Chapter 2: The Little Fish Pot Collapses

  The fishing village girl with a blue calico skirt was nimbly wiping the table and chairs, her blue calico skirt was spotlessly clean, her black hair was like clouds, her skin was like frozen cream, and on her goose-egg face, a pair of big eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky. Although she was dressed as a fishing village girl, her movements were light and airy, not like a fishing village girl at all, but rather like a noble lady from an official family.

  Three people were staring at the fishing girl, each with a different expression. After Liu Ziguang came to this world, he had not seen any beautiful women except for the Peng sisters. Now, suddenly seeing such an outstanding beauty, he couldn't help but stare at the fishing girl's graceful figure without restraint, until the eldest sister gave him a stern glance and he restrained himself.

  Although Peng Jingrong has been to many places and seen many talented women, she is still a rare gem. If she were dressed in palace attire, she would be no less elegant than the imperial princesses or noble ladies. This blue dress complements the scenery of the lake on a rainy day perfectly, blending the beauty of nature and humanity, making her look like a figure from a painting.

  It's still Peng Jingwei who is more straightforward, seeing that the girl is about the same age as herself, and asks: "Little sister, what's your name? Are there many snails here?" The big sister heard this and knew that this little girl was talking nonsense, and the next sentence would definitely ask if she had turned into a snail.

  The fishing village girl smiled slightly and replied straightforwardly, "My name is Zeng Cheng. I've also heard the story of Tianluo Girl, but I'm not as diligent as Tianluo Girl." Her voice was as clear and pleasant as a canary's, and it was pure Mandarin.

  What a clever and generous girl, everyone thought to themselves.

  A middle-aged woman's voice came from the thatched cottage: "Orange, come and help your mother with the wind box." The girl responded with an "ah" and smiled at the three of them before turning around and walking into the thatched cottage.

  Peng Jingwei stretched out her small hand in front of Liu Ziguang and shook it a few times, asking: "What's wrong, are you stunned? They've already left." Liu Ziguang felt slightly embarrassed and quickly shifted his gaze away from the thatched cottage door. Just then, the captain came out of the grass house and rescued him, and everyone asked the captain to tell them about the mother-daughter pair.

  While waiting for dinner, the captain told everyone about the origins of the mother and daughter. It turned out that the little girl's mother was originally a concubine of a wealthy family in Beijing. After the Qing army entered the city, many northern families moved south, and they ended up at the shores of Hongze Lake after fleeing from war. The little girl was born out of wedlock, so her mother brought her along. A childless elderly fishing couple took them in and taught the woman how to make small fish dishes. Later, when the old couple passed away, they left behind a thatched hut and a small boat for the mother and daughter. They made a living by catching fish and picking lotus flowers, occasionally making small fish dishes for passing boat passengers but never charging money, only accepting rice and grains as payment. Because the daughter was born beautiful, local rascals often came to flirt with her, but fortunately, nearby boatmen were very friendly with the mother and daughter and would always lend a helping hand when they encountered difficulties. Recently, the woman had fallen seriously ill and almost died, but an unknown kind-hearted person lent them several taels of silver to buy medicine, which saved her life. At this point, the captain sighed, "It's not easy being a widow with children, especially if you have some beauty."

  It turns out that she was born into a wealthy family in the north, no wonder this girl's temperament is so outstanding, she must have learned from her mother since childhood. It seems like everyone has figured it out now.

  Liu Ziguang said with surprise: "Why don't they open a wine house and specialize in selling small fish pot stickers?" Following his train of thought, local specialty dishes should have great development prospects.

  "General Liu, you don't know this, but although there are some passing cargo ships here, most of the boatmen eat on their boats. People like us who come specifically to eat small fish pot stickers are not many. High-ranking officials and nobles would not deign to eat such rustic country dishes, and even if they opened a wine house, it wouldn't be good for business. How could this mother-daughter duo possibly do that?"

  "We'll give them some more silver later," said Second Miss.

  "They probably won't want to, but despite their poverty, this mother and daughter's integrity is still admirable. It's said that in the past, a wealthy family in the village wanted to take the mother as a concubine, which wouldn't be considered a loss of virtue, since no one knows you when you're born into a poor life. However, the woman refused to the death, preferring to live a difficult life rather than become a concubine and enjoy a worry-free life.

  Recently, the young master of the Ma family in the city took a liking to the daughter and offered 500 taels of silver as betrothal gifts to marry her as his concubine. But 500 taels of silver is an amount that a lakeside family would never see in their lifetime! Moreover, the woman was still ill and urgently needed money, but you guess what they said? They insisted they didn't have the good fortune, and didn't dare to aspire to it, saying they were not worthy. It's as if they had a vendetta against silver."

  The captain shook his head, tutting repeatedly, indicating how unbelievable the situation was. Peng Jingrong said: "That's called not accepting food that comes easily, of course you can't want someone else's donated silver, it seems this woman has also read poetry and books, as for not wanting to marry off her daughter, that's even more justifiable, what's the difference between that and selling one's daughter?"

  Liu Ziguang was surprised and said, "You ancient people... I mean we people of the great Ming dynasty, don't we value filial piety above all? To marry that young master to save your mother's illness, shouldn't you be receiving everyone's approval?"

  "This is nonsense. If I went against my mother's will and married someone else for money, that would be truly unfilial." Peng Jingrong retorted with a pout.

  "It's just that the young master who wants to marry her has so many wives, he can't be a good person. What if she marries him and it kills her mother? It would be better for her to die from illness instead." Peng Jingwei also chimed in.

  A few people were chatting, and the small fish pot was already done. It was directly served in an iron pot, and the white fish soup was as thick as milk. Ten or so small pancakes surrounded the edge of the pot, emitting a fresh and fragrant aroma. The fishing village girl, Zeng Orange, placed the pot on the table and put a small green porcelain dish, a pair of bamboo chopsticks, and a small ceramic spoon in front of each person. She smiled and said: "Please enjoy your meal, young masters and misses." After that, she went to one side to attend to her own matters and didn't serve them during their meal.

  The master and servant have different seats, the captain didn't dare to sit at the same table with the young lady and her companions for dinner, he declined for half a day before reluctantly sitting down at the lower seat. The four of them started tasting the legendary small fish pot. Using chopsticks to pick up a little bit of fish meat and put it in their mouths, tender and smooth, melting instantly, then taking a spoonful of milky white broth, savoring carefully, even more aftertaste. Fragrant aroma lingering between teeth and tongue. Taking off a small pancake to chew on, the upper part of the pot is as thin as a cicada's wing, putting it in your mouth to chew feels crispy, fresh, and flaky, the lower part has been soaked in fish soup, having another flavor.

  Four people sat around the small dinner table, surrounded by a warm atmosphere, enjoying the delicious fish pot. The so-called "fish" was only as big as a thumb, yet such a small fish that wasn't worth much money was cooked into such a delicious dish, with the cooking time grasped just right, it's truly breathtaking. The four people ate and praised without stopping.

  In no time, the small pot of fish was completely devoured by the four of them. The two girls didn't eat much as they had small appetites. The captain, although a robust man, didn't dare to be greedy in front of the young lady and only ate symbolically. As a result, most of the delicious food was eaten by Liu Ziguang.

  At this time, the rain also stopped, and the sky revealed a bright blue color. The trees and wild grass that had been washed by the fine rain appeared to be lush and dripping with water. Liu Ziguang took out his wallet and wanted to put some loose silver coins on the table, but was dissuaded again by the boatman.

  "They really don't accept silver, they only want to take some rice, flour, oil and salt. If the general insists on giving silver, I'm afraid the mother and daughter will be unhappy. Besides, the little ones have already given a bag of flour and a basket of fish, it's enough to show their hospitality, so there's no need for the general to spend more." The captain advised.

  "It's really true that you have a grudge against Silver, so let someone send over a few bags of rice and two cans of Huai salt as a return gift, to show our gratitude." Liu Ziguang put away his pouch and thought to himself, feeling puzzled. He glanced at Zeng Cheng, who was washing clothes not far away, thinking: Does taking money represent something that makes them uncomfortable?

  Peng's sisters were also full of wonder, really, there are people in this world who can't get along with Yinzi? Peng Jingwei smiled mysteriously and thought to herself: I don't believe it...

  At this time, the sky cleared up, and the bright blue color appeared in the gap of the clouds. The trees and wild grass that had been washed by the fine rain were all lush and dripping with water. The scenery by the lake was also pleasant. The four people got up, picked up their oil-paper umbrellas, and prepared to leave. The boatman shouted towards the thatched cottage: "Mrs. Zeng, we're leaving, thank you for your trouble." The woman didn't come out to see them off, but only responded with a single sentence: "Guests, slow down."

  Four people are about to leave. Zeng Cheng put down his clothes and came over to collect the bowls and chopsticks, politely making a gesture of respect and saying: "Guests, please walk slowly, be careful of the slippery road after the rain, I won't see you off."

  The four of them bowed and turned away.

  Not twenty steps away, the sound of hurried footsteps and a clear cry like that of an oriole came from behind: "Guests, you've dropped something." Turning back to look, it was Zeng Cheng who had run over.

  Everyone stopped in their tracks as Zeng Cheng hurried over, holding a small gold ingot in his hand. He directly addressed Peng Jingwei and said: "Miss, I found this on your seat. Such a valuable item should be kept safe by you."

  Under everyone's gaze, Peng Jingwei, who had been seen through her little trick, put away the small gold ingot and said thank you.

  Seeing Zeng Cheng leave, Liu Zi Guang sighed: "It's really true that he regards wealth as dirt, one gold ingot can be exchanged for dozens of silver coins, a gentleman does not deceive in the dark room, this little girl is very honest, not bad."

  "Hmm, this time I believe it. This girl, without dressing up or making herself look good, is even prettier than her sister, and only slightly less pretty than me. And she's such a good person too. I'll turn back and give them two bags of rice as a gift from me."

  Everyone was talking and walking, when several horses came running towards them. Although they were sturdy little Sichuan horses, the riders on their backs were quite impressive. They wore soft hats with red pom-poms, black leather jackets, and rode their horses like the wind, passing by the four of them in a flash, splashing mud all over them as they galloped by.

  The second young lady was furious, and scolded the back of the rider: "You cursed slave, go reincarnate!" The captain looked at these few horses and said: "Huh, this seems to be the house servant of Master Ma's family. They must have been heading towards the Zeng mother and daughter."

  Liu Ziguang's body was splattered with mud. He was already furious, and when he heard that it was the slave of the Ma family who wanted to forcibly marry a civilian girl, his anger grew even more intense. He called out to the crowd: "Let's go, let's take a look."

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