RPAGF Chapter 295 Red Mushroom and Old Hen Soup
Chapter 295 Red Mushroom and Old Hen Soup
"That's right, that's why I've been feeling like someone's been watching me lately..."
Old Lu muttered something to himself.
He looked at Xu Yiyi and said, "I reckon that old guy holds a grudge and won't let you off easily."
Xu Yiyi remained silent in thought.
Old Lu took a sip of his wine and went over to remove the stones from the sieve.
By this time, the ointment had completely seeped into the skin, and the snakeskin gradually changed from dark blue to dark brown, with a matte finish under the sunlight. After being pressed overnight, it was incredibly smooth.
"Ah Yue, come here..."
Old Lu hadn't forgotten that A Yue had said yesterday that she wanted to learn how to make snakeskin whips from him.
He first cut out three thin leather ropes, soaked them in salt water, and then, with nimble fingers, added thin snakeskin, instantly twisting the snakeskin into a single strand.
"The most important thing in making a whip is to make it flexible..."
Old Lu kept rambling on, muttering to himself as he spun: "Too hard and you can't shake it off, too soft and you have no strength."
Seeing this, A-Yue wove together the extra snakeskin next to her.
Old Lu was an expert; in the time it took to speak, the whip, which was over a meter long, was already basically formed.
When it came to the handle of the whip, they used shark skin left over from the sharks that Xu Yiyi had caught before. The skin was bluish-gray and rough like sandpaper.
After dipping it in fish glue, the shark skin is carefully wrapped around the whip handle, and then secured with hemp rope.
"It's done..."
The old man flicked the whip through the air.
"Snap!"
The snakeskin whip cracked in the air with a crisp sound, instantly startling the sparrows on the osmanthus tree.
Old Lu stroked the whip smugly: "If this thing really hits someone, he'll remember it for the rest of his life."
Xu Anyang went over to look out of curiosity: "Is it really as exaggerated as you say?"
Old Lu scoffed and glanced at him: "How about I whip you and see what happens?"
Having said that, he made a move to strike, but Xu Anyang quickly dodged.
He shook his head repeatedly: "Let's not, I can't handle it."
Yunniang stood under the eaves watching them play and suddenly felt at ease.
Old Lu shrugged and tossed the snakeskin whip to Xu Yiyi, saying, "Take it and play with it. Don't forget my snake gall wine."
Old Lu has been thinking about it; yesterday's sea snake meat was already very nutritious.
But snake gall wine is even more nourishing.
Xu Yiyi took the snakeskin whip and twirled it several times. With a flick of her wrist, the whip drew an arc in the air as if it were alive. The next moment, her expression changed slightly.
The whip struck his right thigh; the weather was neither cold nor warm at that moment.
She was still wearing her summer dress, which was light and breathable.
That one blow hurt so much she wanted to cry.
"Big sister, big sister!"
A fresh, youthful voice came from behind.
"Big sister, are you in pain? Let me blow on it for you..."
Sihai ran over with his short legs, stopped abruptly in front of her, and looked up at her injured leg with his little face.
Thankfully, the clothes covered it, otherwise the child would definitely have seen the red and swollen wound.
"It doesn't hurt at all, really."
Xu Yiyi bit her lip and spoke with a straight face.
Old Lu chuckled, his tone quite certain: "You're being stubborn! Your leg is definitely swollen."
The old man spoke with great conviction.
Sihai's little mouth instantly pursed up, and her little eyes welled up with tears.
Xu Yiyi gasped, cursing inwardly, but her face remained tense, not even flinching.
"It really doesn't hurt, but you can only say that."
……
"It really doesn't hurt?"
Sihai's chubby hand stroked the spot where he had just been hit, his face tilted back, his dark grape-like eyes filled with heartache.
"Of course, your older sister is tough and resilient. I only got hit once, how could it possibly hurt..."
She spoke with unwavering conviction, her voice rising at least eight octaves higher than usual, as if she could convince herself with her words.
"Ouch, it hurts so much! This damn whip feels like it's been poisoned; my leg feels like it's going to break..."
Xu Yiyi screamed inwardly, even rehearsing in her mind a tragic scene of a stubborn martial artist enduring pain to practice his skills and finally fainting.
Unfortunately, Sihai, that little guy, kept staring at her.
She didn't even dare to frown.
What a shame.
Sihai pouted, then suddenly reached out his little hand and gently poked her wound.
"Ow—"
Xu Yiyi almost jumped out on the spot, but she managed to suppress her scream and let out a strange groan.
Apart from Sihai and Wuyuan, everyone in the courtyard was laughing so hard they couldn't stand up straight.
"Big sister?" Sihai blinked.
"...It's nothing, it's nothing." She gritted her teeth, her lips twitching slightly.
"My sister just has a slightly itchy throat."
[This chubby kid definitely did it on purpose, he poked me, he actually poked me...]
Xu Yiyi was internally frantic, but on the surface she maintained a cold expression, as if the minor injury was nothing to worry about.
He forced himself to remain calm and walked back into the house.
"I'm a little sleepy, I'll go inside and take a nap!"
She casually tossed out a remark, and the moment the door closed, she clearly heard Lao Lu's laughter.
Then the laughter of the others drifted in.
Old Lu said arrogantly, "I told you my whip hurts a lot, now you believe me, right?"
A-Yue, who was standing next to Si-Hai, flicked the whip she had made in front of him.
A-Yue said with a smile, "A small whip is more suitable for a short and stocky person. Be careful when you swing it, don't be like your older sister."
Xu Yiyi stayed in the room for a while, carefully applying medicine to the red and swollen area on her right thigh.
I left the house when I felt less pain.
"Big sister, I'm going to the dock to buy tofu."
Sihai ran to the money box in the front yard, grabbed two coins, and then ran back to the back yard.
"Why buy dried tofu? We're having chicken today."
The chickens raised at home are fat and fed only seafood. Add a handful of red mushrooms given to us by Aunt Li, and the soup is simmered until it clings to the spoon. It's so delicious you'll want to swallow your tongue.
"Give it to your younger brother!"
Sihai pointed his short, stubby fingers at Wuyuan, who was sitting on a bamboo mat playing.
Sihai said in a serious tone, "I just asked him what he wanted to eat, and I said if he wanted tofu, and he said yes."
Xu Yiyi instructed, "Then go to the dock and buy a piece of soft tofu for your brother and come back. Don't wander around aimlessly and don't talk to strangers."
Suddenly, something else came to mind.
"Fine, I'll go with you." Xu Yiyi slowly walked out of the room.
Yesterday's volcanic eruption brought many strangers to the town, and the dock area has always been a mixed bag, with some shady outsiders always present.
She was also afraid that the child might run away alone and be kidnapped.
"No need, no need, I can manage on my own."
Si Hai waved his hand, but Xu Yiyi ignored him and followed him out the door.
Not having to go to the sea in the morning made it much more leisurely than usual.
She kept a distance, walking behind at a leisurely pace.
Ahead, Sihai walked forward along the stone path like a happy little sparrow.
Ping'an Town was already bustling with activity in the early morning. Along the way, many fishermen were seen carrying wooden buckets full of fresh fish toward the market, while others sat by the roadside mending their fishing nets.
Many fish died on the sea surface due to an underwater volcanic eruption.
Many people were wary, and quite a few did not go out to sea today. The air was filled with the smell of seafood and cooking smoke.
Sihai, that little brat, stops every few steps to look at the new things along the way; he's interested in everything.
A tabby cat sunbathing on the eaves, colorful seashells on the stall, or even small insects crawling on the ground could make him squat down and observe for a long time.
Xu Yiyi stopped behind the pickled fish stall on the street corner, and only then did she understand.
No wonder it takes this kid so long to go shopping by himself; he can play by himself for most of the day.
"Little boss, would you like to buy a sugar figurine?"
The street vendors called out.
"I didn't bring any money!" Sihai helplessly spread his hands and shook his head firmly.
After swallowing hard, I immediately looked away from the crystal-clear sugar figurine.
Then they strolled forward slowly, crossing two streets, and the hustle and bustle of the docks gradually became clearer.
The shouts of merchant ships setting sail and the cries of various vendors created a lively atmosphere.
Sihai skillfully navigated the crowd and arrived at the tofu stall by the dock.
Aunt Wang greeted the children warmly; their late-night snack stall used to be not far from the tofu stall.
Xu Yiyi ordered a lot of tofu from Aunt Wang every day to make sizzling tofu, and they gradually became friends.
I saw Aunt Wang cut a large piece of snow-white tofu, put it on a plate, and carefully put it into the basket that Sihai had brought.
She then stuffed a hot bowl of tofu pudding into his hand.
Aunt Wang carefully instructed, "Take good care of it. Don't walk or jump around on the way back, or you'll ruin the tofu."
……
"Second Master, isn't this a coincidence?" Gao Haoming said in a low voice, "That little brat from the Xu family actually came out all by himself..."
Xu Wenli and Gao Haoming stared at the chubby boy in the crowd.
Some time ago, he offered a high price to Xu Yi to go to sea to salvage the sunken ship, but was refused. On the way back with the cargo, he couldn't shake off his bad mood.
The goods have just been delivered.
They returned without stopping.
Since we couldn't get them to come by being polite and courteous, we had to resort to some unconventional methods.
"Or should we take this little thing away now? His older sister was so ungrateful last time..."
Gao Haoming suggested taking the child away as leverage, and he didn't believe Xu Yiyi could refuse.
Xu Wenli squinted and raised his hand to stop him.
"No rush, that little brat's older sister is following behind."
Xu Wenli pointed to Xu Yiyi's location.
Gao Haoming clicked his tongue in disappointment: "What a pity."
"What's a pity?" Xu Wenli sneered.
“Once the restaurant gets busy, this little brat will eventually have a chance to be alone. If all else fails, we can bring his whole family over, and then…”
He didn't finish his sentence, but the fierce look in his eyes sent chills down one's spine.