Lanke Chess Edge
Chapter 133: Meeting an Old Friend

Such a big fish?

Yin Zhaoxian and the scholar surnamed Shi were also shocked for a while, and stared blankly at the fisherman lifting his fishing rod.

A bighead carp weighing more than 20 catties was about as long as the length of an ordinary person’s leg. It made quite the visual impact.

“Splash, splash, splash…”

Ji Yuan didn’t play around with the fish at all. The water crashed violently against the hull of the awning boat, and the emerald green bamboo pole bent into a half-moon crescent.

“Hehehe… A large fish has been caught, and friends have come from afar, I’m quite happy!”

Although the large fish was splashing around violently in the water, the curved fishing rod was extremely stable in Ji Yuan’s grasp. With a shake of his left hand, he flung the entire fish out of the water and into the fish basket at the bow of the boat.

The fish basket, with its small opening and large volume, could barely contain the fish. The fat head of the bighead carp almost got stuck on the lip of the basket. Even when it had landed, half of its body still dangled outside.

As for the two on the shore, when Yin Zhaoxian and the scholar surnamed Shi heard the righteous and clear voice, the latter had no reaction, while the former was overjoyed.

Yin Zhaoxian was so excited that he waved and shouted in the direction of the awning boat several feet away from the river bank. The scholar surnamed Shi next to him was a little surprised. He had never seen this man so excited throughout all of their journeys together.

Ji Yuan flicked his wrist and removed the fish hook from the fish’s mouth. He set down the fishing rod and removed his hat, then turned around and bowed to Yin Zhaoxian, who was standing on the shoreline.

“Master Yin, it has been a while since we last met. How are you?”

Seeing Ji Yuan’s unchanged face, Yin Zhaoxian was even more excited, and hurriedly returned the greeting. The scholar Shi next to him also subconsciously followed suit, bowing with cupped hands.

“Everything is fine with me, I and my family are doing well. We come by to clean your small courtyard from time to time. Mr. Ji, hurry over to the shore!”

Ji Yuan also bowed slightly to the scholar surnamed Shi, and shouted with a smile: “I’m coming over!”

The big fish in the fish basket was still struggling. Ji Yuan sat at the bow of the boat, picked up the oar, and paddled it in a swift turn, rowing the boat closer to the shore.

Seeing Yin Zhaoxian’s excitement, the scholar surnamed Shi couldn’t help but ask curiously.

“Brother Yin, do you know this fisherman?”

“More than just know him, Mr. Ji is not only my neighbor in my hometown, but also my best friend. We haven’t seen each other for many years, I didn’t expect to run into him here!”

The boat soon reached the shore and docked. Ji Yuan smoothly stepped off the boat.

If it were the Ji Yuan from his previous life reuniting with a friend whom he had not seen for many years, he would definitely have given them a bear hug. However, most people in this life were rather reserved, even among friends. Yin Zhaoxian was quite excited, and held Ji Yuan’s hand with quite a bit of strength in his grip.

After a few breaths, the two parties released their hands. Yin Zhaoxian introduced his companion to Ji Yuan, stretching out his hand and saying:

“Mr. Ji, this is a fellow villager from Ji Province, who traveled with me on our way to the Capital.”

The scholar surnamed Shi once again bowed to Ji Yuan and gave his name: “I am Shi Yusheng, from Chunhui Prefecture!”

Ji Yuan also politely bowed in return.

“I am Ji Yuan, an old acquaintance of Master Yin’s from the same hometown.”

After introducing themselves, they could now be considered acquaintances.¹ Ji Yuan smiled and pointed to the fish basket on the bow of the awning boat.

“It’s often better to arrive on time than to arrive early.² I just happened to catch a big fish, allow me to treat Master Yin and Master Shi at noon today. Come on board, and we will head towards Chenjia Village together.”

At Ji Yuan’s invitation, Yin Zhaoxian and Shi Yusheng both boarded the awning boat, and Ji Yuan stepped back on board as well.

After picking up the oar, Ji Yuan smiled, and reminded the two who had just sat down on the boat:

“Hold on tight!”

Then oars pushed hard against the shore and the boat slid away, swaying on the waves, and shaking the two scholars who had just come on board so hard that they had to quickly grab onto the side of the boat, and didn’t dare stand up.

As this awning boat had been rented from Old Man Chen, Chenjia Village would naturally be close to the water. All he had to do was row north for two li, turn up a smaller branch of the river, and row another half li to reach Chenjia Village. From there, the village was not too far, and one could even see the outline of the houses by standing on the shore and looking out.

The boat sailed along the river. Yin Zhaoxian and Shi Yusheng adjusted after a while, and no longer panicked at the bumping and swaying of waves under the boat.

“Mr. Ji, where have you been traveling all these years? Qing’er has been thinking of you all the time. He said that when we meet again, you have to tell him stories of the things you’ve seen in the world. Also, the jujube tree in the courtyard only bore fruit once more after three years… also a powerful old gentleman came to visit… He ate the jujubes quite vigorously…”

Ji Yuan listened to Yin Zhaoxian’s rambling speech. He smiled, and only spoke when he had almost finished.

“Xiao Yin Qing is probably more concerned about that little red fox, hahahaha…”

Shi Yusheng was also listening with a smile on his face. He had never seen Yin Zhaoxian talk so much before. The man kept chattering non-stop.

Both of them had been walking for a long time, and they were already exhausted. Now they sat on the awning boat, enjoying the beautiful scenery along the river, which was comfortable and relaxing.

“By the way, Mr. Ji, you haven’t shared where you’ve been all these years. Do you have any strange or beautiful scenery or interesting experiences to share with me?”

Before any of them realized, they had reached the mouth of a branching river channel. Ji Yuan planted the oar to make the boat turn, then switched to the other side and continued rowing. At the same time, he smiled and said to Yin Zhaoxian in a joking tone:

“In the past couple years, I have killed demons, eliminated monsters, met the judges of the underworld and the local gods, met with high-ranking officials of immortal sects, and participated in the Dragon Lord’s birthday banquet. It was wonderful, truly wonderful, hahaha…”

Ji Yuan was in a cheerful mood, and related these events with great pride.

Hearing his words, Yin Zhaoxian had the faint sense that this was all true, and was suddenly overwhelmed. Next to him, Shi Yusheng laughed, thinking it was all a joke.

The trip to Chenjia Village was not far, and soon the boat was docking beside it. After mooring the boat, Ji Yuan greeted two of the villagers who recognized him, and led Yin Zhaoxian and Shi Yusheng to Old Man Chen’s house .

When they saw Ji Yuan coming, Old Man Chen and his family were very enthusiastic, particularly when they saw such a large bighead carp in the fish basked. Even Old Man Chen was amazed.

It was almost noon. Shi Yusheng, Yin Zhaoxian, and Ji Yuan sat at a four-person table, chatting. The table had already been laid out with dishes, and the aroma of delicious fresh fish wafted from the kitchen.

Yin Zhaoxian and Shi Yusheng hadn’t had a good meal for two or three days. They were salivating, while Ji Yuan watched them with amusement.

At this moment, Yin Zhaoxian suddenly noticed that Ji Yuan’s eyes were not gray, and asked in surprise.

“Mr. Ji, are your eyes okay?”

Ji Yuan was stunned for a moment, and then smiled: “It’s just an illusion, just an illusion.”

He subtly raised his hand to signal Master Yin not to make a fuss about it. Although Yin Zhaoxian didn’t quite understand what he meant by an illusion, he had no problem understanding his words if he took it by its literal meaning.³

“The fish head is ready~!”

Old Man Chen arrived with a basin that was steaming hot, which he carried with a rag. Ji Yuan hurried over to help, and together they placed the pot of fish head soup on the four-person table. it took up quite a bit of space.

“Haha, Mr. Ji truly knows how to eat well. Our Tongtian River’s bighead carp is very delicious, especially the fish head, which is the best of the best.⁴ This kind of bighead carp, weighing almost 30 catties, is very rare. The fish head barely even fits in the pot. You might not even be able to eat this in those big restaurants in the capital prefecture!”

Old Man Chen said with a smile. Then, he went back to the kitchen and brought out some other side dishes, including pickles and some braised pork, and even a pot of local wine.

“Mr. Ji and the two scholars, please take your time and enjoy. I and my family will be eating in the kitchen!”

“Okay, thank you, Uncle Chen!”

“Thank you, Uncle Chen!”

“Thank you for your hospitality!”

Ji Yuan and two others expressed their thanks before they started to eat. The Chen family happily gathered in the back of the kitchen to eat. Ji Yuan only asked for the fish head, and the rest of the fish he naturally gave to the Chen family.

The aroma of the fish filled the air, and the three men relished the meal. The fish head was thick and plump without too many bones. More importantly, the soup was rich and delicious. The two scholars, despite not having that large of an appetite, couldn’t stop eating.

At the dinner table, Ji Yuan also recounted the local customs and practices of the various places he visited. It was more in depth compared to Yin Zhaoxian and his companion, who had hurried in their travels all this way.

He spoke of the joy and harmony of meeting a stranger and sitting in a newlywed’s house, writing them a congratulatory couplet and receiving their applause; the comfort of sharing the same boat and eating together with fellow travelers; the gratitude of decades of mutual support and dedication when friends were in trouble, even though he made sure not to mention their surnames…

Every word that fell from Ji Yuan’s was vivid and full of vitality. Yin Zhaoxian and Shi Yusheng sighed in admiration and envy.

At the end of their conversation, Ji Yuan suggested that the two scholars take his awning boat to the capital prefecture on the other side of the river. They were also welcome to try their luck with the Zhuangyuan Ferry; they just had to sail the awning boat to the Ferry and let the two scholars get on board.

Naturally, the two scholars readily agreed.

The meal lasted for half the afternoon, and most of the food on the table went into the stomachs of the two scholars. Either way, looking at the current state of things, Ji Yuan figured that there was no longer any need to prepare dinner for them.

That night, the two scholars shared a room in Old Man Chen’s house. Ji Yuan would rise early the next day to row his boat to the Zhuangyuan Ferry to wait, so he slept in another room.

After the lights went out, Shi Yusheng, who lay on the same mattress as Yin Zhaoxian, with his head on the opposite end of the pillow, was still thinking about the events of that day.

“Brother Yin, who is this Mr. Ji? How could he have experienced so much?”

Yin Zhaoxian smiled.

“Just let that question go, let’s think about the imperial examination. Someone like Mr. Ji, who plays around with worldly affairs, is not someone ordinary people like us can even ponder.”

“Yes, yes, Brother Yin’s term ‘worldly affairs’ is quite accurate! If I hadn’t been around him the entire day today, I would have thought him a carefree immortal. No wonder Brother Yin regards him as a close friend.”

“Haha… let’s just go to sleep!”

Yin Zhaoxian tightened the quilt around him and stopped talking.

1. i.e. not strangers, and more open to helping each other as friends might – connections are formed quickly
2. i.e. being at the right place at the right time is often better than being early
3. The translation is split between “blindfolding” or “trick” as technique names, but I previously translated it as “concealment” or “illusion” so I’m sticking with that
4. Lit: essence of the essence