Borrowing Grain

Borrowing Grain Upon returning home, faced with the eager gazes of the Little Brats, Lu Qing did not waste words and immediately began handing out the fish.

He picked two banana leaves from behind the small courtyard and cut them into several pieces.

He gave each Little Brat a handful of fish—not much, less than half a jin per person.

Though there was not much fish, the Little Brats were thrilled.

After getting their fish, they all ran home in high spirits, as though they had been given some precious treasure.

Once Lu Qing had finished distributing the fish, several villagers came over.

"Lu Qing, how did you catch these fish? How did you manage to catch so many at once?"

"Just luck." Lu Qing smiled. "Maybe the bait I used was more to the fish's liking."

"What bait did you use?"

"Just the earthworms that are common in the fields."

Lu Qing did not hide anything and told them the truth.

Even if he did not say so, the villagers would find out soon enough.

After all, a whole pack of Little Brats had been watching behind him while he fished.

Since that was the case, he might as well say it openly, lest others call him stingy.

"Earthworms? You can actually use those things to catch fish?" The villagers were astonished.

"Of course. The fish like them quite a bit, too."

Lu Qing was not surprised that the villagers did not know earthworms could be used as bait.

From the original owner's memories, he had roughly deduced that he was now in a world similar to ancient China.

In such an old and feudal era, travel was difficult and information was scarce.

People were even more cautious and conservative toward unfamiliar things, rarely willing to try them lightly.

What everyone in one place knew as common sense might become something rare and strange somewhere else.

No one in the village was skilled at fishing or catching fish, so it was only natural that they did not know fish liked earthworms.

"So fish actually like eating earthworms. No wonder we never caught much when we fished before—we had been using the wrong bait." One villager sighed.

"Lu Qing, your father must have told you this method, right?"

Lu Qing hesitated for a moment before nodding. "I heard Father mention it once before, and I happened to remember it. Xiao Yan kept saying she was hungry today, and there was no food at home, so I remembered this method and decided to try it. I never expected to actually catch fish."

The villager froze at those words and looked toward Xiao Yan.

The little girl was squatting beside the bucket, watching the fish. Sensing his gaze, she raised her head and immediately gave him a huge smile.

The villager's heart instantly ached. Looking again at the thin and weak Lu Qing, pity surged within him.

"What will you do from here on out? You can't live on fish alone. How will your stomach stand it?"

"I was just about to discuss it with you uncles." Lu Qing said earnestly, "You uncles know my family's situation. We do not have even half a grain of rice left. So I would like to borrow some grain, oil, and salt from you. Once I find work in a few days, I will definitely repay you double."

"What are you saying? Do you think us uncles are the sort to rob a house on fire? We're all from the same village; supporting one another is only right. It's just a little grain. Shan Bo will bring you some shortly!"

Moved by emotion, the villager immediately declared loudly.

Since he had said that much, the other villagers naturally could not fail to show some support.

"That's right, it's only a little grain. I'll go get some for you now!"

"My family bought too much salt at the market earlier this month. I can spare you some."

"It's only oil. My family still has plenty left. I'll scoop some out for you later!"

The villagers all patted their chests, looking thoroughly generous.

Lu Qing was overjoyed. "Then thank you, uncles!"

"Wait here, Lu Qing. I'll go home and get you some grain right away."

Shan Bo was the first to head out, and the other villagers also hurried back to their homes.

Before long, they all returned to Lu Qing's courtyard.

"Here, you and Xiao Yan can eat this half sack of rice first. When it's gone, come ask Shan Bo for more!"

"Lu Qing, this half jar of lard should be enough to last you a while, right?"

"Here's nearly half a bamboo tube of salt. Use it for now."

"I've got several flatbreads your aunt just made this morning. They'll keep for quite a while, and one piece will stave off hunger for a long time. Is this enough?"

Looking at the things the villagers had brought, Lu Qing was overwhelmed with gratitude.

He bowed repeatedly. "It's enough, it's enough. Thank you, uncles!"

Then he scooped several large handfuls of small fish from the bucket and divided them into portions.

In an instant, more than half the fish in the wooden bucket were gone.

"Please take these fish home and have a taste, uncles."

Shan Bo and the others repeatedly waved their hands. "How could we? You worked hard to catch these fish. Keep them for yourself and Xiao Yan."

"Xiao Yan and I can't eat this much. The weather is hot now, and fish won't keep for long. There aren't any chickens or ducks at home either, so the fish will spoil easily if we keep them. Just consider it helping this boy share the burden, so they do not go to waste."

Without waiting for an answer, Lu Qing stuffed the leaf-wrapped packets of fish into the villagers' hands.

"Well... all right, then. We won't stand on ceremony."

The villagers had just brought out quite a bit of their household surplus grain and had felt a little pained over it. Once they received the fish, however, they felt much better.

After seeing the uncles off, Lu Qing let out a breath.

He felt rather fortunate.

Luckily, the people in the village were fairly simple and honest. Otherwise, he would not have dared to ask to borrow grain so rashly.

Now, with this bit of food, Xiao Yan and he would not have to worry too much about eating for the next ten days or half a month.

With this period of breathing room, he could properly explore ways to survive in this world.

"Brother, this flatbread smells so good!"

Lu Qing was deep in thought when he suddenly heard Xiao Yan speak.

Looking down, he saw the little girl squatting on the ground, drooling as she stared at the flatbreads one of the villagers had brought.

He walked over, tore off a small piece, and placed it in Xiao Yan's hand.

"Be good, Xiao Yan. Eat this piece of flatbread first. Brother will make dinner now."

"Mm, Xiao Yan understands!"

Xiao Yan nodded obediently, accepted the piece of flatbread, and happily began nibbling on it.

After settling the little girl, Lu Qing began busying himself in the kitchen.

First, he rinsed the rice and steamed it. Then he scooped out more than half a jin of small fish, gutted them, and washed them clean.

Once the fish had been cleaned and he was preparing to fry them, Lu Qing discovered a problem.

There was no pot in the kitchen for cooking dishes.

After thinking back, Lu Qing finally remembered.

The family originally had an iron pot, but the original owner had sold it some time ago to buy grain.

So now the house only had an earthen jar for steaming rice, with no pot for cooking dishes.

With a sigh, Lu Qing could only settle for second best. He found a relatively flat, thin stone slab outside the courtyard, washed it clean, and set it over the fire to slowly roast.

Once the stone slab was scorching hot, Lu Qing carefully scooped a small spoonful of solidified lard from an earthen jar brought by one of the villagers.

The lard hit the stone slab with a sizzle, its fat rapidly melting as the rich fragrance of oil rushed up to his nose.