River dam, kitchen. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The time was drawing closer to noon.

Xue Yuantong was getting ready to steam crabs, while the twins secretly learned beside her.

"Place ginger slices on the steaming tray," Xue Yuantong counted, picking up a piece of ginger and placing it on the pile of crabs.

Unexpectedly, a crab immediately extended its claw and firmly clamped onto the ginger slice. The coordination between the ingredients was seamlessly perfect!

Xue Yuantong asked the two, "What do you call this?"

Chen Siyu pondered and answered, "A wife’s self-defense instinct?"

Tongtong was confused, "What?"

Luckily, Chen Siyu had some conscience and didn’t lead the children astray.

Xue Yuantong continued laying ginger slices on the crabs, and afterward, she covered the pot lid, adding ginger and cooking wine to the water. Steaming the crabs was not difficult at all.

Behind the stove, Jiang Ning was tending the fire.

Chen Siyu was itching to try, "Tongtong, there’s a small induction cooker over there you don’t seem to use. Could you spare me some crabs? I want to try it!"

Xue Yuantong was generous, "Go ahead and give it a try!"

Chen Siyu was overjoyed that she could not only eat but also learn to cook at Tongtong’s house.

She happily ran off to steam her crabs.

Chen Siyu only had to worry about her own tasks, whereas Xue Yuantong had to manage the progress of the entire lunch. Luckily, she had Chen Siqing as her assistant.

"When the water boils, flip the crabs over," Tongtong instructed.

The snakehead fish had transformed from oval to slice shape, fully marinated. Tongtong poured oil into the earthen pot and added the snakehead fish to fry.

After frying it, she scooped it out and laid it on a grill pan with celery, lotus root slices, and cucumber, then started stir-frying the base ingredients. All the while, she didn’t forget to look at the roasted pigeons at the door.

Through the smoky air, Jiang Ning watched her tiny figure scurry about. Though small, she was quite capable, the type who could prepare a whole New Year’s Eve dinner alone, giving him an inexplicable sense of peace.

The next moment, Jiang Ning noticed her sneakily licking honey with her hand behind his back, and that trust instantly vanished.

"Tongtong, what are you doing?" Jiang Ning questioned.

Xue Yuantong turned around, licking her lips with her pink tongue, "I’m roasting pigeons, what else?"

"The honey is for the pigeons," Jiang Ning reminded.

Xue Yuantong retorted inwardly: ’The pigeon would end up in my stomach anyway, right?’

Jiang Ning couldn’t be bothered with her and checked his phone, seeing Chuchu had replied with "Okay."

She remained cool and distant.

Jiang Ning said, "Chuchu has finished school, show all your strength now."

"Got it!"

Tongtong intensively stir-fried the base ingredients, poured half a can of beer, added water to boil, then scooped out the broth and poured it all over the grilled fish.

Finally, she clapped her hands, "Done!"

At the same time, by the riverbank, small wild pond.

The originally two-meter deep pond had been heartlessly drained to only one or two centimeters by Lin Zida and the others, even allowing them to see the water ripples stirred by the fish moving.

Zhuang Jianhui stopped the water pump, bringing instant quiet to everyone’s ears.

"Alright, let’s catch fish!" Zhuang Jianhui announced the formal start of the fish-catching event.

He specially prepared a bucket to hold the fish.

Gong Jin and Wang Yong promptly waded into the pond to start the fish-catching competition.

Xu Wenyi stood by the pond, amazed by their energy; the pond was nearly ten meters long, and they managed to drain it...

Zhuang Jianhui laughed, "Wenyi, want to give it a try? You probably haven’t caught fish before, right?"

Xu Wenyi’s eyes sparkled with curiosity; growing up in the city, she had only heard the older generation’s stories, she indeed hadn’t tried it herself.

Tempting Xu Wenyi, Zhuang Jianhui turned to the long-haired, straight-haired Yin Yu, this time regaining his confidence, "Want to try?"

He knew this girl wanted to see his lively antics.

Zhuang Jianhui was well aware, that his sharp edges along the way had attracted many jealous stares, but fortunately, he had always been strong.

Yin Yu complimented, "You’re really amazing."

Zhuang Jianhui just smiled casually, dissipating some of the annoyance in his heart, "Just basic stuff."

"Got it, damn, a catfish!" Gong Jin held onto a slippery black fish, filled with excitement.

Wang Yong praised, "Brother Jin is awesome! Such a slippery fish, yet you caught it."

Another reminder, "But be careful of the yellow catfish, it’ll cut your hand."

Gong Jin said, "What strength do I have?"

Zhuang Jianhui on the shore saw his show-off attitude, couldn’t help thinking: ’If I hadn’t drained the water, what strength do you have?’

Zhuang Jianhui didn’t dawdle on the shore, he took off his shoes and joined the fish-catching in the pond.

The thrill of fish-catching was stronger than fishing, and even the air felt lively for a moment.

Meanwhile, at the River Dam Bungalow.

Jiang Ning set up the dining table in the hallway, facing the endless wheat fields outside.

Today’s lunch was fairly sumptuous, with roasted wild snakehead fish, honey-baked tender pigeon, steamed crab, stir-fried lettuce, and cold tomato salad.

Just as the dishes were set, a black electric bike turned into the front yard of the bungalow.

"Chuchu!" Tongtong called, "Come and eat!"

Immediately, her eyes froze, "Chuchu, you bought a cake?"

Xue Chuchu carried the cake down, pursed her lips, "Jiang Ning asked me to bring it."

Xue Yuantong looked at Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning said, "Your mom asked me to bring it."

Chen Siyu nudged her sister: ’How come a cake is packed in so many layers?’

Xue Yuantong felt sweet in her heart, her mom fooled her this morning, but it turned out she really bought a cake: ’Mom is the best.’

At this moment, her mom’s place in her heart rose to the level of Jiang Ning.

"Did you buy cola?" Jiang Ning took a big bottle of cola from her hands.

Xue Chuchu instinctively shrank her hands.

Jiang Ning noticed her reaction but didn’t say anything.

"Let’s eat."

"Time to eat!"

The five of them gathered around the dining table, Xue Chuchu seeing the sumptuous dishes had a hint of joy in her eyes.

Tongtong explained to her, "This pigeon was caught by me, this snakehead fish is..."

Chen Siyu raised her hand, "Me!"

By the wild pond.

"Haha, catching so many, the bucket can’t hold them anymore!"

Gong Jin straightened his back, splattered with some mud on his face, a bit disheveled, but the excitement was real.

"I guess there aren’t many big fish left, just some hard-to-catch ones. I almost caught a yellow catfish earlier, luckily I reacted quickly!"

Xu Wenyi on the shore said, "Not only is the bucket full, but the basin is almost full too. Shouldn’t we head back?"

These fish were enough for a fish feast, and she was getting a bit hungry; returning to process the fish and then cook them might be too late.

Zhuang Jianhui said, "There should be a few hard-to-catch ones left in the pond, let me get them first, and as for the basin getting full..."

Lin Zida had a stroke of genius, "I remember there’s a big fishing net in the tricycle!"

He climbed up the bank, saying, "Just toss the fish into the net later, leave the net in the water, the fish won’t die from lack of oxygen, like how we usually handle when fishing."

Zhuang Jianhui said, "Alright, it’s up to you, let’s have a fish feast at noon!"

Then Lin Zida took the big fishing net to the other end of the ditch blocked with mud bags, which connected with the Hui River.

Xu Wenyi approached, "Let me help."

"No need, it’s easy."

Lin Zida secured the fishing net, submerging the net body into the water.

He first emptied the bucket into the net, sending a flurry of flapping fish—snakehead fish, bluefish, catfish—splashing and darting, quite impressive.

Then, Lin Zida picked up the basin and emptied all the fish into the net too, "Mission accomplished."

Suddenly, there was a "bang," something snapped.

Lin Zida felt a jolt, a sense of impending doom surfaced in his heart.

He hurriedly tugged at the fishing net, pulling out a ragged net, his mind suddenly becoming dazed.

’Dammit, where are my fish?’

Xu Wenyi remarked, ’Trouble, even Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei would break up over this!’