Chapter 7- Stingy Little Buns
Thank you Chikari for the Coffee~
Thanks to my editor Gold Fairy~
The sun was setting and the father and sons quickly returned to their thatched hut. Taking advantage of the time when the two buns were changing clothes, Ling Jingxuan brought the bucket to the kitchen. Unsurprisingly, in the kitchen besides a short stove and a big iron pot were several broken jars as well as fragments of wood on top of the stove. There was nothing else. With a small sigh, Ling Jingxuan set the bucket in the middle of the kitchen. He went around to the rear yard to dry clothes before heading back in to deal with the fish.
“Dad, I want to eat a big pile.”
The little bun eagerly ran inside and crouched in front of him while excitedly gesturing. Both eyes held a burning gaze on the descaled fish in his hand.
“It’s this big and it still isn't enough for you to eat? What about your Brother then?”
He saw that this fish was big enough before he captured it.
“Brother went to the rear yard to dry his clothes. He said he was also going to bring in some firewood. Dad, are we eating all of this fish tonight?”
“What else would we do? In this weather you can't just leave it out. Furthermore, fish must be eaten fresh. Leave it for too long and it’ll turn sour.”
“But…”
Little nose and little eyes scrunched into a lump, the ache causing him to frown. Ling Jingxuan did not have time to puzzle over his reaction when Big Bun entered, carrying a heap of firewood. “Dad, how could you think of just eating something good like this all in one go. This big fish, use salt to cure it and it will last us a few days.”
“Ha?”
Ling Jingxuan was stunned and stopped handling the fish. To go so far just to save this?
“Dad, I’m not blaming you. You also don’t know how to pass our days properly.”
It seemed they didn't discover the black lines on his face. The Big Bun’s nagging wasn’t done yet. The Little Bun squatting by the side was continuously nodding, obviously agreeing with his brother’s idea. Ling Jingxuan blushed with all kinds of shame. In the end who was the dad and who were the children? How did the dad unexpectedly end up being given a lesson by his sons? Wasn’t it just a fish? If they liked it he would just open the Crescent Moon Spring for them to eat until they were content.
This wasn't the most tragic part. It wasn’t until when they started cooking that Ling Jingxuan finally realized how stingy and miserly the Big Bun was.
“Dad, our family only has that spoon of oil left, how could you use all of it?”
“Dad, didn't we say that we wouldn't cook all of it…. “
“Dad, you put too much salt. That’s very expensive!”
“Dad…”
Finally at last, just hearing the word ‘Dad’ would cause Ling Jingxuan to shudder. It was really difficult to make a pot of tasy wild herb and fish soup. He put it in a big pot and when he was preparing to make wild herb and corn paste, the big bun who was in charge of the fire dashed over and spread his arms and legs to block him. Ignoring his suspicious expression, he turned around to hold the pottery jar that held the cornmeal. “Dad, you already made so much fish, you’re not allowed to make anything else. This cornmeal, when you were sick, Grandma secretly brought it over for us. You’re not allowed to waste it. It’s fine if we just eat fish tonight.”
Big Bun felt his flesh ache, with every word he grieved and lamented. It’s as if Ling Jingxuan did things that weren’t easy for many days, it made the sons' foreheads run with black lines. After a while, Ling Jingxuan cautiously said, “What? Son, fish is a side dish. Don't we still need to eat a main staple?”
Was there anyone who was this stingy?
“What dish, it’s the main dish. As long as your stomach can be full, it's fine. Dad, you’re not allowed to do anything with this cornmeal.”
Big Bun’s face was full of disdain, both hands firmly holding onto the jar. The rims of his eyes were red and looked as if he was afraid that he'd have to fight for it.
“Daddy, just listen to Brother. We also don't have that much food left. Wait till next month when the village receives rice. I’ll go pick some unhulled rice for you and let you cook some rice, how about that?”
The Little Bun tugged on his clothes, lifted his head and innocently spoke. Ling Jingxuan’s heart ached. His urge to criticize completely disappeared and he put down the pot and squatted down. “No need. Daddy will work hard to earn money and will let you guys eat some white rice. Tonight we’ll just eat fish then.”
In the end, he was exasperated by poor misfortune.
“En.”
Little Bun nodded his head. Big Bun, hearing that he finally gave up, no longer bothered with the cornmeal. He exaggeratedly gave off a sigh. He was almost about to fight Ling Jingxuan. As a former all powerful killer and doctor, Ling Jingxuan had never been burdened by the worry of money. Now, if he wanted to eat a bit of wild herb cornmeal paste, it was like going to war. This disparity was way too big.
Wild fish did not have the same heavy fish smell like farm raised fish. Even though they did not have a lot of seasoning, well it was better to say they had no seasoning. Ling Jingxuan put a lot of fish mint in it to add fragrance and completely get rid of the fishy taste. Father and sons sat at the table in the main room to eat. The previously stingy Big Bun, who was constantly complaining, was eating contently too. Father and sons ate until their bellies were round, to the point that even the soup was completely gone.