Chapter 7 - I’ve Grilled A Fish Before

Initially, Shen Leng assumed that they were going to somewhere very, very far away. But after Mr. Shen walked him into a small yard, he thought about it carefully and realized that it would only take a day’s journey to get to Yulin town from where they were.

“Go chop some wood!”

Shen Cha Yan was very familiar with this place. The moment she walked into this place, she shouted those four words at Shen Leng. Thereafter, she went to open the windows in every single room. This place was not that far from the riverbank, hence it was rather humid.

Shen Leng was very exhausted, but he did not say anything. After looking through the yard, all he could find was a very blunt ax. He could not find a whetstone; if he wanted to use this ax to chop some wood, he would not be able to gather sufficient wood even by tomorrow morning.

Mr. Shen walked up to Shen Leng, “Where’s the scabbard?”

Shen Leng took out the scabbard of the small hunting knife that he had hidden on his body. Mr. Shen took the scabbard from him and said, “This scabbard is not as simple as you think. This protruding part is a button - press it and a rope will shoot out. It is very fine, slightly over 10 feet...As for this side, did you notice? There are layers of corrugation, just like fish scales.”

Mr. Shen lifted the ax and sharpened its blade against the corrugated layer on the scabbard. A layer of iron fragments crumbled off the ax.

Shen Leng never expected the ordinary looking scabbard to possess a hidden mechanism. He liked it even more than he already did.

Mr. Shen passed the scabbard and ax back to Shen Leng, and entered the house. Moments later, he reemerged with a deck chair. He placed it under a locust tree in the yard, and laid on it, closing his eyes.

Shen Leng sharpened the ax by rubbing it against the scabbard. Very soon, a layer of iron fragments fell off the ax. Shen Leng looked at the scabbard and started contemplating. After Shen Cha Yan opened all the windows in the house, she saw Shen Leng getting lost in thought. When he’s focused, he does look rather handsome. I guess he’s thinking of the couple of ways he could use the scabbard for.

In the next moment, Shen Leng suddenly removed his shoes and used it to remove the dead skin from beneath his feet...He only started wearing shoes today. In the past, he had never worn any when he lived with the Mengs. For years on end, he had been running back and forth, from the store to the dock. A thick layer of dead skin was formed beneath his feet as a result.

As he was rubbing it against his feet, it felt good...

Shen Cha Yan slammed the window shut. How can that fella use such an expensive and valuable item to remove dead skin?

After he was satisfied, Shen Leng wore his shoes once more and started chopping wood. The blade of the ax was very sharp and in a short period of time, he managed to gather a pile of wood. He found chopping wood addictive and therapeutic.

Thereafter, a thought appeared in his mind. He looked at Mr. Shen who was laying on the chair, “When two generals fight on the battlefield, before they make their moves, do they have to say something aggressively?”

Mr. Shen replied, “Normally, they don’t say anything and attack immediately. What you are referring to is merely the circumstances painted in fictional novels. But it might not be entirely untrue. Why do you ask?”

Shen Leng swung the scabbard and said, “In future when I come face to face with an enemy, I will brandish my scabbard at him and tell him that I will rub his face on my scabbard.”

Mr. Shen nodded and said earnestly, “That threat is sure scary.”

“Boil some water.”

Shen Cha Yan shouted from one of the windows. “I want to take a shower.”

She leaned against the window and sulked...Rubbing his face against the scabbard? How is this assertive?

Shen Leng grunted in acknowledgment. He saw that there was a well in the yard, and checked to see if the rope connected to the cask was damaged. Thereafter, he drew some water and heated it in an iron pot with the wood he chopped from earlier.

He continuously use his finger to test for the temperature of the water. Once it reached the right temperature, he scooped the water out. He placed it in front of Shen Cha Yan’s room. Mr. Shen smiled with his eyes closed. Shen Leng did not know why he was smiling, but Shen Cha Yan knew why. Hence, she found the both of them repulsive.

When she heated up the water for herself in the past, she waited till the water boiled before she scooped it out and mixed it with some cold water. However, Shen Leng did not do that. She thought about how she mentioned the word ‘intellect’ earlier and started getting riled up...

After chopping some wood and boiling some water, others might ask what was next. However, Shen Leng did not. He took out a piece of silver fragment from his pocket, and carefully placed it on his body before leaving.

“Still unhappy?”

Mr. Shen closed his eyes and asked smilingly.

Shen Chayan was peeved and scoffed. She closed the window securely. After she shut the door, she removed her clothes and entered the bathtub. She shuddered slightly at the comfort of it...the temperature of the water was perfect.

She could not help but think to herself: Did that fella actually factored in the time taken to scoop out the water into the cask, and into the bathtub? If he did not consider all these, the water would be slightly cold. However, the temperature is perfect at the moment.

It must have been coincidental.

Shen Cha Yan closed her eyes; every single pore in her body felt good.

That fella doesn’t seem as stupid as he looks.

Shen Cha Yan soaked herself in the tub for a while before rinsing. She changed into a fresh set of clothes and noticed that Mr. Shen was still laying on the chair with his eyes closed. She knew for a fact that it was impossible for him to have fallen asleep. Over the past two years, he had been sleeping less and less. Whenever she asked why, he would tell her that Shen Leng had a late start in life and that he had to make sufficient preparations in order for him to catch up with others. Shen Leng’s opponent came from a family with higher standing and was blessed with material things. Shen Leng needed to progress at a speed ten times faster in order to pull the gap closer.

Shen Cha Yan dried her hair and walked out, “When do you plan on telling him?”

“No rush.”

Indeed, Mr. Shen did not fall asleep. He must have been pondering about some things.

“Instead of hiding it, isn’t it better for him to know about this earlier?”

Shen Cha Yan was an outspoken person. She was not willing to conceal the secret any longer.

“If he were to find out now, it will be too stressful.”

Mr. Shen sat upright and said, “Most of the time, stress and pressure are good motivators. However, when the pressure is too great, it can overwhelm a person. If that happens, what’s the point of me making ample preparations?”

Shen Cha Yan said, “You’re so nice to him.”

Mr. Shen replied, “I gave you your name.”

Shen Cha Yan chuckled mischievously.

Mr. Shen smiled and said, “Do you think I’m biased? You have already seen most of what I have prepared for him before. I don’t like to brag, but the ones that you have seen before were more than enough to defeat Meng Changan easily.

Shen Cha Yan retorted, “Most.”

Mr. Shen was embarrassed, “That’s because some of the things are only suited for men to learn.”

“Such as?”

“I’m going to take a shower.”

Mr. Shen made a speedy exit and rushed into the house. If you were to hear my response to all your “such as” questions, you will definitely reprimand me. I can’t tell her, I can’t tell her...

Shen Cha Yan scoffed. And yet he says he isn’t biased. Thereafter, she walked over to one side of the yard out of habit. Without the need to look, she retrieved a wooden sword that she carved. There was a ring that was hung from the tree - its diameter was very small, and fitted her sword perfectly. As the wind blew, the ring would start to sway. She stood still for a few moments before swinging her sword. She was as quick as lightning and managed to accurately fit her sword through the ring.

“Excuse me!”

She yelled, as she brandished her sword.

“What’s the matter?” asked Mr. Shen who was showering.

“When are you giving me an actual sword?”

“When you’ve successfully fitted your sword through the ring a thousand times in succession.”

Shen Cha Yan grunted. She continued to put her sword through the ring with a neutral look on her face. After she did it successfully for 132 times, she started to frown and get annoyed, and impatiently went back to zero all over again.

After 157 times, she missed and had to restart all over again.

After 202 times, she missed and had to restart all over again.

After 99 times, she missed and stopped trying.

Shen Cha Yan kept her wooden sword. She knew when to stop. The moment she started feeling annoyed, there was no point in continuing.

“Why did he go there?”

“To buy some food.”

Mr. Shen got changed and came out. He sat on the deck chair, with a writing brush and book in his hands. He was using a very special brush and ink to write on the book. Whatever that he had written on it was invisible. The words would only appear using a special method.

“Do you have to be that careful?” Shen Cha Yan couldn’t help but ask, after seeing how focused Mr. Shen was.

“Of course. In fact, I’m not careful enough. I was already starting to regret earlier...I shouldn’t have given the medication for injuries to the coachman. I’m the only one who can concoct it.”

“How can it be so coincidental? Yunxiao city is a few thousand miles away from here. The information was incorrect. Who knew? Besides it was more than 20 years ago since you went to Yunxiao city. More than half of the people you knew have already gone to Changan to achieve meteoric success. Who would notice the medication of a coachman?

“It’s better to play safe. You know that. They would never let Shen Leng go.”

He said ‘them’, and not ‘her’.

Shen Cha Yan knew that more than ten years ago, the woman that did an evil deed had already formed a secret society of people with shared interests around her. Naturally, the huge clan was at the center of this secret society. Even though from the first year when Great Ning was established, that rising clan got suppressed from the very beginning. But who dared to underestimate the power of that clan?

Twelve years ago, that woman did such an evil thing and clenched her teeth, living in misery thereafter. If she had suffered for more than 20 to 30 years, who could stop the rise of her clan?

“What are you writing?” asked Shen Cha Yan once more.

“Military tactics.”

Mr. Shen added, “I had pondered for a long time as for which was the fastest route for him. After considering for two years, especially after today’s test, he is not suited to be a scholar.”

Shen Cha Yan pictured Shen Leng wearing a scholar’s robe holding a fan in her head. She shook her head vehemently, feeling extremely disgusted.

“Since you want him to go down a more dangerous path, why don’t you think of ways to send him to the Four Depositories Military Repository?”

The young lady was constantly yearning for the Four Depositories Military Repository. It was always on her mind.

“I don’t dare to.”

Mr. Shen finished writing in the book - he had written down everything he had thought of today.

“Besides, none of the fellas in the Four Depositories Military Repository can match up to me.”

Mr. Shen kept his book and stretched. “I wonder what that fella will buy back. Both of you are still growing, even if you don’t like to eat meat, you still gotta eat it.”

Hearing those words, Shen Cha Yan had a disgusted look on her face. Of course, it was not directed at Mr. Shen.

“He definitely will not buy too many things. That’s because he knows the value of money, much more than you.”

Shen Cha Yan chuckled again.

Mr. Shen said, “Why don’t let's make a bet? If he spends more than fifty tokens, I’ll lose.”

Shen Cha Yan asked, “Fifty tokens? What kind of food can he buy with that?’

“Fish.”

Shen Leng struggled to walk home - it looked as though he exerted a lot of strength. That was because he brought back a fish...he saw this fish by the riverbank, and hence, he did not spend a single token and went home with it. In truth, it was not considered a fish...

Shen Cha Yan’s mouth started twitching, “This fish must be pretty hard to catch, huh.”

Mr. Shen’s mouth started twitching too, “You caught it bare-chested, right?”

Shen Leng found his joke rather outdated.

What he brought back was a crocodile that was 1.3 to 1.4 meters long.

There were a lot of crocodiles in the Nanping River.

“It was pretty hard to catch it, but fortunately, I’m smarter than it.”

Shen Leng described the process, but played it down a notch. His clothes were evidently ripped in several places, but he was not injured. From the looks of it, he was very exhausted. He could not wait to lay down and have a good rest.

He sat down and patted the back of the crocodile, “Let me rest for a bit. When I was on my way back, I saw an orchard - there are several fruit trees there. I will go pick some back and eat them together with this thing, once I’ve grilled it.”

Sheng Cha Yan swallowed her saliva, “You grilled one before?”

Shen Leng thought about his hungry days at the Mengs’ - where he had to go to the river to catch a fish on his own. It seemed to him as though it just happened yesterday...Indeed, it just happened yesterday.

“Who has never grilled a fish before? Just probably not a fish this big, and with fish scales that thick!”

“You call these fish scales?”

“If not, then what...”

Shen Cha Yan turned around and walked off, “I’m going to cook some noodles for myself, you two can grill for yourselves...”