Seeing that the oil was ready, Lu Qing started frying the small fish one by one, cooking them slowly.
Actually, it would have been better to add a bit of salt to the oil before frying, as it helps prevent the fish from sticking to the pan.
But Lu Qing had noticed earlier that the salt the uncle brought had rather large grains, which wasn't suitable for frying fish directly.
Carefully controlling the heat, Lu Qing fried the fish gently.
The spreading aroma attracted Little Yan, who had already finished her flatbread, to sit down and gaze fixedly at the fish on the stone slab.
Seeing her like this, Lu Qing instantly felt a pang of heartache.
He ruffled the little one's hair.
"Little Yan, wait a bit longer, you'll be able to eat soon."
"Mm!" Little Yan nodded obediently, "Brother, the fish smells so good."
"If you like the smell, eat more later. Today, brother caught many fish, enough for Little Yan to eat her fill."
After the rice in the clay pot was cooked, Lu Qing had also finished frying most of the fish.
He picked up the fish and put them in a bowl.
Then he poured some salt water on top.
Just like that, a simple saltwater fried fish dish was ready.
Lu Qing served two bowls of rice and placed them on the table.
"Little Yan, it's time to eat."
"I'm right here, brother."
The little one had already been waiting at the dining table.
Lu Qing added a little stool on top of the chair and then lifted Little Yan up, so she could reach her bowl of rice.
He then placed a few boneless small fish on her rice.
"Go ahead, little glutton, remember to spit out the bones and don't get pricked."
"I know, brother."
The little one was already drooling with craving and immediately picked up a small fried fish, putting it in her mouth and chewing rapidly like a hamster.
Good thing Lu Qing gave her fish with few bones, otherwise she would surely have been pricked.
After gulping down a small fish, the little one's eyes suddenly widened.
"Brother, this fish is so delicious, even tastier than what mom used to make!"
Hearing this, far from feeling happy, Lu Qing felt a wave of sadness.
He only put a bit of oil and saltwater on this fish and even refrained from using too much oil to fry it to save some.
How tasty could such fried fish be?
When people are starving, any food can taste delicious.
It's not hard to imagine how hungry Little Yan must have been during this time.
That's why she found such a simple saltwater fried fish to be such an exquisite delicacy.
But Lu Qing didn't let it show and just smiled, "As long as it's tasty, eat more, Little Yan."
"Mm-hmm!"
The little one shoveled a big mouthful of rice, her cheeks bulging, unable to even speak, just nodding.
Lu Qing smiled and picked up a fish to eat.
After eating a fish, he raised an eyebrow.
The fish didn't taste as bad as he had imagined.
Maybe it was because the ancient environment hadn't been polluted, so the river fish grew very well.
Thus, the small fried fish, although under-seasoned, was fresh and tasty, possessing a unique flavor.
Both siblings, having been hungry for quite some time, could not afford to eat slowly.
Soon, the rice in the clay pot and a bowl of small fried fish were all eaten up by the two of them.
Of course, most of it ended up in Lu Qing's stomach.
Little Yan, no matter how hungry, was only a six or seven-year-old child with a limited appetite.
Moreover, Lu Qing deliberately controlled the amount to prevent her from eating too much at once and getting a stomachache.
"Brother, Little Yan is full!"
The little one put down her bowl, patted her belly, and wore a look of satisfaction.
Little Yan hadn't felt this full in a long time!
"Eat up, then take a rest, don't wander around, Brother's going to wash the dishes."
Lu Qing instructed, then started to clear the dishes and chopsticks.
"Little Yan wants to help Brother."
The little guy hopped off the stool.
"No need, just sit here and rest." Lu Qing declined.
So Little Yan could only obediently sit on the stool, watching Lu Qing bustling about.
Children are prone to sleepiness, and by the time Lu Qing had put everything away and came out to check, the little guy's head was already nodding off there.
Lu Qing smiled faintly, gently picked up the little one, and walked toward the bedroom.
"Brother, Little Yan wants to go fishing with you again next time; the fish was yummy."
Just as Little Yan was laid down on the bed, the little one mumbled drowsily.
"Okay, next time we fish, Brother will bring you along."
Lu Qing tenderly covered the little one with a patched blanket, softly saying.
Seemingly hearing his brother's promise, Little Yan didn't speak again and fell into a deep sleep.
After making sure the little one was asleep, Lu Qing quietly exited the room and sat down on a crude lounge chair in the living room, feeling a wave of relief wash over him.
He had also been quite busy today, as he had only just recovered and was still very weak.
Yet he had endured the hunger and done so much work, fishing and cooking.
To say he wasn't weary would be a lie.
Now sitting back in the lounge chair, he finally felt significantly more comfortable.
He even felt a wave of drowsiness coming over him.
But he couldn't sleep yet.
There were still some matters he needed to think over.
After the day's activities and interaction with the villagers, coupled with the memories in his mind, Lu Qing had basically inferred what kind of environment he was in now.
First and foremost, there was no doubt that he was in a world akin to ancient China.
And it was a time of relatively low productivity.
This could be seen from the fact that even an iron pot could be considered a rarity.
But that was about it.
More information was something that Lu Qing still couldn't be certain of.
For instance, the social structure of this world, the distribution of power, who the rulers were, he had no idea.
He only knew that this world seemed to lack any political entities like imperial courts or local magistrates.
At least in the original host's memory, there was no concept of such things.
Of course, this wasn't absolute.
After all, the original host was nothing but a simple country youth who had grown up without clarity and had never left the village.
How big the outside world was, he had never contemplated, so how could he be aware of those concepts?
However, although it was uncertain whether there were courts or local magistrates,
What could be confirmed was the existence of towns and cities.
The villagers often purchased certain daily necessities from markets in the nearby towns.
Items like salt and iron could generally only be bought in these towns.
And in these towns and cities, the one with the most power seemed to be called the City Lord.
Sadly, although the original host was fifteen, he had never been to the city, preventing Lu Qing from knowing what it was actually like.
"It seems that if there's a chance, I should still make a trip to the town." Lu Qing murmured softly.
Only with a sufficient understanding of this world would he be able to decide what path to take in the future.
Of course, thinking about these things now was still a bit premature.
The most pressing matter at hand was to find a way to feed himself and Little Yan.
After all, today he had become indebted to many people in the village, and these debts needed to be repaid.
And his greatest reliance at present was undeniably his Superpower.
What could his Superpower do?
Lu Qing pondered quietly.
Suddenly, a name emerged in his heart.