Chapter 029: What's the point of saying that now? You already finished everything.

Qinghu propped her small chin thoughtfully. “Well, only fellow food lovers can understand each other. Otherwise, should we try to see if stewing prairie chicken with black potatoes tastes any good?”

“Sigh, there are just too few edible vegetables,” she went on, “Let’s call out to the little fish later. Whenever they spot something delicious, have them bring more up.”

“Hm? Too few edible vegetables? That can’t be—there are plenty,” Qingzhen replied, puzzled and innocent.

“There are only a few kinds. Especially with the sides, there’s just one variety. We can’t always eat black potatoes,” Qinghu protested.

Qingzhen was speechless. “That’s a ninth-grade spiritual delicacy. How did it become just a side dish in your eyes?”

“You prefer potatoes as a main dish, then?” Qinghu rolled her eyes.

Qingzhen thought for a moment, then immediately shook her head in refusal. No way!

“Then it’s a side dish.”

“But everyone treats it as a spiritual fruit,” Qingzhen argued.

“It doesn’t taste like fruit, though. It’s not sweet or juicy,” Qinghu pointed out.

“That makes sense,” Qingzhen mused, realizing her sister was right.

“Let’s go, then. I’ve finished tidying up. Let’s ask the little fish what else is tasty around here, things that can be side dishes or eaten as fruits.” Xiaobai had finished his work, freeing Qinghu as well. She grabbed her fourth brother and dashed off toward the lakeshore.

The moment she arrived, swarms of tiny black dots surfaced from the deep waters, gathering near the shore at her feet.

“Hello, everyone!”

The little fish flicked their tails energetically, sending up ripples. “Greetings, Master.”

“The mussel meat you brought this morning was delicious. Are there more in the lake?” Qinghu communicated with the little fish through her mind.

“There are plenty. The lakebed is full of them, buried in the mud,” the fish replied in unison.

Qinghu was delighted at the news. Perfect! Now her fourth brother could have them at every meal.

“I heard that if you eat too many mussels, they’ll run off. Make sure to keep an eye on them for me,” she instructed the fish, assigning them the task of herding the mussels.

“Don’t worry, Master. We’ll take care of it,” the fish responded cheerfully, sealing the fate of the hapless mussels.

“Is there any other fruit or vegetable nearby that can be eaten? Something to pair with the mussels?” Qinghu asked again.

The little fish bumped heads in thought, then flicked their tails and disappeared. Soon, they returned, dragging up clusters of aquatic plants, bright green and adorned with little leaves shaped like cat ears.

“What’s this?” Qinghu asked.

“Green Ears. Tastes great with mussel meat,” the fish explained simply.

Oh, so it’s called Green Ears.

“Fourth Brother, come help me haul these up. The food’s here!” Qinghu called to him.

The aquatic vines were very long—each one stretching over fourteen or fifteen meters. Qingzhen, following orders, dragged up ten of them from the shallow water.

“What is this? It’s heavy,” Qingzhen asked, shaking off the water.

“They’re called Green Ears, apparently,” Qinghu replied.

“What are Green Ears?” Qingzhen was confused.

“I don’t know either, but they say it tastes great with mussels. How about we stir-fry Green Ears and mussel meat for dinner?” Qinghu suggested.

“Sure, and we can have prairie chicken stewed with black potatoes too. Dinner’s settled,” Qingzhen decided.

“Done.”

...

That evening, the dishes were set out in large platters. Two big wooden basins held the stewed chicken and potatoes, though the potatoes were black. With plenty of chicken, each basin contained four prairie chickens and a heap of black potatoes, piled so high they nearly overflowed.

Then came large plates of stir-fried mussel meat—what was that, exactly?

Two big round tables were set. Qingjin sat at one with Ning Qi and Zhou Ji, and Uncle Zhao sat with Qingzhen and Qinghu at the other. As soon as the stir-fried mussel dish was served, everyone’s gaze fell on the cat-ear-shaped leaves and vivid green stems.

“Qinghu, what kind of vegetable is this?” Qingjin asked.

“Greens,” Qinghu replied promptly.

“These greens look a bit odd to me,” Qingjin said, bemused.

“They look plenty green to me,” Qinghu replied, confused.

Qingjin picked some up and tasted it. Instantly, a gentle, cool current seemed to wash through every part of his body. More importantly, he felt his very life force subtly strengthened—even his life’s origin seemed to grow.

His life force had grown stronger—again!

Qingjin’s face showed astonishment.

“This isn’t an ordinary vegetable. What is it?”

“It’s Green Ears. Is it good?” Qinghu asked, a bit nervous since Qingjin hadn’t commented on the taste. She never liked eating greens, but after so many potatoes, she longed for a change. If her brother said it was bad, she’d skip it tonight.

“Green Ears—everyone, try it and see what it is,” Qingjin encouraged, inviting everyone to eat.

Everyone tasted it, and soon came the chorus—delicious, delicious.

Qinghu glared at her brother, thinking it was clearly tasty. It was one of the few greens she could tolerate. She bowed her head and ate in earnest—if you’re not enthusiastic about your meal, there must be something wrong with you.

After feasting, Qinghu and the others were once again stuffed.

“Oh, what kind of vegetable is this? Paired with mussel meat, it’s like two currents swirling inside me, massaging my organs. So comfortable. Uh... No, I need the latrine—” Qingzhen dashed for the bathroom.

Qinghu rolled her eyes at her brother, then slipped off with Xiaobai. She needed to go too.

That was the trouble with mussel meat—it always sent you running to the latrine afterward.

The others didn’t have time to say more before hurrying off as well.

When everyone finally gathered again in Qingjin’s study, more than an hour had passed. This time, there wasn’t much detoxing—mostly, they’d been waiting on Qinghu’s long bath and change of clothes.

“Xiaohu, come look. Is this the Green Ears you brought back?” Zhou Ji asked, holding open an ancient book to a page with an illustration of a similar plant.

Qinghu glanced at it and nodded.

“Green Ears is a fitting name, but among humans, it’s called Cangji, a rare eighth-grade spiritual treasure,” Zhou Ji said with some difficulty after seeing her nod.

In a single day, he’d tasted two of the rarest treasures known to humanity.

“Cangji strengthens a being’s life origin and extends lifespan. Do you realize how precious this is?”

“What’s the point of talking about that now? Rare or not, didn’t you already eat it all?” Qinghu replied, wide-eyed and innocent, blinking her round eyes.

Ning Qi burst out laughing.

Qingjin couldn’t help but smile helplessly.

Immediately, the oppressive atmosphere in the room dissipated.

Amazing—she was truly the little sister who could raise fierce fish cubs!

Zhou Ji gave her a big thumbs up, gesturing to show just how impressive she was.