Once the fat had melted, Lu Qing began placing the small fish onto the stone slab one by one, slowly pan-frying them.
Ideally, he would have added a bit of salt to the oil beforehand to keep the fish from sticking, but after checking, he found that the salt one of the uncles had brought was rather coarse—not suitable for frying.
Carefully managing the heat, Lu Qing continued to cook the fish.
The mouthwatering aroma wafted through the air, attracting Xiaoyan, who had already finished her flatbread. She sat nearby, staring eagerly at the sizzling fish on the stone.
Seeing her like this made Lu Qing's heart ache.
He reached over and gently patted her head.
"Just wait a little longer, Xiaoyan. It'll be ready soon."
"Okay!" she nodded obediently. "Big brother, the fish smells so good."
"Well then, you can eat a lot later. I caught plenty today—enough to fill you up."
Once the rice in the clay pot was done, the fish were just about ready too.
Lu Qing picked them up and placed them in a bowl, then poured some salt water over them.
And just like that, a simple dish of salt-water pan-fried fish was ready.
He served two bowls of rice and set them on the table.
"Xiaoyan, time to eat."
"I'm already here, big brother."
The little girl had been waiting at the table for a while.
Lu Qing placed a small stool on the chair and lifted Xiaoyan onto it so she could reach the food.
Then he picked out a few small, boneless fish and placed them on her rice.
"Go ahead, little glutton. Just remember to spit out any bones. Don't choke."
"I know, big brother."
She was already drooling with anticipation. She picked up a piece of fish and popped it into her mouth, chewing quickly like a little hamster.
Thankfully, Lu Qing had given her the small, tender ones with very few bones—otherwise, she surely would've gotten pricked.
After swallowing her first fish, Xiaoyan's eyes went wide.
"Big brother, this fish is so delicious! It's even better than what Mom used to make!"
Hearing that, Lu Qing didn't feel pleased—instead, his heart grew heavy.
The fish only had a touch of oil and salt. He had even skimped on the oil while cooking to save what little they had.
How good could such a simple dish possibly taste?
Only hunger could make food seem this delicious.
Clearly, Xiaoyan had gone hungry far too many times recently. That's why this plain dish tasted like the best thing in the world to her.
Still, Lu Qing didn't show his feelings. He just smiled and said, "As long as it's tasty, eat as much as you want."
"Mm-hmm!"
The little girl stuffed her mouth with a big spoonful of rice, cheeks puffed out, nodding enthusiastically.
Lu Qing chuckled and took a bite himself.
As he chewed, his eyebrows lifted slightly.
It wasn't as bad as he'd expected.
Perhaps because this ancient environment was so untouched and unpolluted, the river fish were incredibly fresh and well-raised.
So even though the seasoning was minimal, the fish had a naturally rich flavor—quite a treat, in its own way.
The siblings had both gone hungry for some time, so they ate quickly and without pause.
Soon, the entire pot of rice and the bowl of fried fish were gone.
Of course, most of it went into Lu Qing's stomach.
Xiaoyan, though hungry, was still just a six- or seven-year-old child with a small appetite.
And Lu Qing had been careful not to let her overeat, just in case she upset her stomach.
"Big brother, I'm full now!"
She put down her bowl and patted her belly with a satisfied grin.
It had been a long time since she'd eaten this much!
"Now that you're full, rest a bit and don't run around. I'll go wash the dishes," Lu Qing instructed as he began tidying up.
"I'll help you, big brother!"
The little girl jumped off her stool.
"No need. You just sit and rest," Lu Qing said, gently refusing.
So Xiaoyan sat obediently, watching as her brother worked.
Children get sleepy quickly, and by the time Lu Qing finished cleaning up and came back out, he saw Xiaoyan's head bobbing as she struggled to stay awake.
Smiling, Lu Qing gently picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.
"Big brother, next time I want to go fishing with you again. The fish was so yummy..." she mumbled as he placed her on the bed.
"Alright, next time I go fishing, I'll take you with me," he whispered as he covered her with a patched-up blanket, his voice full of affection.
Hearing his promise, Xiaoyan said no more and soon drifted into a deep sleep.
Once he confirmed she was sound asleep, Lu Qing quietly left the room and sat down in a crude reclining chair in the main room, finally feeling a bit of comfort.
He'd been busy all day. His body was still recovering, still weak.
Despite the fatigue and hunger, he had spent the entire day working—fishing, cooking, cleaning.
Of course he was exhausted.
Now, leaning back in the chair, he finally felt a moment of peace.
Sleepiness began to creep in.
But he couldn't sleep just yet.
There were still things he needed to think about.
After everything he'd done today—interacting with villagers, going through memories—Lu Qing had basically figured out the kind of world he was in.
First, one thing was certain: he was in a world similar to ancient China.
And not just any part of it—this era had very low productivity.
You could tell just from how valuable a simple iron pot was.
But that was about all he could say for sure.
There were still a lot of unknowns—like the world's societal structure, political powers, who held authority, and so on.
One thing he did know was that this world seemed to lack any centralized government or official system like courts or offices.
At least, there was no mention of them in the original host's memories.
Of course, that wasn't necessarily conclusive.
The original owner of this body was just a naive village boy who had never even left his hometown. He had no concept of the outside world.
So it made sense he wouldn't know anything about courts or governments.
That said, towns and cities definitely existed.
Villagers often traveled to nearby towns to buy necessities.
Things like salt and iron could typically only be found there.
And the person in charge of a town seemed to be someone called the City Lord.
Unfortunately, even though the original owner was fifteen years old, he had never once been to town, which left Lu Qing in the dark about what towns were really like.
"Looks like I'll need to make a trip to town someday," Lu Qing murmured to himself.
Only by understanding the world better could he figure out what path to take in the future.
Of course, that was a bit far off for now.
The most pressing issue was figuring out a way to provide for himself and Xiaoyan.
After all, he owed a lot of favors today—those were debts that would need to be repaid.
At the moment, his greatest asset was undoubtedly his supernatural ability.
So what exactly could this ability do?
Lu Qing sat quietly, lost in thought.
And then, suddenly, a name surfaced in his mind.