Chapter 23: No Leftovers
Stringing all six fish onto a limber, thin branch, Bailian stared at the fish with big eyes.
She forgot the fire starter.
Am I going to have to drill wood to make the fire?
Bailian’s eyes were a bit resentful. She could drill wood to start the fire, but how would she do it with these thin arms and legs ah?
Bailin begrudgingly stroked her chin, thinking of a way to avoid doing all that hard work.
“What a big fish ah!” Yuhang’s surprised voice traveled into Bailian’s ear, but then next came, “Sister, your clothes are wet, don’t you feel cold?” Yuhang had a concerned and distressed expression on his face.
Yuhang and Yuyang had finished pulling up so many wild vegetables that they had filled the basket to the brim. The vegetables were tightly squeezed and compacted into the basket, the woven container almost splitting open from the force. The brothers had wanted to come over and ask Bailian where they could hide the container.
Unexpectedly, I saw my sister dazedly staring at so many fish instead!
“Want to eat?” Seeing how concerned her brother was, Bailian’s face broke out into a grin and pouted, “But, sadly, we don’t have a firestarter”.
“Huh?” Yuhang’s eyes immediately dimmed and became dejected.
This meant that they could only take the fish back, but they wouldn’t be able to get a single bite if they did so.
Matriarch Wang never gave them any food, so they could only endure by eating rough cornmeal buns…
While Yuhang and Bailian were both depressed at the thought of having to give up the fish, the slow-witted Yuyang suddenly spoke.
“Here!” Yuyang took out a small cylindrical sooty object from the inside of his robe, it was a fire starter.
“Why didn’t you say so earlier!” Bailian popped up from the ground, snatched the fire starter, then squatted on the ground to start the fire, a big smile on her face.
It seems like I can finally fatten up these emaciated sticks from the Third Branch today!
Yuyang wordlessly watched Bailian’s endeavors, his adam’s apple constantly bobbing in expectation.
Soon after, a fire blazed into existence and Bailian adeptly inserted her fish onto cleaned wooden branches. She then lodged the branches into the ground, forming a circle around the roaring fire, turning the branches around once in a while to roast the fish thoroughly.
Then she stopped her cooking, and crept as close as she could to the fire, drying her clothes while she was at it.
Yuhang and Yuyang squatted on either side of Bailian, looking at the fish eagerly.
“It may not have much flavor, as I couldn’t season it!” Bailian smiled, thinking that her two siblings were very adorable and innocent.
“Growl, guru” Yuhang’s stomach bellowed loudly.
“I…” Yuhang’s face flushed, a little embarrassed.
“Guru guru~” Yuyang’s stomach echoed right after.
Yuyang: …
“Haha, just wait a little longer, we’ll each have one to eat!”, Bailian couldn’t help but hoot in laughter at her two brothers.
“At home…” Yuhang hesitated, his fingers twisting together guitily, “What about them?”
It wasn’t that Yuhang insisted on handing this food over to the Li Family, but if they found that someone from the Third Branch had been snacking in secret, they would all be severely punished.
Thinking to this point, Yuhang visibly shuddered.
Bailian comfortingly patted Yuhang on the back, “Don’t worry, you still have me!”
Hearing Bailian’s self-confident and forceful tone, Yuhang’s tense body relaxed a little.
Without warning, Bailian suddenly reached out and rolled up Yuhang’s sleeve.
Just like her, there were multiple scars on his thin arms, some bruises still bluish and dark purple in color.
Bailian stayed silent, and also rolled up Yuyang’s sleeve. It was the same scene there.
“If they ever beat you in the future, just come and find me!” Bailian sighed, “Sister will have a way!”
“Really?” Yuhang stared in awe at Bailian, as if he was looking at his idol.
Of course, his sister is his idol, she was an angel sent down from the heavens!
No one had ever tried to put an end to these harsh punishments and scolding for him!
Even if his parents begged the Li Family, they wouldn’t forgive them and he could end up implicating his father and mother instead.
Therefore, both Yuhang and Yuyang chose to do the same as Bailian, silently enduring it all.
As a result, the three children were beaten the most.
The only ones who could beat his parents and Grandma are Patriarch Li as well as Matriarch Wang.
And those who could beat the three children included everyone except the Third Branch.
“Of course! Didn’t you see your sister asking for so many things from them today?” Bailian raised her eyebrows domineeringly, boastful of her achievements.
“Hehe, my sister is so capable~” Yuhang boyishly grinned, a look of satisfaction and delight appearing on his face.
Today had felt like a dream, it was the time where he had eaten the most.
“Sister, good.” Yuyang dumbly stated, looking longingly at the grilled fish.
“Of course, so in the future, you can’t be cowardly as before and lose your sister’s face!” Bailian shook her head, going speechless just from thinking of the original owner and her family’s bad memories.
Being abused like this, not one even had the thought of resisting.
Really too annoying.
“En!” Yuhang blankly nodded, drooling just from watching the roasting fish.
He felt that as long as he listened to his sister’s advice, he would definitely be able to eat more delicious food in the future!
The fire blazed and roared furiously, but Bailian knew that they wanted to quickly gobble up the fish to avoid spending too much time outside. The adults in the Third Branch were still waiting, so they had to go back quickly after they were done.
Moreover, the scent of grilled fish and charcoal was starting to float around the fire, and Bailian was afraid that it would accidentally entice an unwanted beast. Although she had a fallback, there were still those two little creatures left. Bailian wanted to avoid exposing her dimensional space as much as possible, even if it was for the last resort.
The fire radiated off heat, but since Bailian kept turning over the branches, the fish meat was not burned but instead it had grilled rather nicely, its white flesh slowly turning an appetizing light golden brown.
Sizzle, Sizzle~
The natural fat from the fish dripped from the branch, the sound of sizzling oil on crispy skin making its way pleasantly to the three siblings. It sounded so appetizing, that even Bailian felt extremely ravenous right now. The fish’s roasting scene assailed the sibling’s five senses.
After all, from yesterday until now, except for the fruits and cornmeal buns, she hadn’t any meat yet.
Not to mention these two.
“Okay, they’re ready! Eat up!” Bailian smiled at her two silly younger brothers, whose adam’s apple hadn’t stopped bobbing since she started grilling the fish. She quickly gave each one a branch of crispy, roasted fish.
“I…can I really eat it?” Yuhang gaped at the fish in front of him, a little stunned at its splendid sight.
Can I really eat fish?
And actually have one all to myself?
Am I dreaming?
“Of course, look at Yuyang, he’s already started eating.” Bailian felt a tinge of pity when she saw her silly brother acting so shocked, and pointed to Yuyang, diverting his attention.
When Bailian had stretched out to give one of the branches to Yuyang, he had snatched it quickly out of Bailian’s hands. He then ate it heartily, his teeth tearing through the crisp, oily skin to the warm fleshy meat underneath. His eyes instantly lit up with joy.
Seeing Yuyang eat so deliciously, Yuhang took the branch from Bailian’s hands and started to much on the grilled fish.
“Careful of the tiny bones.” Bailian also took one and took a bite, reminding her two silly brothers not to eat too fast.
“Mm!” Yuhang kept chewing and nodded quickly, not wanting to talk while he devoured the fish.
Upon entering the mouth, the soft, tender fish meat melts in one’s mouth, its flavor bursting with freshness. Although there was no seasoning, Bailian had smuggled these fish from her dimensional space, so naturally, it would taste good.
Although it was only a grass carp, maybe it was due to the dimensional space, but the meat didn’t have too many bones, making it very easy to eat.
One bite meant a mouthful of fresh and delicious fish.
One fish was around one catty, and after roasting on the fire for so long, each fish had shrunken somewhat. All three siblings were so skinny, and this one round had been enough to fill their tiny stomachs, long adjusted to extremely small portions.
Therefore, although they all wanted to eat some more, each one only ate a piece of grilled fish, feeling a bit full.
“Why don’t you finish eating?” Bailian wiped her mouth with her hand, watching Yuyang finding a big clean leaf to wrap up the remaining fish he couldn’t finish.
“Save, Sister.” The slow-witted Yuyang woodenly explained, and then wrapped the fish up, putting it into his robe.
Yuhang and Yuyang were both very thin and bony, so when he had hidden the fish into his robe, a lump poked out from his chest, looking a little funny.
“Don’t worry, let’s just finish this!” Bailian ruffled Yuyang’s hair, “Sister will treat you to more food tomorrow! If you don’t finish it now, then you’ll just get robbed and have nothing to eat if you go back!”
Yuyang contemplated and swallowed, thinking of that petty Li family. Silently reaching into his shabby robe, he took out the remaining fish and ate it quickly, not leaving a single delicious morsel behind.
Leave no leftovers!
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