When the Top Chef Transmigrated into a Scum Alpha (GL) - Chapter 6

If she wanted to improve their meals without spending money, the method Shang Wumian thought of was simple: go catch fish herself.

She had noticed before that there should be fish in the river west of the village.

But probably because the author had only mentioned this river in passing, not a single villager had ever thought to go catch any.

Shang Wumian was different. Shang Wumian wanted to eat fish.

Fish was a wonderful thing. Spicy, steamed, or sweet and sour—it was delicious no matter how you ate it.

And if worse came to worst, cooking up a pot of sliced fish congee would only make people narrow their eyes from how fresh and savory it tasted.

Holding the simple fishing net she had made herself, Shang Wumian walked toward the riverbank in rather high spirits.

As for how she would cook the fish she was about to catch, she ultimately made the decision. Spicy it was. Drizzle hot oil over it, let it sizzle loudly, and that blazing red color alone would be enough to whet anyone’s appetite.

After arriving at the riverbank, Shang Wumian bent down and rolled up her trouser legs. Then she took off her shoes, gripped the fishing net, and stepped into the water.

The water was not deep. It barely covered her calves, so the danger level was basically zero.

Shang Wumian stared intently at the surface of the water, searching for traces of fish.

The reason she was so confident was thanks to an invitation she had received from a variety show back in the modern era.

At that time, the filming location had been outdoors, and the guests had needed to obtain ingredients on their own.

Eating nothing but wild vegetables and mushrooms and the like every day had grown tiresome, so one quick-witted guest discovered a stream and encouraged everyone to go catch fish together.

It was during that period that Shang Wumian picked up quite a few little survival skills for the wild.

Among them, using a fishing net to catch fish was the one she was most skilled at.

When she came out, Shang Wumian had asked Lin Qingwan for a small wooden bucket. Lin Qingwan did not know what this person wanted to do, nor was she interested in knowing. She simply found one and handed it to her.

Now, after only the time it took to burn a few sticks of incense, Shang Wumian had already caught two or three lively fish and put them into the wooden bucket.

One of the fish was even quite large. When it was caught, it twisted its tail and tried to bite the net. Unfortunately, its struggle failed, and in the end, it was still thrown into the wooden bucket along with the rest.

Holding the net in her hand, Shang Wumian glanced at the small wooden bucket on the bank, and a full sense of accomplishment rose in her heart.

Now, aside from the spicy one, she had also caught the ingredients for steamed fish and sweet-and-sour fish.

Catching fish looked easy, but in reality, the process required great patience and was especially mentally taxing.

After catching these few, Shang Wumian became a little lazy. Estimating that these fish would be enough to eat for several days, she simply stretched her limbs and decided not to continue.

Stop while ahead, then head home.

Shang Wumian had only just prepared to walk from the water back to the bank when she heard someone cry out, “Ah, my handkerchief!”

She had not paid much attention to her surroundings earlier. Now that she heard this startled cry, she finally cast her gaze over.

It was a Kunze who had come here to wash clothes and had accidentally dropped something into the water.

…Handkerchief?

That should be the white handkerchief floating over there on the surface.

Shang Wumian chased after it for a few steps and smoothly fished the handkerchief up.

Then she walked back to the shore and handed the handkerchief to the other party. “Here, I got it back.”

After Li Yuyan took the handkerchief, she thanked Shang Wumian while calmly sizing her up.

She recognized this person. This was the Qianyuan who had only recently come to the village and was currently living in Lin Qingwan’s home.

Previously, she would occasionally hear the gossiping aunties in the village discuss this Qianyuan. Now that she was looking at her up close, she really did have a fine appearance.

Li Yuyan considered herself a good judge of people. She liked the way this person looked at her.

Clear and natural, without impurities.

Unlike certain other Qianyuan in the village, who might as well have printed their thoughts on their foreheads whenever they looked at her.

There was no helping it. Who asked her, Li Yuyan, to be a widow who had inherited quite a bit of money and was also somewhat pretty?

It was rare for Li Yuyan to see a Qianyuan she found so pleasing to the eye, and unconsciously, she wanted to talk to her a little more.

So she gathered up the half-washed clothes and walked toward Shang Wumian, who had just put on her shoes and lowered her trouser legs again.

As if she had only coincidentally noticed that Shang Wumian also intended to go back, Li Yuyan naturally struck up a conversation. “You’re going back too? Shall we go together?”

The village was neither particularly large nor particularly small. Her home was not far from Lin Qingwan’s, so it was just on the way.

Shang Wumian did not think too much. Carrying her own “spoils of war,” she was in quite a good mood and agreed directly.

Li Yuyan was very good at conversation. In just a few sentences, she could make people feel some fondness for her.

Her gaze fell into the wooden bucket Shang Wumian was carrying, where several fish were thrashing their tails.

Thinking of when she had first seen Shang Wumian, when the other party had originally been catching fish in the river, Li Yuyan appeared somewhat curious. “These fish look quite lively. How did you think of coming here to catch fish?”

Speaking of which, it was strange. She had clearly lived here for quite some time, yet this was the first time she had noticed the fish in the river. She had never seen anyone else come to catch them before either, as if they were everyone’s blind spot.

Without thinking, Shang Wumian answered frankly, “I wanted to eat them.”

Li Yuyan froze slightly. After she reacted, she could not help being amused by the other party’s words. This Qianyuan was really too interesting.

Shang Wumian raised her brows slightly, not understanding why this person was laughing.

What else could catching fish be for? Of course it was to catch them and eat them.

Shang Wumian arrived home first. When she said goodbye to Li Yuyan, who had been walking the same way, she only then remembered that she should ask, “Right, I still don’t know what I should call you.”

She did not know many people after coming here, and after chatting with the other party all the way back just now, she ought to ask for her name out of courtesy.

Holding the wooden basin of laundry, Li Yuyan smiled as if she had already expected this. “Li Yuyan. If you don’t mind, you can call me Sister Yan.”

Only after the person had already walked a distance away did Shang Wumian turn her head to look at the other party’s back, dumbfounded.

Li Yuyan? The Li Yuyan who, in the book, was the first person to hook up with “Shang Wumian” and put the first green hat on Lin Qingwan?

Shang Wumian felt that she really wanted to be quiet for a while right now.

A cold female voice came from behind her. “What are you standing outside so stiffly for? You didn’t eat breakfast, so you’re specially waiting to eat dust?”

After living together for this period of time, Shang Wumian was already very familiar with the owner of this voice.

She turned around. For some reason, when facing Lin Qingwan, she felt a little guilty. But on second thought, she herself was not the original owner, and second, she had not done anything to wrong anyone. There was nothing for her to feel guilty about.

The sound of the fish in the bucket thrashing their tails grew louder, drawing both their attention. As if only then remembering, Shang Wumian lifted the wooden bucket slightly and narrowed her eyes a little against the sunlight. “We’re having fish tonight.”

Lin Qingwan had not expected that Shang Wumian would truly be able to improve their meals without spending a single coin. She habitually frowned slightly, then nodded by a very small degree. “Take them inside.”

After Shang Wumian returned, she first boiled a basin of hot water and scalded her feet in it. After that, she squatted beside the fish she had caught and picked out one lucky dinner candidate.

Lin Qingwan watched with her own eyes as this person scraped off the fish scales and removed the intestines. Her handling was extraordinarily practiced, and a trace of darkness could not help flashing through Lin Qingwan’s eyes.

Handling the fish did not take much time.

Shang Wumian remembered her earliest idea and turned her head to ask Lin Qingwan, who had originally been lost in some unknown thought, “Can you and Ah Fu both eat spicy food?”

Lin Qingwan was concise. “Somewhat.”

In her impression, Ah Fu could eat spicy food.

After hearing this answer, Shang Wumian began searching here and there, but she did not find any chili peppers.

She turned back to ask Lin Qingwan again. “I couldn’t find them just now… Where does the household keep the chili peppers?”

“…Chili peppers?” Lin Qingwan raised her brow slightly and answered very directly, “There are no chili peppers.”

After asking the other party a few more questions, Shang Wumian only then learned that in this place, chili peppers were still considered a luxury item.

The spicy fish was ruined.

There was no ketchup here, but she was confident she could make it herself. Planning this, Shang Wumian asked Lin Qingwan about tomatoes and white sugar.

Lin Qingwan looked even more surprised than Shang Wumian had when she heard that chili peppers were expensive. But it was only for a moment before she spoke in a calm voice. “We don’t have those either.”

A trace of almost imperceptible mockery appeared in her eyes. “Miss Shang hasn’t stayed in Lanling for very long, has she? How is it that you can’t even remember the value of these things?”

White sugar and chili peppers were both things one would only buy a little of during the New Year. Yet Shang Wumian’s questions just now carried such a matter-of-course tone, as if these were all household necessities.

Shang Wumian inwardly thought, not good. This made it far too easy to arouse suspicion. Fortunately, she quickly thought of an excuse and muddled through. “Baoqian—sorry. Ever since my head was injured, I can’t remember many things clearly.”

Baoqian? Was this so-called “qian” a person, or something else?

The other party had once again said something difficult to understand. Lin Qingwan pressed her lips together slightly, and her suspicion toward Shang Wumian deepened another degree.

Shang Wumian was not right, and in many ways.

Could it really be as she herself had said—that after Lin Qingwan struck her, her brain had become less useful?

Lin Qingwan did not think so.

This person had a long record of misdeeds and a mouth full of lies.

She had never forgotten that.

Without sugar and without tomatoes, sweet-and-sour fish was ruined too.

Shang Wumian stood by the stove and fell briefly into thought. Her casual glance landed on a few stalks of scallion placed in the corner, and her eyes could not help lighting up slightly. An idea instantly formed in her heart.

Scallion-oil braised fish. That way of eating was quite good too.

When Ah Fu came back from school, she had only just entered the doorway when she smelled a very strong fragrance, one that hooked the gluttonous worms in her stomach.

Following the scent, she found her way to the stove and could not help sighing in admiration. “Sister Wumian, what tasty thing are you making? It smells so good!”

Shang Wumian was mixing the most crucial sauce to pour over the dish. Hearing this, she smiled lightly. “It doesn’t just smell good. When you eat it later, it’ll taste even better.”

When the scallion-braised fish was finally served on the table, Ah Fu looked somewhat impatient.

She had not eaten fish in such a long, long time!

If she had to talk about the last time she had eaten fish, then it had been last time!

Just as Ah Fu picked up her chopsticks and wanted to try a bite, Shang Wumian stopped her in a gentle tone. “Ah Fu, wash your hands before eating.”

Ah Fu blinked and gave a soft “Oh.” Then she hopped down from the stool and obediently went to wash her hands.

Sister Wumian had quite a few strange rules, and one of them included the requirement that she had to wash her hands before eating.

Ah Fu did not understand why, but seeing that Sister Wumian was rather insistent about it, and that even Sister Qingwan had gone from ignoring it at first to gradually getting used to it, she also became used to it.

Shang Wumian looked at Ah Fu washing her hands over there, then turned her gaze toward Lin Qingwan and half-probed, half-advised, “…You should wash too.”