Chapter 350 - 151: Grilled Fish
The forest light dimmed further with the setting sun, and the afterglow of the evening sun sprinkled on the lake, dyeing the slightly rippling water a golden hue.
Chen Zhou stared intently at the fishing float, deeply puzzled—where have all the fish gone today?
"Is it the wrong time?
Or have I been sticking to one fishing spot for too long and caught all the fish here?"
He pondered whether to change the bait or cook some barley to lure fish into the spot, hoping to save face in front of the two indigenous people.
Turning his head, Chen Zhou suddenly noticed that one of the indigenous people squatting by the lake was missing, leaving only his clothes and shoes on the ground.
"Where did he go?"
As he wondered about the indigenous people’s movements, Chen Zhou seemed glued to his tackle box, his gaze uncontrollably drifting back to the fishing float.
Fishing, once you get into it, is hard to stop.
He used to think fishing was boring and didn’t understand why fishing enthusiasts were so addicted to it, but once he tried catching his first fish, he was hooked.
Especially after catching that big fish, he realized the charm of fishing.
After giving the float one last look and seeing it still motionless, Chen Zhou eventually stood up and walked toward the indigenous boy.
Just two steps away, a wet head suddenly popped up from the lake next to him.
Ah Tun was holding a big fish, with water plants hanging from his head, cheerfully swimming towards Chen Zhou, grinning to reveal his not-so-white teeth.
Seeing the indigenous man offering a fish, though knowing it was well-intentioned, Chen Zhou still felt quite uncomfortable—
"Can’t I catch fish on my own?
Do I need you to help me catch fish?"
He really wanted to reprimand the indigenous man like this, but when he glanced at his empty fish basket and thought about how the indigenous people hadn’t eaten for nearly a whole day, with their shrunken stomachs, he swallowed his words.
Forcing a smile, he took the big fish from the skinny indigenous man’s hands and threw it onto the shore. Just as he was about to casually praise him, he saw him blend into the water, causing only a small ripple as he submerged vertically again.
...
"Whoa, that’s impressive?"
Chen Zhou, who was a poor swimmer, had never seen such a skilled diver before. He watched the indigenous man underwater without blinking, seeing the thin black silhouette continually dive, swimming in the murkier areas as if chasing something.
Soon, the skinny indigenous man surfaced with another fish.
As he took the big fish again, watching the indigenous boy dive back into the water, Chen Zhou silently grumbled to himself.
"What’s the point of fishing here all day when they can catch fish in just two minutes?"
Thinking like this, he carried the two big fish to the tackle box nearby, took out the tools he specifically stored inside, and efficiently killed the fish, scaling them expertly.
His hands never stopped moving, and he comforted himself—
"It’s okay, they can’t enjoy the joy of fishing this way.
Although I only catch small fish after sitting all day, I gain a sense of achievement, something these indigenous people will never understand!"
...
The plan to show off ended in embarrassment or rather self-humiliation.
Thankfully, the indigenous people didn’t understand Chen Zhou’s actions, nor did they grasp the pros and cons of fishing as an occupation. They blindly admired the "new god" in their hearts, bestowing a dazzling label on all his acts.
And after Ah Tun caught the fish, Chen Zhou didn’t disgrace himself when it came to cooking.
Before rescuing the indigenous people, he visited the small lake to fish frequently, sometimes spending the entire day at the lakeside.
To replenish his energy and enjoy his spoils, he had stuffed the tackle box with many common seasonings, including a small bottle of vinegar, salt, sugar, dried lemon slices, garlic, and chili peppers.
He lit a campfire, cleaned the fish innards, made crosshatches on the fish body, skewered it with a wooden stick, and applied salt and oil.
Chen Zhou’s skilled hands quickly grilled the two fish to a mouthwatering aroma.
Ah Tun, with an empty stomach and flagging energy, caught two more fish and crawled onto the shore with his skinny body.
With his eyes on the blazing campfire and smelling the fragrance of the roasted fish, Dudulu was secretly swallowing his saliva.
As he secretly watched the grilled fish turning in Chen Zhou’s hands, seeing his companion coming ashore, he had to put his appetite aside and assist him immediately.
Beads of water rolled down from Ah Tun’s head, revealing his exhaustion. Grasping Dudulu’s hand, he stood up laboriously, cautiously glancing at Chen Zhou cooking fish nearby, and whispered quietly.
"Is the Celestial God happy? My catch is rather meager."
Within the tribe, a fisherman who only catches four fish sometimes isn’t even allowed to enjoy wild fruits. For the sake of the tribe’s survival, they must laboriously hone their fishing skills to fill their stomachs.
Entering the water on his own and achieving only this much weighed heavily on Ah Tun’s heart.
Dudulu only saw Chen Zhou smile at Ah Tun. Not daring to speculate on the mind of the Celestial God, he was pondering how to answer Ah Tun when Chen Zhou beckoned to the two of them.
...
Water still dripping off him, Ah Tun walked barefoot with his head low to the campfire, ribs exposed, fearing that his poor performance might result in punishment.
Little did he know that, in Chen Zhou’s eyes, he was already a highly skilled diving fisherman.
If it were Chen Zhou himself, he might not even catch a single fish, even if he drowned trying.
"Warm yourself by the fire."
Chen Zhou said to Ah Tun, then handed the grilled fish to Dudulu.
Knowing that the two indigenous people had worked hard for half the day and stayed by the lake watching him fish all afternoon with empty stomachs, he had grilled these first two fish especially for them.
Considering their taste, he hadn’t added garlic or dried chili to the fish, fearing they wouldn’t accept it, and used only a bit of salt.
Dudulu instinctively took the fire-roasted, golden fish, staring blankly at the cut marks, hardly believing that the Celestial God would offer them prepared food.
In the tribe, this had never happened.
Not even the bravest warrior would receive food personally prepared by the Leader or Priest, unless he were the Leader’s son.
"Is this really for me?"
Dudulu didn’t say it out loud, but his expression and gaze silently conveyed his thoughts.
Chen Zhou had no idea that handing over a fish would provoke such deep thoughts in the indigenous people.
The novel mentioned the native tribe sparingly, and he was clueless about their rituals, systems, or beliefs.
Moreover, coming from modern times, he didn’t possess much knowledge about the indigenous customs that 17th-century sailors had learned.
Seeing Dudulu holding the skewer uncertainly, he thought the indigenous boy didn’t know the grilled fish was ready to eat, so he took his remaining fish in hand, tore off a piece, and chewed to demonstrate to both of them.
"Understand?"
He asked while handing another grilled fish to the naked Ah Tun.
But Ah Tun reached out with both hands to take the grilled fish, without eating it, and with Dudulu, performed the most difficult-to-accept "prostration ceremony."
"I can’t stand you two. After I teach you to speak Mandarin, the first thing will be to change this bad habit of dropping to the ground all the time."
With a face full of impatience, he touched their heads slightly with his foot as a formality, then sat back on his tackle box—
As a man from modern times, he might never understand what a simple fish grilled by his own hands means to these two indigenous people.