The villagers ultimately failed to catch up with Lu Qing and his companions.
With Wang Da'an's help, they didn't walk too slowly, and the river wasn't far from the village.
So while they were still packing up their things by the river, Lu Qing and the others had already returned to the village.
When they returned to the village, it caused a sensation.
There was no way around it; the huge fish Wang Da'an was carrying was simply too eye-catching.
But this guy also liked to show off. As soon as he entered the village, he would carry the fish and approach people wherever he saw them.
Others aren't blind; how could they not see the fish he was carrying?
As a result, seeing such a big fish, how could one not exclaim in surprise?
"Brother Da'an caught a big fish! It's a huge fish!"
As soon as he uttered that voice, it naturally attracted everyone else to come out and see what was going on.
Then I saw that it was indeed a big fish, and a frighteningly big one at that.
This immediately made things lively.
"You big oaf, Da'an! You actually caught such a big fish! Tell me how you caught it!"
"Goodness, this fish must weigh over 20 pounds! You've got some skill, Da'an!"
"Brother Da'an is amazing! He caught such a big fish!"
...
A group of villagers surrounded Da'an, reaching out to touch the fish while marveling at the sight.
The children got even more excited, jumping and shouting.
Lu Qing watched with amusement as Wang Da'an showed everyone the blue carp.
This scene reminded him of his fishing buddies from his past life, who would also show off when they accidentally caught a big fish.
It's as if they wouldn't do justice to their arduous journey guarding the riverbank if they didn't show off their hard work.
After Wang Da'an had finished showing off, Lu Qing said helplessly, "Alright, Brother Da'an, let's go back."
Having shown off enough, Wang Da'an finally squeezed out of the crowd and ran to Lu Qing's side.
"I forgot to tell you, I didn't catch this big fish, Lu Qing did!"
"Was it caught by Lu Qing?"
Everyone looked at Lu Qing.
Xiaoyan proudly raised her head: "That's right, this big fish was caught by my brother with a lot of effort. There's an even prettier fish in our bucket!"
"It really was Lu Qing who caught it?!"
"There's a big fish in the bucket?!"
Upon hearing this, everyone rushed over and looked into the bucket that Lu Qing was carrying.
Everyone was stunned when they saw it.
The reason is simple: the appearance of the Red Moon Carp is simply too stunning.
Its brilliant fiery red color is like a flame burning in the water, making it clear at a glance that this fish is no ordinary fish.
"What kind of fish is this? It's so beautiful!"
"I've never seen a bright red fish before."
"Where did you catch such a beautiful fish, Lu Qingni?"
"Lu Qing, do you know what kind of fish this is?"
Everyone asked in amazement.
“I don’t know what kind of fish this is either.” Lu Qing shook his head. “I plan to take it to Grandpa Chen tomorrow and see if he recognizes it.”
"Yes, yes, Dr. Chen is very knowledgeable and will definitely recognize this fish."
If you were to ask who is most respected by the villagers, it would undoubtedly be Dr. Chen.
It's not just because everyone has seen the old doctor to some extent.
Also, because the old doctor was recognized as the most knowledgeable person in the village.
They frequently travel to and from the city, and their experience far surpasses that of the rural folks.
The crowd gathered around, discussing and appraising the two large fish for a long time. After they had their fill of eye candy, they dispersed, satisfied.
Lu Qing did invite everyone to his home, saying he would kill some fish and treat them to a meal.
But everyone in the village knew about his family's situation, and they all refused.
Even if a few were tempted and wanted to try the taste of the big fish, they were pulled away by others before they could even open their mouths.
They have no sense of propriety at all. They want to take advantage of two penniless orphans. Aren't they afraid of being gossiped about behind their backs?
After everyone had dispersed, Lu Qing picked up the bucket and returned to his own yard with Xiao Yan and Wang Da'an.
"Lu Qing, I'm going back now."
Upon arriving in the yard, Wang Da'an put the fish down and prepared to leave.
Lu Qing quickly called out to him, "Don't go, Brother Da'an, I promised to treat you to fish."
"You actually took it seriously? I was just joking. Given your family's situation, if I actually stayed for dinner, my old man would chase me away with a stick when I got home!"
"You can't expect me to break my promise, can you?"
"In short, I dare not stay for dinner."
"..."
The two argued for a while, but neither could convince the other.
“Brother Da’an, as you know, my brother and I can’t finish such a big fish in one go. The weather is warm now, and the fish won’t keep for long. If you take two pieces back, it will help lighten my burden,” Lu Qing said sincerely.
"Well... alright." After hesitating for a moment, Wang Da'an finally agreed, seeing that Lu Qing had already said so.
Seeing that he had relented, Lu Qing immediately went into the kitchen to get a knife and prepare to kill the fish.
And you know what? The blue-armored fish lives up to its name; its scales are incredibly tough.
Lu Qing expended a lot of effort, with Wang Da'an's help, before finally managing to scrape off the fish scales and gut it.
After cutting the fish open, he planned to throw away all the internal organs, except for the swim bladder, such as the intestines and liver.
Although a large fish like the bluefin tuna can be a delicacy if its internal organs are prepared well.
In his previous life, Lu Qing had a particular fondness for eating fish intestines.
However, given the current situation at home, there wasn't even a little bit of seasoning available, so there was simply no way to prepare such fishy-smelling ingredients. Lu Qing had no choice but to reluctantly give up.
After removing the internal organs, Lu Qing's first action was to chop off two large pieces of fish meat, wrap them in banana leaves, and hand them to Wang Da'an.
"so much?!"
Wang Da'an looked at the two large pieces of fish meat and exclaimed in surprise.
These two pieces of fish must weigh at least several pounds.
"There's not much left, Brother Da'an. Look how much fish and meat there is. Xiao Yan and I can't possibly finish it all."
Lu Qing forcibly stuffed the fish meat into Wang Da'an's hand.
Wang Da'an glanced at the wooden board used for chopping fish, and saw that there was indeed a large amount of fish meat on it, so he didn't refuse any further.
“Lu Qing, I think only your family in the whole village has this problem of not being able to finish eating all the fish.”
Wang Da'an smiled as he took the fish.
After witnessing Lu Qing's achievements today, Wang Da'an realized that Lu Qing's family would probably never lack fish to eat in the future.
“Fish can’t be eaten as a meal,” Lu Qing said helplessly. “People still need to eat. It’s a pity that my family’s fields are abandoned, and it’s not time to plant crops yet.”
“That is a problem,” Wang Da’an nodded.
He knew that the Lu family had suffered such a great misfortune that Lu Qing had missed the time for farming.
There are still several months until the next planting season.
He thought for a moment, and suddenly his eyes lit up.
"Lu Qing, you're such a good fisherman! When you catch fish, you can take them to the market to sell. With the money, you can buy grain!"
"Sell fish?" Lu Qing asked, puzzled. "But I remember there's an entrance fee to enter the city, and I don't have any money right now."
"I'm not talking about the city, but about selling at the market not far from our village!"
"A big market?" Lu Qing blinked.
