"What are you daydreaming about? Is it not to your taste?" Brother Jing sipped his liquor and asked Han Qi Wu, who seemed distracted.
"Ah, no, no," Han Qi Wu snapped out of it and began tasting the food.
This little fried fish should be properly called fried dried fish. The dried fish was already intensely flavorful, but after being softened and fried, it managed to be crispy without losing its taste—fragrant yet not fishy, with an aftertaste full of oceanic aroma. Closing your eyes, you could almost feel yourself swimming freely in the sea.
As for the milky white fish soup, there was no need to elaborate—it was delicious, with lingering flavors that left you wanting more. Even the boiled bok choy was so good that Han Qi Wu couldn't stop eating.
"This liquor is amazing, but the more I drink, the less there seems to be." Tang Qingying leaned against the wooden post behind her, drinking the last sip from her bowl with a regretful expression.
After the liquor, Tang Qingying's face was tinged with a rosy hue, and her usually sharp gaze softened, giving her more of a big-sister-like demeanor.
"Mr. Tang, when are you heading back to school?" Han Qi Wu asked casually.
"After dinner tonight. Why, are you facing some difficulties?" Tang Qingying leaned forward a little as she replied. Maybe it was because of the sudden movement, but Han Qi Wu found his vision momentarily blurred.
"There's no difficulty at all; I was just thinking we could go fishing this afternoon." Han Qi Wu mustered up his courage to suggest it, but he regretted it immediately after. His fishing style was different from others'; solo fishing was more his forte.
"Can't do. I need to revise my paper this afternoon," Tang Qingying shook her head and pulled out a folded letter from her bag, "By the way, I wrote down some project suggestions for you. Take a look."
Han Qi Wu exhaled in relief as he took the letter and carefully read it.
After reading, he was filled with respect. Teaching knowledge is challenging, but even more so when you teach not from your perspective but from the receiver's viewpoint. The information on the letter seemed tailor-made for him and was highly practical.
"Thank you, Mr. Tang," Han Qi Wu said gratefully.
"No need for thanks—go ahead and clean the bowls and wash the pots." Brother Jing chuckled as he walked back into the house.
Han Qi Wu: ".....No problem."
3:00 PM, by the river.
"Up for 0.6 seconds, down for 1.2 seconds, pause for 5 seconds, up for 1.3 seconds... Damn! Got away again!" Han Qi Wu grumbled while munching on spicy water plants.
After finishing the water plants, his stamina recovered, and his mood improved.
"This mandarin fish is ridiculously hard to catch!" Han Qi Wu put down his rod and stretched his legs—no way was he falling into the river again.
That afternoon, Han Qi Wu realized that human reaction times had limits. Sometimes, even when he could guess the track, it seemed near impossible to manage the erratic float movement. The float was too short.
Sigh, short things just don't cut it, whether it's floats or people.
Thanks to the rainy weather, fishing wasn't uncomfortably hot in the afternoon. Aside from failing to catch the mandarin fish, the harvest was decent.
[Large-mouth bass] ×4.
These two types of fish had easier patterns, and Han Qi Wu even considered fishing in the river to farm experience points at lower levels.
In addition, Han Qi Wu had reeled in four batches of water plants, which he used to restore stamina, finishing them all. Besides water plants, he also hooked some trash:
[Worn-out leather shoe]
Adhering to the principle of waste utilization, Han Qi Wu packed these into a plastic bag to bring home, just in case they might come in handy someday.
"Stamina left: 25 points. Let's fish a bit more, and if I run out of stamina, I'll head to Brother Jing's place to roast and eat the fish." Han Qi Wu pondered. Compared to crops, fish were less convenient since you couldn't eat them straight away. He'd need to figure out a solution later.
Wait, Han Qi Wu thought of something.
Brother Jing is Mr. Tang's uncle, but I call Brother Jing my brother... Doesn't that mess up the relationships a little?
Hmm....... Forget it, let's just treat things separately!
Of course, if I could get one more liver too, that'd be great.
Man, this game is a grind.
Han Qi Wu started worrying about his hairline.
Maximum distance—hook in the water.
Han Qi Wu saw the mandarin fish icon again. He immediately perked up, moving the fishing bar according to the patterns he'd observed in the afternoon.
The next half-minute felt excruciatingly long as Han Qi Wu stared intently at the screen, muttering.
"Up for 0.6 seconds, down for 1.2 seconds, pause for 5 seconds, up for 1.3 seconds... Why is this fish moving so fast!?... Adjust quickly!"
Han Qi Wu felt as though smoke was rising from his head.
His eyes locked on the float as he pushed his capabilities to 120%.
[Congratulations! You've successfully completed a perfect fishing catch!]
[Peach Blossom Mandarin Fish (Gold Star Quality) ⭐☆]
[Note: This is a rare Peach Blossom Mandarin Fish that can only be obtained once a week.]
"Peach Blossom Mandarin Fish?" Exhausted, Han Qi Wu removed the fish from the hook, feeling utterly satisfied.
The Peach Blossom Mandarin Fish was enormous, nearly fifty centimeters long, and weighed three to four pounds. Its glossy scales and sheen marked it as purely wild.
"Done! Dinner's settled!" Han Qi Wu jubilantly carried the Peach Blossom Mandarin Fish back.
"Peach blossom water makes mandarin fish fat... Could it be that this fish grew big eating peach blossoms?" On the way back, Han Qi Wu mulled over it. Though he had learned [Fish Filleting Technique] last night and [Squirrel Mandarin Fish] this morning from television, he still felt unsure about executing it perfectly.
If he embarrassed himself in front of Mr. Tang, how awkward would that be?
Back at "Fisherman's Drunk", Tang Qingying happened to step outside for air and caught sight of the giant mandarin fish Han Qi Wu was carrying.
"Such a huge mandarin fish? You're amazing! Uncle, come and look!" Tang Qingying dropped her cup and ran over, looking quite like a little girl.
Brother Jing set down his tasks and walked over. "Whoa, such a big mandarin fish? Must've grown for five or six years." He patted Han Qi Wu's shoulder, "Kid, you're good. Caught this with that toy rod?"
"Hehe," Han Qi Wu grinned stupidly, "Just lucky, just lucky."
"If you sell this fish to the town's restaurant, it'll fetch several thousand. What's your plan?" Brother Jing examined the fish and asked Han Qi Wu.
"Plan? Eat it, of course. This is dinner for the three of us tonight." Han Qi Wu had no intention of selling it; he was banking on the stamina boost to fish through the night. According to the fish encyclopedia, some fish could only be caught at night.
"Sounds good, but fair's fair—I need to pay you. Xiao Ying has been craving mandarin fish for ages; lucky you reeled one in," Brother Jing pulled out his phone. "This fish is worth six thousand; what's your account number?"
"Brother Jing, are you mocking me? Treating my brother and my teacher to dinner and asking for money? You didn't charge me for lunch, either!" Han Qi Wu shook his head. Ever since becoming a private tutor in college, his earnings were more than enough for living expenses, and his savings were healthy. He didn't need their money.
Quickly changing the subject, Han Qi Wu added, "Brother Jing, this fish is big enough—how about we split it? I'll take the back half and make Squirrel Mandarin Fish."
"Han Qi Wu, you're still a student. Six thousand isn't a small amount; you should take it. Besides, even money couldn't buy such a quality wild mandarin fish on the market. I'll accept the gesture, but you need to accept the money. Oh, and don't try to return it, got it?" Tang Qingying, who was crouching by the bucket, stood up and laughed. "Your teacher can afford one fish!"
Since she had Han Qi Wu's account from previous lab reimbursement dealings, Tang Qingying transferred the money without hesitation.
Brother Jing wasn't one to dither either. Putting away his phone, he laughed, "Well, that's settled, then. But kid, can you really make Squirrel Mandarin Fish? That's a chef's skill level—I can't even do it."
"Should be manageable," Han Qi Wu grinned as he carried the mandarin fish toward the kitchen.