I am collecting entries in reincarnation

Chapter 592 Golden Carp

Yuanji County is just a small county in Jeju, but Guangyuan Academy is the top academy in the entire Jeju. In this world where literature and morality are prioritized, it naturally has an extraordinary status and is not inferior to the government at all.

However, as an academy, its primary responsibility is naturally to train students well. Therefore, every year during the boy's examination, there are quotas for students in the county to recommend them to enter the academy. This time, Li Ming and Fang Yun are among them.

Of course, in addition to this, there are other more normal ways of admission, which are to register and then participate in the selection, and pass various exams to obtain an admission ticket.

Li Ming was undoubtedly lucky. Based on his ranking, it would have been somewhat difficult for him to enroll in school. Firstly, he was young, which was an advantage. Secondly, he had a great literary talent and a high hidden score. In addition, County Magistrate Du also appreciated his poetic talent, so he took some risks and sent him to Guangyuan Academy.

Yuanji County, Guangyuan Academy, and Jizhou, these place names all have the word "water" in them, and there is a reason for this. That is because there is a Tongyuan River that flows through Jizhou, and Yuanji County is also on the waterway, so after Fang Yun and Li Ming traveled for a while, they changed to the waterway.

At this point, County Magistrate Du's favor had ended. Although he had sent people to make arrangements, the so-called "care" had naturally disappeared after the boat had changed hands several times. Now the two of them were on a larger fishing boat, and sending people off was just a side job. The boatman was dressed like a fisherman, and there was a built-in stove on the boat, which was half a boat and half a residence.

However, there were no young girls in the boat, otherwise Li Ming might not dare to sit on it. It made sense. Although farmers rely on the weather for their livelihood, they still have the land as their foundation. The fisherman makes a living by fishing in the river. Apart from this fishing boat, he has no foundation at all. It is difficult for him to find a wife.

Li Ming sat in the hold and looked into the distance. He saw sparkling waves and little water vapor, which was a rare and beautiful scenery.

"Hey, good fish!"

At this time, the fisherman suddenly shouted and stretched out his hand to pick up a large net. Li Ming took a look and saw that it was a very tightly woven net, but there were gaps in some of the meshes. The specifications were set by the government. The small fish must have a way to survive and they could not overfish.

And this net really yielded a good harvest. Li Ming looked closely and saw that there were probably five or six good fish of sufficient weight jumping around in the net.

The fisherman then casually pulled up a large basin and placed all the fish in it. He said with a look of joy, "This carp is truly excellent. I, Zhang Laosi, have been fishing for so many years, but I've rarely seen such a glittering golden and red carp. With such a good appearance, it will surely fetch a good price."

The fisherman muttered to himself, then noticed Li Ming was looking at him and smiled, "My dear husbands, I'll keep this carp to sell, and I'll make you a dish with these two yellow eels right away. After you finish eating them, you can almost go ashore. Now that it's officially spring, prawns are the best, with thin shells and thick meat. You two young husbands, please come and taste my cooking skills."

After saying this, he didn't wait for Li Ming to answer and started busying himself.

He was a boatman, so he was very familiar with the food and seasonings on the boat. He had been fishing for a few days and knew how many shrimps, crabs, clams and shells he had caught, so he knew everything. He skillfully washed the prawns, cut off their whiskers and legs, and then took off a wine gourd from his waist.

Fishermen make a living on the boat and have to go into the water from time to time, so they are naturally troubled by the cold. Therefore, they have to drink alcohol frequently to keep their bodies warm. However, the taste of these coarse liquors is naturally worse.

However, Zhang Laosi did not drink the wine in big gulps. Instead, he poured out most of the wine in the wine gourd and filled a large bowl. Then he threw the cleaned shrimps into the bowl, and took out some chopped green onions and ginger from somewhere, poured a little soy sauce on it, took another bowl of the same size to cover it, and then shook it.

Seeing that Li Ming had been staring at his movements, Zhang Laosi smiled a little embarrassedly and said, "Don't be disgusted, Mr. Xiao. We live by the water, and rough people can't do any delicate work. It's just that this is simple and delicious. I learned it from an old man who passed by when I was giving him a ride. It tastes very good."

Li Ming smiled and thought to himself, "Isn't this just drunken shrimp, except the shrimp thread isn't removed. While this preserves the shrimp meat's freshness to the greatest extent, it's a bit...unclean."

That's what he said, but Li Ming didn't mind. He waved his hand and said, "As long as it tastes good, it's fine. I'm not from a wealthy family, so I don't have to be so particular."

Zhang Laosi looked very happy when he heard this. He put the bowl aside and said, "It needs to simmer for a while, so that the shrimps are drunk and stop jumping. I'm going to make another dish. That old man also taught me. He made four dishes back then, all using ingredients from the river. The taste of each one was unparalleled. More than ten years have passed, and I still think of them in my dreams. I don't know if I will have the chance to see that old man again in this life and have him teach me how to make the remaining two dishes."

Listening to Zhang Laosi's words, Li Ming couldn't help but laugh. He didn't expect that Zhang Laosi, who was not young at all, was actually a big foodie. What he was thinking about all the time was delicious food. But the more this was the case, the more it proved that he was particular about eating. No wonder Li Ming found that the stove was not as simple as the ones on ordinary fishing boats after he got on the boat, and the seasonings were also quite complete. There was a reason for this.

After Zhang Laosi put down the bowl, he picked up two fat eels, threw them on the chopping board, and removed their internal organs with a knife. His technique was more experienced than Li Ming had expected.

Then he lit the fire and added oil. It can be seen that Zhang Laosi is indeed a real foodie. His life may not be affluent, but he is willing to add plenty of oil. It can be seen that he is a passionate person. No wonder he was recommended to take Fang Yun and Li Ming for a ride.

Although the ingredients were not complete, he still managed to find the onions, garlic, and cucumbers. After quickly stir-frying them, they were taken out of the pan and a strong aroma wafted into the air.

Zhang Laosi sniffed it himself and nodded with satisfaction, saying, "Good, this is the aroma. My two young husbands, you are in for a treat!"

Seeing this, Li Ming called Fang Yun who was still reading. Fang Yun was indeed diligent. She studied hard whenever she had free time. In comparison, Li Ming seemed a little lazy.

However, the relationship between the two is still very good. Li Ming has observed carefully, and Fang Yun does not seem to have traveled through time. He still treats him with the same genuine feelings as before, which is not strange at all. It's just that his knowledge has improved a lot all of a sudden, and his learning ability and hard work have also increased. So Li Ming is still not sure why he is like this, he just thinks there must be a reason. When dealing with such people, Li Ming has also figured out the key point after many reincarnations.

This type of person may be what ordinary people call the protagonist template. They may not necessarily be the protagonist of a novel, but they must be blessed with good luck, and their life experiences are full of ups and downs. They can even influence the direction of the world to some extent.

Moreover, this phenomenon becomes more obvious in more powerful worlds, which is consistent with the reality that in the extraordinary world, the strong can control the fate of others.

So when it comes to Fang Yun, Li Ming is not afraid of him or anything, he just feels that there is no need to get too deeply entangled with him, otherwise he will definitely be trapped in a vortex. He may be able to reap some benefits in the process, but he will also inevitably face corresponding troubles.

Now is the starting stage, so naturally the trouble won't be too big. Li Ming thinks it's okay, but if Fang Yun doesn't make a name for himself, then he will be a big hit. He only needs to show that he can't keep up with him, and their friendship may gradually fade.

Li Ming pondered secretly in his heart, and Fang Yun quickly closed the book and sat beside Li Ming. The strong aroma mixed with the feeling of smoke and fire had already affected Fang Yun, but he had extraordinary concentration and was still able to concentrate on reading. However, since Li Ming called him and it was time for dinner, Fang Yun would not put on airs.

The meal on the boat was very simple, with only two dishes: drunken shrimp and grilled eel. There was not even any rice, only a few large pancakes, but Li Ming enjoyed the meal very much.

"This shrimp is still jumping in my mouth!" "The eel is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, spicy and fragrant, and the rich sauce is a perfect match with the tenderness of the eel. Not bad, not bad!"

Li Ming took two bites and immediately burst into laughter, praising, "Your cooking skills are really good!"

Unexpectedly, Zhang Laosi said, "Young Master, you are so good at talking. Ever since I met that old gentleman, I have been mulling over these four dishes for the past ten years, and I have only managed to master two and a half so far. Ten years of effort, and only these two dishes. How can it be considered good?"

"Two and a half?" This time it was Fang Yun who asked.

Zhang Laosi nodded and said, "Yes, that old man made four dishes: drunken prawns, grilled eel, stir-fried river clams, and fish head soup. If I could make river clams nowadays, I could make them taste about half as good, but I can't quite grasp the technique. It's not bad, but it's very different from the old man's recipe. That's why I said I only know how to make two and a half dishes. As for the fish head soup, I really don't understand it at all."

Having said that, Zhang Laosi sighed deeply, as if the food in front of him was no longer delicious.

Li Ming is not a gourmet, but he has eaten and seen a lot, and he has made some achievements in miscellaneous subjects, but they are far from his main skills. If he were to make these two dishes, they would naturally be much better than Zhang Laosi's. But if he wanted to make Zhang Laosi unforgettable for his whole life and drive him crazy, that would be a bit difficult for him, so he just smiled awkwardly.

"What a pity! The world is so vast, I don't know where we can meet again. I wonder what characteristics that old man has?"

Zhang Laosi frowned and said, "The clothes that old gentleman wore were somewhat similar to yours, but also different. He had a large vermilion gourd wrapped around his waist. He looked very energetic and had a square face."

Zhang Laosi spoke intermittently, but perhaps because it took too long, he began to stutter at the end. In the meantime, the two of them had almost finished the two dishes.

Seeing this, Zhang Laosi just laughed. The more the two of them ate, the happier he was.

As expected of Zhang Laosi, who had been sailing for many years, his estimation of time was very accurate. The three of them had eaten and cleaned up, and they could just see a pier in the distance.

Zhang Laosi said, "It's not far ahead. The two young gentlemen will go ashore later. I, a rough man, can only send you here. Best wishes."

Zhang Laosi rubbed his ears and cheeks for a long time, then uttered, "Become a high-ranking official and make a fortune."

Fang Yun and Li Ming looked at each other and immediately burst into laughter.

The two of them went to pack up their things. They were about to reach the shore, and Zhang Laosi also collected the fish he had caught this round.

At this time, Fang Yun was standing by the boat. His eyes fixed and he accidentally saw the golden carp caught by Zhang Laosi. He suddenly couldn't move.

Li Ming asked, "What's wrong, Brother Yun'er?"

Fang Yun said in a deep voice: "Look at this fish, it's so smart, it's almost like it's asking me if I can save her."

Li Ming also looked over and saw that the golden-red carp in the basin was in a bowing posture, nodding at Fang Yun continuously. It was really interesting.

Li Ming smiled secretly in his heart. In this world, there are three races of wizards, demons, and humans. If one behaves too strangely, he will probably be regarded as a monster. It seems that this carp has some foundation, at least it has awakened its spiritual intelligence. I don't know why it has fallen to this point. Not only was it caught by an ordinary fisherman, but now it is almost going to be served on the dining table. How miserable it is.

"You little devil, you act stupid in front of me, but you act so smart in front of Fang Yun. Who are you looking down on?" Li Ming thought secretly in his heart, and then said.

"Hey, it's just a carp, it's just a coincidence. Let's not miss the time, let's go quickly."

While speaking, Li Ming gently pulled Fang Yun, but failed to move her.

Fang Yun said again: "No, no, no, I think she is really spiritual. Look, does she look like she is crying?"

Li Ming looked again and found that she was no longer bowing, but floating in the basin without moving. Although her eyes were a bunch of fish, she did look quite pitiful. As for how Fang Yun could see tears from the fish in the basin, Li Ming was not very clear about it and just responded in agreement.

"That creature looks quite spiritual. Oh no! I think it might be a spy from the demon tribe. We should fry it quickly."

Upon hearing this, the carp's face showed obvious surprise, and then bubbles popped out.

Fang Yun's heart softened and he said, "Brother Yong, don't you know that the Dragon Clan and our human race have always been on good terms? You must be familiar with the story of the carp leaping over the Dragon Gate. Since this fish is a golden carp and so intelligent, how could it transform into a demon clan spy to trouble us? Our meeting is fate, so let's release her."

Li Ming chuckled and said, "Of course I'll listen to Brother Yun'er. I just think this fish is smart, so I want to test whether it can understand what we say. Since Brother Yun'er asked, I'll release it. I just don't know how much silver it will cost."

Zhang Laosi had heard the conversation a long time ago and was not vague at this moment. He held up a finger and said, "My two young gentlemen, I don't ask for much. Carp of this quality is rare. One tael of silver is not asking too much. If you are willing, please give it. If you think it is too expensive, I will go to the dock to sell it now. The price will definitely not be higher than this."

Fang Yun nodded and said, "Indeed, I see this carp is quite intelligent, and I can't bear to see it go. I'll pay you one ounce of silver."

Zhang Laosi laughed. It is true that he could sell the goods at a higher price at the dock, but once he went ashore, the income would be reduced by half. If the transaction was completed on the ship, the gangs at the dock would have no control over it, so he was happy with it.

(End of this chapter)