuan Huaiqing was the only grandson of General Xuan, they should have called him "Little General", but the Xuan family had only this one child and did not want him to follow this path, so they usually called him "Young Master Xuan".
Qingshi Village is located in the southeast of Daqing Dynasty, adjacent to Baiyi, Nanzhao and other places.
In recent years, the Nanzhao Kingdom has developed many ulterior motives and is ready to make some moves. Spies from Nanzhao often enter Daqing, which makes us have to be on guard.
But he didn't expect that Xuan Huaiqing would come here in person to investigate the matter, and even chased the Nanzhao spies into the forest, and almost got into trouble.
Thinking of this, Boss Tu asked again: "Master Xuan, where did you meet Li Niang?"
He had no doubts about Yu Li's identity. Although Boss Tu looked rough, he was a careful person and was still a little confused about what had just happened.
Xuan Huaiqing then told him how Yu Li saved him.
Upon hearing this, Boss Tu was stunned.
"Uncle Tu, are all the girls in your village so strong?" Xuan Huaiqing couldn't help but ask.
"That... that's not the case." Boss Tu said hesitantly, "Maybe only Li Niang is strong. During the busy farming season, she can help carry millet and pound rice. She is really strong."
He returned to his hometown during the autumn harvest last year. At that time, he happened to see Yu Li carrying the dried millet alone to pound rice. This scene left a deep impression on him, so he recognized Yu Li at first sight.
Xuan Huaiqing felt a little uncomfortable thinking about how he had been carried all this way by someone, and said, "It's all thanks to her this time, otherwise I don't know how long I would have to lie in that pit. I have to thank her very much."
Tu Laodao said: "Leave it to me, I..."
"No need!" Xuan Huaiqing waved his hand, "Wait until my foot injury heals. I will go and thank her in person. Don't go, so as not to cause trouble for her."
Thinking about this incident, he became a little worried, fearing that it would bring trouble to Yu Li.
There were spies from Nanzhao Kingdom lurking in this area. If Yu Li was targeted because of him, it would be his fault.
**
When Yu Li returned to the village carrying four fish, it was already late and only a faint afterglow remained in the sky.
At this time, she was tired and hungry. The wild fruits she had eaten in the mountains had long been digested. She felt that she was so hungry that she could swallow a cow.
Most of the villagers had already gone home for dinner. She didn't meet many people along the way, so naturally no one noticed the fish in her hand.
When Yu Li returned to the Fu family, the door opened as soon as he knocked on it.
The one who opened the door was Fu Yanhui and his sister. They were playing in the yard and ran over to open the door when they heard the knock.
Seeing Yu Li, they shouted happily: "Aunt, you are back."
The brother and sister noticed the fish in her hand and cheered, "We have fish! Grandma, our aunt brought back fish!"
When Zhou saw the fish in Yu Li's hand, she was a little surprised: "Mother Li, where did this fish come from?"
"I caught it in the pond in the mountains." Yu Li handed the fish to Zhou, "Mom, I want to eat fish."
She never concealed her thoughts. When she brought the fish back, of course she wanted to eat it immediately. There was no way she would keep it.
Zhou said, "Okay, I'll make them all now."
Although it is already late, the fish are all dead and there is no way to keep them. They cannot be kept in the hot weather, so it is better to cook and eat them directly.
After handing the fish to Zhou, Yu Li felt sticky all over and really uncomfortable, so he decided to take a shower first.
When I went back to the room to get clothes, I found that Fu Wenxiao was not asleep yet.
Just like yesterday, he sat there with his eyes closed, his pale face showing a tired look.
Seeing him open his eyes and look at her, Yu Li said, "I brought back some fish. Mom said she wanted to make fish soup. You can drink some later. I heard that fish soup is very nourishing."
If you are not in good health, then try to eat healthy food.
This is how Yu Li feels now. She is not feeling well, it must be because she didn’t eat enough. Once she is full, she will not feel so uncomfortable.
So she thought Fu Wenxiao should also eat more like herself, so that his body would get better faster.
Looking at her sincere eyes, Fu Wenxiao was speechless again.
She seemed to really think so...
"I know." He said softly.
Yu Li was busy taking a shower, so he took his clothes and went out.
The weather is hot and humid. I have been wandering in the mountains and forests for nearly a whole day. My clothes are still made of coarse linen and are not breathable. It is impossible to say that I am comfortable.
The water has been dried and is at the right temperature, and it feels very comfortable to splash onto your body.
After taking a shower, Yu Li ran to the kitchen in a hurry with wet hair.
Because she smelled the fragrance.
There was an oil lamp lit in the kitchen. Zhou was cooking fish, and Fu Yanhui and his sister were helping to light the fire.
Children in the countryside mature precociously. Although the two children are only four years old, they can do things like making fire quite well. It is obvious that they must have helped with housework a lot in their daily lives.
In comparison, six-year-old Yu Jingyi didn't even know how to make a fire. It turned out that he didn't do enough work in his daily life.
Zhou processed all four fish, two for fish soup and two for braised fish.
The fish soup is milky white and sprinkled with green onions. The soup is fresh and delicious, the braised fish sauce is fragrant, and the soup is perfect when mixed with rice.
Yu Li ate without raising his head, not even afraid of the heat, he held the fish soup and blew on it while drinking.
"Li Niang, eat slowly, don't burn yourself." Zhou reminded her. Seeing that she was eating voraciously and was obviously very hungry, she couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you eat lunch?"
"No." Yu Li said truthfully, "I went up the mountain today."
Upon hearing this, Zhou immediately said, "Then eat more. I'll save your lunch for you to eat with me." Knowing that she had a big appetite, she saved it for her.
People in the countryside eat three meals a day during the busy farming season, and only two meals a day during the slack season.
Recently, the villagers have been busy picking peanuts. In order to have the strength to work, the villagers choose to eat three meals a day.
Although the Fu family did not have to work in the fields, Zhou had already become accustomed to three meals a day. In addition, the two children were still young and could not afford to go hungry, so their family ate three meals a day all year round.
Zhou and the two children had already had dinner. Since there was fish, they ate some too, and most of the rest went into Yu Li's stomach.
After eating and drinking his fill, Yu Li returned to his room with the fish soup he had specially reserved.
The temperature of the fish soup is just right, not too hot or too cold, and not too scalding.
When Fu Wenxiao saw her coming in with the fish soup, although he had no appetite, he didn't want to refuse her kindness.
"Do you want me to feed you?" Yu Li asked, worried that he didn't have the strength to hold the spoon.
"No need." Fu Wenxiao said helplessly, feeling that the image of him in her mind might really be that of a terminally ill dying person.
Yu Li set up a small table on the bed, put the fish soup on the table, and let him drink it himself.
Zhou’s cooking skills are very good and the fish soup doesn’t taste fishy at all.
Fu Wenxiao drank slowly, elegantly and gently, and every move was pleasing to the eye.
The dim and simple rooms seem to become elegant and bright.
Yu Li looked at him steadily, without blinking.
Although Fu Wenxiao was already used to being stared at by others, he still felt a little uncomfortable when she stared at him so intently, especially when he thought that this person was his wife...
"What are you looking at?" he asked.
Yu Li said truthfully, "Look at you drinking the fish soup." Before he could speak, she said, "Isn't the fish soup delicious?"
Fu Wenxiao: "...It's really good."
"This is the fish I caught in the pond in the mountains. My mother said that the fish is chewed with spring water, so it has no earthy smell. The meat is delicate and tastes better than the fish in the river." Yu Li said happily, his eyes slightly narrowed like crescent moons.
Fu Wenxiao noticed that she had a pair of beautiful eyes.
Especially when she smiles, her eyes become curved and the whole person becomes lively. If you ignore her overly thin face, she doesn't look that ugly.
Her facial features are very delicate. If she had a little more flesh on her face, she would be a very pretty girl.
"...There are so many delicious foods in the mountains." Yu Li's eyes sparkled, like falling stars. "It's a pity that I didn't bring any tools today, and later I had to carry people, so I couldn't bring some back for you to taste..."
Fu Wenxiao was stunned for a moment, and asked sharply: "Why do you want to carry someone on your back?"
Yu Li said truthfully: "I met a man with a broken leg in the mountains. I pulled him out of the pit. He couldn't walk, so I carried him down the mountain."
Fu Wenxiao gently stirred the fish soup in the bowl with a spoon and asked casually: "Is it someone from the village?"
"No." Yu Li tilted his head, "He said his name was Xuan Huaiqing, and there is no one with the last name Xuan in the village. He looks like someone from the county town, and the clothes he's wearing are made of very good material..."
Although she didn't know much about this world, she could still tell the quality of clothes from bad ones.
The clothes on Xuan Huaiqing looked quite dirty, but the fabric felt very good, smooth and soft, with fine warp and weft, and it looked like it was not something that ordinary people could afford to wear.
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