Ch72 No Way-These Are Piranhas!
"Alright, let's head back."
Shen Que held a bucket that looked well-filled. "Mm."
Meng Ci had lost all the enthusiasm he'd felt on the way here. Now, he stared at the fish as if they were some kind of terrifying beast.
Shen Que hoisted the bucket onto the assault boat, puzzled by Meng Ci's sudden change.
Was this just how unpredictable teenagers were?
But Shen Que recalled his own eighteenth year he hadn't been this volatile.
When Shen Que saw only three fish in the stern of the boat, he wondered if Meng Ci hadn't caught more and was upset about it.
So, as he turned the boat around, he offered a genuinely awkward compliment: "You're pretty good-catching fish while staying on the boat."
Meng Ci didn't like the praise at all. He even wanted to soak his hands in disinfectant.
His hands had touched fish-fish that ate people!
On the way back, Meng Ci glanced at the fish in the bucket and suggested, "When we get back, we could share some with the teachers."
He still had plenty of fish in his spatial pocket, though they were all frozen.
He'd have to figure out how to swap the remaining fish for ones from his pocket.
As for the teachers... well, sorry about that.
If you mind that these fish have eaten human flesh, just toss them discreetly.
Besides, it's not certain these fish ever consumed human flesh.
Back on the seventeenth floor, Meng Ci took half the fish and delivered them to Yun Jingcen and the others.
In return, he received a small piece of cured pork from Yun Jingcen.
"This cured meat cost us a fortune during the heavy rains," Yun Jingcen cautioned. "Don't you dare waste it."
Meng Ci nodded, promising not to.
His storage space lacked cured meat, making this perfect for braised rice.
When Yun Jingcen asked where they'd caught the fish, Meng Ci revealed the location.
So Yun Jingcen and the others took the motorboat out and soon returned with two buckets of fish.
Yun Jingcen generously handed one bucket of fish to Meng Ci.
The mere thought that these fish might have eaten human flesh made Meng Ci refuse flatly.
He insisted that if they wanted to eat fish, they would catch their own later.
Seeing Meng Ci's refusal, Yun Jingcen didn't press the matter.
Recalling that Mao Xinyu taught biology, and textbooks covered topics like fermented tofu and pickled radish, perhaps she knew how to cure fish too.
Once these fish were properly prepared, she could send some to Meng Ci and the others.
That way, they could be stored longer.
After returning, Meng Ci didn't Immediately give the bucket of fish to Shen Que.
"I'll take these fish home to process them properly, then give you half.
"Otherwise, if they stay out of water too long and spoil, they'll be inedible."
If he and Shen Que ever ended up together, the thought of Shen Que eating these piranhas made Meng Ci feel he couldn't bring himself to kiss him.
So he'd take them home himself, swap them for fish from his spatial pocket, and then give them to Shen Que.
Fortunately, today's catch consisted of common species like perch and crucian carp.
Meng Ci's spatial storage contained similar varieties, so even if he swapped them, Shen Que wouldn't notice.
"Alright, thanks for taking care of it!"
Shen Que didn't hesitate and offered to help Meng Ci after changing clothes.
Meng Ci flatly refused, offering a strained explanation under Shen Que's puzzled gaze.
"It's raining now and I've got nothing to do. Preparing the fish slowly will keep me occupied and stop me from getting bored."
"If you help me finish quickly, then I'll have nothing to do later."
Shen Que didn't understand but respected his decision, dropping the matter.
Seeing Shen Que accept it, Meng Ci silently applauded his own cleverness.
He then suggested making braised fish for lunch and invited Shen Que to join them.
Shen Que nodded in agreement.
After returning to their respective homes, Meng Ci entered his spatial pocket to wash his hair. He gave himself a quick wipe-down, changed clothes, and stepped out holding a thawed fish.
He had originally stored this fish directly from someone's freezer into his space, where items remain in a state of stasis.
Meaning whatever it was when placed inside, it remains the same when taken out.
Thus, even after all this time, the fish was still frozen solid.
However, when he entered his space, he had taken this particular fish out and placed it in the microwave oven in his space kitchen to thaw.
Before Shen Que arrived, Meng Ci scaled the fish, gutted it, removed the gills, and washed it clean-ready for cooking.
He added oil to the pan and sprinkled in a pinch of salt to prevent sticking.
Placing the fish in the pan, he seared both sides until golden brown. then added scallions, ginger, and garlic to the pan to release their aromas. He poured in a bowl of water and the prepared sauce, then simmered it for fifteen minutes.
When Shen Que returned after changing clothes, the aroma of fish wafted through the air.
"The fish will be ready soon!" Meng Ci stirred the fish with a spatula to prevent it from sticking.
"I'll stir-fry some shredded potatoes and blanch some greens shortly."
"Alright." Shen Que nodded.
After glancing around the kitchen, Shen Que turned and stepped outside.
When he returned, Meng Ci noticed what Shen Que was carrying and asked, "Didn't you say I wouldn't have to carry things anymore? Why are you still bringing stuff?"
Shen Que set down a ten-kilogram bag of rice on the countertop and explained, "Didn't you run out of rice?"
Meng Ci retorted, "I do have rice!"
He then pulled open a cabinet, revealing a bag of rice that was still more than half full.
Shen Que's motion of opening the rice bag that morning froze. "Oh!"
"Was that for noodles later?
Looks like I misunderstood."
"I thought you were out of rice, so I didn't steam any."
Hearing this, Meng Ci suddenly realized!
Damn it, I'm about to make a fool of myself.
Earlier, Meng Ci had only been focused on quickly preparing the fish to avoid Shen Que noticing anything off.
He'd also been preoccupied with how to cook the vegetables deliciously to win Shen Que's heart, completely forgetting about making rice.
How embarrassing.
Meng Cl cleared his throat lightly. "I was actually planning to have noodles."
"But since you want rice, I'll steam some."
As he spoke, Meng Ci had already fetched a clay pot and measured in some rice.
Shen Que said, "No need. If you want noodles, just have noodles."
"I'm not picky about food."
Meng Ci scooped water from the bucket, shaking his head. "Forget it. Let's have rice."
"Braised fish goes great with rice."
"Alright." Shen Que agreed.
Once the braised fish was done, Meng Ci set the pot aside and grabbed another one to start stir-frying vegetables.
Shen Que volunteered, shedding his overcoat and asking Meng Ci to teach him how to cook.
Meng Ci nodded.
Simultaneously, an image flashed through his mind.
A young child just learning to write, scribbling crookedly, while his father guided his hand to form the characters.
Then the scene shifted: Shen Que stir-frying incorrectly, Meng Ci standing behind him, gripping his arm to flip the ingredients.
Meng Ci smiled softly.
Not bad-another chance for the two of them to get up close and personal.