Chapter 71: Plum-Smoked Duck and the Peach Blossom Wine Jug

Speaking of Lishui’s specialty dish, braised creek fish, Lin Shenlu was truly looking forward to it.

Creek fish refers to wild fish caught from mountain streams. Carp, crucian, black carp, or tilapia—all could be called creek fish. What Lin Shenlu ordered was the renowned Jinyun creek fish, famous throughout the country. After all, the Hao Creek is considered the mother river of Jinyun, and braised creek fish is its signature dish.

These creek fish are demanding in their habitat—they require clean, unpolluted waters, thriving and reproducing in the wild. Their flavor is exceptionally fresh, free of any muddy taste.

Especially the stone grouper, weighing about a pound, just as they had mentioned. A pound is already a good size. When a pound and a half of stone grouper is braised in hot oil, the bones turn tender, the flesh is delicious, the sauce is rich, and the fish melts in your mouth, leaving an endless aftertaste.

The specialty dish of Xiandu lives up to its reputation.

As the two waited, a plate of glossy, fragrant braised creek fish was soon brought to their table. Though the fish wasn’t large, its appearance was enticing.

Beside it was another platter—plum sauce duck, so exquisitely presented it made one want to dig in at once. The waiter had not exaggerated; the duck meat on the plate consisted of leg and back cuts, arranged delicately with plum sauce drizzled on top, a lettuce leaf, and a few grains of sticky rice.

A gentle pour of peach blossom wine filled their cups.

On this wooden balcony, the river breeze brushed against them. The emerald waters below reflected returning fishing boats. A bite of duck, a sip of peach blossom wine—pure contentment.

“Lu, what are you drinking? I want some, too…” Su Bao’er was devouring fish, her gaze fixed on Lin Shenlu sipping from a glass of pale pink liquid, fragrant and inviting.

“You can’t drink wine,” Lin Shenlu cautioned, unwilling to let the girl have any, even though the alcohol content was low, given her fragile state.

“I won’t drink, I’ll just watch you,” Su Bao’er replied, going back to eating fish with gusto.

Lin Shenlu gently picked up a piece of duck leg and placed it in her mouth. The first bite should always be tasted plain.

She chewed slowly, savoring the crisp skin and the rich, flavorful fat beneath. The complexity of flavors made Lin Shenlu’s brows arch in delight.

“Lu, is it good?” Su Bao’er noticed her expression of enjoyment.

Lin Shenlu nodded enthusiastically.

Su Bao’er followed suit, picking up a piece of duck leg and tasting it. Her eyes seemed to spin with delight.

That sense of happiness and satisfaction—almost exaggeratedly delicious.

Su Bao’er dropped her chopsticks, grabbing a second piece with her hands.

After stuffing it into her mouth, she licked her fingers, glistening with oil.

Lin Shenlu shook her head helplessly and picked up a second piece of duck. This time, she dipped it in plum sauce.

The caramel-colored duck skin was crisp, the meat tender and rich without being greasy. The sweet and tangy plum sauce blended with the duck, sparking a subtle chemical reaction in her mouth.

The sweetness was unmistakably plum. This was truly a refined plum sauce, a perfect match for the duck.

One had to admit, this plum sauce duck was the pinnacle of culinary delight.

Lin Shenlu swallowed and took another bite. The peach blossom wine was the ideal pairing to cleanse the palate.

The fusion of flavors was irresistible.

“Lu, you eat, you eat…” Su Bao’er grabbed an entire piece of duck back meat, gnawing away as she spoke.

Lin Shenlu closed her eyes gently.

In her mind, a small creek flowed, clear and green. Tree branches swayed in the breeze; a tiny insect fell into the water, and a stone grouper swam toward the disturbance. Nearby, several ducks quacked as they drifted on the water, suddenly plunging their heads below the surface.

Such scenes embodied the taste of Ou River.

A sip of peach blossom wine left a lingering floral fragrance.

As the famed peach blossom wine, its aroma was always present.

Lin Shenlu couldn’t help but recall the Peach Blossom Hermit’s song:

In the Peach Blossom Dock, the Peach Blossom Hermitage,
Beneath the Hermitage, the Peach Blossom Immortal.
The immortal plants peach trees and sells the flowers for wine money.
When sober, he sits among the blossoms; when drunk, he sleeps beneath the blooms.
Half awake, half drunk, day after day,
Flowers fall and blossom, year after year.
May I die among flowers and wine, not bow to the bustle of horses and carriages.
Dust and hooves are the pursuits of the wealthy; wine and blossoms are the fate of the poor.
Compare riches to poverty: one stands on earth, one in heaven.
Compare poverty to horses and carriages: they must rush about; I find leisure.
Contentment…

This was true carefree living, a romantic spirit—escaping the city to seek freedom and tranquility in a village.

Night was falling.

Lin Shenlu, full and satisfied.

Su Bao’er was content, no longer clamoring for more meat, but playing quietly with the wine gourd on the table.

What to do with this girl? It was getting late; tomorrow, Lin Shenlu would contact the police station for advice. She couldn’t keep following him forever. Especially since she was a bit eccentric, it wasn’t proper for a young man and woman to stay together.

Tonight, he would have to bring her back to the courtyard. Thankfully, there were two rooms, so it wouldn’t be too awkward.

Leaving the restaurant, they followed the river home.

The evening scenery was even more enchanting. In the east, rain had just fallen, and two rainbows hung faintly in the sky, turning the village colorful and romantic.

Lin Shenlu turned around for a look. The clouds in the west were thick. The setting sun pierced through the gaps, painting the river gold.

Several black-sailed boats with white sails lay under the distant mountains. From afar, they resembled a scene from a memory, touching the soul.

Lin Shenlu and Su Bao’er returned to the ancient camphor tree.

At the dock, all the river boats were moored.

Lin Shenlu took a deep breath, waiting for the sunset to dye the Ou River in even more beautiful hues.

Su Bao’er couldn’t sit still, carrying the peach blossom wine Lin Shenlu had packed, holding a freshly picked wildflower in her right hand, sitting on the pebbled shore with her feet dangling in the river.

The orange light gradually illuminated Su Bao’er’s face.

The world seemed to pause, everything immersed in this quiet moment.

Fishing village at dusk…

Such scenery intoxicated the soul. Lin Shenlu, lost in thought, gently extinguished her cigarette.

She reached into her pocket, pulling out a pink notebook.

Lifting her pen, she recorded the beauty of the moment.

Lishui Story: 2, Braised Creek Fish and Peach Blossom Wine, Crispy Duck with Plum Sauce.

Lishui Story: 3, Fishing Village at Sunset, Romance of the Mortal World.

“Bao’er, let’s go home.”