Li Xu squeezed out of the narrow cave.
He found a large rock nearby and moved it to block the opening he had just climbed out of. This was to prevent anyone from accidentally falling in—though the chances of that were extrely slim.
Li Xu was lost.
But he rembered reading sowhere that if you follow the water, you'll eventually find civilization.
So, Li Xu followed the Qinxi, walking along the stream. Over an hour later, he finally erged from the dense mountain forest.
He ca to a village, but it wasn't Qinxi Village. It was the neighboring Dashan Village.
He didn't linger. This place was still too close to the underground cavern. If people found out he'd caught Qin Fish, the locals would undoubtedly search everywhere, and it would only be a matter of ti before they discovered the cave.
Li Xu ordered a car on his phone.
Twenty minutes later, a Didi car arrived and took him to the county seat.
He had to process the Qin Fish as quickly as possible. To make Zither Fish Tea, the fresher the fish, the better.
By the ti he reached the county seat, it was already dark.
With no ti to find a hotel, Li Xu found a clean-looking little eatery—"Chen's Hostyle Restaurant"—and pushed his way inside.
"What can I get for you?" A heavy-set man in his forties with a gleaming bald head stood behind the counter.
Li Xu took a simple plastic fish tank out of his bag. "Boss, I'd like to borrow your kitchen for a bit. I have sothing I need to prepare."
As he spoke, he took out his phone and scanned the paynt QR code. "How does two hundred yuan sound?"
The bald man's face lit up. "Deal. We don't have any custors right now. For two hundred, the kitchen's yours for an hour. What are you preparing?"
But when his gaze fell upon the fish tank, he froze. "Is that... Qin Fish?"
Huh?
Li Xu paused.
'I can't believe I just walked into a random restaurant and soone recognized the Qin Fish at a glance.'
The bald man ca around the counter, bent down, and craned his neck to stare intently at the Qin Fish in the tank. His mouth was open wide enough to swallow an egg. "Holy shit, holy shit... it's the real deal! Real Qin Fish..."
He looked up at Li Xu. "Friend, where did you get these?"
"Just a lucky catch in a stream," Li Xu said vaguely. "And you are, Boss?"
"My surna is Chen. The folks around here just call Fatty Chen."
Fatty Chen's eyes remained glued to the fish tank. "More than twenty years ago, our county was teeming with Qin Fish. Every year around the Qingming Festival, I'd go with my father to catch them, along with the other villagers... So would carry bamboo creels, others wicker baskets, or set up triangular nets. So would even grab shovels to build dams, casting their nets along the shores of the Qinxi.
"Even the little kids, seven or eight years old, would build small dams in the shallows to block the stream. They'd dig a little channel below it, place a fine-shed net inside, and wait for the Qin Fish to get caught.
"Afterward, we'd make Zither Fish Tea. We could never bear to use much of it on a normal day. Only for festivals and New Year's would we splurge a little to treat our relatives and friends.
"But they were overfished.
"Starting about ten years ago, the Qin Fish beca rarer and rarer.
"And in the last few years, nobody has caught any at all.
"Friend, it's incredible that you managed to catch so many. By the way... these fish have to be processed while they're fresh. Do you want a hand?"
"No, thank you."
Li Xu declined.
'The intel I received included detailed preparation instructions. I've already learned them, so I don't need a stranger's help.'
Fatty Chen said quickly, "Friend, I won't charge you extra."
Li Xu shook his head with a smile. "I'm good."
'No extra charge?'
Li Xu glanced at the burning fervor in Fatty Chen's eyes.
'If I let him help make the Zither Fish Tea and he asks for so, should I give it to him or not?'
'Best to just do it myself.'
Fatty Chen looked disappointed but didn't give up. "Friend, can I at least watch?"
He was worried Li Xu didn't know the process and would ruin such a perfect batch of Qin Fish.
"Alright."
Li Xu nodded.
'It wouldn't hurt to have an expert watch,' he thought. 'If I ss sothing up, he can point it out.'
Without another word, Fatty Chen hung up a "Temporarily Closed" sign and led Li Xu into the back kitchen.
The kitchen was more spacious than he'd expected. The stovetop was polished to a gleam, and bottles of various spices were lined up in neat rows.
Li Xu set down his backpack and took out the fennel, tea leaves, and sugar he had prepared beforehand.
Fatty Chen leaned in for a sniff. "Yunnan Ancient Tree Tea? This fennel is high-quality, too."
A flash of surprise crossed his eyes. "Friend, you really ca prepared."
"Just a fortunate coincidence," Li Xu said with a smile as he started to boil so water.
The intel had stressed the importance of using water with a moderate mineral content, so he had specifically brought two bottles from the Qinxi stream.
Once the water boiled, Li Xu added salt and spices according to the specified proportions.
Fatty Chen watched from the side, growing more and more astonished.
From his technique to his choice of ingredients, Li Xu was doing everything perfectly.
He couldn't help but say with admiration, "Friend, I underestimated you. You really know your stuff."
Li Xu just smiled and continued with his work.
He added three spoonfuls of salt to the boiling water, then put the fennel and tea leaves directly in.
After that ca the drying stage.
The kitchen had both an electric burner and a charcoal stove.
Li Xu chose the old-fashioned charcoal stove.
'Only this way would the flavor be pure.'
Li Xu had even brought his own charcoal.
Fatty Chen's eyes widened. "Pinewood charcoal... You even brought your own charcoal? Okay, I'm impressed..."
The two of them worked late into the night.
A peculiar fragrance filled the kitchen—an interwoven aroma of fresh tea leaves, spicy fennel, and the unique, savory scent of the Qin Fish.
When the final product was ready, Fatty Chen's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Li Xu was curious himself,
so he took three of the dried Qin Fish and placed them in a teacup. They clinked against each other with a crisp sound, like a strange musical instrunt.
"The water..."
Fatty Chen hurriedly handed him a kettle of boiling water.
Li Xu took it, tilted it slightly, and a stream of boiling water poured from the spout into the cup.
A marvelous scene unfolded—the once-shriveled dried fish suddenly unfurled in the hot water, as if brought back to life.
They swam up and down in the water, their dragon-like barbels drifting with the current, their four gills opening and closing faintly, and their tails swaying gracefully.
Under the light, their bodies shimred with a faint golden glow, so lifelike they looked like living fish frolicking in the water.
"I'm finally seeing it again..."
Fatty Chen stared, unwilling to miss a single second.
Li Xu watched with relish as well.
'It truly lives up to its na as one of the Four Great Miracle Teas,'
'This is absolutely incredible!'
As the water temperature gradually cooled, the dried fish stopped their "swimming" but remained in their lively poses.
The tea had turned a pale amber color. A few drops of golden fish oil floated on the surface, and it exuded an indescribable aroma—a blend of the savory taste of the sea, the clean scent of tea, and the faintest, most elusive hint of spice.
"Friend..."
Fatty Chen held up an empty teacup, his eyes full of anticipation.
Li Xu chuckled and poured him half a cup.
Fatty Chen cradled the cup in both hands. He first took a deep sniff, an expression of pure bliss spreading across his face.
He took a careful sip, and his eyes imdiately lit up. "This is incredible. It's the taste of my childhood... No... it's even better than what I rember..."
Li Xu also took a thoughtful sip, savoring the unique flavor as it blossod on his palate.
This was the unique charm of Zither Fish Tea—it was neither simple tea nor plain fish broth, but a perfect fusion of the two.
As the tea slid down his throat, a pleasant warmth spread from his stomach throughout his entire body, leaving him feeling completely refreshed.
"Now to try the fish itself." Li Xu picked one of the rehydrated Qin Fish from the cup and placed it in his mouth, chewing slowly.
The fish's skin was crisp, the at tender, and the flavor was a mix of salty and sweet. The spices had perated every fiber of the at without overpowering the natural, delicious flavor of the Qin Fish itself.
Even more remarkably, after being steeped in the hot water, the bones had beco soft enough to eat. They weren't sharp or unpleasant in the mouth at all; instead, they added a unique textural elent.
"Absolutely incredible!"
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