Chapter 459: A Leisurely Journey?

When the capital was thrown into disarray by that single memorial, the man at the center of it all—Zhu Ping’an himself—was calmly and contentedly tidying up his day’s catch, entirely at ease.

The monster he had hauled out of the water was over a meter long, imposing and fierce at a glance. Its head was massive, its body a pale bluish-green mottled with dark spots, each black marking neatly patterned across its scales. The belly was a soft, muted white, smooth and clean.

Judging from its appearance, it was a perch—only absurdly large.

Li Shu and the maidservants were all stunned. A perch this big was something they had never seen in their lives.

Thinking about it more carefully, though, catching a perch here at this time was not so strange. Spring had arrived and temperatures were rising; migratory perch were entering their breeding season. Fat and well-fed, they left the deep seas and moved into coastal bays to feed and spawn, swimming upstream along rivers. Under such conditions, hooking a perch along the coast was hardly unusual.

What was unusual was that such a gigantic fish had been reeled in with this fishing rod. The line hadn’t snapped, the rod hadn’t broken—it could only be called sheer luck.

Perch were prized above most fish: tender, succulent, and exquisitely flavorful, the finest among aquatic delicacies. As Xin Qiji once wrote in Shui Long Yin:

“Do not say perch is fit only for slicing—
In the western wind, Ji Ying never returned.
Seeking fields and houses,
He would surely be ashamed to face
Liu Lang’s heroic talent.”

Ancient poets placed perch alongside heroes like Liu Bei; that alone spoke volumes of its status.

As he landed the enormous fish, Zhu Ping’an was already imagining the Li family’s master chef at work, transforming it into a feast worthy of remembrance.

With a single catch over a meter long, Zhu Ping’an had effectively secured an unbeatable position in this fishing contest.

Li Shu’s luck had always been enviable. Not long after Zhu Ping’an reeled in the giant perch, she shrieked and yanked up something equally ferocious, nearly losing her composure as she lifted the rod.

It was a huge lobster—two or three jin in weight, nearly the length of an arm. It thrashed wildly, waving its massive claws and gripping the bait with all its strength, utterly unaware that it was moments away from becoming a lavish seafood dish.

After that, Zhu Ping’an caught another fish about the size of his palm. Li Shu continued her streak of good fortune, pulling up two more fish after the lobster. Compared to Zhu Ping’an’s colossal perch, however, they felt a bit underwhelming.

As for the little maid Baozi, her luck was abysmal—and her fishing skills even worse. After Li Shu had caught five or six fish and a lobster, and Zhu Ping’an had landed his massive perch, Baozi still had nothing to show for her efforts.

But just before they wrapped up, heaven finally took pity on her. She reeled in a pink squid, weighing perhaps half a jin.

The moment Zhu Ping’an saw the squid, his thoughts drifted back to his modern life—grilled squid from street stalls, skewers sizzling on iron plates, oil crackling as sauces and chili were brushed on. He remembered strolling with his dorm mates, eating as they walked, eyeing beauties arm in arm on the street—cheap food, loud laughter, and a simple happiness that filled both belly and soul.

“I won, Zhu Ping’an. I caught the most fish.” Li Shu lifted her chin slightly, eyes sparkling as she shot him a provocative look, her voice sweet and smug.

“Try looking at the size of the fish before you say that.” Zhu Ping’an pointed at the giant perch circling lazily in the large basin by his feet and smiled at the shamelessly proud young lady.

“Why should size matter? We never said size counted.” Li Shu’s bravado faltered a little. She huffed twice. “We’re comparing numbers.”

“And we never said numbers mattered either.” Zhu Ping’an spread his hands helplessly.

“It obviously means numbers!” Li Shu rolled her eyes and puffed out her cheeks in mock indignation.

“Alright, alright—by numbers, you win.” Zhu Ping’an smiled faintly, completely unbothered. Fishing was entertainment; caring too much about winning and losing only robbed it of joy.

“What do you mean by numbers? It was always numbers! You only caught three fish. I caught six—and a huge lobster!” Li Shu puffed out her cheeks, her small pink hands gesturing enthusiastically as she described the lobster, pride and delight shining in her eyes. Then she added, almost as an afterthought, “And it was my first time fishing!”

Utterly, irredeemably smug.

Compared to Li Shu’s triumph and Zhu Ping’an’s calm indifference, little Baozi stood off to the side with her head drooping, staring mournfully at her odd-looking squid, on the verge of tears. I only caught this one ugly thing…

“So you admit you lost?” Li Shu gazed at Zhu Ping’an with burning intensity, eyes clear as spring water, brows delicate, smile bright and playful.

“Mmm. I lost.” Zhu Ping’an shrugged. “Name your request.”

“My request…” Li Shu blinked her bright eyes, clever and lively. “I haven’t decided yet. I’ll tell you when I do.”

“Suit yourself.” Zhu Ping’an shrugged again—then suddenly turned to look at Baozi, who was still hanging her head.

“W-What are you doing?”

The sudden attention made Baozi panic. Under his gaze, her voice trembled.

Why did that silly, infamous joke—‘Why… do it!’—pop into his head at a time like this? Was his hormone level getting a bit out of hand lately? Zhu Ping’an shook his head and smiled helplessly.

But to the others, that smile looked… dangerous.

Baozi trembled even more.

Li Shu clenched her fists.

“By numbers, I beat Hua’er too, didn’t I? That means I get to make a request, right?”
Zhu Ping’an said lightly.

“Ah?! What do you want to do?!”

Baozi froze, her round face instantly flushing red.

At that moment, the air around Li Shu seemed to drop several degrees.

“I want you…”

Zhu Ping’an began, his gaze shifting slowly downward from Baozi’s face.

Hey—where are you looking?!

Shameless. Despicable. Perverted. 

Li Shu looked ready to explode. Baozi’s face turned as red as spilled ink, her small hands twisting the hem of her clothes as her heart pounded wildly. Oh no… how embarrassing… Why is the young master in such a hurry… I’m the young miss’s dowry maid… Once you marry her, you won’t even need to say anything…

“I want you… to give me that squid you caught.”

Zhu Ping’an pointed at the pink squid by Baozi’s feet and smacked his lips.

“Ah… the squid?” Baozi stared, mouth wide open.

“Yes. What else did you think?” Zhu Ping’an nodded, then turned to Li Shu with a grin. “Ask your family’s chef to make iron-plate grilled squid.”

“I refuse! We’re boiling it into soup!” Li Shu shot him a fierce glare.

“Soup, huh? Oh—by the way, I have a question for you.” Zhu Ping’an suddenly changed the subject.

“Go ahead,” Li Shu replied casually.

“Heh. You agreed to grilling it.” Zhu Ping’an laughed. “Then I’ll trouble your chef.”

“…Childish.”

Li Shu froze for a moment, then rolled her eyes and huffed softly.

Waves. Beach. Seafood. Thanking the generous sea for its gifts, thanking the Li family’s master chef, Zhu Ping’an lay sprawled on the deck, patting his noticeably fuller stomach and letting out a satisfied burp.

The Li family chef truly lived up to his reputation. Zhu Ping’an had only casually described iron-plate grilled squid, yet the result was astonishingly delicious. The steamed perch was excellent too—and the lobster, unforgettable.

Compared to the grueling journey to the capital for the imperial examinations, this trip was comfort carved straight into the bones—an indulgently leisurely journey in every sense of the word.