NOVPUBGan Ning brandished his great broadsword and, with a speed that Zhuge Liang could hardly see, sliced the fish open and tossed it onto the chopping board beside him. Then, he dumped all the entrails into the sea, while on the other side, Taishi Ci had already sprinted over with a big pot in his hands.
"Clickety-clack!" The two brandished their weapons, and in no time, they had dismembered the fish into chunks, the skin also skillfully peeled off and thrown into the sea to save the trouble of washing—these guys were too lazy for that. By this time, Mi Fang had already rushed over with a large vat of clean water plus a jug of various medicinal ingredients and spices.
"Splash!" Water was poured into the pot, seasoning followed, half a pot of salt went in, and large chunks of fish were thrown into the sky and then sliced into fist-sized pieces with a wave of a knife before Gan Lan added today’s freshly ground tofu into it.
"Alright, just boil it until nightfall and it can be eaten," Gan Ning wiped his great broadsword with a piece of jute cloth, then slung it over his shoulder once again. He burst into laughter towards Zhuge Liang, "The flavor is extraordinarily fresh, hehehe!"
"Are you making dinner?" Zhuge Liang felt his eyelids twitch uncontrollably. Was this really cooking?
"Humph humph humph, if we can’t finish this fish tonight, just keep stewing it until tomorrow. Stewed fish with tofu isn’t bad at all. Sometimes, if we have shrimp, just scoop them in and cook them too; they’re also good to eat," Gan Ning cackled, looking a bit neurotic, "Just eat this with steamed buns for dinner."
"Kongming, don’t be fooled by Xingba’s chaotic methods. Although this guy doesn’t care much for etiquette, he really is an aristocratic family member through and through. The principle of never tiring of finely sliced meat and delicacies is still there," Mi Fang laughed as he saw Zhuge Liang’s hesitation, "Not to mention anything else, the stewed fish and tofu made this way are quite delicious, at least to my taste, even though the method is a bit bizarre. I don’t know who taught him."
Seeing that Zhuge Liang was still puzzled, Mi Fang patted Zhuge Liang’s shoulder, "You’ll know once you have some tonight. This method seems very bold and unconstrained, but the food that comes out is delicious. We eat like this every now and then. Sometimes, Xingba would make grilled fish, and that’s really hard to swallow."
"This method produces something delicious?" Zhuge Liang smiled wryly. He hadn’t been in the kitchen often, but surely this wasn’t how cooking was done, right? In his memory, it was more about simmering things in clay pots—could this method really infuse the flavors well?
"Relax, relax, you’ll know once you eat it tonight. The taste is actually not bad," Taishi Ci said with a smile, "Once, Xingba and I ate it for twenty days straight and never felt disgusted. Overall, it’s pretty great."
"You all eat like this? No problems?" Chen Xi also walked over and looked at the large pot set up on the stone platform. Although it was his suggestion to Gan Ning before, was it really okay to eat this way?
"Don’t worry, I’ve been leading the way in eating like this for a long time and there have been no issues at all. Everything that can be fished out from the sea, I’ve boiled once. Gan Lan, throw in the stuff you fished up too." Gan Ning pointed at Gan Lan, who was pulling on a rope hauling up some seaweed and algae, "It actually tastes pretty good and can also nurture inner Qi."
As he spoke, Gan Ning tossed the seaweed into the pot. His cooking method was just that magnanimous. Anyway, as far as Gan Ning was concerned, whatever he threw into the pot, the result always turned out not bad. But Zhuge Liang simply couldn’t accept it—was this even edible?
"..." Chen Xi had nothing to say. This kind of pure, natural, and harmless food should be okay to eat. After all, Gan Ning had been eating it for so long that it had almost become the standard meal for the navy. There shouldn’t be any problems, but Chen Xi always felt a bit uneasy, probably because of that crazy cooking method...
After preparing dinner, Gan Ning took Chen Xi to the cabin to meet Guann Hai. Even though the latter was a prisoner, his living standards had greatly improved after Gan Ning confirmed his identity. Basically, whatever Gan Ning ate, Guann Hai would eat as well. The soldiers, previously sent by Gan Ning to guard him, had been dismissed, and Guann Hai could escape at any time if he wanted to. However, Gan Ning trusted that such a loyal man would definitely not run away.
Indeed, when Gan Ning came down, the door to the cabin where Guann Hai was held was wide open, but Guann Hai was just lying on the floor without any intention of escaping.
"Guann Hai, I’ve come to see you," Gan Ning said as he suddenly appeared beside Guann Hai.
Startled to be called by his name, Guann Hai was taken aback. Before coming here, Guan Yu had admonished him not to let anyone know his identity, including the naval admiral Gan Ning, who was supposed to take him to Yizhou for a peaceful retirement, didn’t know his name.
Having survived a calamity and gained profound insight, Guann Hai was very grateful for his choice after learning about the promising future ahead. He fully accepted Guan Yu’s request without any hesitation and hadn’t interacted much with anyone along the way, just waiting for Guan Yu’s arrangement. He didn’t remember the somewhat familiar-looking Han before him knowing his name.
Knowing that Guan Yu greatly appreciated Guann Hai’s understanding and loyalty, Guan Yu had been very satisfied after Guann Hai agreed to his requests. He promised to find a good place for every Yellow Turban Commander and assured that the old and weak among the Yellow Turbans would be well cared for, allowing Guann Hai to retire in Yizhou with peace of mind.
Most importantly, Guan Yu said that a few years after fully subduing the Yellow Turbans, Guann Hai could come back and earn merits alongside him. To put Guann Hai at ease, Guan Yu also reserved a Subordinate General position for him, waiting for his return. He even promised that any merit he acquired would also count for Guann Hai, starting from the day he left. With such sincerity, Guann Hai was even more satisfied with his initial decision. 𝓃ℴ𝓋𝓹𝓊𝓫.𝒸𝓸𝓂
Now, as a beautiful life was about to dawn upon him, all he needed to do was live under a concealed identity for a few years, and then he could whitewash his past to become a great Han general. Moreover, he could earn achievements, climb the ranks, and strive to obtain a marquisate by military exploits, bestowing honor on his wife and children and bringing glory to his ancestors. The last thing he expected was for someone to disclose his name, which couldn’t be allowed!
Guann Hai leapt to his feet, ready to subdue both people in front of him immediately. While no one else knew his name yet, he needed to cover up this incident; otherwise, his continued survival and the exposure of his identity would strike a blow to Lord Xuande’s cause, especially when the Yellow Turbans had just been subdued and his own prestige was at its peak.
"Slap!" Guann Hai was decisive, especially when it concerned the Yellow Turbans, not hesitating for a moment. He flipped up and kicked towards Gan Ning’s neck, but Gan Ning blocked it with his left arm, sending his right fist straight towards Guann Hai’s abdomen.
"Crackling!" After a series of explosive sounds, Gan Ning awkwardly jumped out of the fight, while Guann Hai also leapt backward, then watched Gan Ning with a cold and stern look.
"Who are you people, and how do you know my name?" Guann Hai asked, his gaze intense as he looked at Gan Ning. Just from this brief exchange, he realized it wouldn’t be easy to defeat him using only hand-to-hand combat; however, his identity couldn’t be revealed. Involuntarily, Guann Hai’s eyes swept towards Chen Xi. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommended tickets and monthly tickets at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)
