Even Li Dashan was surprised by Jiang Wanyue’s technique.
This girl was impressive.
Although he wasn’t particularly skilled in martial arts, he could tell there was real technique behind the way she caught fish. It looked simple, but it wasn’t something an ordinary person could do.
Soon, after moving to several different spots in the river, Jiang Wanyue speared another large haul of fish.
By rough count, there were at least thirty or forty.
Some of the larger ones weighed two or three jin (about 1–1.5 kg).
Seeing her catch so many fish made the other prisoners green with envy.
Fortunately, this stretch of river was rarely visited.
Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been so many fish left to catch.
After she finished, Jiang Wanyue returned to shore and put her shoes and socks back on.
This time, when she asked Li Dashan to lend her his knife to clean the fish, he didn’t hesitate.
The lively fish that had still been flopping around in her hands were quickly gutted and cleaned.
Her movements were practiced and efficient.
This body had spent years slaughtering pigs, let alone fish.
In her previous life, Jiang Wanyue had also worked part-time at wet markets, so cleaning fish was second nature to her.
As Jiang Wanyue cleaned the fish, Lin Jingyuan washed them beside her.
At first, Shen Qingru was frightened by the sight of fish being cleaned.
But seeing that even her fifteen-year-old daughter could do it, she gathered her courage and joined in.
She had lived a pampered life.
Not only had she never cleaned or gutted fish, she had hardly even seen live fish before.
The only fish she had ever looked at were ornamental ones.
When she first began washing the fish, she was clumsy.
The fish were slippery and smelled strongly of river water.
Their tails kept flapping, splashing water all over her face.
The sharp fins pricked her hands, sending stinging pain through her fingers.
But she endured it all.
Her daughter wasn’t afraid.
So why should she fear a few fish spines?
Seeing their mother-in-law helping, the eldest branch’s two daughters-in-law, Qin Mingshu and Wen Lingyue, no longer had any excuse to stand aside.
They hurried over and awkwardly joined in.
Although they too had grown up pampered and weren’t skilled at this sort of work, they weren’t foolish.
Their technique was clumsy, but with more hands helping, the work progressed much faster.
Once all the fish had been cleaned, Jiang Wanyue gathered several wild herbs growing by the river that could be used as seasonings.
Qin Mingshu, who was famous for her excellent pastries and loved cooking in general, looked curiously at the unfamiliar plants Jiang Wanyue had picked.
“What are these?”
Jiang Wanyue pointed to the three different herbs.
“This is Vietnamese coriander. It removes the fishy smell.
This is lemongrass. It’s amazing for grilled fish.
And this is yellowcress. It has a natural spicy flavor and is also called spicy cress. It’s excellent for making soup.”
“You really know so much.”
Jiang Wanyue simply smiled and said nothing more.
The guards were already craning their necks, waiting for her to start cooking.
If she delayed any longer, they would probably lose their patience.
There were too many fish for the guards to finish by themselves.
Jiang Wanyue set aside quite a few fish for the eldest branch of the Lin family and taught Qin Mingshu how to recognize lemongrass, instructing her to marinate the fish first.
Lin Jingyuan accompanied Jiang Wanyue to help prepare the guards’ meal.
Starting a fire wasn’t difficult.
With a few stones stacked together, they quickly built a simple stove.
Firewood was easy to gather from the nearby woods.
Seeing Lin Jingyuan looking completely at a loss, Jiang Wanyue guessed he had probably never started a fire before.
She borrowed a fire starter from Li Dashan, gathered some dry grass by the river, and lit it.
The flames immediately sprang to life.
She added small dry twigs first, then gradually fed in thicker branches, and finally larger pieces of firewood.
Before long, the fire was burning steadily.
Watching carefully, Lin Jingyuan realized that even building a fire required skill.
Jiang Wanyue said,
“Father, while I’m cooking, I’ll need your help. Whenever I tell you to add firewood, add it, all right?”
Lin Jingyuan nodded solemnly.
“I understand.”
He had watched every step of her fire-building process with complete concentration.
He believed he’d be able to do it himself next time.
For the fish she had caught, Jiang Wanyue planned to make a large pot of fish soup, pan-fried fish, several grilled fish, and a stir-fried wild vegetable dish using the purslane she had picked.
She started with the fish soup.
The fish had already been cleaned.
She heated the pot and added a small amount of pork lard, allowing it to melt.
Then she placed the fish into the pot and slowly fried them over medium-low heat until golden brown before turning them over and frying the other side the same way.
Once the fish were nicely browned, she poured in enough water to completely cover them.
Turning to Lin Jingyuan, who stood ready beside the fire, she instructed,
“Father, add more firewood now. The fire needs to burn strongly.
Once the soup comes to a rolling boil, reduce the fire a little.
Understand?”
“I understand.”
The soup needed to simmer for about fifteen minutes before the flavor would fully develop.
Even while Jiang Wanyue had been frying the fish, the aroma had already left every guard drooling.
“It smells incredible!”
“My stomach’s already growling. I wonder how much longer until we can eat.”
“This girl really is a talented cook.”
While the fish soup simmered, Jiang Wanyue had Qin Mingshu use the lemongrass…
The fish had finished marinating.
By now, Qin Mingshu had also built another fire nearby.
The fish had been skewered on branches they had cut from the woods.
Jiang Wanyue handed them to Qin Mingshu, Shen Qingru, and Wen Lingyue.
Looking at her eldest, second, and third brothers, who were all still wearing heavy wooden cangues, an idea came to her.
As the fire burned steadily, the three women placed the marinated fish over the flames to roast.
Grilling fish wasn’t particularly difficult.
The key was making sure it didn’t burn.
Under Jiang Wanyue’s guidance, the women gradually went from awkward beginners to becoming more and more proficient.
Qin Mingshu, especially, seemed to have a natural talent for it.
She barely needed any instruction before she had the hang of it.
Drawn by the irresistible aroma of the roasting fish, Liu Dazhu hurried over, saliva pooling in his mouth.
“Why does it smell so good? What did you put on it?”
“Just a special seasoning for grilled fish.”
“So there’s this much skill involved in grilling fish?”
“Of course. Otherwise, how could it taste so good?”
Liu Dazhu was becoming increasingly impatient.
In the past, meals had simply been something to keep them from starving.
But now…
He wished he could stuff the fish straight from the fire into his mouth.
Watching everyone slowly turn the fish over the flames, he wished they would finish cooking instantly.
“Oh, come on! Hurry up already! You’re killing me here!”
Jiang Wanyue shook her head.
“If we cook them too quickly, they’ll burn, and the flavor won’t be as good.
If only we had a few more people helping…
We’d be able to grill them much faster.”
“Then we’ll help!”
Jiang Wanyue quickly waved her hands.
“How could I possibly trouble you officers? I already promised I wouldn’t burden you.
Please just wait and enjoy the food.”
There was an entire pile of marinated fish waiting.
If they grilled them one by one like this, they might still be cooking by next year.
By then, everyone would probably have starved from the smell alone.
Jiang Wanyue remained firm.
Suddenly, Liu Dazhu noticed the three men of the Lin family’s eldest branch sitting nearby.
An idea immediately came to him.
“I’ll have your brothers come over and help.”
Jiang Wanyue deliberately looked hesitant.
“Your captain probably won’t agree.”
“Leave it to me. I’ll ask the boss. More people means the fish will cook faster.”
“That’s certainly true.”
After Liu Dazhu explained the idea to Li Dashan, Li Dashan quickly walked over.
The moment Jiang Wanyue saw him, she flashed him an open, sincere smile.
She held up the fish she was grilling.
“Thank you, Officer!”
Watching the busy young woman, Li Dashan couldn’t help laughing inwardly.
This girl…
She’s as clever as a little fox.
Still, the guards had benefited greatly from her efforts.
Within the limits of his authority, giving her a small favor wasn’t unreasonable.
After all…
She really was quite likable.
Capable, resourceful, and quick-witted.