After a few minutes' walk, they arrived at Bai Jing thatch house. Bai Jing put some of the water into the bucket with a cover for drinking and left the rest for cooking and other uses.
Lan Zhu watched how carefully he pulled the water and was puzzled, "Is this the only water in your house?"
Bai Jing was embarrassed by the stare: "We arrived late yesterday and didn't have the time to get water."
The silence stretched for a while until Lan Zhu picked up two empty buckets and finally spoke up, "I'll get you some water."
Bai Jing wanted to refuse the offer but remember that it will take too much time for him to do it himself so he agreed happily, "Then, I'll have to trouble you."
Without another word Lan Zhu hurried away to the direction of the river.
Bai Jing lit the fire, and began to watch the fish. They had previously cleaned the fish at the river bank so the rest of the process went smoothly. He watches the fish with lemon to get rid of the fishy smell.
He watches the herbs, mixes them together and makes his own seasons with added salt and pepper.
There was one particular herb that Bai Jing felt like its only purpose was to go in the fire and burn. It sounded ridiculous but that is exactly what he did. He adds the mushroom to the stick and roasts it along with the fish before adding the seasoning herbs and finally putting it in the fire. The aroma filled the house once again. The delicious fragrance of the roasted fish filled the yard. It was really refreshing. He couldn't wait to have the fish. Bai Jing's thoughts drift off for a moment, thinking about the last time he ate fish.
In modern times, doctors advise pregnant women to avoid fish due to potential mercury content, which can cause brain damage and affect a baby's hearing and vision. However, Bai Jing had no other option, and besides, the fish here is freshwater, free from pollution and much safer to eat.
When Lan Zhu came back with the water, the fragrance hit his nose making him swallow his saliva. He looked around and saw Bai Jing staring at him, his lips parted slightly with surprise. He cleared his throat. "It smells so good."
Bai Jing smiled warmly: "You're back just in time, come on let's eat."
Lan Zhu followed Bai Jing without a second thought, his attention fixated on the food before him. The delicious aroma suddenly aroused his hunger, and he started to devour the meal with gusto. Watching his new friend, Bai Jing smiled, reminded of the days after leaving the orphanage to live with his parents. Back then, he believed he would never experience hardship again, that his life would be filled with nothing but joy and comfort. How naive he had been, how unprepared for the twists and turns that fate had in store.
"There is no fishy smell. This is the most delicious fish I've ever eaten." Lan Zhu said as the sweet and sour taste mixed in his mouth.
He didn't have many expectations when Bai Jing was picking things before. A fishy smelling fish, sour lemon, spicy herb, and mushrooms that might be poisonous. Anyone who saw these things might think he was trying to kill himself but when mixed together, they actually taste so delicious.
Lan Zhu couldn't stop himself from stuffing another piece of fish into his mouth. It tasted even better than it smelled.
While they were eating, Bai Jing noticed a white furry ball was looking at them with round eyes. It had pure white fur. Its tail and ears were fluffy.
While they were eating, Bai Jing noticed a white furry ball looking at them with round, curious eyes. It had pure white fur that seemed to glow softly, and its tail and ears were very fluffy, twitching slightly as it observed their meal.
Lan Zhu noticed that Bai Jing had stopped talking and raised his head in confusion: "Why do you stop talking?"
"A little friend came to visit." Bai Jing points to the animal who was looking at them curiously with its eyes wide open.
Lan Zhu was taken aback at first but realized it was a small animal. "So cute."
Bai Jing smiled and waved to the full ball: "Come here Scruffy. Wanna eat?"
The furball cat-like looked around and found out Bai Jing was calling out to it. It sniffed at the air and darted towards them. It was so fast that it reached Bai Jing in half a second. With a loud meow, it tried to climb onto Bai Jing's legs.Bai Jing was taken aback, speechless that the furry cat not only wanted to sit on his feet but also to be patted.
"Meow meow." The cat called out twice as if saying: *Human, his majesty is here, where's the fish?*
Bai Jing heard the meow sound and was shocked: "A cat? But it looks more like a puppy."
"I think it wants to eat." Lan Zhu said, looking at the cat that was patting Bai Jing's feet with its paws.
Bai Jing gave the cat one fish and shared the last one in half with Lan Zhu, after carrying Ye Cheng's share inside.
The little beast eats the fish with enjoyment. The three of them sat under the shade of the thatch house eating their meal peacefully.
"You seem to be interested in the mushrooms earlier today, are they rare?" Bai Jing asked Lan Zhu, breaking the silent atmosphere.
"Yes, extremely rare," Lan Zhu earnestly confirms. "Though these mushrooms are abundant, there aren't many people that can distinguish between them. One mushroom is worth three copper coins, if it's very big, it can be worth more."
In other words, if people are willing to pay more for mushrooms, he can make money by selling them.
Bai Jing thought about it and looked at Lan Zhu with a burning gaze: "Are you interested in doing business with me?"
Lan Zhu looked at Bai Jing with surprise: "Doing business? What would we be selling?"
"Well, I will pick mushrooms, and you will be responsible for selling. What do you think? I'll pay you a considerate amount." He smiles happily and looks at Lan Zhu expectantly.
"Ok!" Lan Zhu nodded and replied quickly, "Sure, I don't have anything else to do after tending to the field."
"Ok, I'll pick some later then you can come get them in the evening."
"Okay," Lan Zhu happily replied.
The two of them had only just met, but they got along surprisingly well, their conversation flowing effortlessly. After finishing their meal, Lan Zhu and Bai Jing chatted for a while, before Lan Zhu eventually took his leave.
"Come on Scruffy, it's time to take a nap."
The cat beast made meow sounds but its fur was more like a dog making Bai Jing confused. But since it likes to eat fish, then it should be a cat right? Beasts as a whole are very dangerous, except for those that are tame.
Only a simple-minded person like Bai Jing would believe that a cute animal, such as a furball, couldn't be dangerous.
Bai Jing put the fire out and went into the house followed by the cat beast. He took out his blanket and made a simple bed to sleep in. He couldn't believe how weak he was. From the morning up till now, he can't be considered to have done any heavy work yet he is so tired right now.
Could it be because of the pregnancy? This is the only reason he could think about. Bai Jing sighs at his condition. If someone had told him one day that he'll transmigrate and even get pregnant, he would've said that person is crazy and beat them to death for cursing him.
The cat beast looked around the house as if it was searching for something. It frowns in confusion and walks into the kitchen. 'What was the smell that attracted me?'
Previously, it was in seclusion, cultivating to heal from its internal injuries. Suddenly, an enchanting scent fills the air, making it unable to resist. Many beasts were drawn to the scent, but its powerful aura frightened them away. Upon reaching the source, it discovered two humans roasting fish. It had no other choice but to transform into a cat and come for a closer look.
As a result, the thing that attracts it was in the fish but wasn't the fish itself. After eating the fish, its spiritual energy was purified a little. Even though the amount was small, it was bewitching enough.
In this continent, high-level alchemists are scarce, making pills and potions that purify spiritual energy exceptionally rare and costly.
Clink, clink, jungle clink…. The sound of dishes clinking could be heard in the quiet house.
Bai Jing saw that the cat beast didn't lay next to him quietly, but was making trouble in the kitchen. When he realized that the cat might want to eat the fish he kept for Ye Cheng, he panicked: "Scruffy, you can't eat the fish. If Ye Cheng finds out, you won't live to see tomorrow."
Hearing Bai Jing's urgent voice, the cat beast snorted: 'Isn't it just another human? What can humans do to this majesty?' Even though it thought so, the cat beast still reluctantly left the kitchen and lay down next to Bai Jing. Bai Jing happily hugged his little Scruffy and they fell into dreamland.