Li Zhichen helped Qi Lixiao change into a clean mattress. To make him more comfortable lying on his stomach, she placed the soft pillow she had bought at the market earlier under his chest.
After settling Qi Lixiao down, Li Zhichen headed towards the kitchen. Looking at the lively big fish in the water tank, she felt a bit at a loss.
During the end - times, food was extremely scarce. Countless people fought fiercely for a bite to eat. Even if Li Zhichen wanted to cook, there were no conditions.
Although the temple was dilapidated, fortunately, Li Zhichen now had her own small kitchen with all the ingredients and seasonings. She was actually quite happy deep down.
Li Zhichen activated the library function in her spatial bracelet. A semi - transparent screen immediately popped up in front of her. She excitedly searched out a cookbook.
At this time, the system also transformed into a small glowing ball and floated on the ceiling to watch the fun.
It was surprised to find that its host, Li Zhichen, had an extremely strong learning ability.
After just watching the teaching videos on boiled fish and fish soup once, she began to practice methodically!
Li Zhichen rolled up her sleeves, fished out two of the biggest crucian carp from the water tank. Without blinking an eye, she neatly picked up a kitchen knife and stunned the fish with a swift strike.
Holding the shining back of the knife, she slanted it across the fish's body. With a single stroke, all the glistening fish scales fell off.
She gutted the fish, removed the gallbladder and gills. The cleaned fish was neatly chopped into several pieces and divided into two portions and placed in a basin.
One portion was used as the raw material for boiled fish and was marinated with ginger slices and other seasonings.
While waiting for the fish to marinate, Li Zhichen didn't idle. She washed the large iron pot clean, poured in cold oil and heated it until boiling. Then she poured all the other portion of fish into the pot to fry, adding a little cooking wine to remove the fishy smell.
Before long, the fish was fried until golden brown on both sides, and the fragrance quickly filled the whole room.
The system was dazed by the aroma and said excitedly, [It smells so good! Host, I want to eat too!]
Li Zhichen looked at the small glowing ball with a round surface in front of her and smiled, "Do you have a mouth?"
System:......
The system was extremely angry. It flew around in the air like a spoiled child, trying to catch Li Zhichen's attention.
But even when it was almost spinning with sparks, Li Zhichen didn't even look up at it. She remained fully focused on frying the fish.
The system had no choice but to put away its blue light awkwardly. After humming twice, it crashed into Li Zhichen's glabella and disappeared.
When the fish was almost fried, Li Zhichen poured boiling water into the pot and started to simmer the fish soup over low heat.
Half an hour later, the fish soup was boiling. The soup gradually turned milky white, thick and inviting.
The fish bones with the fish meat were cooked until they were crystal - clear. Half of the tender white fish meat remained on the bones, and the other part melted into the rich soup. Just looking at it made people's mouths water.
By this time, the fish for the boiled fish was almost marinated. Since Qi Lixiao couldn't eat spicy food, Li Zhichen decided to make tomato - flavored boiled fish.
She took out some tomatoes from her spatial bracelet, scalded them in boiling water, peeled them and cut them into small pieces. Then she put oil in the pot. When the oil was hot, she added scallions to stir - fry until fragrant. While stir - frying the tomatoes into juice, she added soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, salt and other seasonings.
Finally, she poured in an appropriate amount of water. After the water boiled, she poured in the fish slices and cooked for five minutes. Then the tomato - flavored boiled fish was ready.
Li Zhichen carried the hot food into the room. But she didn't rush to eat. Instead, she came to the bedside, hugged Qi Lixiao's waist and slowly helped him sit up, carefully helping him lean against the headboard.
Qi Lixiao looked at Li Zhichen in a daze. He saw her with her head down, wiping his hands with a warm handkerchief.
"I saw you choke several times while eating lying down yesterday. From now on, let's sit down and eat slowly."
Qi Lixiao's heart trembled. His dark eyes sparkled with a special emotion.
During the days when Qi Lixiao was first paralyzed, the King of Qi Xian had also invited doctors to treat him.
But no matter how many famous doctors they visited, most of their diagnoses were the same - Qi Lixiao would never be able to stand up again and would be confined to the bed for the rest of his life.
Qi Lixiao's hope was gradually worn away. By now, he didn't dare to hope that his legs would ever recover.
But since Li Zhichen appeared, this girl had given him hope for life again and again.
How could there be such a wonderful girl in the world?
Seeing Qi Lixiao in a daze, Li Zhichen picked up a chopstick of fish and fed it to his mouth, coaxing, "It's very mild. Try it."
Qi Lixiao then came back to his senses. He slightly opened his thin lips and ate the fish.
The tender fish melted in his mouth the moment it entered. The abundant juice carried the aroma of the river fish. The wonderful taste burst on his taste buds, leaving a lingering aftertaste.
Qi Lixiao's eyes lit up slightly. He sincerely praised, "It's delicious."
Qi Lixiao looked down at the red, sweet - and - sour things in the bowl that looked like fresh fruits. He asked curiously, "What's this?"
It took Li Zhichen a while to realize that Qi Lixiao was referring to tomatoes.
"Tomatoes. They're also called tomatoes. Haven't you ever eaten them?"
Qi Lixiao thought for a while and honestly shook his head, "I've never seen them before."
Li Zhichen quickly searched the original owner's memories and found no impression of tomatoes either.
Could it be that tomatoes really didn't exist in this era?!
Li Zhichen opened her spatial bracelet to check. Among the stored food, there were quite a lot of tomatoes. Her eyes immediately lit up. Maybe this could be a business opportunity...
Li Zhichen served Qi Lixiao another bowl of steaming fish soup. The candlelight flickered. The two of them sat at the small dining table and had a delicious meal.
The days were short in winter. By the time they finished eating, it was already gray outside. Li Zhichen hung two warm - yellow lanterns she had bought at the market outside the house. The courtyard immediately brightened up.
Li Zhichen turned to look at Qi Lixiao with a bright smile, "Look, doesn't it feel a bit like home here now?"
"......Home?"
A look of confusion flashed across Qi Lixiao's handsome eyebrows. What was the feeling of home? He seemed to have never experienced it.
Was the cold and scheming mansion of the King of Qi Xian his home before? The dark and deep mansion was like a giant abyss that swallowed all the light, without a trace of warmth.
Qi Lixiao looked at Li Zhichen. Would Li Zhichen, who came from another world, miss home? What was home to her?
Thinking this way, Qi Lixiao couldn't help but ask.
Li Zhichen just thought for a moment and then replied softly,
"Put simply, home is a house, two people, three meals a day and four seasons. Put elegantly, the place where my heart is at peace is my hometown."
After Li Zhichen finished speaking, she hummed a tune and took away the bowls and chopsticks to the kitchen to wash. Qi Lixiao was left alone, stunned on the spot and unable to come back to his senses for a long time.
Qi Lixiao looked up at Li Zhichen bustling around in the courtyard and listened to the gurgling sound of the water outside. A warm feeling gradually rose in his heart.
When Li Zhichen was by his side, his heart always seemed to be at peace...