Qiuli stood beside her. "What is it?"
"Master said there's no one in the world who truly wants nothing."
"That's reasonable."
Zhu Changle turned to look at him, her face full of mischief, as if that moment of profundity had been a mirage. "So Qiuli, what are you after in Yunbei?"
Meeting her frank gaze, Qiuli replied just as openly, "The situation in Yunbei is unexpected. I want to see how it turns out."
"Do you have a responsibility that requires you to know?"
"It's just incidental."
Zhu Changle had a look of sudden realization. She turned and walked away, thinking to herself, "Hmph, if he revealed any more, I'd be able to guess which important figure he is."
"Second Brother."
Seeing his little sister approach, Zhu Changning immediately became wary. "What do you want?"
Zhu Changle put her arm around her second brother's shoulders and whispered a few words in his ear. Zhu Changning, who had stiffened at her closeness, looked at her in surprise.
"Should we tell Father first?"
"Just do as I said." Zhu Changle threateningly waved the cane in her hand. "Remember, I have the imperial sword!"
This time, Zhu Changning didn't glare at her. Instead, his eyes softened. He nodded and turned to leave.
"The cane really comes in handy," Zhu Changle chuckled. She called Aunt Feng over and gave her a few instructions as well. Aunt Feng was much more agreeable than her second brother, leaving to carry out the task without asking any questions. This made Zhu Changle miss her little friends - Tunzi and Little Bottle Cap were just as obedient.
Looking at the people squatting unsteadily, Zhu Changle sat down on a rock and pointed her cane. "Squat properly. Look at this ruined dock, think about how Gu'an bullied Yunbei so miserably, think about those things that made you cry. When I was doing this, I thought about chicken legs. If I persevered, Master would give me chicken legs she roasted herself. I've never eaten chicken legs that tasted better than my Master's."
Remembering the taste, Zhu Changle swallowed. Oh, how she missed her Master even more!
"Did... did you get to eat it?" Zhou Zheng asked, his face red from the effort, sweat streaming down his cheeks. Despite the strain, he still managed to ask about the outcome.
"Of course I did! My Master was roasting them right beside me. The smell was so delicious, I was drooling while holding on, thinking that I had to taste that bite no matter what."
Zhou Zheng swallowed. He wanted to taste that bite too.
Zhu Changle saw his expression and smiled. She leaned back, looking relaxed. "Those who can't hold on can rest."
Even those who couldn't hold on gritted their teeth and persevered. They weren't thinking about chicken legs now - that was beyond their imagination. But looking at this dock, they could think about the bullying they had endured over the years. They didn't hope for anything grand, they just wanted a chance to vent the frustration they had bottled up for so long!
Just a bit longer, just a bit longer!
Damn it, just a bit longer!
Gu'an, you bastards, just you wait!
Zhu Changle simply lay down, watching the changing shapes of the clouds in the sky and trying to guess their next form. The sea breeze whistled, waves crashed one after another on the shore, and she could faintly hear seabirds calling. She wondered if they could escape Little Golden's hunting. Hmm, the sound had stopped, probably their lives had ended too.
Tsk, wherever Little Golden went, probably not even an egg would be left behind.
She really wished she was back on the island!
Someone sat down beside her. Without looking, Zhu Changle knew who it was. She inwardly laughed at how this usually fastidious person wasn't being so particular now - this rock had been stepped on by her and Aunt Feng, it certainly wasn't clean!
It was a bit different from the island. On the island, there were only monkeys. Here, there were people around.
"Qiuli."
"Hmm?"
Zhu Changle called out but didn't say anything more. Qiuli didn't ask either, watching as those who couldn't hold on any longer collapsed to the ground, only to quickly stand up, jump a bit, walk around, and then continue squatting once they had recovered.
Over and over again.
Zhu Changle just lay there with her eyes closed, resting. Her swinging foot showed that she wasn't asleep, but apart from making them do horse stance, she didn't teach them anything else.
Until a delicious aroma wafted over.
Zhou Zheng sniffed, thought he was hallucinating, and sniffed again. Seeing others making the same bewildered action, he knew it wasn't just his nose playing tricks. Remembering what Miss Zhu had said earlier, a thought suddenly popped into his head.
But this idea was so unbelievable, he dared not share it with others, or even believe it himself.
"Can you smell the meat?" Zhu Changle sat up, smiling as she took a deep breath. Delicious!
Is it... is it really the smell of meat?! Zhou Zheng swallowed frantically, sniffing even more vigorously.
"I originally wanted to learn from my Master and roast right next to you, letting you see and smell but not move. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate. The wind is too strong, and we couldn't light a fire," Zhu Changle said regretfully. "So I had Second Brother and Aunt Feng go to the leeward side. But, well, you can still smell it."
Watching them swallow hard, Zhu Changle couldn't help but swallow too. After spending two years at sea, she had developed a deep love for meat, and could go without eating fish or shellfish for the rest of her life.
However, cooking it for others was still fine.
Zhu Changle looked at Qiuli. "I promised to grill fish for you."
Qiuli nodded, thinking that this energetic Zhu Changle looked much more comfortable.
"Hehe, I had Second Brother prepare some." Zhu Changle stood back on the rock. "Hold on, everyone! If you persevere, you'll get meat to eat! Zhou Zheng, Wu Jun, set a good example."
"Yes!" The two responded crisply and loudly. Meat, it was meat!
"Come on, Qiuli, let's go grill some fish."
The cooking spot was naturally not far, given that they could smell the aroma. In a clearing, five fires were burning. Zhu Changning had tucked one corner of his scholar's robe into his waist, and his face was smudged with dirt. He was bustling about with the Zhu family servants, busy and flustered.
Zhu Changle tilted her head to look, making him both embarrassed and angry. Flushed with shame, he glared at her. "What are you standing there for? Come and help. You open your mouth, and a bunch of people get busy."
"My Second Brother looks especially handsome today." Zhu Changle bounced over and gave her brother a very unrefined hug. Before he could react, she quickly let go and ran off to the last fire, stifling her laughter.
"Really... mischievous." Zhu Changning forcibly straightened his upturned lips and lowered his head to continue brushing marinade on the meat.
Given the hasty preparations, there were naturally some shortcomings. Xu Zheng, who had been sent by the eldest young master, explained in a low voice, "You wanted it urgently, so we brought out most of what we had at home. I also bought what was available at the stalls, but their stock was really low. Even buying everything, we only got this much. There wasn't time for fresh slaughter."
"This is enough. It's just to let them taste some meat, to give them something to look forward to. Are the fish all prepared?"
"Yes, they've all been cleaned."
Zhu Changle took a fish from the basket, sniffed it, and turned it over to examine it. Satisfied, she skewered it on a tree branch. She glanced at Xu Zheng and asked, "Did Big Brother leave any instructions?"
Xu Zheng smiled. "No, the young master said you should play however you like, as long as you enjoy yourself."
"Big Brother is the best."
After setting up the branch, Zhu Changle rummaged through the seasonings. Seeing it was just some salt, she frowned. This was really not knowing how to eat.
"Xu Zheng, can you run an errand to the Chengde Medical Clinic for me? Ask Doctor Tang for a few medicinal herbs: perilla leaves, fennel, Sichuan peppercorns, licorice... what else was it? Just bring these first, it should be almost ready to eat by then."
"Yes, Miss."
