I'm a junior in college this year, and I've linked my fishing check-in system.

(This was typed by voice on my way back to school, so it might not sound quite right. I'll revise it before 12:30.)

Ms. Chen Huifang stood at the kitchen doorway with her hands tucked in, her eyes fixed on her son.

Thinking about strategies for using clichés...

Jiang Qian was busy cooking, completely unaware that his mother had already imagined an eight-hundred-episode drama.

Jiang Zhiguo watched Jiang Qian cook, his expression grave.

"Jiang Qian can actually cook?"

My status within the family continues to decline...

Today he discovered that his position seemed to have been completely replaced by Jiang Qian.

"Then what should I do in the future?"

Is it just a vase?

Jiang Zhiguo felt that he was quite suitable to be a decorative vase.

……

Jiang Qian had no idea what his elderly parents were thinking; all he felt was happiness.

"If this recipe is reliable..."

You could totally open a restaurant then!

Jiang Qian knew very well that fishing was a career he could pursue for a lifetime.

But the problem is that a person cannot live without a family business.

He thought about it and decided that opening a restaurant would be the most exciting thing.

"Never mind..."

He only had a little over four thousand yuan in his account, and after thinking about it, he decided not to consider the idea for the time being.

"At least buy a car first..."

Having a car makes everything more convenient, and in a private space like a car, there are more stories to tell...

cough cough.

Jiang Qian interrupted his rambling thoughts and lowered his head to modify the knife.

He laid out the cleaned fish meat, skin side down, and made a cut at an angle, every half centimeter, down to the skin but not through it.

Make a horizontal cut, then a vertical cut, and the whole piece of fish meat is instantly transformed into a uniform diamond pattern.

Pickling.

Add a little salt and a spoonful of cooking wine, mix well, and let it sit.

Apply paste.

Coat each piece of fish evenly with dry starch, making sure they are separate and do not stick together.

Watching Jiang Qian skillfully cook, Jiang Zhiguo finally couldn't help but say:

"Has this kid been possessed? His skill level is almost on par with mine!"

Ms. Chen Huifang glanced at him. "Aren't you going to run?"

"Why would I run away?" Jiang Zhiguo asked, puzzled. "Aren't you going back to my hometown in a few days?"

"Juntao will be back tomorrow."

Jiang Zhiguo shut up.

Hearing the commotion outside, Jiang Qian felt he was about to lose his composure.

Who is Juntao?

His uncle had two children, and Juntao was the son.

This person is a highly respected figure among Jiang Qian's generation.

Even the uncle, who had the highest hopes for his son's success, was worried about Juntao.

Juntao had almost no bad habits in his life, except for gacha games...

When I was in third grade, I stole my family's phone and recharged it with 648 yuan. In my second year of college, I ran out of living expenses because of recharging that 648 yuan. In order to earn money, I went to a certain blue-collar dating app to meet people...

Recalling this, Jiang Qian remembered why Comrade Jiang Zhiguo was afraid of Juntao.

Comrade Jiang Zhiguo also did the same thing to Juntao, but Juntao not only showed no shame, he even said that the quality of the DVDs Jiang Zhiguo provided wasn't good enough...

Family Guy

Chen Juntao deeply believed that Comrade Jiang Zhiguo was a kindred spirit and often tried to share with him. However, Ms. Chen Huifang discovered this, which led to Jiang Zhiguo being severely beaten by Jiang Qian's grandfather. From then on, he was too embarrassed to see Chen Juntao again.

Jiang Qian shook off these inexplicable thoughts and continued cooking.

The aroma wafted out through the crack in the kitchen door.

In the living room, Aunt Li Guifen was eating sunflower seeds and watching TV when she suddenly smelled something and instinctively asked, "What's that smell?"

"It smells so good!"

She turned her head to look towards the kitchen, then looked down at the sunflower seeds in her hand, and suddenly realized that the sunflower seeds didn't smell good anymore.

Uncle Chen Jianjun also smelled it, put down his phone, and asked, "Who's cooking? It smells so good!"

The two exchanged a glance, stood up simultaneously, and headed towards the kitchen.

Jiang Qian is preparing the sauce.

Simmer tomato sauce, white vinegar, sugar, and a pinch of salt over low heat until the sauce bubbles and thickens.

He arranged the fried fish on a plate, with the head and tail also fried and placed at both ends, while the golden and fluffy fish body was in the middle.

Remove from heat and pour the sauce over it.

The bright red sweet and sour sauce was poured over the golden and crispy fish, making a slight sizzling sound. Steam rose as the sauce seeped into the fish along the lines of the cuts.

Then add the mung beans that Ms. Chen Huifang beat up and forced Comrade Jiang Zhiguo to find, and you're done!

Jiang Qian placed the fish on the table, feeling a little nervous.

"I wonder how it tastes..."

Jiang Qian watched as his whole family gathered around.

Grandpa was the first to pick up his chopsticks.

He picked up a piece of fish from the belly area; the outer skin was fried until crispy, and you could hear a slight crackling sound when the chopsticks touched it. As he put it in his mouth, the crispy skin crumbled, revealing incredibly tender fish meat inside, with the sweet and sour juices melting in his mouth.

Grandpa paused for two seconds, then frowned slightly.

Jiang Qian was taken aback. He thought the system had unexpectedly failed him, but then he saw his grandmother tap his grandfather's head with chopsticks.

"Don't be so formal!"

Grandpa chuckled honestly and said, "Delicious!"

"This is delicious!"

"At my age, it's rare for me to have something good to eat! Grandson, come over often, your grandma doesn't give me anything to eat..."

Another bite.

Jiang Qian looked at them and smiled helplessly.

It's a real prankster's house, isn't it...?

However, he was naturally very happy.

Although my uncle and aunt are pretentious professional freeloaders who like to show off, my grandfather is happy with it and there's nothing he can do about it.

Sometimes it's rare to get a whole family together so happy.

After the meal.

The group went downstairs for a walk together.

The evening breeze carried the scent of reeds from the riverbank.

The group walked along the stone path in front of Grandma's house. Grandpa and Uncle walked in front, Ms. Chen Huifang and Aunt walked behind, and Comrade Jiang Zhiguo, who was ridiculed by the group because of the rubber shoes incident, was walking alone at the front, pretending to look at the scenery.

Jiang Qian was at the very back.

He took out his phone and turned on the screen.

The red number on WeChat made him pause for a moment.

Twenty-three unread messages?!

"what?"

All from Dai Zhenli.

The earliest message was posted around 2 PM.

Are you fishing?

[The cat boss was very well-behaved today and didn't destroy anything in the house.]

I had chicken cutlet rice at the place downstairs for lunch, but it wasn't good; it wasn't as good as yours.

Jiang Qian's lips twitched slightly, a hint of a smile appearing on his face, as he continued scrolling down.

Is your home far away?

I watered the flowers on the balcony today.

The cat boss is asleep, snoring so loudly!

Jiang Qian looked at these messages, and not a single one mentioned her parents or the phone call from her counselor.

But every single one of them talks about trivial matters.

What happened to the cat owner? What did he eat? What did he watch?

It's like being alone at home and it's too quiet, so you want to find someone to talk to.

Jiang Qian scrolled down.

The time intervals between messages are getting shorter and shorter.

Is your signal weak?

Never mind, you're busy.

The cat owner is looking down from the balcony.

It seems to have seen something; its fur stood on end.

The last message was sent half an hour ago.

The cat owner ran away!

Jiang Qian's finger stopped on the screen.

The cat owner ran away?

He reread the previous messages.

"wrong……"

He made a phone call.

No one answered.

Dial again.

Still no one answered.

Jiang Qian frowned.

"Has something happened?"

Dai Zhen sent a video while he was getting a haircut. When Jiang Qian watched it, he discovered that the video showed two people holding up a sign and shouting insults...

"Jiang Qian!"

Ms. Chen Huifang's voice came from ahead, "Why are you looking at your phone while walking! Look at your dad, he never looks at his phone!"

Comrade Jiang Zhiguo was indeed not looking at his phone, because he was squatting by the roadside watching ants fight.

Jiang Qian put his phone away and quickly followed.

Ms. Chen Huifang turned her head and glanced at him.

A woman's intuition is a terrifying thing, and what's more, Ms. Chen Huifang has more than just intuition; she also has video evidence...

"Are you on the phone with your girlfriend?"

Jiang Qian decided to swing his legs sideways. "Yes!"

"And I have something to take care of right now..."