Chapter 150

Actually, being from Qingdao, I was pretty much an expert on Hubei cuisine.

When you think of Hubei, you can’t skip over freshwater fish and turtles.

Roughly speaking, if a Chinese person threw some lotus root in with fish or turtles and cooked it, they’d consider it Hubei cuisine, and they’d probably go along with it.

There are also lamb and duck dishes.

But those are staples for the Chinese nation, enjoyed everywhere, and pigs are basically the essence of Chinese culture.

The Chinese love pigs so much that their affinity runs so deep it’s like they’ve become one with them—living, breathing little porkers in their minds.

On top of that, there’s an array of dishes made with freshwater fish, though curiously, they don’t really eat sashimi.

Not that they don’t eat it at all, but there’s a fear stemming from the historical records of talented geniuses of the Wu Kingdom who died young after getting parasites from eating raw freshwater fish.

And they all complained about heaven afterward.

From heaven’s standpoint, they were munching on parasite-infested fish and then whining, “Oh heavens!!” before dying. I wouldn’t show any sympathy to Wu either.

So the dishes that Je-gal Lee-hyun brought out were all pretty well-known to anyone from Qingdao.

But honestly, unfamiliar dishes provide a unique thrill, while familiar ones are guaranteed to be tastier.

After a long while (like three whole hours), Qing finally started a meal with a storm’s hunger.

Strangely, people in Central China have a fondness for cyprinids.

However, these fish are structured with bones branching out like a monster, making them a pain to eat.

Yet, Gyeon Pohee skillfully filleted the fish, stacking the meat on Qing’s plate.

Determined not to lose, Qing gobbled up the contents of the plate.

“What about me? I want some too!”

Tang Nan-ah awkwardly filleted her portion, sending a sorry-looking mass of flesh onto Qing’s plate every now and then.

“Thanks, but you left the bones, dude.”

That was after she bit into a sharp fish bone without processing it properly.

Tang Nan-ah tried her luck at filleting but, as mentioned, they were so resilient and spiny that she’d have better luck wrestling a dragon.

It was only when she tasted the fishy mess she’d filleted that she realized the seriousness of her situation.

“Oh? Sorry, these bones are something else…”

“It’s all good. Tasty, too. Bones can actually have a nice crunch if you chew slowly.”

“Still, give it here, I’ll do it again!”

“Nah, it’s fine. You worked hard to fillet that for me.”

As Tang Nan-ah tried to reclaim her pitiful chunk of fish, Qing swiftly popped it into her mouth.

“You…”

What she spat out was, in fact, completely inedible for Tang Nan-ah.

But who wouldn’t be moved by someone forcing themselves to eat that mess?

However, Qing didn’t care. She already had a body built for crunching bones.

That’s the joy of having high stamina, I guess.

“If you’re struggling, just let me know and I’ll fillet some fish for you. The bones are much less in that one.”

“Oh? Which one?”

“That one.”

She pointed to a fish called ‘gwayo.’

To Tang Nan-ah, it seemed all fish looked the same anyway.

To her, fish always arrive with their names attached, so they say, “Hey, this carp is super tasty!”

So seeing Qing cut through fish bones was shocking. If the Tang family saw this, they’d lament how raising girls is a waste of time.

“Hahaha. You eat with such enthusiasm, Miss!”

“You’re not mocking me, are you?”

“Of course not! You’re like Lady Peng from back in the day; at this rate, I might just fall for you. Why do women in the Central Plains seem to just pretend to eat and then lose all their appetite?”

“Ah. Lady Peng does enjoy her meals, though she can be a bit picky.”

“Is she still only eating meat?”

“Yep. She believes you have to eat muscle to build muscle.”

“That’s just a superstition. Thinking of Lady Peng makes me question that assumption though. Eating your own is just a fancy term for repeating the same thing…”

As Je-gal Lee-hyun chowed down, he flawlessly articulated all sorts of nonsense.

Qing pretended to listen while focusing on the meal since he was the one footing the bill.

Ah. Oh. Right. Got it.

Soulless answers mingled with the joyous dining experience.

“Wow, that was delightful.”

Since Qing had loosened his belt at the start of the meal, he now stroked his slightly bulging belly.

Tang Nan-ah playfully poked him, impressed.

“Wow, you’re really stuffed. You ate all that!…”

“Honestly, I could eat more. But there’s gotta be room for dessert.”

“How come you can eat so much and not gain weight? Hm. All your weight seems to be up top?”

As Tang Nan-ah’s hand inched up, Qing smacked it away.

“What are you doing?”

“I didn’t mean to! I just got carried away.”

Qing squinted at her.

Lucky for her, she was born a girl.

If she was a guy, we’d surely have a lecherous monster on our hands.

—-

Honestly, people in the martial world generally say that Wuhan has no real attractions.

You’ve got the striking Huanghelou, which is just a tall building, and Donghu, famous for cherry blossoms, is just a peaceful lake at this time.

Sure, being able to admire the horizon from a lake can be said to reflect the spirit of Central China.

Yingchensi is famous but not treated like Baima Temple in Luoyang, so it’s somewhere you might visit just once when heading to Donghu.

So after dinner, with nowhere else to go, I decided to drop by the Je-gal family for the night.

Though he talks a lot, my little brother Je-gal Lee-hyun is a clever and surprisingly charming lad.

Since he’s inviting me to stay a night, and I have to head to the opening ceremony anyway, I didn’t see a reason to decline.

Truth be told, there was a hidden gem in Wuhan—a short street leading right to the front gate of the Je-gal family.

Shops and food stalls lined up, with tables set outside as rough-looking sisters and some guys occupied a few spots.

These businesses belong to the Je-gal family, and it’s a gathering place for customers who meet the Je-gal family’s tastes—so they’re pretty sharp money-makers.

“What’s up with those weak girls? Just because they have decent faces, they’re tailing after people?”

“Right? They’re so skinny their waists are thinner than a sister’s arm.”

“Look at that face! It’s smaller than my fist.”

“Those girls don’t act ladylike enough. If they were women, they should win out with some muscle!”

Listening in on their scuttlebutt, I found their chatter quite suspicious.

What’s this about?

Did they come from some far-off island with a female-dominated society?

What’s the deal with winning over with muscle? Is this some kind of pillaging marriage scheme?

Is this that infamous gender role reversal thing?

Of course, Qing had no clue about Listening Technique.

But, with ears sharper than any human, he could catch on just fine.

Although nobody was speaking loudly, their whispers were still shocking to hear.

Not that it bothered me, I just moved on like I hadn’t heard a thing.

Visiting a friend’s home, the first step is to greet the parents; but first, I had to drop off my things.

“Hyun, bro!”

Qing jumped.

Bro? Who uses that term like an anal retentive? Are you kidding me!

But at the same time, a little girl, probably around six or seven, came running in.

Aw, a little kid—how cute!

“Oh, Ah-hyang! Were you playing nicely?”

Je-gal Lee-hyun lifted the little girl and spun her around before setting her on his shoulder.

Usually, you’d carry them on your back, but his shoulders were just too broad.

The child’s bright laughter filled the air like a chime.

Qing gave a heartfelt smile beyond the veil of the screen.

It was a heartwarming sight regardless.

This was Je-gal’s direct youngest, Je-gal Hyang.

But then, the following conversation got a bit weird.

“What book did you read today, Hyang?”

“Um, I read thirty chapters of Wu Liaozi today.”

“Oh, Wu Liaozi! That’s a good book. So what part impressed you the most?”

“Well, starting with the heavenly observation, it’s not included in the duties of officers, right? So this is different from Sun Tzu’s view on enemies…”

“Oh dear. That’s just emphasizing the importance before heavenly observation, not critiquing Wu Liaozi…”

“But after these ideas, if the channels are dug and you prepare a well and store up for winter…”

“Such concepts are common sense that you need to be prepared…”

Qing glanced at Tang Nan-ah, wondering if she understood any of this.

At that moment, Tang Nan-ah looked back at him with similar cluelessness, so they both went, “Oh well.”

Of course, there was no need to check on Gyeon Pohee either, so they both ignored her completely.

Feeling stupid and somewhat uneasy, Qing unpacked while greeting the slim Je-gal ladies and the burly matriarchs.

“Please take care of our Ah-hyang. She’s smart but still naive about the world. Treat her well like a younger sister.”

“Yes, elder.”

“Indeed. Oh dear, these young folks need to play more with each other.”

Even though Je-gal Lee-hyun came back home with the son he prized most by bringing along a whole bunch of ladies, he announced he wanted to depart with them too, maintaining an impressively straightforward attitude.

It was Je-gal Hyang, snuggled against him, who looked most dismayed.

“Hey, bro! Where are you going?”

“Oh come on, Ah-hyang! Don’t be clingy. Let your older brother hang with his friends.”

“Nooooo! I want to stay with you!”

Despite the little girl clinging desperately to him, she was no match for the power of mom, whose arms were thicker than the little girl’s.

Unable to overcome mom’s might, the little girl fell away.

After that, they moved to the side room, laid out some snacks, and started chatting.

Surprisingly, the random tales Je-gal Lee-hyun shared were entertaining.

But feeling he needed to pack early, he excused himself, relishing a hot soak in a bath.

He even allowed Uncle Ho to assist with his bathing.

Then, while sitting outside on the guest hall terrace to dry his hair, he felt a gaze on him from somewhere.

Turning around, he spotted a little head peeking out from behind the wall.

“Huh? A little one? Your name was Hyang, right?”

With a startled buzz, Je-gal Hyang timidly approached and immediately asked,

“You’re the one with the veil, right? Are you going to become our new sister-in-law?”

Well, she was essentially asking if he would be her sister-in-law.

Qing asked playfully, smirking,

“Why? Don’t want me to?”

“Nope! I really don’t!”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re weak!”

“Weak? I’m a master.”*

As Qing projected his raw martial energy, if Seomun Sulin had seen it, she would have dealt him a solid slap.

Thankfully—or regrettably—little Je-gal Hyang didn’t have the discernment to acknowledge Supreme Hand-to-Hand Combat.

“No! You don’t have muscles! You’re weak.”

“I’m strong! Definitely strong!”

Then Je-gal Hyang pouted at him.

“Liar! You can’t lift even a hundred pounds with those arms!”

“A hundred pounds? I can easily lift that with one hand.”

“Then how about two hundred pounds?”

“If I hold one in each hand, that’s two hundred!”

“And three hundred?”

“Haven’t tried, but I think I could manage. Lifting would be fine, but swinging would be tough.”

“And without using inner strength?”

“Without inner strength.”

At that, Je-gal Hyang slapped Qing’s knee.

“You can’t! You’re totally lying!”

“Look at you! A tiny creature already trying to deceive? Wow, if I could show you firsthand, that’d be something!”

Then, Je-gal Hyang eagerly replied, as if she had been waiting for him to say that.

It seemed she had indeed been waiting for that.

Coming from Je-gal lineage, she was expected to be able to craft plots even at seven.

“Then show me!”

“Huh?”

“Hurry up! Or I’ll tell bro that you were lying!”

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