Chapter 107: A Delightful Taste

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Lu Yuhong stood on the boat, warning the servants from the Xie family who were delivering fish, "Be careful, don’t spill it!"

The Xie family servant hadn’t been nervous at first, but after Lu Yuhong’s warning, the hand holding the iron pot trembled slightly.

When the small boat arrived, Lu Yuhong personally stepped forward and took the iron pot.

Xie Jue came over, smiling teasingly, "Brother Lu, you’re not planning to hog it all for yourself, are you?"

"I’m not as petty as you. Come on, let’s go inside the cabin to eat. After we finish, we’ll continue fishing," Lu Yuhong said as he carried the iron pot to the table inside the cabin.

Soon after, Chu Lan also came in.

The servants on board prepared bowls and chopsticks for the three of them, and they began to taste the food.

At the very first bite, Lu Yuhong’s face lit up with delight. "This fish is incredibly delicious! The flesh is tender and fragrant."

Then he began to eat heartily, somewhat abandoning his usual composure.

He praised further, "The side dishes underneath are also well-seasoned, and what are these black beans? They’re savory and fragrant!"

Compared to him, Chu Lan and Xie Jue’s reactions were much more restrained. It wasn’t that the food was not tasty, but years of upbringing kept them from losing their composure for the sake of delicious food.

Especially Chu Lan; no matter how good the food was, he wouldn’t behave like Lu Yuhong. For him, the importance of food was not so great.

Yet he couldn’t deny that Wei Ruo’s fish was indeed exceptionally fresh and flavorful. The method of roasting, boiling, and adding a variety of side dishes was also quite novel.

The fish was split in half. Weighing over two catties, half of it wasn’t much. With the side dishes, it was just a shallow half pot. Before long, the three had finished eating.

Lu Yuhong, still unsatisfied, looked at the pot bottom where even the soup was gone, lingering over the meal.

He then urged Chu Lan and Xie Jue to continue fishing, "Now that we’ve eaten, don’t rest. Hurry back and catch more fish."

Xie Jue sighed, "Brother Lu, at least let Miss Wei, who’s in charge of the roasted fish, rest a bit."

"Then I’ll just catch more to keep. What if Miss Wei wants to roast some more? We can’t have no fish for her to cook, right?"

With that, Lu Yuhong pulled Xie Jue and Chu Lan toward the bow of the boat.

Xie Jue glanced at Chu Lan, and seeing no unusual expression on his face, he felt reassured and followed them to the bow.

Among all the peers he knew, it seemed only Lu Yuhong dared to pull around the Seventh Prince like that, and the Seventh Prince was exceptionally tolerant of Lu Yuhong.

Part of this was due to Lu Yuhong’s status, and part because they had grown up together.

When the three returned to the bow to continue fishing, Wei Ruo, Xie Ying, and Xiu Mei had also finished their half fish.

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Xie Ying asked Wei Ruo, "Ruo Ruo, what are these black beans? They taste salty and quite good."

"These are fermented black soybeans, made from fermented soybeans. They enhance aroma and flavor," Wei Ruo explained.

"How amazing! Last time you said soy sauce was also made from soybeans. How can one soybean make so many different things?" Xie Ying marveled.

"Soybeans have many uses. One day I’ll make you some soy milk and tofu pudding; they’re delicious," Wei Ruo said.

"Great! I’m really looking forward to yours, even though I’ve had soy milk and tofu pudding before," Xie Ying responded eagerly.

Then Xie Ying sighed, "Ruo Ruo, if I were a man, I’d come to your house to propose and marry you!"

"If you were a man, I wouldn’t pay you any mind," Wei Ruo replied.

"Why not?"

"Because no husband is better than a friend. True deep feelings among men are rare; most are shallow and unfaithful like Chen Shimei."

"That’s not necessarily true. I think my parents are quite good. My mother doesn’t mind that my father’s rank is low, and my father doesn’t mind that my mother comes from a merchant family. They treat each other with respect," Xie Ying said.

"Your parents are rare. Take Taizhou Prefecture for example; how many families these days don’t take concubines?" Wei Ruo asked.

"Not many, I only know the Prefectural Magistrate hasn’t taken concubines. Probably because his wife comes from the royal family of Prince Huai. If he dared, the royal house would never tolerate the Yuan family," Xie Ying replied.

"So you better remain my good sister. If I have something tasty, I won’t leave you out. My future husband won’t necessarily be so fortunate!" Wei Ruo said.

"Okay! We’re good sisters!" Xie Ying smiled happily.

After some whispered chatting, Xie Ying went back to fishing.

Seeing Lu Yuhong cheating by using two fishing rods, Xie Ying didn’t want to be outdone, so she had someone prepare an extra rod for her.

Afterward, no matter who caught a fish, the other would widen their eyes, afraid the other’s catch would be bigger.

Lu Yuhong exclaimed, "I can’t lose to a girl!"

Xie Ying retorted, "So what if I’m a girl? Girls aren’t necessarily weaker than men!"

Lu Yuhong said, "I’m not saying you’re weak, just that I shouldn’t be weaker than you."

Xie Ying replied, "There’s no ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t.’ Let’s speak with facts. I’m catching more fish than you now!"

Lu Yuhong said, "It’s too early to conclude!"

Xie Ying said, "I’ll catch even more! I’ll definitely be better than you!"

Lu Yuhong said, "Then let’s compete!"

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With that, they exchanged several challenging glares.

Xie Ying and Lu Yuhong seemed to have gotten serious, neither willing to concede.

Xie Jue groaned, his sister had never been one to give up since childhood, especially unable to tolerate anyone saying girls were inferior.

Lu Yuhong, on the other hand, was straightforward and competitive, and once his competitive spirit was roused, he would act recklessly.

They had thought being on separate boats would prevent trouble, yet even from afar, the two managed to spar.

Fortunately, their quarrel remained verbal and did not escalate into an actual fight—just some fierce words exchanged across the distance.

While Xie Ying and Lu Yuhong were at odds, Wei Ruo roasted a second fish, using the belly portion cut from the bighead carp that Xie Ying had caught.

Following the same process, roasting both sides until golden, then simmering with stir-fried spices and side dishes.

Finally, Wei Ruo added the black fermented beans on top.

This time, Wei Ruo prepared two servings of roasted fish: one to share with Xie Ying and Xiu Mei, and the other sent to the three on the opposite boat.

After finishing these two servings, everyone was about seventy to eighty percent full.

The remaining fresh fish were kept alive in a wooden barrel. Lu Yuhong had originally wanted to give some to Wei Ruo, but she politely declined, saying it was inconvenient for her to carry while out. Eventually, all the fish were entrusted to Xie Jue.

As for the competition between Xie Ying and Lu Yuhong, no clear winner emerged, since they caught different species, varying sizes, and differing quantities.

In the end, Chu Lan acted as peacemaker: "Each has their strengths; there’s no winner or loser."

With Chu Lan’s words, neither Xie Ying nor Lu Yuhong objected further.

Afterward, Wei Ruo and Xie Ying parted ways with the three men, returning to shore on Chu Lan’s boat.

Still aboard, Chu Lan asked Lu Yuhong, "Brother Yu, are you satisfied this time?"