Chapter 2327: Chapter 2391: Clever Little Girl

Li Yifei really wanted to reach out and rub the little girl’s head, but he didn’t have the strength to do so now. He just said, "You saved Uncle, and Uncle is a grateful person who will thank you properly."

"No, no, it’s really not necessary. I didn’t think about that, Uncle!" Chen Junxiao hurriedly waved his hand and said.

"Precisely because of this, I must repay you!" Li Yifei laughed and said, "Alright, you go ahead and cook. For the next few days, Uncle will eat yours, drink yours, and stay at yours. After a few days, when Uncle recovers a bit, I’ll help you with the house!"

"Alright, then I’ll go cook!" Chen Junxiao laughed.

"Hmm, you don’t need to close the door. I think watching you cook is quite nice!" Li Yifei said.

Chen Junxiao nodded, then went out to start cleaning the fish. The kitchen was probably just a few square meters in size, with a small stove where some thin sticks were burning and some oddly shaped pieces of wood that looked like they had been picked up from the seaside. Once dried, they became very dry and were suitable for burning.

The little girl worked very efficiently and skillfully, cleaning the fish in no time and putting it into the pot. Li Yifei noticed that she hesitated for a moment before taking out a bottle of oil. It was unclear what type of oil it was, but it didn’t look like soybean oil. She dipped a little into the pot before thinking for a moment and adding a few more drops. This small bottle of oil was only about the size of a bottle of mineral water, and the oil inside was nearly full.

Li Yifei couldn’t help but think that this bottle of oil might have been given by a kind person, but she was usually reluctant to use it. Today, she took it out for him, and then added a few more drops, probably thinking that it was too little. This cautious yet generous appearance was observed by Li Yifei, who thought the Li family had been having good days for too long. Even the women in the house hadn’t really lived through difficult times. Su Yiyi’s days were considered tough, but they were incomparable to Chen Junxiao’s.

With a sigh in his heart, Li Yifei saw Chen Junxiao turn back and smile at him. Li Yifei smiled back and said, "Be careful not to burn yourself."

"I won’t, I’m very skilled," replied Chen Junxiao.

With the meal ready, the sun had just set, and there was still some time before darkness fell. Chen Junxiao brought the fish soup inside, carefully cooling it before serving himself a bowl. Although the fish brought by the old man was not fresh, it was quite large. If the fish were not eaten right away, it would have to be thrown away immediately, as it would become unpleasantly smelly. Since it was given, the kindness should be remembered, especially as the bowl of fish soup was quite enticing to Li Yifei.

Perhaps in ancient times, human ancestors did not carry the gene to react to the aroma of meat produced by cooking. However, through long-term development, this gene was inherited, and smelling various meat aromas would bring about joyful feelings. Li Yifei licked his lips, being fed a bowl of fish soup by the little girl, along with lots of fish meat. Li Yifei’s chewing ability was still intact, so when he encountered fish bones, he would simply chew them up and swallow them.

This scene left Chen Junxiao stunned, thinking to himself, is Uncle really that hungry? Not even spitting out the bones, this is really scary!

Li Yifei did this for convenience, and the bones were also nutritious for him, providing nutrients that could aid in the recovery of his body.

After Chen Junxiao ate a bowl of fish soup and some porridge, Li Yifei devoured all the leftover seafood porridge and the fish soup, along with the two fish. He consumed them like a glutton, finishing a bowl of porridge and a bowl of fish soup in a few large bites.

Watching the little girl clean the dishes, Li Yifei lay contentedly, estimating that digesting these foods and converting them to energy would help him recover more. Unfortunately, the food was still somewhat scarce. If there were ten or twenty pounds of beef, even pork, any kind of meat would help him recover faster.

Indeed, Chen Junxiao’s small house had no lights. As night fell, Li Yifei could see clearly from her, but she couldn’t see him because the window was in the back, making it difficult for moonlight to shine through.

Li Yifei felt his body was recovering, albeit slowly. He had already started trying to communicate with his Dantian, slowly initiating his techniques, but there was no hurry. There was no danger, so whether he recovered a few days early or late didn’t matter.

Even though he was just an ordinary person, once his body recovered, Li Yifei could effortlessly defeat a bunch of people, considering he was the king of soldiers.

Isn’t it a bit too early to start going to sleep around seven or eight o’clock? Li Yifei felt it was rather premature, so after a while, he couldn’t resist asking, "What time do you usually go to sleep?"

"I don’t know what time, but it’s probably quite a long while. It won’t be too late though, because I have to get up early to catch the sea," Chen Junxiao replied.

Li Yifei nodded, being able to clearly see Chen Junxiao’s little face, and after listening to her response, he asked, "What do you do during that time?"

"There are lots of things I can do. Sometimes I go to the seaside. If the moonlight is sufficient, I can see far away. The water glow is very beautiful, and I can hear the sound of the waves. Also, I recite ancient poems. When I was little, my dad taught me to recite many ancient poems. I still remember those poems, although I mostly don’t understand the meanings!"

"The Three Hundred Tang Poems?" Li Yifei asked.

"Yes, and also Song Lyrics and Yuan Opera!"

"Haha, you know so much? How about I quiz you?"

"Um...it’s actually not a lot, just what I memorized back then that I still remember. Uncle, don’t test me with anything too hard!"

"It won’t be too difficult. Let’s start with Tang Poems, only reciting, not asking for meanings!" Li Yifei said, seeing the anticipation on Chen Junxiao’s little face as she sat up straight, hands behind her back, looking very much like a student paying serious attention in class. Li Yifei thought for a moment and said, "Can you recite Luo Binwang’s ’Goose Rhyme’?"

"Goose, goose, goose! Bending head to sing toward the sky, white feathers floating on green water, red feet stirring clear waves!" Chen Junxiao immediately recited with some rhythm, her articulation very clear in standard Mandarin.

Li Yifei smiled and said, "Very nice, very nice, this is indeed one of the opening works of Tang Poems. Next, the great poet Meng Haoran’s ’Spring Dawn.’"

"’Spring Dawn,’ In spring I sleep unaware of dawn, everywhere birds are chirping, last night’s winds and rains, how many blossoms were swept away?" Chen Junxiao fluently recited.

Li Yifei became interested and continued, "Li Bai’s ’Quiet Night Thought!’"

"Before my bed, the moon is shining bright, wondering if it’s frost upon the ground. I raise my head to gaze upon the moon, lower it again to think of home."

"’Climbing Stork Tower,’ Wang Zhihuan!"

"The sun sets behind the mountains, the Yellow River flows into the sea. To see a thousand miles further, climb up one more floor!"

That’s really good, Li Yifei nodded repeatedly and said, "You’ve recited very well. Next, I’m going to test you on something a bit harder. Are you ready?"

"Uncle, I only know the ones from that book, I don’t know the others..." Chen Junxiao managed to recite several poems, feeling quite happy inside.

Li Yifei laughed and said, "Of course, I won’t test you on anything outside the book. If I do, you don’t have to answer!"

"Okay, Uncle, go ahead and test me!"

"Hmm, let me think!" Li Yifei contemplated. He had memorized these things when he was young, but that was more than twenty years ago. Li Yifei searched his memory and said, "Li Bai’s ’The Waterfall in Mount Lu’!"

"Hmm... Under the sunlight, the incense burner yields purple mist, from afar the waterfall appears hanging before the stream. The flow descends straight three thousand feet, seeming like the Galaxy falls from nine heavens."

"Impressive, let’s continue." Li Yifei said, "Do you know ’Tomorrow’s Song’?"

"I do."

"Let me hear it."

"Tomorrow and tomorrow again, how many tomorrows are in store? I live waiting for tomorrow, and every task ends in vain!"

"Do you understand its meaning?"

"This one I do know. When my father taught me, he explained it, saying if you want to accomplish something, do it right away; don’t postpone it to tomorrow. Delay from day to day, eventually, nothing gets done," Chen Junxiao said.

Li Yifei smiled and said, "Exactly, complete today’s tasks today!"

"Uncle, continue testing me. Since my dad passed away, nobody has tested me on these!"

"Let’s try something more difficult!" Seeing Chen Junxiao nodding vigorously with great interest, Li Yifei said, "Bai Juyi’s ’Asking Liu Shijiu’!"

"Hmm... I remember it’s about drinking wine. Let me think... Green Ant Fresh Wine, red clay little stove. The evening comes with the hint of snow, can you drink a cup or not? Is it this one?"

"Yes, that’s the one, not a single mistake!" Li Yifei replied.

Chen Junxiao breathed a sigh of relief, seeming worried he might not be able to recite it, and then asked, "But what is snow? I don’t know..."

"Snow is just another form of water, very beautiful!" Li Yifei said. It rarely snows in Lingnan, even when it does, it’s not what one would call snow; only the snow in the North is truly snow."

"I wish I could see it someday," Chen Junxiao said longingly, for things unseen, she could only rely on imagination, yet imagination remains limited; it cannot impede her yearning for beautiful things.

In the dark night, one responsible for testing, the other earnestly reciting. Every time a poem is recited, Chen Junxiao would rejoice for quite a while, appearing to cheer exuberantly, but as long as it’s memorized, she would be very proficient.

"’Boudoir Resentment,’ Wang Changling!"

"In the boudoir, the young wife knows not of sorrow; on spring days, she adorns herself, climbs the emerald tower. Suddenly at the end of the street, seeing the green of willows, she regrets sending her husband off to seek noble ranks!"

"’Chibi City,’ Du Mu."

"Broken halberds sink into the sand, the iron is not yet gone; washing them, shows marks of the previous dynasty. If the east wind doesn’t favor Zhou Yu, then copper sparrow locks down both Qiaos in spring!"

"..."

Until very late, Li Yifei tested while Chen Junxiao recited. She recited a whole hundred ancient poems in one go before Li Yifei stopped. The little girl not only recited clearly, but she also thoroughly understood the meaning of each poem, proving she was actually very smart, with a good memory. It was just unfortunate she had missed years of schooling, which set her back. If she could continue attending school, surely she’d excel academically.

Li Yifei felt a sense of regret in his heart and further confirmed a certain idea of his.