Chapter 6: Borrowing Grain

After arriving home, faced with the eager eyes of the little kids, Lu Qing didn't hesitate and immediately started dividing the fish.

He went to the backyard and picked two banana leaves, cutting them into several pieces.

Each little kid got a handful of fish—not much, probably just under half a pound per person.

The fish might have been few, but the kids were ecstatic.

After receiving the fish, they each ran home gleefully, like they'd just obtained some treasured prize.

Seeing Lu Qing finish dividing the fish, some villagers gathered around.

"Lu Qing, how did you catch so many fish at once?"

"Just luck," Lu Qing replied with a smile, "Maybe the bait I used happened to attract the fish."

"What kind of bait did you use?"

"Just earthworms, the kind commonly seen in the fields."

Lu Qing didn't hold back and told them the truth.

After all, even if he didn't say, the villagers would figure it out sooner or later.

When he was fishing, a group of little kids had been watching him closely, tailing him the entire time.

*Since that's the case, it was better to just share openly, avoiding others thinking he was stingy.*

"Earthworms? This stuff can actually be used for fishing?" a villager asked in surprise.

"Of course it can, and fish seem to like it quite a bit."

Lu Qing wasn't surprised that the villagers didn't know earthworms could be used as bait.

*From the memories of the original host of this body, Lu Qing roughly deduced that this world resembled ancient China.*

*In such an old and feudal era, transportation was inconvenient, and information was isolated.*

*People held cautious and conservative attitudes toward new things, rarely willing to try them.*

*What might be common knowledge in one area could easily become novelty elsewhere.*

The village didn't have anyone skilled in fishing or catching fish, so it was understandable that nobody knew fish were attracted to earthworms.

"I didn't realize fish liked earthworms. No wonder everyone didn't have much success fishing before; it turns out we were using the wrong bait," a villager said with a sigh.

"Lu Qing, is this method something your father taught you?"

Lu Qing hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "I heard my father mention it briefly in the past. I remembered it, and when Little Yan kept saying she was hungry today and there was nothing to eat at home, I decided to give it a try. Turns out, it worked."

Hearing this, the villager froze momentarily and looked toward Little Yan.

The little girl was crouched by the bucket, staring at the fish intently. Perceiving the villager's gaze, she immediately raised her head and flashed him a big, cheerful smile.

*The villager's heart suddenly ached; he glanced again at the frail Lu Qing, and a wave of pity surged through him.*

"What will you do next? You can't just eat fish all the time; it wouldn't sit well in your stomach," the villager asked.

"I was just planning to discuss it with a few uncles," Lu Qing said earnestly. "You all know my family's current situation—there's hardly even a grain of rice left. So I wanted to ask a few uncles to lend us some food supplies, like grains and salt. Once I find work in a few days, I promise to repay double."

"What are you saying, boy? Do you think we're the kind of people who take advantage of others? We're all from the same village; supporting each other is natural. It's just a little food; Uncle Shan will bring some for you shortly!"

The villager grew emotional and spoke loudly.

After he said this, the other villagers naturally couldn't remain indifferent.

"That's right, just some food; I'll fetch some for you!"

"I happened to buy extra salt when I went to the market earlier this month; I can spare some for you."

"Oil? I still have quite a bit left. I'll go dig some out for you in a while!"

Several villagers patted their chests, their expressions filled with generosity.

Lu Qing was overjoyed, "Thank you all, uncles!"

"Lu Qing, wait here. I'll go back home and bring you some grain right now," Uncle Shan said as he walked off promptly, followed by several other villagers heading to their homes.

Not long after, they all returned to Lu Qing's yard.

"Here, take this half-bag of rice for you and Little Yan to eat first. If it runs out, ask Uncle Shan for more!"

"Lu Qing, this half-jug of lard should last you for a while, right?"

"Here's a small bamboo tube of salt; use it as you need."

"I've got a few flatbreads my wife baked this morning; they can be stored for quite some time. Eating just one can stave off hunger for hours—will that do?"

Looking at the items the villagers had brought, Lu Qing felt deeply moved.

He bowed repeatedly, "This is enough, thank you all!"

Then he reached into the bucket, scooped out several handfuls of small fish, and divided them into portions.

In an instant, over half the fish in the bucket were gone.

"Take these fish home, uncles, and have a taste."

Uncle Shan and the others waved their hands, "How can we? These fish you just worked hard to catch should stay with you and Little Yan!"

"Little Yan and I can't eat this much. With the weather being hot, the fish won't keep long. Plus, we don't have any chickens or ducks at home to feed them to. Keeping too much would just lead to waste, so please take them off my hands and help out a bit."

Without waiting for their response, Lu Qing handed out bundles of fish wrapped in leaves to the villagers.

"Well... alright then, we won't stand on ceremony," they said.

The villagers had felt somewhat reluctant after bringing out their extra provisions, but with fish in hand, their hearts relaxed considerably.

After sending the uncles off, Lu Qing let out a breath of relief.

*He felt lucky.*

*Thankfully, the people in this village were straightforward and kind. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to ask for food loans so casually.*

*Now, with these supplies, he and Little Yan wouldn't have to worry about food for the next ten days or half a month.*

*This short reprieve gave him time to figure out how to survive in this world.*

"Brother, this bread smells so good!"

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

Looking down, he saw the little girl squatting on the ground, staring at one of the flatbreads a villager had brought with drooling anticipation.

He walked over, tore off a small piece of bread, and placed it in her hand.

"Be good, Little Yan. Eat this piece for now. Brother will cook soon."

"Okay! Little Yan knows!"

Little Yan nodded obediently and happily gnawed on the bread.

After calming the little one, Lu Qing began busying himself in the kitchen.

First, he rinsed the rice and set it to steam, then scooped out about half a pound of small fish, gutting and cleaning them.

When the fish were cleaned and ready to fry, Lu Qing realized there was a problem.

The kitchen didn't have a proper cooking pan.

Lu Qing thought for a moment before remembering.

*Originally, the house had an iron pan, but it had been sold off not long ago to purchase food.*

Now, only a clay pot for steaming rice remained, but there was no pan for cooking dishes.

Sighing, Lu Qing went outside the courtyard and found a relatively smooth stone slab, cleaning it thoroughly before placing it over the fire for gradual heating.

Once the slab was scorching hot, Lu Qing carefully scooped a small spoonful of lard from the jar one of the villagers had brought.

As the lard hit the slab, it sizzled and melted almost immediately, sending a mouthwatering aroma wafting through the air.