Seeing Han Qiwu walk into the house, Brother Jing said to Tang Qingying, "You go grab some anti-inflammatory meds from the room, I'll go get some Burnt Knife liquor."
"Anti-inflammatory meds?" Tang Qingying looked confused. "Uncle, where are you hurt?"
Brother Jing pointed at the kitchen. "Not me, it's that kid who's about to get hit. The dorsal spines of mandarin fish have neurotoxins. If you get stabbed, you have to treat it right away or it'll be a real headache. Painful and swollen. Back in my day, handling mandarin fish was a nightmare."
"Huh? Then why didn't you stop him, Uncle?" Tang Qingying stood up and was about to rush into the kitchen to stop Han Qiwu.
"Relax, it's just a little pain. Young people should gain some experience." Brother Jing waved his hand with a mischievous grin on his face.
Damn kid, taking my niece's money instead of mine!
In the kitchen, Han Qiwu touched Brother Jing's fish-cleaning knife, and instantly, a flood of muscle memory filled his body.
The knife angle, force application, bone structure, meat handling, special techniques—it all came into focus.
"This skill [Fish Filleting Technique] is terrifying!" Han Qiwu couldn't help but take a deep breath.
"Cough, smells so fishy."
Picking up the knife, Han Qiwu skillfully chopped the fish in half. As he was about to continue processing, he spotted a pile of dark red shards emitting a faint system glow in the cut section.
With the tip of the knife, he scooped it up and examined its properties through the system.
[Peach Blossom from Fish Belly]
[Note: Rare item, can be used in medicinal recipes]
"This really is a Peach Blossom Mandarin Fish?" Han Qiwu, worried that it might spoil, quickly stored it in his inventory.
Peach blossoms in a fish belly—Han Qiwu had never heard of such a thing before. No wonder it's a rare item. However, what intrigued him more was the detail revealed in the note,
Could it be that you can obtain medicinal recipes in this game?
But then Han Qiwu glanced at his limited inventory space and sighed, "Ten-slot storage is just not enough. I need to make money fast and upgrade."
He had already checked while fishing earlier. Upgrading to a twenty-slot inventory requires a massive 3,000 gold.
Better hold back for now.
Luckily, items other than system tools could be stored either outside or in the inventory. Of course, when placed in the inventory, their condition would remain unchanged.
After dividing the Peach Blossom Mandarin Fish into two parts, Han Qiwu set aside the head and focused on preparing the rest. The most important aspect of making Squirrel Mandarin Fish was knife skills—whether it could resemble a squirrel depended entirely on his craftsmanship.
"Han Qiwu, don't process the mandarin fish just yet; its dorsal spines are toxic." Tang Qingying hadn't heeded Tang Jing's words and came in to stop Han Qiwu anyway.
Why does getting hurt have to be the only way to gain knowledge?
"What?" Han Qiwu turned his head, not hearing her clearly.
Tang Qingying walked in and immediately noticed that the mandarin fish was already partially processed. When her eyes caught the exquisite knife work on the fish, she realized she probably didn't need to say anything after all.
Just from the mastery of those knife marks, it was clear Han Qiwu was an absolute pro at this.
"Never mind, carry on." Tang Qingying didn't want to interrupt him anymore. What if it affected the taste? Wild mandarin fish—she'd been craving it for a long time.
Exiting the house, Tang Jing, holding a small flask of alcohol, looked slightly startled when he saw Tang Qingying coming out alone. "That kid didn't get hurt?"
"Uncle, why do I feel like you're a bit disappointed?" Tang Qingying said sourly. "Go look for yourself."
Curious, Tang Jing walked inside with the flask, but he came out less than a minute later.
"Judging by that kid's hands, he doesn't look like someone who cooks. Strange." Tang Jing, feeling competitive, set the alcohol down and walked back into the kitchen. "Let me whip up some Braised Mandarin Fish."
Meanwhile, Han Qiwu remained blissfully unaware of the little schemes playing out outside. He was fully immersed in the joy of cooking.
The frying process turned the mandarin fish into an adorable squirrel shape. Shaking it slightly, you could even hear the sound of the fish meat rubbing against itself.
After preparing the sauce, Han Qiwu quickly completed the entire cooking process.
[Squirrel Peach Blossom Mandarin Fish (Gold Star Dish)⭐⭐⭐]
[Fishing Level +1 for three hours after consumption]
[Note: Enjoy it while it's hot, youngling.]
The first-ever gold-star dish had appeared!
The mandarin fish even had a faint glowing aura around it—absolutely premium!
Except for the strange little note, this dish was practically perfection!
Setting aside the massive stamina recovery, the bonus effect instantly captured Han Qiwu's attention.
Based on the current situation, eating this dish would temporarily boost his Fishing Level from 1 to 2 during the three-hour buff period. That meant he could equip the [Bronze Knife].
If Han Qiwu could catch ten fish within those three hours, he could complete the [Elder's Gift] quest far earlier than planned.
At that point, not only could he obtain the [Bronze Knife], but he'd also unlock trade privileges with [Fisherman's Brew].
What an unexpected jackpot!
Thank you, dear Shennong!
Looking at the gold-star dish before him, Han Qiwu bit his lip. "No, I can't eat this now. I need to turn the other fish into something easier to eat, like grilled fish jerky, to fully utilize those three hours."
Fortunately, Brother Jing had an oven, so Han Qiwu pulled out the six small sea fish he'd caught earlier. These fish were all relatively small and boneless, making them perfect for jerky—quick and convenient to eat.
"In the game, unlike reality, my stomach and digestion are limited. I can't just endlessly eat to replenish stamina—it has to come from high-quality dishes." Han Qiwu pondered while slicing the fish meat, ensuring it would cook faster and be easier to eat later.
"Wait a sec, isn't this the true purpose of the [Fish Filleting Technique] skill?" Han Qiwu shook his head in exasperation. Apparently, this skill was designed just to help him prepare stamina-boosting fish quickly!
In just five minutes, Han Qiwu processed all six fish and popped them into the oven. At this point, Brother Jing's Braised Mandarin Fish was also ready.
Han Qiwu quickly turned to check.
What if Brother Jing's dish had a faint glow too?
Unfortunately, although Brother Jing's dish had great color, aroma, and presentation, it lacked the all-important glow.
Han "Didn't Catch a Break" Qiwu felt mildly vexed.
"Stop fussing around; let's eat first." Brother Jing casually picked up Han Qiwu's Squirrel Mandarin Fish. "This craftsmanship is top-notch. Forget farming, go be a chef."
"Uncle, you shouldn't say that. Chefs handle the preparation of ingredients, but we handle their production," said Tang Qingying playfully. "Even the best cook can't make a meal without ingredients, right, Han Qiwu?"
"Teacher's absolutely right." Han Qiwu nodded. Farming is the future—where would we get food without farming?
"Fine, fine, you two are on the same page." Brother Jing adopted an exaggerated tone.
"Master, Senior Brother is right!"
"Master, Second Senior Brother is right!"
"Master, Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother are both right!"