Chapter 2 Eat or Not Eat
"Baiting?" The imposing middle-aged man felt quite curious upon hearing this novel term. He seemed to want to ask but was hesitant to speak up. Li Xiu did not elaborate much, as they were not well acquainted, and he truly lacked the energy to say more.
Li Xiu originally had little savings, and after paying the land tax, he was almost penniless, with not even enough money to buy food. In fact, before his death, Li Xiu had not eaten anything substantial for a full two days. Moreover, he was a person who valued his pride; he would rather go hungry than borrow money or food from others. Coupled with his already poor health and the particularly cold weather last night, it was under the dire circumstances of hunger and cold that he ultimately lost his life
Fishing is an activity that combines both skill and luck. For Li Xiu to catch fish, the first step is to choose a good fishing spot. There are many considerations involved, such as the season, weather, and water conditions. Li Xiu has some understanding of this, and after searching along the riverbank, he finally discovered a good fishing spot under a dead willow tree by the river. This was the best fishing spot in the vicinity. However, it was unfortunate that a middle-aged man was already sitting there, beginning to fish.
There is a vegetable garden in the yard, but of course, there are no vegetables left now. Li Xiu casually dug around with a shovel and found quite a few earthworms, which he randomly stuffed into a box. After drinking a bellyful of water, feeling sufficiently hydrated, he took his fishing rod and went out. The small river in front of the door was too shallow, and there were children playing on the opposite bank, making it truly not a good place for fishing. Therefore, Li Xiu ultimately arrived at the edge of the Yellow Canal, preparing to cast his line.
"Young man, why are you throwing straw into the river instead of fishing properly?" At that moment, the middle-aged man sitting under the willow tree suddenly turned his head and asked. It was then that Li Xiu noticed that although the man was sitting there, his stature was quite tall. Especially since he was merely holding a fishing rod, it gave the impression that he was wielding a sword or a knife, and the whole person exuded a chilling aura, making him seem far from an ordinary individual
As a time traveler, it would be a tremendous joke if I were to starve myself to death!" Li Xiu muttered to himself, but then he let out a bitter laugh and said, "However, even time travelers need to eat. The most urgent thing now is to find something to eat; only after I am full will I have the strength to think of a solution
Having thought through all of this, Li Xiu couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. The original Li Xiu had met a swift end, but he still needed to survive. Currently, there wasn't a single grain of food at home, and as a newcomer in the Tang Dynasty, he didn't know anyone. Winter was approaching, and this was simply a rhythm that could drive him to despair. Was he destined to meet the same fate as the original Li Xiu, dying from hunger and cold this winter?
To eat or not to eat? This is indeed a difficult decision to make
Li Xiu did not rush to cast his line, but instead pulled out some wild grass that had not yet completely withered from the ground, as well as reeds from the riverbank. He then picked up a stone to crush these items and finally kneaded them into a ball before throwing it into the water. This is known as baiting the spot. Ideally, using fish bait would yield the best results, but unfortunately, Li Xiu did not have any, so he could only use wild grass to bait the spot, which was certainly better than having nothing at all.
This middle-aged man, though dressed simply, had a formidable appearance with thick eyebrows and a broad mouth. In his hand, he held a smooth, glossy, straight fishing rod, with gold inlays at the grip. Beneath him was a comfortable bamboo couch, and beside the couch was a black lacquered food box adorned with gold designs. Even from a distance, Li Xiu could smell the aroma of the food inside the box, which made his mouth water, and he had to exert considerable effort to divert his gaze from the food box.
"Do it yourself, and you will have enough to eat. It seems that this meal is destined to include fish!" After Li Xiu finished speaking, he picked up the fishing rod and tested it, finding it still very sturdy and definitely usable
After speaking, Li Xiu, still unwilling to give up, searched through all the rooms in his home. In the end, although he did not find any food or money, he did discover one item: a simple fishing rod. Next to the fishing rod was a small box containing fishing line, hooks, and other related items.
However, after the bomb hook was completed, Li Xiu suddenly realized that he had made a mistake, because bomb hooks are generally baited with fermented feed. The so-called fermented feed actually refers to fish bait made from things like soybean cake, sesame cake, and bran that have undergone slight fermentation. When using it, one would form a ball with the bait and the hook and throw it into the water. But where could he find fermented feed now?
In this situation, Li Xiu simply waived the rent for this year, which made the tenants extremely grateful to him. However, although he did not collect rent, the land tax from the government still fell upon him, as the land belonged to him. Previously, he collected rent from the tenants and then paid the taxes, with the difference being his actual income. Yet this year, not only was there no rent, but he also had to advance the land tax.
Forget it, I might as well dig up some earthworms; having a few more hooks is better than just one. Li Xiu muttered to himself helplessly again. In the past, fishing was for fun, but now fishing is to fill his stomach, so there aren't so many particularities anymore
In addition to his own memories from his previous life, Li Xiu also possesses the memories left behind by the previous Li Xiu. However, these memories are incomplete and are chaotically piled together, resembling a database without any directory index. They can only be viewed bit by bit, unlike his own memories, where he can immediately recall all related matters upon thinking of a specific point
It is truly said that comparing oneself to others can be disheartening. Li Xiu glanced at the extremely simple fishing rod in his hand, then looked at the opponent's golden inlaid fishing rod. If the opponent's rod were sold, it would probably be enough for him to eat for a year. This made him feel a bit unbalanced. He was too lazy to search for a fishing spot and simply sat down a yard away to the left of the opponent. Moreover, he had not eaten for two days, and after walking this distance, he was already dizzy and fatigued. At this moment, he truly had no strength to walk any further.
"Do not eat, it is already dirty!" Li Xiu decided to stand firm, and of course, the most important thing was that the ground was indeed very dirty
In his previous life, Li Xiu had a particular fondness for fishing, but he was often too busy to find the time for it. Nevertheless, he had some knowledge about fishing. He carefully tied the fishing line and counted the hooks in the box, finding only seven in total. Therefore, Li Xiu decided to combine these seven hooks into a group hook, commonly known as a bomb hook. This type of combination hook only emerged in later years with the rise of sea fishing. Due to the increased number of hooks, the catching ability is significantly enhanced, which is why it is affectionately referred to as the bomb hook.
Gulu gulu ~ gulu gulu ~ However, what the middle-aged man did not expect was that just as he turned his head, he heard a strange sound coming from beside him. He immediately turned his head to look around and found that the sound was coming from Li Xiu's side.
Fishing is inherently a quiet activity, yet Li Xiu's stomach kept rumbling. The middle-aged man beside him grew increasingly irritated by the noise, which ruined his originally good mood. Finally, unable to endure it any longer, he took a roasted chicken from his food box and threw it onto the grass next to Li Xiu, saying: "Eat this, and after you finish, be quiet for a while. Do not disturb me while I fish!"
Seeing that Li Xiu actually found it dirty, the middle-aged man darkened his expression. He was a martial artist and usually did not have such fastidious concerns. Not to mention a roast chicken that had fallen on the ground, there were times during battles when he was extremely hungry, and even if a steamed bun fell into blood, he would still eat it without hesitation. Moreover, he had a stubborn temperament; the more Li Xiu refused to eat, the more he wanted him to eat. Therefore, he took an action that he thought was very clever, but which left Li Xiu dumbfounded. He opened his mouth wide and quickly gnawed off all the dirty parts of the roast chicken, then handed it over again, saying: "Here, now it's not dirty!"
Oh, I didn't realize you are actually a principled scholar. However, if you could speak without swallowing your saliva, it would truly highlight your character! The middle-aged man, seeing Li Xiuming clearly starving yet putting on a facade of righteousness, couldn't help but tease him. Li Xiu made a concerted effort to keep his head from turning to look at the middle-aged man, fearing that it would lead to embarrassment, and even more so, he was afraid that seeing the roast chicken would make him lose control of his saliva.
At that moment, Li Xiu threaded the earthworm onto the fishing hook, and the middle-aged man beside him was once again taken aback, for it was the first time he had seen someone attach so many hooks to a single fishing line. However, he quickly revealed a look of disdain, as he had been fishing for many years. Although his skills were not particularly impressive, he considered himself well-informed. Yet, he had never heard of such a fishing method employed by this young man before. He estimated that the other party was merely a clever trickster, thinking that having more hooks would lead to catching more fish. Is it really that simple in this world?
Looking at the ravaged roast chicken in front of him, Li Xiu felt a sense of helplessness and despair. The dirty spots were indeed gone, but it was covered in the saliva of this middle-aged man. In comparison, it was even worse than before. Although he did not have any particular obsession with cleanliness, he simply could not bring himself to eat something tainted by someone else's saliva. What if the other party had hepatitis B or something similar? However, if he refused again, he worried that the other party might turn hostile.
Upon thinking of this, the middle-aged man lost interest in observing Li Xiu and focused intently on fishing instead
When you are unbearably hungry, and suddenly a roasted chicken falls in front of you, it is perhaps the happiest feeling in the world. However, if that roasted chicken is tossed to you carelessly by someone who looks at you with a beggar's expression of charity, it is likely to be unbearable.
"I apologize, sir. I am currently using grass to bait the fish. If I am causing any disturbance, I hope you can forgive me!" Li Xiu replied politely, as the two were quite close to each other. The noise from baiting could easily scare the fish away, and given the other person's fierce demeanor, he might very well be a member of the underworld in the Tang Dynasty. Li Xiu certainly did not wish to provoke such individuals.
It is precisely for this reason that when Li Xiu looked at the empty kitchen, he found it hard to understand why not even a single grain of food could be found. Finally, after rummaging through Li Xiu's memories, he discovered that this year's harvest was poor. Just before the harvest, a major locust plague occurred, sweeping through the entire Guanzhong region. The grain that the tenants managed to harvest was less than one-tenth of what they had in previous years. This amount of grain was not even enough for their own consumption, let alone to pay the rent.
Dignity and life, although life appears to be more precious, many people would rather choose the former. Thus, Li Xiu retorted with a face full of righteousness: "A gentleman does not partake in..." At this point, his eyes inadvertently swept over the greasy roast chicken, and as a result, an uncontrollable drool surged forth from his mouth. The sound of swallowing was quite loud, and his voice immediately lost its firmness as he continued, "A gentleman does not partake in food offered out of pity!" His eyes inadvertently swept over the greasy roast chicken, and as a result, an uncontrollable drool surged forth from his mouth. The sound of swallowing was quite loud, and his voice immediately lost its firmness as he continued, "A gentleman does not partake in food offered out of pity!"
At this moment, Li Xiu was staring intently at his fishing float, yet his flushed face betrayed him. The sound actually came from his empty stomach; he had only drunk a few sips of cold water to stave off hunger earlier, and now he was even hungrier. His stomach was rumbling incessantly as if it were staging a rebellion, and he realized that his digestive system had quite a musical talent, producing rhythmic sounds akin to drumbeats, making one feel like jumping up and dancing to the beat.
However, at this moment, the middle-aged man became interested in him. Seeing that Li Xiu was ignoring him, he actually put down his fishing rod, walked over to Li Xiu, bent down to pick up the roast chicken on the ground, and handed it over, saying: "Kid, I was wrong just now. Now I formally invite you to eat, how about it?"