Chapter 48 Hot Feather, Cold Winter
"Where did you get this?"
"Under water? Floating on its own? You took it back just because you saw it glowing?"
Liang Qu had taught the two beasts how to identify a precious fish. Just look to see if it looks different from ordinary fish, and whether its color and shape are unique and rare.
The two animals remembered these words deeply. When they saw the glowing feathers, they knew it was not a fish, but they still thought it was a good thing, so they brought it back.
That's true.
The feathers are very large, about three feet long and one foot wide.
Liang Qu tried to reach out and touch it, but was forced back by the incredible heat emanating from the feathers.
Wow, it’s so hot. No wonder Budong and Ah Fei didn’t dare to bring it back in their mouths, as if they were handling a sweet potato.
Huge feathers, amazing heat.
The first thing Liang Qu thought of was the giant flaming bird flying in the sky during the battle between the two monsters last night.
As expected, the feather fell from its body, drifted here and was discovered by the two beasts.
Brother Toad, you did a good job. You killed the big monster and let me drink some soup.
Liang Qu controlled the water flow to roll up the feather, and only after the heat dissipated could he try to touch it.
The feathers are as hard as iron, with a cold and hard luster that glows in the dark, while the feathers are soft and feel great to touch, but they are too hot to touch without running water to cool them down.
What is the use of a feather?
Birds and animals do not have water essence to absorb, so if they use it as a hot pack, they will have to worry about their clothes catching fire.
Liang Qu fell into deep thought, unable to figure out how to use it.
But no matter what, the items on the big monster must be very precious. If I take them back and let my master and brothers take a look, maybe they will know how to use them.
Liang Qu praised him generously: "Well done! In the future, if you see something that is not a fish but is unusual, you can bring it back."
The two animals, having received the praise, began to spin in the water, stirring up violent currents.
After flapping his wings for a while, Liang Qu floated to the surface. Seeing that it was almost dark, he told the fish not to move and to go back to guard the lotus roots. The fat catfish then explored the nearby waters.
Especially in the shallow waters nearby, are there any shipwrecks, human creations, treasures, precious plants, or precious fish? It would be best if we could find the same feather, or even a part of that water beast monster.
Liang Qu really wanted to know how much water essence a part of such a huge monster's body could contain.
Not only the waters near Yixing City, but also the waters near Yunjiang Port and Pingyang Town can be explored.
Ah Fei is now quite large in size, and as long as he doesn't rashly enter deep water, he will basically not be in much danger.
Dragging the feather and climbing back to the sampan, Liang Qu took a look into the waterproof compartment. In addition to the common fish species, there were two carps, a yellow croaker, and a tiger fish, all of which were good species.
When they returned to the pier, it was already daybreak. Liang Qu sold the fish to Lin Songbao.
"It seems like there aren't many today. How come there are only two baskets?" Lin Songbao helped move the fish basket to the fishing pen. When he opened it, he was shocked. "Huh, so many good fish? A yellow croaker, two carps, and a tiger fish? Did you disturb the fish nest?"
"I'm lucky today."
"That's amazing! In winter, people catch less and less, but you catch more and more." Lin Songbao gave a thumbs up. "The total is 346 coins. I'll give you 3 coins, right?"
Lin Songbao was not a fool. Although his father did not say anything, he knew that Liang Qu must have undergone an amazing change. The discount he offered was even greater than before. Three taels of silver would normally cost at least 360 copper coins.
"Thank you!"
"You're welcome. It's a good thing you're here so I don't have to look for you. The restaurant has been booked. It's Room C at Langyun Tower tonight. My father asked me to ask you if you want to send a carriage to pick us up."
Liang Qu wanted to show the feather to his senior brother, but he shook his head: "No, I will go to the town today too."
"Well, keep it. Here's your money."
After getting the money, Liang Qu turned around and went back to the boat. He soaked his linen clothes in cold water, wrapped them in feathers and walked home. Passing by a fishing shed, he saw someone selling fish there.
"Songbao, help me weigh it again, is it wrong? Look how big this fish is."
"Uncle Chen Hu, didn't we just weigh it? Fifty-three cents is correct. Minus 45% of the rent for the fishing boat, it's thirty cents."
"This, this is too little, Songbao, raise your hand, give me more, more." The dark-skinned middle-aged fisherman smiled and raised one hand in the air, "My kid is only eight years old and is still growing. The one you saw was that big and called you brother."
"I really can't do that. Last time I charged you five cents more, and you got scolded by my father when I got home. And you know, Uncle Hu, the commission rate for Yunjiang Port next door is 52%."
"Hey"
On the bluestone street, Liang Qu listened for a while, until the cold linen cloth in his hands became hot, and then he slowly walked home.
The weather is getting colder and the water temperature is extremely low. Your hands will turn purple after just a short while in the water.
If it's too cold, the fish's metabolism will slow down, reducing their need for food, and they will gather in deeper water where it's warm enough.
They don't come out, they don't move, they stay deep, fishermen can't catch them with their fishing methods, and they can't sell them if they catch them, because the water flow is slow, the oxygen content is low, the material circulation is small, the fish have nothing to eat, and they are thin and small.
The bluestone was not as dark as it was two months ago. It was like this every winter, as if everything was frozen and huddled. The yellow mud lanes on both sides of the stone road were filled with more sallow-faced women than in autumn. They were wrapped in yellowed old coats and huddled on the steps. Whenever the stone slabs made a sound, they would look up.
Liang Qu saw a girl about his age sitting on the steps and smiling at him. Her malnourished face was thin and yellow, and her hair was dry like weeds. She was not pretty at all. He lowered his head and walked past with an expressionless face.
In addition to the women in old coats, there were many more children in the yellow mud alley. They gathered together to burn dead firewood picked up from somewhere. The oldest ones were thirteen or fourteen years old with sad faces, while the youngest ones were only five or six years old with long, clear snot hanging from their noses. They played some finger games together.
There are also old ladies begging on the streets.
"Whoo~"
Thick fog spewed out of his mouth and nose, and Liang Qu stood there for a long time.
"Niang Xipi!"
"Hey!"
Liang Qu shouted, put the oil paper bag on the ground, turned around and left.
"What is this?" A boy walked forward, pinched his fingers to open the oil paper package, and shouted, "Ah, buns, it's buns! Lots of buns, more than ten!"
"Yeah, it's hot buns."
"Don't rush, don't rush. We have everything."
"Let me share. Let me share. Brother, you are the youngest, so you can eat two."
A few alleys away, Liang Qu put down the oil-paper bags one by one and left quickly.
It's so fucking annoying.
The two ounces of silver are gone.
Liang Qu suddenly became angry, without any object, without any reason, without any purpose, he was just angry.
Maybe he was annoyed at his own excessive kindness, maybe he was annoyed at the fucked up world, or maybe he was annoyed at why those poor creatures were hanging around in front of him.
It felt like there was fire flowing in my blood vessels. Everything around me was cold, but I was the only one who was as hot as a burning charcoal.
After taking a few deep breaths, Liang Qu finally calmed down.
When he got home, he threw the giant demon feather wrapped in linen, which was almost dried, into the frozen water tank. Soon the ice melted and both the cloth and the feather were submerged in the water.
Liang Qu got into position and started to refine the leather.
The day of breaking through is getting closer and closer, it is almost the final step.
Everything Liang Qu has now can be described as an alternative form of "relying on the power of others", but as long as he becomes a true warrior, he will rely on himself to complete the transformation, which is equivalent to an ordinary person becoming a scholar.
The blood flowed and suddenly spread to all parts of the body, flowing towards the outermost layer of the skin.
After a long time, the red skin gradually returned to its normal rosy color.
Liang Qu could feel that his body had become tougher. Although it did not change when he touched it, once it was attacked, some deep-seated changes would occur and it would become extremely tough.
The improvement in his strength made his depressed mood dissipate for the most part. He picked up the pastries he had bought earlier and went to Chen Qingjiang's house nearby.
I was two days late, and luckily the pastries I bought were basically peach cakes, which don’t go bad easily in winter, and they haven’t changed much since I first bought them.
Knock on the gate.
"Who?"
"I!"
"It sounds like Ah Shui's voice. I'll go check it out."
"Ah Shui? Qingjiang, you have to thank him."
"I know, Dad."
There were sounds of conversation coming from inside the house.
A small head suddenly popped up from the low wall nearby: "Oh, it's Brother Shui!"
Liang Qu picked up the wooden box in his hand and shook it twice: "Shunzi, open the door for me, I'll give you something delicious to eat."
"coming!"
Little Shunzi jumped off the stool, walked to the gate of the courtyard, opened the door, and rushed over impatiently. Liang Qu smiled, opened the box, took out a piece of peach cake and stuffed it into Shunzi's hand.
"Mmm, so sweet!"
Shunzi stuffed his mouth full and held the fallen crumbs in his other hand, his face full of shock.
Chen Qingjiang had just arrived at the door and was shocked to see the Wufangzhai sign: "Ah Shui, why are you giving Shunzi such expensive food? It's a waste!"
(End of this chapter)
