The Transmigrated Life of a Salty Fish Family

With the Duke of Dingguo Jian in the Emperor's favor, Yan's army indeed felt a completely different treatment compared to when they were under the Guanzhou army.

The local government officials along the way were very accommodating.

It facilitates both stationing and resupply.

Yan Yu also went to several banquets with Pan Zheng.

All I can say is that these officials eat really well.

When Yan Yu goes to banquets, she basically doesn't use her brain, she only uses her mouth.

They buried themselves in their food.

Pan Zheng, as expected of someone from a noble family, handled the situation with ease. He put on airs and exuded the air of a young nobleman from a prestigious family, which was quite intimidating.

He hardly needed to say anything; the people in the audience kept the atmosphere lively, with witty remarks and amusing anecdotes constantly arising.

Who is related to which family by marriage? Who is from which branch of the family? Who is whose mentor?

When these adults introduce themselves, they always follow a similar pattern, connecting several people like a string, and finally landing on someone Pan Zheng knows before they can start talking.

Some were eager to curry favor with the Duke of Dingguo's family, while others were merely polite in accordance with official custom.

Yan Yu gained a deeper understanding of the power and influence of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion.

I also gained a real understanding of the intricate web of connections within officialdom.

On the return journey, General Pan had drunk his fill and General Yan had eaten his fill, and the two would occasionally lead their horses for a leisurely stroll back.

Yan Yu took the opportunity to inquire about the backgrounds of some prominent families in the capital.

For Pan Zheng, who received a formal education from a prominent family from a young age, the wealthy and powerful families in Beijing were divided into only two categories.

One type is those you shouldn't mess with; they are few in number and easy to remember.

The rest are of another category, and there are many that don't need to be considered.

Pan Zheng still had to put on an act in front of his underlings.

I made a bold statement: apart from a few families that are not easy for our brothers to mess with, the rest will have to follow our lead.

You can swagger around the whole capital with complete confidence!

Yan Yu seemed to understand something, then looked at him with admiring eyes, indicating that she had learned something.

"Yan Di! Have you eaten yet? Look what your brother got! Come on, have a snack. Even if you've eaten, you can still eat. I know you too well!"

The sound moves from far to near.

The sound of horses' hooves followed.

Yan Yu's eyes lit up immediately. She was about to empty the soup from the pot when she suddenly straightened up, turned around, raised her round, happy face, waved the soup ladle, and called out joyfully, "Brother Pan, come quick! I left you some soup, it's still hot!"

She subtly reached for the coal balls in the winnowing basket next to her with her foot.

The dark, not-so-round coal lumps rolled over and fell into the dug stove pit.

The fire slowly turns the iron pot red, helping it to heat up even more.

When camping outdoors, the best food is a mix of dry and liquid dishes.

Pan Zheng really likes the soups and stews from the Yan family.

That mute lady Rong is truly a master cook; she cooks quickly and well.

Perhaps because Mrs. Yan was traveling with her young daughter, the Yan family prepared a particularly wide variety of ingredients.

The Yan family brought some dried vegetables, dried mushrooms, dried fish, shrimp, shellfish, and anything that could be dried and preserved.

There's also that chunky stuff called the butter pot base.

Simply simmer it in hot water, and in no time you'll have a pot of fresh, spicy, and delicious soup.

Put vegetables and meat in, and when you scoop them out, their bright red color makes them look incredibly appetizing.

The spicier it gets, the more I want to eat.

My mouth was so spicy it was numb, but I still felt like I could make room in my stomach.

To finish, add a handful of wide noodles to soak up most of the broth. Ideally, crack an egg on top, cook it until just set, the yolk barely solidified, and mix it all in with the noodles. Ah! That tastes amazing!
I wouldn't trade it for being a god!

"What is it? What is it? Brother Pan, what have you found?" Yan Yu asked eagerly, her voice filled with excitement.

Pan Zheng rode his horse closer and nimbly jumped down.

He tossed the reins to the guard beside him.

He laughed heartily and waved to the person behind him.

Yan Yu then saw the guards on the horse behind him unload the two bamboo baskets hanging on both sides of the horse's back.

The bamboo basket was small; through the holes, you could see a bit of bluish-gray.

Yan Yuteng ran over, her surprise growing as she got closer.

They exclaimed in surprise, "It's a crab!"

She lifted the lid of the bamboo basket, revealing crabs tied with straw rope, neatly huddled together inside.

Upon closer inspection, the crab's eyes were still alive.

"How about it? Didn't you want something spicy? Here it is!" Pan Zheng said smugly.

A few days ago, I was invited to a banquet. There was a dish of drunken crab on the table. The wine was very fragrant and the crab was fresh, but there was very little of it. Each person only got one. The waiter was not satisfied with his meal and grumbled about it. Pan Zheng remembered it.

It's the golden autumn season, the perfect time to enjoy plump and delicious crabs.

While it's not easy for others to get crabs, it's a piece of cake for him, the young master of the Duke's mansion, to intercept and buy up some small items that are to be sent as tribute to the capital.

Anyway, the first batch of tribute crabs was sent to the capital long ago. The subsequent batches were just to make up for the shortfall. There were always extras, and the surplus from previous years was sold in the capital anyway.

He and Xiao Er teamed up to shut down several locations where stolen goods were being sold. With his savings, this small expense was nothing to him.

"Spicy crab! Spicy crab!" Yan Yu shouted excitedly, shaking her soup ladle. "Brother Pan is so good to me! I just said something casually, and you remembered it. I'm so touched! Brother Pan! You'll be my best brother for life!"

"Good brother, should we eat one basket and save one basket, or should we eat them all in one meal?" Yan Yu stared at the plump, round crabs, his eyes gleaming, swallowing hard.

"Why save anything? Let's eat to our hearts' content! Call all the kids over. We'll each eat one basket, and the other basket will be for them to try!" Pan Zheng said with great flair.

"Big Brother is so generous!" Yan Yu gave him plenty of emotional support, her admiring eyes shining like light bulbs, and she fawned over him, carrying a basket in each hand towards the stove.

As he walked, he shouted, "Come quick, little ones! Big brother's giving us a treat! These are the best, fattest, and freshest crabs ever!"

"Big Dragon and Big Tiger, where's that rabbit you two hunted during the day? Let's have a barbecue!"

"Brothers, sisters, and family, bring over any small pieces of meat you can grill."

Yan Yu happily organized a barbecue party.

He didn't forget to ask Pan Zheng, "Brother, we had some leftover steamed buns for dinner, just heat them up. Or would you like some white rice? It'll be quick to cook it right away, but it'll take a while to get the fire going. We have plenty of bamboo skewers, so we can just cut the meat into small pieces and skewer them. Brother, would you like some grilled fish? Not dried fish, though. There's a river not far from here, I'll go over there and catch a few, really quickly, trust me! I'm the fastest at catching fish!"

She had already decided to bring her cat along to cheat.

Let the cat catch more fish.

She and her good brother ate their fill of the basket of crabs, and when they shared it with others, they only got a bite each.

Let's catch more fish to make up the numbers.

Yan Yu's shout was effective, attracting quite a few people.

The boys hurriedly started a fire.

Some even brought simple tables to cut meat skewers.

Xiao'an Village is deeply influenced by the Yan family and loves barbecue; these are all cooked.

Preparations are proceeding smoothly and quickly.

Pan Zheng became excited at the lively scene.

"Let's eat rice. Tell Rong Niangzi to prepare more. Come on, let's go to the river and I'll see how good you are at catching fish."

Sending you there would expose our secret.

"Brother, you've just returned, please rest well. I'll be right back," Yan Yu said, clasping his hands in a fist salute, before quickly departing. (End of Chapter)