Chapter 442: Peony Fish Fillet
Creak—
Touching the door, which had been soaked for a long time and was still faintly damp, the young man's eyes were vacant.
He slowly pushed it open and stepped into the house, now buried in mud and silt, its former appearance only barely discernible.
"Peony…" Qin Shi let out a bitter smile. "The floodwaters have receded."
The empty house gave him no reply.
He didn't seem to mind, continuing to speak to himself.
"The villagers have all come back. Everyone remembers you kindly now. Those rumors and slanders—no one talks about them anymore."
"In this village, you were the only one I cared about. Now that you're gone, it's time for me to leave as well."
"Over these years I've saved up some silver for travel. Even if I leave this place, I can still make a living."
"Don't worry. This time I won't take the waterways, and I won't go to Suzhou or Hangzhou, so I won't run into river bandits again…"
"I want to go see the capital."
"You once said there was a box. I came this time to take it with me on the road—so it's like I'm taking you along. You spent your whole life in this small village; you should go out and see the world too."
"We'll go to the capital first, and then… you'll come back with me to Sichuan, alright?"
"Though Sichuan… might not be quite what you imagined…"
"I'm sorry, Peony. I lied to you. People from Sichuan… they eat fish too."
As he spoke, Qin Shi slowly searched through Peony's house. Soon, he found a small chest buried beneath the mud and sand.
It was sealed tightly. Not only had it not been swept away by the flood, not a single drop of water had seeped inside.
The chest was locked, and the key was tied right beside the lock, not lost at all.
At that moment, Qin Shi didn't particularly want to know what was inside. To him, the chest was more like a keepsake.
With it by his side, it felt as though Peony was still with him.
He gently wiped the mud from the surface of the chest and held it in his arms. Then, suddenly remembering something, he set it down and turned to the wardrobe nearby, which was also buried in silt.
From it, he took out a light-blue short jacket and a plain white pleated skirt. Though stained from soaking in muddy water, their former appearance was still faintly visible. At last, a hint of a smile appeared on Qin Shi's face.
"This is what you were wearing the first time I met you."
…
"Master, please carve a tombstone for me…"
"Sure thing. What should be engraved?"
"Just 'The Grave of Peony.'"
"And the inscription?"
"Write… 'Erected by her husband, Qin Shi.' How much will it cost?"
"No charge. Peony is the benefactor of everyone in the village. How could I dare take money for something as small as carving a stele?"
"Then many thanks."
…
Gently placing the clothes from their first meeting into the coffin, Qin Shi's eyes filled with reluctance. He stood there for a long time before finally speaking softly, "Seal the coffin."
After the soil was filled in, a new grave appeared not far from Qin Shi's house, the name Peony finely carved upon it.
After sitting quietly before the grave for three full days, Qin Shi packed up his belongings and left.
"Goodbye, Peony."
Holding the chest in his arms as he stepped onto the cart, Qin Shi turned back one last time. Looking at the village where he had lived together with Peony for three years, he seemed, in a daze, to see the girl in a light-blue jacket and plain white pleated skirt, smiling and waving at him.
Only when the village disappeared at the end of his sight did Qin Shi slowly withdraw his gaze and look quietly at the chest in his arms.
After a long while, he took out the key and carefully unlocked it.
Inside the chest lay a neatly folded sheet of xuan paper. The material was of the finest quality—something that could only be bought for a high price in the most prosperous nearby market town.
Qin Shi's hands began to tremble. He gently unfolded the paper, looking at the delicate, graceful handwriting upon it.
He was far too familiar with this handwriting—because every single character in it had been taught by his own hand to that young girl.
"Qin Shi, by the time you read this letter, I suppose I'll already be gone.
Actually, I've always known how you felt about me.
That's why, these past few years, I turned away everyone who came to propose, wondering when you would finally come and marry me.
But I waited, and waited, and waited—and you never did.
Tell me, you know so many characters and have read so many books, so how could you not see that I liked you too?
But perhaps this is fine as well. Since you never married me, you won't become a widower, hehe.
I know you stayed in this small village because of me. If I'm gone, you'll probably leave too, won't you?
You love cooking so much—you really shouldn't stay in a place like this. I've heard that the greatest chefs in the world are the imperial chefs, the ones who cook for the Emperor himself. The dishes Qin Shi makes are so delicious; one day, you'll surely become an imperial chef too!
I wonder what kind of person Qin Shi's wife will be in the future. She'll probably be a well-born lady from a great family—and she should be even more beautiful than me.
They say that when people leave this world, they turn into souls and enter the underworld to be reborn. I don't know… before I reincarnate, will I be able to see you again?"
Drip. Drip.
Large tears fell onto the xuan paper, spreading and blurring the ink.
…
Ten years passed in the blink of an eye.
The boy of old arrived in the capital, apprenticing himself to masters and honing his skills. His culinary art grew more refined by the day. Four years later, he opened his own restaurant, naming it Peony Pavilion.
Among its signature dishes was one called Peony Fish Fillet. Shaped like a blooming peony, with fish flesh fashioned into petals, it was lifelike, elegant, and exquisite. From the moment it was introduced, it won unanimous praise from the capital's nobles and veteran gourmets—and it even reached the ears of the reigning Emperor.
The Emperor visited in disguise to see it for himself. At the sight of it, he marveled in astonishment; after tasting it, he praised it without end.
Thus, the young man named Qin Shi was summoned into the Imperial Kitchen of the Forbidden City and became an imperial chef.
Once the dish spread through the inner palace, its peony-like form—symbolizing wealth and prosperity—along with its excellent flavor, made it deeply beloved by the consorts. On festival days, it became a must-have delicacy.
Qin Shi remained in the Imperial Kitchen for six years.
Six years later, he returned to the life of a commoner, leaving the capital with gold and silver in tow, and went back to his old home by Dongting Lake.
After briefly tidying up and settling in, Qin Shi kept vigil before Peony's grave—and three more years passed in this way.
On the day he finally left the grave, Qin Shi personally served a plate of Peony Fish Fillet, a dish he had perfected to consummate mastery. Holding in his arms the chest—now somewhat old, yet still impeccably preserved—he stood for a long time before the empty tomb.
"Peony, I know you never ate fish. Using fish to cook a dish… you probably wouldn't be very happy about that."
"But I still want to leave behind a dish named after you, so that everyone in this world will remember you."
"This dish is called Peony Fish Fillet."
…
Qi Han's gaze followed Qin Shi from beginning to end.
He saw the entire process—from Qin Shi's first attempts to the final creation of Peony Fish Fillet.
He saw how Qin Shi spent his entire life refining, optimizing, and perfecting the dish, all so that it could leave its own mark in history.
He saw Qin Shi return to Sichuan holding the chest, and how he quickly became a leading figure among Sichuan chefs.
He saw that Qin Shi never married for his entire life.
And he saw, in Qin Shi's final moments, how he instructed his only last disciple to bury that chest—treasured for a lifetime—together with him after his death.
As Qin Shi closed his eyes for the final time, a white light once again enveloped Qi Han's vision.
As if separated by lifetimes, he returned to the system space.
The Peony Fish Fillet Food Realm—complete.
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