Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 122

Chapter 122

When Shen Qingyi and Shan Ling left Professor Hu’s house, the trunk was filled with two adult-arm-length large crucian carp.

The fish were big and fat, thrashing their tails violently against the box when placed inside, making a dull ‘thump-thump’ sound that sounded remarkably strong.

Professor Hu and Hu Aicai stood on the villa steps, watching Shen Qingyi’s car gradually leave.

Only when the mountainside villa was completely out of sight did Shan Ling let out a long sigh of relief.

She patted her chest, listening to the fish still restlessly hitting the box in the trunk, the sound muffled in the confined space.

They had no idea what to do with such large fish. Shan Ling was especially troubled. Although she could cook, she couldn’t kill a fish, and given how strong they were, she estimated she couldn’t handle them alone.

She heard Professor Hu caught these fish himself, but she wondered how he managed to catch such huge ones.

On the way, the scenery they had passed earlier came into view again. Shen Qingyi drove quietly without speaking, but Shan Ling couldn’t hold it in. Her eyes kept darting toward Shen Qingyi, her face clearly showing the words ‘wanting to speak but holding back.’

Shen Qingyi found it amusing. Shan Ling truly wore her heart on her sleeve; there was no need to guess what she was thinking.

“Are you trying to ask me something?” Shen Qingyi slowed down and pulled over, intending to have a good talk with Shan Ling.

Once the car stopped, Shan Ling finally asked, “Yiyi, have you really known that Professor Hu for a long time?”

Shen Qingyi nodded: “We used to chat on the forum, and then we met offline a few times. I’ve known him for four or five years now.”

Shan Ling paused at this, then said hesitantly, “Professor Hu… he doesn’t seem like a bad person after all.”

Neither in Professor Hu’s home nor with the fish he gave Shen Qingyi did he show any malice. In fact, he was concerned about Shen Qingyi and maintained a very appropriate attitude toward Shan Ling, keeping a respectful distance, clearly worried about frightening her.

Seen this way, Shan Ling admitted she had been a bit narrow-minded.

“Professor Hu is indeed a good person,” Shen Qingyi glanced at Shan Ling, reached out and clasped her hand, then leaned in and said, “But if you’re afraid of him, I won’t bring you along next time I meet him.”

Shan Ling shook her head fiercely: “No, no. You have to take me wherever you go from now on.”

Shen Qingyi’s eyes curved into a smile, and she leaned in to plant a kiss on Shan Ling’s lips.

“Alright,” Shen Qingyi helped Shan Ling tuck away a few stray hairs, telling her, “Now, let’s think about what we should do with these two fish Professor Hu gave us. Should we take them to the market to have someone clean them for us, or should we give them away?”

Shan Ling thought about it. Such large and plump fish were rare, and it was the Professor’s kind gesture.

After some thought, Shan Ling decided to keep them.

“Let’s go to the market and have the fish prepared. We have to go there regardless of whether we keep them or give them away,” Shan Ling told Shen Qingyi, “It’s just that they’re too big. Each one must weigh about twenty pounds. We two won’t be able to finish them anytime soon.”

Thinking about the large fish, Shan Ling began planning what to cook.

Fish soup, steamed fish heads… it felt like they were going to be eating fish for the entire upcoming week.

Shen Qingyi seemed to have thought of something and paused for a long time before speaking: “I’ll ask Auntie Jiang to take one back. Jiaojiao loves fish soup, and it will be good for her health.”

Huh?

Shan Ling turned to look at Shen Qingyi, noticing her expression was not good. Although she said it was to nourish Jiaojiao, her demeanor suggested she was thinking about something else.

Given Shen Qingyi’s swollen face after returning from the Shen family earlier, Shan Ling guessed the conflict with her family was the reason, and this fish might not be genuinely intended to nourish Jiaojiao.

“Okay,” Shan Ling didn’t ask further. She only nodded and said, “Then let’s go to the market first. Auntie Jiang might not know how to clean fish either. It’s probably better if we prepare it and send it to them directly.”

Shen Qingyi had no objection. She drove back into the city, stopped at a market to have the fish prepared, and then delivered the fish to the Shen family villa.

However, Shen Qingyi didn’t drive in. Instead, she called Auntie Jiang from the car and asked her to come out and collect the fish.

When Auntie Jiang arrived at the car, she saw Shen Qingyi talking to Shan Ling.

Auntie Jiang hadn’t met Shan Ling before, but she had vaguely heard about her. Apparently, she was Shen Qingyi’s girlfriend and a colleague at the coffee shop, which piqued Auntie Jiang’s curiosity.

She observed Shan Ling from a distance, scrutinizing her from head to toe, finally resting her gaze on the other woman’s fair, rounded face.

Leaving aside everything else, with her proper and cute appearance, she was indeed a very nice girl.

“Auntie Jiang,” Shen Qingyi saw her arrive, took one of the prepared fish from the trunk, and said, “This fish was caught by a teacher of mine. It’s too big for us to finish, so I brought one over for you. Jiaojiao is growing, so please make her some fish soup.”

Auntie Jiang looked at the fish in the bag and widened her eyes: “Wow, such a huge fish. How many meals will this last?”

Shen Qingyi smiled: “Take your time eating it. It’s already prepared. You can cook it however you like. We won’t bother you any longer. We’re heading back now.”

Auntie Jiang quickly stopped her, asking, “Yiyi, aren’t you going back to see your dad? He’s home today. Knowing you were coming, he’s probably waiting anxiously at home right now.”

Shen Qingyi remained silent, her expression grim.

Auntie Jiang added, “Father and daughter shouldn’t hold a grudge overnight. You know your dad’s temper. As people get older, they become more nagging. Although he doesn’t say it, I can tell he misses you. Come visit more often when you have time.”

“I understand,” Shen Qingyi neither agreed nor disagreed. She just reached out, took Shan Ling’s hand, and told Auntie Jiang, “We’ll head back now. We’ll come again when we have time.”

Seeing Shen Qingyi about to leave, Shan Ling quickly waved at Auntie Jiang: “Goodbye, Auntie Jiang~”

Auntie Jiang was slightly surprised, then quickly waved back: “Alright, drive carefully now. Be safe!”

Watching Shen Qingyi’s car leave the community, Auntie Jiang carried the bag of fish back inside.

As soon as she entered the house, the Golden Retriever rushed over. Smelling the fish, it began circling wildly. Auntie Jiang smiled, patted its head, and said, “Don’t rush! We’re having fish tonight, and I’ll make you some fish soup with rice, too. That’s how we feed dogs in my hometown, and they grow up plump and healthy. I’ll just use a little less salt for you. We’ll feed you scientifically, too.”

The Golden Retriever seemed to understand Auntie Jiang’s words and happily stood up and licked her face.

Auntie Jiang laughed, pushed the Golden Retriever away, and headed toward the kitchen with the fish. Passing through the living room, she saw Shen Hongjun, dressed in a charcoal-gray tracksuit, sitting on the sofa pretending to read a newspaper, secretly glancing over, only to be caught red-handed by Auntie Jiang.

“What are you looking at?” Auntie Jiang said helplessly. “This fish was sent by your eldest daughter. I estimate it’s close to twenty pounds. She specifically instructed me to make fish soup for Jiaojiao.”

Shen Hongjun’s face shifted when he heard this. He coughed and said, “It’s only right for a sister to think of her younger sister.”

Auntie Jiang shook her head helplessly and was about to go back to the kitchen when Shen Hongjun called out to her.

“Hey,” Shen Hongjun thought for a moment and said, “Didn’t she mention making some fish soup for me too?”

Auntie Jiang replied, “No, Yiyi didn’t say anything at all.”

“Oh, right,” Auntie Jiang added, “She brought her girlfriend along. I think you shouldn’t try to introduce her to anyone else. We all know Yiyi’s situation. If the child isn’t willing, don’t make things difficult for her.”

Shen Hongjun grunted, his face dark, and said, “What do you know? I’m doing this for her own good!”

“Yes, yes, I’m just a housekeeper. What do I know?” Auntie Jiang sighed and called the Golden Retriever over, telling it, “Come on, let’s go make fish soup. Jiaojiao will be very happy when she gets home.”

Shen Hongjun opened his mouth, too angry to say a word.

Shan Ling also cooked fish that evening. It had to be said that Professor Hu’s fish was truly plump and delicious. Shan Ling had hardly ever seen such fat fish. When it was cooked, the aroma was so overwhelming it nearly drove the little mountain sparrow crazy with hunger.

Because the fish was too big, Shan Ling divided it into several bags and froze it. Today, she only made one dish: fish head with chopped chili, which was especially fragrant served with white rice.

Shan Ling planned to use the remaining fish for fish soup and fish fillets. Fresh fish had to be dealt with quickly, or the taste would spoil.

After dinner, Shen Qingyi spent over an hour in the study. She looked at the reference materials on the computer screen, slightly lost in thought.

Actually, at Professor Hu’s house, she had a vague sense of familiarity with the writing on the fragmented book. After returning home and checking the documents, she realized the book was likely written in a script called Nüshu, which is now classified as an intangible cultural heritage.

The Nüshu script is diamond-shaped, delicate, and elegant, resembling graceful women.

Nüshu was a product of the ancient feudal system. For women who were forbidden to learn to read and write, they still longed for communication and record-keeping, but under the prevailing conditions, they had no means to learn. Thus, this script, passed only from mother to daughter, was created.

Out of over 2,000 characters, only about 600 were commonly used, and even fewer recorded texts remain. Shen Qingyi realized belatedly how rare that book was, and she was glad she hadn’t taken on Professor Hu’s commission.

Such precious script should be handled by more professional people, not an outsider like Shen Qingyi.

However, Shen Qingyi felt somewhat regretful. Perhaps this was the closest she would ever get to this script.

“Actually, it’s not impossible,” Shen Qingyi murmured, rubbing her temples as she looked at the documents, “If it’s just restoration, I have some confidence.”

But what was missed was missed. Shen Qingyi wouldn’t dwell on the matter too much. Right now, waiting for the coffee shop to open was the most important thing.

Hearing the robot vacuum cleaner start working, Shen Qingyi knew Shan Ling was getting busy. She quickly tidied the documents on her desk and left the room to help Shan Ling clean up.

After a long day of busyness, when it was time to sleep, Shan Ling tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

Since coming to this city, this was the first time she had seen other sprites besides herself, and it was an elderly fox and the young fox named Hu Aicai.

Shan Ling lay in the blanket, thinking wistfully. She realized she wasn’t the only sprite living among humans in the city. If there were more of her kind, Shan Ling thought she might feel more at ease.

The little mountain sparrow sighed softly in the blanket.

She wished she had friends, too.

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