When Su Muqing and Wan Yan'er arrived, the hidden guards had already emerged from the water. They wrung out their clothes and prepared to resume their stealthy positions.
Before the hidden guards could conceal themselves, Su Muqing called out to them. "Heroes, please don't leave yet. How about we go catch some more fish and have a delicious meal for lunch together? You've worked hard for two days here."
"This is merely our duty, Your Highness. We dare not accept your words of hardship. We shall go catch fish now." The leader of the hidden guards cupped his hands in acknowledgement, then jumped back into the lake.
Seeing the hidden guards jump into the water to catch fish, Su Muqing called the manor's head steward. "Head steward, have the servants bring some large pots from the manor. We'll be starting a fire here for lunch and cooking a fish feast. Then, go and call the women who helped with cooking. When the hidden guards catch the fish, let them help clean them."
"Yes, it seems the servants will have a feast again today and get to taste Your Highness's exquisite cooking. I'll arrange it right away." Upon hearing Su Muqing's tone, the steward knew they would have a share in the fish feast. Thinking of last night's hot pot, he couldn't help but swallow. The taste was truly unforgettable!
While they were talking, two hidden guards had already caught fish and thrown them onto the shore. Old Eagle had been observing behind Su Muqing and the others for a while. Seeing that the two were not entering the water, he decided to fly to the center of the lake himself to catch large fish.
Seeing Old Eagle fly away, Su Muqing leaped to Leng Feng's side. "Second Brother Leng, I have something to tell you."
Leng Feng was feeling quite bored. Seeing Su Muqing approach, he quickly stepped forward and asked, "What is it, Miss? Do you want me to catch fish for you?"
"No need to catch them. There are so many hidden guards catching them over there. Have you forgotten I still have fish in my space? I came to ask you to pretend to run an errand and bring me a bag, so I can legitimately take out the seasonings and make spicy fish for you all at noon." If it weren't for the many eyes and ears here, Su Muqing would have wanted to take out the fish from her space to satisfy her cravings.
The ordinary fish, after being kept in the space for a period, absorbed a lot of spiritual energy. After they arrived in the Tianzhao Kingdom, Su Muqing had taken them out to cook several times. She discovered that the longer the fish were kept in the space, the more delicious and tender they would be when cooked.
"Alright! I love spicy fish the most. Miss, wait here for a moment, I'll go get it right away." Leng Feng was overjoyed when he heard that he only needed to ride back to the manor for a stroll to eat spicy fish at noon.
Leng Feng rode back in a hurry. Anyway, they had already standardized the routes for the irrigation canals. He didn't have any important tasks here now, so it was better to make a trip for a delicious meal. Besides, he couldn't understand the waterwheel blueprints from the young master.
Seeing Su Muqing going somewhere else, Wan Yan'er quickly called out to her. "Muqing, come over here quickly! Let's go catch fish too. Look, those hidden guards have caught so many!"
Su Muqing leaped to Wan Yan'er's side. Many large fish were already piled on the bank. The women had also dug a pit nearby and were squatting there, starting to scale and gut the fish.
Watching everyone on the shore methodically doing their tasks, Su Muqing put the water-repelling bead into her mouth, then pulled Wan Yan'er and leaped into the lake again.
The two held their breath for a while in the water, watching schools of fish swim past their eyes before surfacing. Wan Yan'er let go of Su Muqing's hand, unfolded the wire folding fishing net she had given her, and once again held her breath and submerged herself into the water.
After submerging, Wan Yan'er was surprised to find that Su Muqing hadn't surfaced to breathe for so long! Could she really hold her breath underwater for that long?
Moreover, looking at her expression and demeanor, she seemed as composed as she was on shore. Wan Yan'er felt that Su Muqing was like a fish now, as if she could breathe freely in the water. She had grown up by the sea, and compared to Su Muqing, she was far inferior.
Su Muqing was concentrating on catching fish at the moment, but these fish were too big and slippery, making them difficult to catch in the water. She turned to look at Wan Yan'er and found that she had surfaced to breathe. She quickly collected the fat fish in front of her into the space river.
Over a dozen people were in the lake catching fish, but in the end, they scared all the fish away. The fish became smarter, and the hidden guards swam back and forth in the water for a long time but couldn't catch a single one.
Seeing that everyone hadn't caught any fish for a long time, Su Muqing was about to release some from her space for them to catch. Suddenly, she remembered that the spiritual spring water could attract animals and insects. She wondered if it could attract those fish.
She swam out of the water, condensed a drop of undiluted spiritual spring water on her fingertip, then flicked it towards the center of the lake with her finger. After a while, white bubbles began to emerge from the surface of the lake. Immediately after, they saw fish, shrimp, and crabs from all directions, all rushing towards this area, drawn by the scent.
The collision of the huge schools of fish pushed everyone in the lake around, and then, as if driven mad, they all rushed to the center of the lake to scramble for the drop of spiritual spring water.
This spectacle stunned everyone on the shore. Seeing this scene, Kebina was no longer interested in the blueprints. Since his clothes hadn't dried completely, he simply jumped into the water with a splash and continued to catch fish.
"Look! Everyone, look at the lake!"
"Oh my god! Is this the manifestation of the lake god!"
"So many fish! Why are there so many fish? Have all the fish in the lake swum over here?"
"Not only are there big carp, but also shrimp and crawfish."
"Good heavens, this old man's eyes have been opened today..."
"Quick, quick, let's jump in and catch them too!"
Seeing that everyone else's attention was drawn to the fish in the lake, Lu Yuzhi said, "If you also want to go, then all of you go. We'll rest on the side for a while."
Hearing that the nobles had spoken, everyone on the shore took off their outer clothes, some picked up tools within reach, and all jumped into the lake to catch fish.
The hidden guards in the water recovered their senses. Forgetting to admire this strange sight, they dived into the water and began to frantically scoop up fish. It turned out that miracles really did happen, but what fell from the sky for them were fish, shrimp, and crabs.
Su Muqing was also shocked by the scene. She hadn't expected the spiritual spring water to be so magical. It seemed that she would be able to communicate well with other species in the animal kingdom in the future.
She shook off her wandering thoughts, quickly dived to the bottom of the water, and while the fish, shrimp, and crabs were consuming the spiritual spring water, she collected them frantically into her space. It seemed like today was another day of great harvest!
The group spent only about twenty minutes catching fish. After the spiritual spring water was completely consumed, the water creatures whose minds had been clouded finally reacted, realizing they had fallen into a trap.
After regaining consciousness, the fish, shrimp, and crabs began to struggle desperately to escape. Although the fish schools didn't gather for long, the density was indeed considerable, so everyone had a good harvest this time.
Around the end of the morning, (around 10:30 AM), everyone climbed ashore from the water. Leng Feng had already been waiting by the shore with a huge bag, looking expectant.
Under the large trees on the shore, five large pots had been set up with stoves. On two of the pots, water was already being heated to prepare the steamers for steaming buns.
The servants not only brought several large pots but also pulled several carts, bringing the manor's head chef and all the meat ingredients.
On a large stone beside them, dry straw was spread, and washed fish were placed on top. Several women were at a table nearby, chopping fat fish into pieces, while other women were deboning and slicing the large fish.
Su Muqing evenly coated the cut fish slices in basins with starch and egg white, and then added some cooking wine. This would not only make the fish tender but also effectively remove the fishy smell.
After the fish slices were marinated, she asked for more chopped scallions, ginger, and garlic, and had the cabbage washed clean. Meanwhile, others were busy setting up the steamers to steam the buns.
Su Muqing took out more than a dozen oil-paper packets from the large bag. These were various seasonings she had pre-packaged in her space earlier. The most conspicuous among them were the two large cloth bags of dried chili peppers and dried Sichuan peppercorns, and a jar of preserved pickled vegetables.
A large pot was heated and oil was added. When the oil was heated to 80% hot, Su Muqing put the scallions, ginger, and garlic into the pot and stir-fried them. She also added a lot of dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns to stir-fry until fragrant.
Once the aroma wafted out, a proper amount of clean water was poured into the oil pot. After the water boiled, the floating ingredients in the pot were scooped out, and then the marinated fish slices were added to the pot and quickly dispersed with chopsticks.
Meanwhile, two pots were heated simultaneously. One was heated with oil, and the other was heated with water. The cabbage was blanched until seven or eight mature, then scooped out and spread in a clean ceramic basin. The cooked fish slices were then served into the basin with their broth, topped with a generous layer of dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, and finally drizzled with boiling oil.
The boiling oil poured into the basin made a "sizzling" sound, and then a spicy and fragrant aroma wafted into the air. The smell made people's mouths water. The laborers who were working, swallowing their saliva, craned their necks to look over. The smell was truly to die for!
The head chef from the manor followed behind her to learn how to make this spicy boiled fish. Su Muqing also instructed them not to skimp on the seasonings, otherwise, the taste would definitely not be good.
After they skillfully made a pot of boiled fish slices, Su Muqing continued to make pickled vegetable fish.
In fact, the steps were similar. First, a small amount of oil was heated in a pot, then Sichuan peppercorns, ginger slices, and garlic cloves were fried until fragrant. Then, pickled peppers and preserved pickled vegetables were stir-fried until flavorful, followed by adding broth and boiling it. The foam on the surface of the broth was skimmed off, and cooking wine was added to remove the fishy smell. Then, salt and pepper were added and set aside. After the broth simmered and became flavorful, the fish pieces were added to the pot.
Using another pot, oil was heated, and chopped pickled peppers were stir-fried until fragrant. Then, the soup pot was poured into it and simmered for two to three minutes. After the fish pieces were cooked, MSG was added, and finally, it was poured into a soup basin. A basin of Sichuan-style pickled vegetable fish was completed.
Su Muqing made the first sample, and the rest was left to the head chef. Meanwhile, the buns were ready for the second steaming.
At the end of the morning, (11:30 AM), the servants called the scattered laborers back one by one. In the morning, the weeds and small trees around the lake had been cleared for a long stretch.
While clearing the grass, some tenant farmers also caught wild chickens and rabbits. In addition, the princess said she would give them the remaining fish and shrimp. They were called back in advance so they could send the items home first, lest they spoil in the sun and lose their freshness.
The reason they caught fish so diligently earlier was mainly because they had never seen such a spectacle. Secondly, it was to please the nobles. The lake was the private property of the royal family, and the fish in it belonged to the royal family. Normally, ordinary people dared not catch fish privately. Unexpectedly, the princess had given them all away.
After receiving permission, the workers eagerly rushed home with their belongings. Su Muqing then remembered that someone seemed to have been forgotten.
Right! What about those hidden guards?
It turned out that after finishing catching fish, the hidden guards had put on their wet clothes and concealed themselves again. Su Muqing was busy cooking at the time and didn't notice they had left. When everyone was about to eat, she realized that none of the hidden guards had come out.
Kebina and Lu Yuzhi called out all the scattered hidden guards and set up a separate table for the dozen or so of them before going to eat.
The leader of the hidden guards looked at the two basins of fish soup placed on the stone. He had an indescribable feeling. This was the first time the hidden guards had eaten in the sunlight with their masters, and these two dishes were personally made by Princess Ning'an.
"Since it is a blessing from our master, let us eat it! After eating, we will continue to stand guard." The leader said, then sat down first. kanδん
The dozen or so people also sat around the stone, holding steamed buns in one hand and chopsticks in the other. With a command from the leader, they all began to eat heartily.
Delicious! This taste was incredibly delicious! Their dry rations, which were already starting to smell stale, were no match for it!
The dozen people ate all of the two large basins of steamed buns and two large basins of fish soup, washed the basins clean, and then returned them. Then, one by one, with round bellies and burps, they returned to the trees to continue their vigil.
It wasn't until after noon, past noon, that the hundred or so workers who had gone home to deliver things gradually returned. As instructed, each of them brought two soup bowls and a pair of chopsticks.
When everyone had arrived, the steward arranged for them to line up to receive their lunch. The lunch was portioned. Each person received two white flour steamed buns, each about the size of an adult man's palm, and then a spoonful of pickled vegetable fish slices and boiled fish slices.
The laborers carried their lunches and sat down anywhere they could find a spot. Once seated, they stared at the white flour steamed buns in their hands and the two bowls of fish soup on the ground, swallowing hard. The two bowls of fish soup in front of them smelled so good! Just smelling it made them feel like it would go well with rice.
Looking at the two large steamed buns in their hands, none of them had ever eaten pure white flour steamed buns before. The white flour used for these two steamed buns alone was enough for them to buy a lot of coarse flour.
Someone couldn't resist the temptation of the fish soup and used chopsticks to dip a little broth and taste it. This taste was like opening a new door to the world.
Oh my god! The taste of this fish soup was simply too fragrant! Salty, fragrant, spicy, fresh – so many flavors hit their taste buds simultaneously.
After a light tasting, they carefully picked up a chopstickful of fish slices and put them into their mouths. In addition to the previous flavors, the fish meat was even more tender, smooth, and springy, making them reluctant to swallow it.
After that, apart from occasional sounds of conversation from Su Muqing's table, the rest of the place was quiet. She turned her head to look. Apart from a few people who were eating heartily, most others occasionally dipped their chopsticks into the soup to smear it on the steamed buns, barely daring to pick out the fish meat and vegetables inside.