“Aim here, move quickly……………”
Chu Xiangtian lowered his voice and said a couple of words, but he didn’t hear any response from the person beside him. Puzzled, he turned his head and caught Fu Tian’s absent-minded gaze.
Fu Tian touched his cheek and asked in confusion, “Is there something on my face?”
Snapped back to reality, Fu Tian’s cheeks and ears flushed a faint red. Shaking his head, he stammered, “N-no………………”
The Little Marquis’s face was full of panic, his pupils slightly dilated from the shock, moist with unshed tears—both pitiful and adorable. Although they knew he was lying, no one had the heart to press further.
Reluctantly pretending nothing had happened, Chu Xiangtian said, “Hmm, did you hear what I just said?”
Fu Tian shook his head guiltily. Had he said anything just now?
Patiently, Chu Xiangtian repeated the key points about spearing fish. He gently held Fu Tian’s hand and said softly, “It’s okay if you don’t understand, I’ll take care of you.”
Fu Tian nodded and imitated him by bending down, eyes scanning the water for the biggest fish.
Chu Xiangtian made a hand gesture, telling him to spear the particularly fat black-backed fish swimming innocently right before them.
Fu Tian nodded in cooperation, nervously gripping the stick in his hand.
At the same time, Chu Xiangtian held his hand tightly, aimed at the target, and with steady precision speared the big fish.
The fish scattered in the water, but the pierced one struggled fiercely, mouth opening and closing.
Chu Xiangtian pulled the still-struggling fish out and tossed it onto the shore. “One more and that’ll be enough for us to eat.”
They repeated the process and quickly caught another fish. Fu Tian was happy like a child, unable to stop hopping around, the ripples spreading outward and scaring the fish away.
Chu Xiangtian handed him the stick with the speared fish and bent down, motioning for him to lie on his back.
Fu Tian was reluctant and wanted to walk on his own. Chu Xiangtian pointed at the sharp stones by the shore and explained, “The stones are sharp and can easily cut your feet.”
Reluctantly glancing at the shore, the scattered stones did look quite pointed. Fu Huo pursed his lips and obediently lay down on Chu Xiangtian’s back.
Chu Xiangtian carried him ashore, grabbed two large lotus leaves, and laid them on the ground before setting him down.
The freshly picked lotus leaves still carried a faint fragrance. Fu Huo sat cross-legged on them as Chu Xiangtian handed him two lotus seed pods. “Wait here, I’ll go gather firewood to start the fire.”
Playing with the seed pods, Fu Tian watched the tall figure walk away slowly.
For some reason, a sudden surge of joy filled his heart, like he had just eaten a piece of candy—everything felt sweet. If he were at home, he might have happily rolled around twice.
The smile at the corner of his mouth refused to be suppressed, so Fu Tian simply let his lips curl up and skillfully peeled the lotus seeds.
The fresh seeds were large and round, their pale green color pleasing. Fu Tian carefully peeled off the outer skin, revealing the tender white seed inside.
He tasted one—a crisp, sweet bite, with only a faint bitterness in the core. He continued peeling, placing the peeled seeds neatly on the clean lotus leaf.
By the time Chu Xiangtian returned carrying dry firewood, Fu Tian had peeled a large handful of lotus seeds.
Setting the firewood not far away, Chu Xiangtian smiled upon seeing the seeds in front of him. “Why aren’t you eating?”
Fu Tian smiled and waved him over. As soon as Chu Xiangtian approached, Fu Tian stuffed a fragrant lotus seed into his mouth.
The seed was crisp and sweet, but Chu Xiangtian felt his throat dry up. The sensation of the Little Marquis’s fingers lingered on his lips. Squinting, he licked them and said in a low voice, “Have another.”
Fu Tian, oblivious, obediently fed him another seed.
Satisfied, Chu Xiangtian ate several seeds before getting up to prepare the grilled fish.
He dug a shallow pit in the ground with a stick, lined the bottom with dry leaves, stacked the firewood inside, and lit it with a Fire Tong.
The faint flames slowly flickered up. Chu Xiangtian clapped his hands, then took the two big fish to the creek to clean them.
In the past, when on military campaigns, they simply cleaned the fish and grilled them whole—no time for meticulous preparation. But now, with the Little Marquis, he couldn’t bear to let him eat such coarse food.
The Little Marquis deserved different treatment from the rough soldiers.
Chu Xiangtian carefully cleaned the fish, removing gills, innards, and scales. He threaded the fish onto two clean sticks soaked in water, sprinkled salt finely, and placed them over the fire, turning them slowly.
“Where did you get the salt?” Fu Tian asked in surprise.
Chu Xiangtian carefully controlled the fire and smiled, “I always carry Fire Tongs and salt with me.”
“These are essentials for military campaigns,” he explained. “If you camp out in the wild, you can catch food to eat. On the battlefield, fire and salt can save your life in critical moments.”
Fu Tian seemed to have realized something and asked cautiously, “Did you often hunt for food outside? Otherwise, why would you always carry these? Sounds like you never knew where your next meal would come from.”
“Yeah,” Chu Xiangtian replied casually, not seeing Fu Tian’s expression.
“When there’s no food, I hunt outside—fish from the river, birds from the sky, wild chickens and boars from the mountains… I’ve eaten them all.”
He had once been trapped behind enemy lines, cut off from supplies, forced to eat even roots and bark. Compared to that, these were considered delicacies.
Fu Tian felt a pang of sympathy. He’d grown up accustomed to a life of luxury. Even in his worst past life years, because the master’s family was kind, he always had food.
When Chu Xiangtian returned carrying the two grilled fish, he noticed Fu Tian’s gaze was unusually… strange.
The Little Marquis cleared a space and placed the peeled lotus seeds into Chu Xiangtian’s arms, eyes shining brightly. “Eat.”
Chu Xiangtian picked a seed and fed it to Fu Tian, smiling. “What’s wrong?”
Fu Tian shook his head with the seed in his mouth, wrapped the grilled fish in lotus leaves, gave the larger fish to Chu Xiangtian, and carefully blew on the smaller one in his hands.
“Watch out for the bones,” Chu Xiangtian said, picking out fishbones from his portion with a clean stick, then forcibly exchanged fish with Fu Tian. “You eat this one, all the big bones are removed.”
Looking at the white fish flesh and then at Chu Xiangtian, who was still picking bones with a furrowed brow, Fu Tian pressed his lips together, warmth spreading from his heart to his eyes.
Blinking, he took a small bite.
The fish was fragrant and tender, its light saltiness blending with the natural sweetness of the fish. Chu Xiangtian had cleaned it well, leaving no fishy smell. Fu Tian blew on it as he ate quickly.
***
After finishing the portion, Chu Xiangtian grilled three smaller fish. Fu Tian, with a small appetite, only ate one; Chu Xiangtian ate the rest.
After extinguishing the fire pit, the sky was painted with fiery clouds, a blazing red covering half the horizon.
“We should head back,” Chu Xiangtian squatted down, using his clothes to wipe Fu Tian’s hands and feet clean, then picked up nearby shoes to help him put them on.
“I can do it myself…” Fu Tian pulled his feet back under his robe, blushing as he snatched the shoes and hurriedly put them on, afraid Chu Xiangtian would insist on helping.
The sunset cast a warm red glow through the trees as the two walked slowly, Fu Tian’s cheeks growing redder in the fading light.
***
Back at the Zhuangzi, the strange, heart-fluttering feeling finally faded. It was late, so they stayed the night at the Zhuangzi. Fu Tian slipped into his room like an escapee.
A servant brought water for bathing. After changing clothes and sinking into the water, Fu Tian let out a long sigh.
After a long day, soaking in the bath and changing into soft undergarments, Fu Tian hugged his quilt and fell into a deep sleep, dreaming all night of the scent of grilled fish.
The next morning, after breakfast, Chu Xiangtian left with Fu Tian. Zhou Chuanqing stayed behind to look after the people in the village until everyone was settled.
Watching the carriage disappear into the distance, Zhou Chuanqing’s face turned green with anger.
In his heart, he cursed Chu Xiangtian a hundred times, then furiously swung his sleeve and went back to manage the fields.
Fu Tian peeked out from behind the curtain, feeling both sympathy and amusement at Zhou Chuanqing’s expression. “Why do you always bully Brother Zhou?”
Chu Xiangtian sat on the carriage shaft, clicking his tongue in displeasure. “I’m not bullying him. If anyone, it’d be you.”