Although there were indeed fish swimming in the underground river, who knew if there were any viruses or bacteria in the water, even boiling it wouldn't kill them.
So, she pretended to go fetch water, but in reality, she took mineral water from the storage cabinet and poured it into the kettle.
Then, she entered with a full kettle and exclaimed with feigned surprise:
"Sister Lan Yue, look, I caught a loach."
It was a plump loach, good for braising but too fishy for a clear stew.
Du Lan Yue was amused that Gu Qingcheng managed to catch a loach while fetching water.
Thus, the two of them engaged in a discussion about whether to braise or stew the loach, eventually deciding on braising.
They started the fire and cooked.
A pot of cured meat rice went onto the stove, then the loach was put into a copper pot to be braised. Next, a piece of Pu-erh tea was placed in the kettle, and water was added to boil.
The aroma of rice, meat, and tea filled the air.
A sense of warmth spread through the cave.
Gu Qingcheng and Du Lan Yue were so engrossed in cooking that they temporarily forgot their precarious situation.
There wasn't much firewood in the cave, so it ran out quickly. Fortunately, they had a continuous fuel source: the coal Gu Qingcheng "discovered."
The coal was directly added to the firewood pile and soon burned fiercely.
Coal provided higher heat than firewood and burned for a longer duration. Gu Qingcheng noticed that the stone chamber was not sealed, so there was no need to worry about carbon monoxide poisoning.
The water in the kettle began to bubble, emitting a rich tea fragrance. Smelling her favorite tea, Gu Qingcheng's mood brightened considerably, and she hummed a little tune, seemingly forgetting their dangerous predicament.
Gu Qingcheng's composure, unfazed even as Mount Tai collapsed, bolstered Du Lan Yue's spirits.
"Young Master Gu, if I closed my eyes and just listened to your cheerful tune, I'd think we were in a teahouse!"
Du Lan Yue chuckled and said.
"My elders taught me to remain calm in the face of great events. What is there to fear? We have food and drink, and we might even be more comfortable than the refugees outside. What is there to be dissatisfied about?
Circumstances are created by the mind. If you feel happy, you are happy, no matter where you are."
Gu Qingcheng said casually.
But it was precisely her casual demeanor that revealed the sincerity of her words, not an attempt to appear profound.
Du Lan Yue also relaxed and said, "That's very well said. I will keep 'remain calm in the face of great events' in mind and strive to cultivate myself."
"I hope you never have to use it."
Gu Qingcheng said, then poured two bowls of the brewed tea, offering one to Du Lan Yue. Du Lan Yue took a sip of the hot tea, a look of satisfaction on her face.
"This is so delicious, the most fragrant tea I've ever had."
Gu Qingcheng chuckled and replied, "Of course, when we are in dire straits, everything we eat tastes better than usual."
"You really are clueless about romance," Du Lan Yue chided.
The words slipped out before she could stop them, and she felt a bit flustered.
However, Gu Qingcheng seemed not to notice and apologized, "I'm just straightforward like this, maybe it's because I spent all my time at the archery range. I really am clueless about romance."
Athletes tend to be less circuitous.
Du Lan Yue's lips curved upwards. "I was just speaking casually."
Gu Qingcheng took a large, satisfying sip of her own tea and then said contentedly, "Sister Lan Yue, the rice is cooked."
It had to be said that Gu Qingcheng's cooking skills, while not as good as Mi Guo's, were still decent. The ingredients were excellent: prime cured meat, high-quality rice, and firewood-cooked rice, no less delicious than that served in a high-end hotel.
The salty, rich flavor of the cured meat had permeated the rice. The amount of water used had cooked the rice to a perfect texture, chewy and springy. They both ate the cured meat rice with gusto and finished every bit of the braised loach.
Gu Qingcheng voluntarily took the bowls to wash them by the underground river.
Du Lan Yue insisted on accompanying her.
Her reason was that she was afraid of the dark and didn't want to be alone.
So, Gu Qingcheng let her carry the bowls while she held the candle, and they slowly approached the underground river.
"I guess the refugees who hid here to take shelter must have been wealthy and influential figures, otherwise, they wouldn't have stored so much grain, and of such good quality," Du Lan Yue chatted casually.
"What makes you say that?" Gu Qingcheng asked.
"If ordinary people stored so much grain, they would have taken it with them when they evacuated. Even if coal was inconvenient to carry, they would have taken the cured meat and rice. Such precious supplies, why would they just abandon them here?"
Du Lan Yue's reasoning was sound and coincidentally provided Gu Qingcheng with an opportunity. Gu Qingcheng seized it and said, "Perhaps there are even richer treasures that we haven't discovered yet. Maybe enough for us to live here for the rest of our lives."
"The rest of our lives?"
Du Lan Yue was startled at first, but upon further thought, spending the rest of her life with Gu Qingcheng, she was willing.
"Ha, I'm just kidding. Did I scare you?"
Gu Qingcheng led her to a shallow spot by the underground river and began washing the bowls.
"Oh, there really are many fish. It's a pity they're hard to catch."
Du Lan Yue, by candlelight, saw fish swimming in the water.
"They're quite foolish, not hard to catch," Gu Qingcheng lied.
"Huh? Young Master Gu, look, there's something shiny in the river. Is it fish scales? Or am I seeing things?"
Du Lan Yue pointed to a spot in the river.
Gu Qingcheng took the candle from her hand, held it up, and said, "Something is indeed shimmering there, not fish scales. I'll go take a look."
With nothing else to do, Gu Qingcheng wanted to investigate.
"Don't go in, the water is cold."
Before Du Lan Yue could stop her, Gu Qingcheng had already rolled up her trousers and stepped into the river.
The river was not deep, only reaching above her calves.
Gu Qingcheng waded forward.
"It's a box, very old and rusted. Something is exposed, reflecting the light."
Gu Qingcheng bent down and dragged a tin box buried in the sand at the bottom of the river.
The tin box was buried in the sandy riverbed, likely for a long time. The top layer of tin was covered in rust, and there was a breach.
Gu Qingcheng, without hesitation, dragged the iron box ashore.
The box was heavy for an ordinary person, but for Gu Qingcheng, who had taken the "strength pill," it was no effort at all.
She easily pulled the tin box ashore.
"What is it?"
Du Lan Yue was greatly surprised.
"It's a tin box. The important thing is what's inside," Gu Qingcheng said with a smile.
"Let's open it," Du Lan Yue was also curious.
Although the tin box was rusty, it was secured with a large lock. Its craftsmanship was quite exquisite, clearly not an ordinary item.
"Let's take it back to where we're staying before we examine it properly."
Gu Qingcheng asked Du Lan Yue to hold the bowls while she dragged the tin box with one hand and held the candle with the other.
Seeing her effortless movement, Du Lan Yue worried that Gu Qingcheng was pretending to be strong to spare her effort, and said, "Shall I help you carry the box?"
"No need, it's very light," Gu Qingcheng replied.
They walked back to the cave. Gu Qingcheng placed the box on the ground in front of the fire so they could clearly see its contents.