The county town was small, so Xu Zheng's horseback round trip was quick.
Zhu Changle took the items and sniffed each one, keeping some for herself before letting him distribute the rest to the others.
Xu Zheng smiled, "Doctor Tang said he'd never heard of using these herbs as seasonings either. It's a first for me too, Miss. You'll have to teach me how to use them before I can teach the others."
"Just sprinkle it on the meat," she replied. "A bit on both sides is fine. Nothing fancy."
"Got it." Xu Zheng listened and planned to teach it exactly that way. For some reason, the Zhu family's servants had a particularly blind trust in the Fourth Young Miss.
Qiuli watched her apply the seasoning and asked, "Where did you learn this?"
"From the old monk, of course! His collection was much more extensive than this clinic's. He'd just toss in a handful of herbs when cooking, and everything tasted delicious."
What a... unique description. Qiuli looked at the golden-brown fish presented to him, its aroma enticing.
"Eat it while it's hot. Trust me, it's delicious!"
Qiuli took a piece and put it in his mouth. It was very fresh, clearly from a fish that had been alive moments ago. The seasoning was new to him, but not unpleasant, and it didn't overpower the fish's natural flavor. "Not bad," he commented.
"Of course! I ate this for two years," Zhu Changle said as she skewered another fish to grill.
Qiuli ate slowly and deliberately. "On the island?"
"Yes! Master dumped me there and left me to fend for myself. If I hadn't learned a few tricks from the old monk, like finding herbs on the island to use as seasoning, I would have swum back to throw a tantrum at Master long ago."
Qiuli suddenly understood the meaning of "jack of all trades." Zhu Changle seemed carefree, but she actually possessed a wealth of miscellaneous knowledge. These skills didn't need to be perfect; being able to use them when needed was enough.
"Did she want you to master the 'Returning Whirlpool' technique?"
"Not exactly," Zhu Changle poked at the fire. "If I wanted to return, I could have just sent a signal and Aunt Feng would have come to get me. But returning without mastering it would have made me look useless, wouldn't it? Besides, that technique can only be practiced in the sea. If I tried to create a few whirlpools in rivers, it would cause trouble."
Qiuli flipped the fish over, having already eaten half of it in this short time.
"Changle," Zhu Changning called from the other side, "these are ready."
Zhu Changle dusted off her hands and walked over. Two baskets were filled with several pieces of grilled meat.
"Let's slice it," she said. "Cut it thin, we have a lot of people to feed!"
Xu Zheng and the others got busy.
Zhu Changle, craving meat, ate a slice for every one they cut. By the time they finished slicing one piece... it was gone.
Xu Zheng suppressed a laugh and reminded her, "Miss, if you keep eating, there won't be enough left."
Zhu Changle stuck out her tongue and ran back to Qiuli to grill fish. A handkerchief appeared before her, and she followed it with her gaze.
Qiuli took matters into his own hands, wiping the oil from the corner of her mouth.
Zhu Changle, having grown up rough-housing with Dingding, and their group's carefree adventures, didn't see anything wrong with this. She naturally didn't notice her second brother frowning so hard he could have squashed a mosquito between his brows. If Xu Zheng hadn't pulled him back quickly, he would have rushed over.
"The Young Master said that Fourth Miss can make her own decisions," Xu Zheng whispered, relaying the eldest brother's words. However, even he couldn't help glancing over repeatedly. The Fourth Miss was really... too bold.
Tucking the handkerchief back into his sleeve, Qiuli lowered his gaze to the clean fish bones. He wasn't unaware of his unusual closeness to Zhu Changle, nor was he ignorant of what it might mean. However...
"Miss, the meat is sliced," someone called.
Zhu Changle jumped up and went over, quickly returning to flip the fish. "Qiuli, keep an eye on this. Flip it every so often so it doesn't burn."
Qiuli nodded.
The meat had been sliced paper-thin. Zhu Changle reached for it again, but Xu Zheng, suppressing a smile, stepped back with the basket. "Miss, there are exactly forty-eight slices."
"Stingy," Zhu Changle grumbled. She sprinkled some more fennel seeds, satisfied with the fragrant aroma. Shouldering her cane like a mountain bandit, she declared, "Second Brother, you carry this. Let's go distribute the meat."
Though Zhu Changning didn't know why he had to come along, he didn't object. He even covered the meat with a cloth – the dock was windy, and leaving it exposed would cool it before they reached their destination.
The smell of meat had long since captivated everyone. They had been hoping, wishing from the bottom of their hearts for this possibility, but it wasn't until the siblings actually approached with the meat that they dared to believe it might come true.
"Meat, oh meat, we've got meat to eat!" Zhu Changle sang teasingly, planting her cane on a rock with a stance that seemed to say 'one against ten thousand.' "You're all quite tired, aren't you? Good, that means you haven't been slacking. When you push to your limits, you can break through them. That's how you build strength."
Gesturing for her brother to hold the basket high, Zhu Changle continued, "Forty-eight people, forty-eight pieces of meat. There are only two possible outcomes: either each of you gets a piece in your mouth, or they all end up in mine."
"Miss Zhu, that's... that's called snatching food from people's mouths!" Clearly, Zhou Zheng's courage had grown in proportion to his desire for meat.
"That's right, I'm snatching food. If you've got what it takes, don't let me snatch it," Zhu Changle declared shamelessly, even proudly. "Forty-eight people must hold out for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. If even one person fails, you all fail."
This... this was too harsh. Everyone's strength was different; how could they be judged as one?
As Zhou Zheng was about to speak again, Zhu Changle pointed her cane at him. "There's no room for negotiation. And we don't have an incense stick here, so imagine it burning in your hearts. When I say time's up, it's up. Understand?"
Zhu Changning glanced at his little sister. This was indeed a bit harsh.
"I'll take your silence as understanding. Now, begin!" Zhu Changle snapped her fingers to mark the start of the imaginary incense burning. She hopped down from the rock and walked to her brother's side, lifting the cloth to sniff the meat. Delicious!
"You've never lacked for food at home," Zhu Changning said, amused by her behavior. How had she become so greedy?
"It's meat! Of course I'm craving it!" Zhu Changle's matter-of-fact tone made the crowd want to nod in agreement. It's meat, of course they craved it!
"Second Brother, I'll leave the task of calling time to you," Zhu Changle said, her eyes glinting mischievously. She pointed at her brother and addressed the crowd struggling to hold their horse stance, "Remember this face. If you don't get to eat meat, blame him."
"Zhu Changle!" Zhu Changning glared at her, a bit embarrassed. She was always using him for amusement.
"Well, you could go easy on them. It's not like I'll see," Zhu Changle made a face and ran off cheerfully. "Qiuli, quick, flip the fish! I can smell it burning!"
Zhu Changning felt the pressure of forty-eight pairs of eyes on him. However, as a Zhu family member, he had the necessary wits. After the initial tension passed, he quickly thought of a solution. "I'll count down from one thousand to zero. Hold on until then."
With a clear goal, the crowd gritted their teeth and held on with determination.
This piece of meat... they must taste it!
