22 – The Most Exquisite Delicacy, 《The Herbal Scripture》
by spirapira“In the river outside the village. Yesterday, Xiao Yan and I went fishing and, by chance, caught it,” Lu Qing replied.
“That small river actually has a Qingjia Fish of this age?” Old Doctor Chen was somewhat surprised.
The river outside the village wasn’t very big, so it was quite rare to have a Qingjia Fish grow to this size.
However, he suddenly remembered that the nearby villages didn’t seem to rely on fishing for a living.
Maybe that’s why this Qingjia Fish could grow to such a size.
“No wonder you said before that you felt you had a knack for fishing. To be able to catch such a fish with this quality, that Qingjia Fish must have been quite large. You actually managed to reel it in?”
Old Doctor Chen looked at Lu Qing’s somewhat thin body and couldn’t help but look at him in a new light.
“That’s all thanks to the fishing line you gave me, Grandpa Chen,” Lu Qing said modestly. “Grandpa Chen, that line was indeed exceptionally tough. Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to pull up this big fish.”
“As long as it was useful, it’s fine. That thing was of no use to me anyway,” Old Doctor Chen said with a wave of his hand, not taking it too seriously.
On the contrary, he was quite interested in the wooden bucket that Lu Qing was holding.
“What do you have in that bucket? It looks quite heavy.”
Because Lu Qing had put some branches and leaves in the bucket before heading out, to prevent the fish from getting too startled, Old Doctor Chen couldn’t see clearly what was inside the bucket.
“Inside is something I want to give to you, Grandpa Chen.” Lu Qing began to take out the branches and leaves from the bucket. “Yesterday, Xiao Yan and I went fishing. We caught two big fish. We ate the larger Qingjia Fish, and we thought of giving the smaller one to you, Grandpa Chen, to have a taste.”
“Yes, Grandpa Chen, this fish is very beautiful. Grandpa Zhang and the others didn’t recognize what kind of fish it was,” Xiao Yan chimed in.
“Oh, that’s very thoughtful of you. Let me have a look at what kind of fish it is.”
Old Doctor Chen’s interest was piqued.
“It’s this fish,” Lu Qing said as he cleared the leaves out of the bucket and handed it to the old doctor.
The old doctor looked into the bucket and saw a fish that looked like flames. At first, he was startled, and then he was a bit moved.
He blurted out, “This… is this a Red Moon Carp?”
The old doctor did indeed recognize the fish.
Lu Qing’s mind was whirling, but his face showed a look of doubt.
“Grandpa Chen, do you know what kind of fish this is?”
The old doctor put Xiao Yan down, went closer, reached into the bucket to play with the fish, carefully examining it.
Finally, he confirmed, “Without a doubt, this is a Red Moon Carp!”
The old doctor now looked at Lu Qing with genuine astonishment, “You actually managed to catch such an extraordinary fish as a Red Moon Carp?”
“Grandpa Chen, what is a Red Moon Carp?” Xiao Yan asked innocently.
“Ah, the Red Moon Carp… now that’s something remarkable,”
Seeing Lu Qing also looking puzzled, Old Doctor Chen began to explain.
“The Red Moon Carp is a kind of extraordinary fish. Any fish that can be called extraordinary has its own unique qualities.”
“The Red Moon Carp is famous for its exquisite taste.”
“It’s said that its flavor is unparalleled. Once you’ve tasted it, you’ll never forget it. Hence, some have named it one of the world’s ten greatest delicacies.”
“One of the world’s ten greatest delicacies?”
This time it was Lu Qing’s turn to be surprised.
He didn’t expect the Red Moon Carp to have such a reputation.
No wonder it was regarded as the most exquisite delicacy by the abilities.
“A big red fish is so incredible!” Xiao Yan was also amazed. “Grandpa Chen, have you ever eaten a big red fish?”
“I was fortunate enough to taste the Red Moon Carp once at a noble’s feast. The flavor…”
Old Doctor Chen didn’t finish his sentence, but even Xiao Yan could see the nostalgic look on his face.
“Then giving you this Red Moon Carp is the most appropriate gift, Grandpa Chen,” Lu Qing said.
“I can’t accept this gift,” Old Doctor Chen snapped out of his reminiscence. “Do you know how much a Red Moon Carp can sell for in the city?”
Lu Qing shook his head.
“One hundred taels of silver.” Old Doctor Chen held up one finger, and seeing Lu Qing’s shocked expression, he continued, “The best quality Red Moon Carp can sell for at least one hundred taels of silver.”
“One fish is worth one hundred taels of silver?” Lu Qing gasped.
He knew that in this world, the purchasing power of silver was quite strong.
One tael of silver could comfortably sustain a family of three for a month.
In his memory, even at the Lu family’s most prosperous time, their entire wealth wouldn’t amount to ten taels of silver.
Now a single fish was worth a hundred taels, which truly exceeded his expectations.
The key point was, this was just a peculiar fish with a hint of red light in its white glow. If it were a true red light level spirit fish, how much more precious would it be?
“The world is vast, Lu Qing,” Old Doctor Chen sighed, “The daily expenses of those noble people are beyond the imagination of common folk. Do you know how much it costs for a noble to host a banquet?”
Lu Qing shook his head again.
“At least a thousand taels of silver. If it’s entertaining distinguished guests, the expenses become even more unimaginable.”
“This Red Moon Carp is an extremely rare and fresh delicacy. For noble people who aren’t short on money, what does a mere hundred taels of silver count for to taste such a delicacy?”
Lu Qing’s mouth was slightly open.
His expression was half-pretend, but the other half was genuinely surprised.
Sure enough, no matter the world, the extravagance of the wealthy is always so exaggerated.
“So, do you still want to give this Red Moon Carp to me, an old man?” Old Doctor Chen teased, looking at Lu Qing’s incredulous expression.
Lu Qing came to his senses, hesitated for a moment, then resolutely nodded: “Of course I’ll give it. Compared to your life-saving grace, Grandpa Chen, what does a hundred taels of silver matter? If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be standing here, let alone have caught this Red Moon Carp!”
“Hahaha…”
Old Doctor Chen suddenly burst into hearty laughter.
After laughing for a while, he stopped, his face filled with relief: “It’s enough that you have the thought. However, I really can’t accept this Red Moon Carp. It’s too wasteful for me to eat such a precious fish.”
“But Grandpa Chen…”
Lu Qing wanted to say something else, but Old Doctor Chen raised his hand and interrupted him.
“Alright, it’s decided. Leave the fish with me. In a few days, I’ll take it to the city and sell it for silver. You can use the money for household expenses.”
Lu Qing’s mouth opened and closed, but in the end, he didn’t persist. He just said, “That’s fine, but Grandpa Chen, the money from selling the fish has to first pay off your previous medical fees.”
“Okay!” Old Doctor Chen nodded.
But he didn’t tell Lu Qing that the precious herbs in the previous decoction were worth as much as the Red Moon Carp.
Because the old doctor could see that Lu Qing was a very self-respecting young man.
If he knew the value of that decoction, he might never accept the money from selling the Red Moon Carp.
Old Doctor Chen glanced at the Red Moon Carp in the bucket.
Then he frowned: “It’s a pity that your Red Moon Carp, though fine in appearance, is a bit too big. It might not be worth a hundred taels of silver, its value will decrease slightly.”
“Why is that, Grandpa Chen? Isn’t it better for the fish to be bigger?” Xiao Yan asked, puzzled.
“Generally, yes. But Red Moon Carp is different,” Old Doctor Chen explained.
“The most prized aspect of the Red Moon Carp is its freshness. Typically, a Red Moon Carp weighing around two catties is at its freshest, most tender state. If it exceeds that weight, although its freshness doesn’t diminish, the meat becomes a bit older, naturally reducing its value.”
This Lu Qing could understand.
It’s like certain seafood in his previous life, where smaller ones were actually more expensive per unit weight.
“No matter the value, we’ll still trouble Grandpa Chen with it.” Lu Qing said.
Regardless of the value, Lu Qing had no way to sell it himself.
He believed if he dared to bring such a rare fish into the city, even if he could sell it, he might not make it out of the city alive.
Perhaps only someone like Old Doctor Chen, a cultivator, had the qualifications to be involved in such transactions.
“By the way, this Red Moon Carp is always rare and its habits are hard to discern, preferring solitude and rarely seen. How did you catch it?” Old Doctor Chen asked curiously.
“Maybe it was luck. Yesterday, after catching that Blue Armor Fish, I fished for a while longer and just happened to catch this Red Moon Carp.” Lu Qing replied.
His heart stirred slightly.
Its habits are hard to discern. So even the old doctor didn’t know that Red Moon Carp likes to eat Blood Apricots?
“Seems like it was really your luck,” Old Doctor Chen sighed, “Perhaps the heavens saw how much suffering you and your sister were enduring, so they bestowed these blessings upon you.”
The old doctor thought about the sudden improvement in Lu Qing’s previous illness.
Perhaps Lu Qing’s recovery was also due to this reason?
After sighing for a while, Old Doctor Chen temporarily kept the Red Moon Carp in a water jar in his house, then started to perform acupuncture on Lu Qing.
This time, Lu Qing’s sleep duration was shorter than the last.
When he woke up, he saw Old Doctor Chen still chatting and laughing with Xiao Yan in the courtyard, with a plate of yam cakes on the stone table.
“You’re awake, come, have something to eat.”
Old Doctor Chen saw Lu Qing come out and pushed the pastries on the table towards him.
This time, Lu Qing didn’t decline. He picked up a piece of pastry and slowly started to eat.
Old Doctor Chen observed Lu Qing’s complexion and nodded.
“Not bad, it seems you have listened to my advice these past few days and have not neglected yourself in eating and drinking…”
“Grandpa Chen, my brother and I have been eating delicious food every day! My brother’s cooking is amazing!” Xiao Yan boasted on the side.
“Hmm, Grandpa can see that.” The old doctor gently patted the little one’s head with affection.
With his medical skills, how could he not notice? The siblings’ complexions were much better compared to a few days ago.
After Lu Qing had eaten a few pieces of pastry, the old doctor leisurely said, “I mentioned before that after today’s acupuncture session, I would allow you to study medicinal herbs with me for half an hour. Do you remember?”
Lu Qing immediately sat upright and solemnly said, “Of course, I remember.”
“So, do you still want to learn about medicinal herbs now?”
“Definitely, I have always been interested in medicinal herbs…”
“That’s good.” Old Doctor Chen smiled, “I thought that after you caught a Red Moon Carp and were about to come into a lot of money, you might not want to follow the path of collecting herbs.”
“I want to study medicinal herbs not just for living, but because I am genuinely curious about the magical properties of various herbs and want to know how they can treat and save lives.” Lu Qing answered earnestly.
“Since that’s the case, come with me.”
Old Doctor Chen got up and walked inside.
Lu Qing hurriedly followed.
Once inside, the old doctor took out a book and handed it to Lu Qing.
“Here is the ‘Herbal Scripture’. It has the names, illustrations, and growth habits of various medicinal herbs. Take it to study carefully and compare it with the herbs drying outside the yard. If you have any questions, come and ask me.”
Lu Qing froze holding the book, “Grandpa Chen, didn’t you say I should help you dry herbs while learning from you?”
Now he was directly handed a medical classic…
Lu Qing knew that in this world, books were very precious.
Firstly, paper was expensive, and secondly, so were ink and writing tools.
His grandfather, when fleeing from calamity, took nothing but a few books with him.
Unfortunately, during the escape, those books were lost.
Because of this, his grandfather would often sigh in regret for losing those ancient family books.
Due to the family’s poverty, they couldn’t afford paper and ink, so even his grandfather was unable to rewrite those family books.
As a result, Lu Qing could only recognize some words but was barely able to write.
“What? Are you unwilling?” Old Doctor Chen asked.
“Of course not.” Lu Qing quickly replied.
He was well aware of the value of knowledge in this world.
“Alright then, start learning now.”
Seeing the old doctor speaking like that, Lu Qing could only take the book and return to the yard.
After giving Xiao Yan a couple of reminders, he went to a quiet spot and opened the book.
However, after flipping through a few pages, Lu Qing couldn’t help but frown.
Because, in this ‘Herbal Scripture’, many herb names were very unusual, and the characters were quite obscure.
Originally, he didn’t recognize many words…
Even though he still had memories of his previous life, the characters in the two worlds were different.
Some characters he did not recognize at all.
As a result, reading the ‘Herbal Scripture’ was quite difficult.
At this rate, who knows when he would learn all the knowledge contained within.
Lu Qing knew that he wasn’t particularly smart.
Nor did he have the extraordinary ability to read ten lines at a glance and understand everything immediately.
In his previous life, he was just an ordinary person with normal intelligence, who had to study hard to barely get into a regular university.
So, if he wanted to master the ‘Herbal Scripture’ soon, he estimated that he would have to put in the same effort as studying for college entrance exams.
Encouraging himself, Lu Qing continued to read the book.
Suddenly, as he read, a faint white light emerged from the book.
【Herbal Scripture: A book that records the knowledge of numerous medicinal herbs.】
【Learning this book might give a basic understanding of the world’s herbs.】
【Do you want to download?】
The first two prompts were fine, but when the third prompt appeared, Lu Qing was completely stunned.
summary